Page 130 of By His Rule

They move away without a word as a loud cheer erupts from the crowd outside.

“Ah, sounds like my little brother might have arrived,” I say. But when I look at Lorelei she’s got her nose stuck in her cell again.

Finally, she puts it back into her purse so she can go and see what’s going on.

I follow her lead, watching as Kieran works the crowd like a pro.

Lorelei balks“Has he brought two dates?”

“Quite possibly. He’s?—”

“A Callahan,” she interrupts.

“Hey,” I argue.

“What? It’s true and you know it.”

I shake my head, unable to argue as Kieran gets closer, his dates close behind him.

I don’t recognize either of them, but that doesn’t mean they’re not famous in their own right. Kieran has an image to uphold, and he always chooses his dates wisely. Just like I do… or did…until tonight.

He bursts through the doors with more energy than any adult should possess.

“The king is in the house.”

“Oh, Kingston is here?” Lorelei asks without missing a beat and looking around as if he’s about to emerge from somewhere.

My brother’s eyes land on my date and then widen to the point I’m sure they’re going to pop.

“Lorelei Tempest, what a surprise,” he says before pulling her in for a hug as if they’re best friends and spinning her around.

“Put my date down, asshole,” I complain.

Kieran stops, his eyes finding mine.

“Calm down, K. I’m not going to steal your date. I know how important she is to you.”

“Shall we go and get a drink?” I suggest, once again wrapping my arm around Lorelei’s waist and attempting to steer her away from my shit-stirring brother.

“Yes,” she says happily. “But only if Kieran and his dates join us. I’d love to hear more about how important I am.”

“I think Kieran will probably be needed elsewhere. This is his event, after all.”

“Nah, they can all wait for me.” Throwing an arm around each of his dates, he leads the way toward the bar.

“Sorry about him,” I whisper to Lorelei.

She smirks, her eyes twinkling.

Oh yeah, I made a massive fucking mistake putting those two together, and something tells me that I’m never going to hear the end of it.

31

LORELEI

“Bottoms up, baby,” Kieran calls before lifting his tequila shot and downing it in one quick swallow.

The two ladies on either side of him watch him closely as they sip their champagne.

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