Page 348 of Lodestar

“Youdo. If you want me to send you any in the future.”

“Are you being serious?”

“Uh,yes. I want a reply to each one.”

“Can they be emojis?”

“Sure but hurry it the hell up. I have a backlog of TikToks to send you.”

I gaped at her. “Then I won’t hurry up. You think I have time for TikTok?”

“You need to make time. I swear I posted a video on there yesterday and it wentviral, Star. That shit about Congressman Tully’s foot fetish has been liked by nearly eighteenmillionpeople. The conversation is happening and we’re not even steering the press.”

“I’m sure Tully’s grateful about that.”

“His wife has feet too. He could worship them instead of a hooker’s in Nevada.”

“Your logic, Vana,” I grumbled.

“What’s illogical about that? You can’t be elected into office with kinks. They’re just weaknesses waiting for some reporter to hold against you.”

“Some reporter, in this instance, being you?”

She smirked, her bright red-lips a slash on her pretty face. “Yes. I swear, I shit news at this point and people love it.”

“Lovely image, Savvie,” Conor mocked, earning her attention.

Her smirk faded and she scowled at him before she prodded him in the shoulder. “Don’t think I’m not mad at you too.”

“What have I done now?”

“I called you. Twice. What is it with the people in this family ignoring me?”

“You know that’s a lie, Savannah. I never ignore you.”

Aidan’s cool drawl had me chuckling when it made her cheeks bloom with heat. She stopped pouting when her husband’s hand settled on her waist and he drew her against his chest.

I studied the move with interest, having never seen her intimate interactions with her spouse before.

Figured that it took an O’Donnelly to tame this particular shrew.

“Why are you giving Conor and Star shit, little one?”

The blush deepened, but I thought that was a combination of the words ‘little one’ and the way she darted a look at me, as if she were nervous that I’d tease her for letting him call her that.

But who the fuck was I to judge?

Conor called me ‘naughty girl’ and I creamed harder than I did when I fingered myself.

“Star didn’t answer my messages and Conor ignored my call.”

“I’m sure there’s a reason for that, Kid?”

There was a warning in Aidan’s tone that had me hiding a smile. Anyone who could see beneath Vana’s cocky facade and knew to protect her sensitive side was someone I could grow to like.

“It’s not as if I’ve been killing time watching Knicks’ games,” he retorted with a huff. “Anyway, if you wanted to talk to me, you could have come up.”

“And invade your privacy? You’re in the honeymoon phase,” Savannah grouched.