Page 500 of Lodestar

“How bad is it?” Cin queried, dragging her eyes from Chadwick’s bulging biceps.

“I mean, I guess it’s bad? It’s not the worst thing I’ve ever done though.”

Troy harrumphed. “Guess that doesn’t mean much.” She perused her cards and then Eoghan—in that order—before folding her hand. “Not with you, at any rate.”

“Why don’t you want to tell him?” Savannah demanded.

“Because I think it might make him mad.”

She tossed down a twenty-dollar chip. “You’ll get used to it. Sometimes, you might even like it.”

“I don’t need to know about you and my brother’s sex life,” Eoghan grumbled, throwing a chip into the center of the green baize too.

Savannah cackled. “If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Anyway, don’t pretend as if you’re innocent.

“Inessa might be more close-mouthed than a mime, but she blushes like the rest of us.”

A wicked glint made an appearance in Eoghan’s eyes. “I’ll have to reward her for keeping her mouth shut, then.”

“Make it emeralds. Diamonds are so insipid against her blonde hair.”

Eoghan looked like he wanted to argue, but he apparently saw the sense in Savannah’s logic. “Fine,” he said with a huff. To me, he asked, “You scared he’ll push you away if you tell him whatever it is that’ll make him mad?”

Uneasiness settled inside my soul as I started calling bets. “I don’t like that I’m concerned he’ll do that.”

“Because it makes you feel weak?” Troy asked.

The question was surprisingly insightful, even more so coming from Troy. “Yeah. I wouldn’t have cared before. Now, I care. It sucks.”

Ren, hissing, raced out of the kitchen as expected.

What wasn’t expected?

When he dive-bombed onto my shoulder after bouncing on the sofa.

I managed to catch him before he could fall off and skid onto the baize.

“You love him,” Savannah retorted, fiddling with her chips as she eyed my hold on the cat with an amused eye. “Love makes you all kinds of out of sorts. Just take it as a good sign.”

“Especially with you, seeing as you don’t normally care about hurting people’s feelings,” Chadwick rumbled, his voice low and gritty.

Dumping Ren on my lap, I cast a look at Cin, just to make sure she hadn’t melted into a puddle on the floor as I sniped, “I don’t have to tell him.”

“If you think you should, then do it. Makes no sense not to,” Savannah said with a light shrug.

“I disagree.” Troy tossed her cards onto the table. “I wouldn’t tell him anything. Best way.” Ah, there was the Troy I knew well.

“This isn’t an op. I love him, Troy.”

She sniffed. “Even more reason not to tell him. I love my bees. Didn’t stop me from letting Harrow’s Bees keep them.”

“Harrow’s who?” Savannah sputtered.

“Never mind. Give me a show of hands who thinks I should tell him and who thinks I shouldn’t.”

Savannah, Dead To Me, and Chadwick raised their hands for ‘should.’ Troy and, shockingly, Eoghan, raised their hands for ‘shouldn’t.’

I arched a brow at Eoghan. “Thought you’d want me to be open and honest with him.”

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