Page 3 of Ireland

“I tell Eva everything,” he said simply. “I wasn’t about to upset you unduly. Now, I can tell you it’s been settled, and you won’t hear from Teller again. That’s what I want you to know and all you need to know.”

He was so unbothered by the whole thing. Mildly annoyed and nothing more. It wasn’t the threat to him that it was to her.

She took a deep, bracing breath and then faced him with a sunny smile—even while feeling like she was vibrating violently on the inside. “Well, that’s a relief. How was it resolved, if you don’t mind my asking?”

Her tone was light. Studiously unconcerned. Which took colossal effort. Her dismay began to shift into icy rage toward the man who’d brought his bullshit to her family and laid it at their feet.

Gideon waved it all off in the most casual of gestures. “Your father will distribute Teller’s demo to three people he requestedspecifically. What happens from there isn’t our business, and we’ve got that in writing.”

She hid her fisted hands in the crooks of her elbows, her entire being rebelling against the thought of Graham Teller benefitting in any way from putting her in this position.

You’ve got a broken picker, Alina often said.You should stick to guys you’renotattracted to.

“You’re being more generous than he deserves,” she told him, careful to keep any resentment from her voice.

Her brother shrugged. “He’s not getting a check, and he’s not slandering you in the press. It’s a win all around.”

Ireland would’ve preferred tearing Graham’s lies to shreds, getting the threatened suit dismissed, and watching him leave the courthouse humiliated and empty-handed, but her opinion hadn’t been factored in, so she didn’t offer it now. Doing so wasn’t worth antagonizing her family.

“Thanks for coming over and telling me personally.”

Standing, Gideon rounded the desk and lifted his hands to rest on her shoulders. She could see the fondness in his gaze—they were nearly eye-level when she wore heels. She basked in that warmth, even though it didn’t touch the chilling fury building within her.

His eyes give him away, Eva once told her.I always know where he’s at if I look into his eyes.

Gideon had been estranged from the family the entirety of Ireland’s childhood. It wasn’t until Eva came into their lives that they formed a relationship. Ireland cherished his involvement in her life now.

She would do whatever she must to protect it.

Gideon stopped in the doorway to his wife’s office, taking a minute to absorb the sight of her lost in concentration. Eva stood at her mirrored desk, intently studying whatever was atop it. Her blond hair was shorter than his own, grazing her jaw in soft waves. It obscured her breathtaking face from his view, but since it was always front of his mind regardless, that freed him to take in the rest of her. Petite and voluptuously curved, she was more than a handful in every way possible, and he wouldn’t change a single thing about her.

“You coming in?” she queried without glancing up. “Or are you just going to stand there and stare?”

“Both. In good time.” With its profusion of pastel colors and mirrored accents, her office was decidedly feminine. But she alone was what made any room sparkle.

Behind him, the main floor and its sea of cubicles was thrumming with activity. His office was on the other side, with the same dividing wall of glass so he could look across at his wife whenever the mood struck him.

Turning her head, Eva hit him with the full force of her attention. Her gaze raked him from head to toe, heating as it slid over him in a near-tangible caress. Time hadn’t lessened the attraction between them. It was primal and deeply rooted, two halves of a whole drawn inexorably together.

“So, which of us was right?” she asked, returning her attention to her work. She’d sworn Ireland would lose her mind if not told about Teller sooner rather than later, while he’d known his sister would take the news in stride.

“You’ll note that I’m in one piece.”

She flipped a page over to read the one beneath it. “And Ireland? How would you say she is?”

“She was surprised at first, then brushed it off. You know how easygoing she is.”

“I know you think that,” she retorted.

“I don’t understand why you’re upset it went well.”

Straightening, Eva faced him with her stormy gray eyes narrowed. “However well it went, you did what you always do: you went ahead and fixed the problem without consulting her.”

“My understanding is that’s what older brothers are for.”

She shook her head. “I’ve been telling you the same thing for years, ace, and you still don’t get it.”

“This was going to be the resolution, period.” He leaned casually against the jamb and slid his hands into his trouser pockets. “Why waste time convincing her that taking this to court wouldn’t be worth the win? I, too, would prefer to legally annihilate this douchebag, but not at the cost of Ireland’s private life becoming fodder for Page Six and TMZ.”

---