Page 77 of Never Dance with the Devils
“No, she didn’t. But you’re the only one looking at us like we brought dog shit in on your fancy rug, so that must make you the lone holdout… Chance.” It’s probably breaking ten different societal rules to speak so crudely and call him out so boldly, but I don’t give a fuck. I want him to feel like the outsider he’s trying to make me out to be. Well, I want to wipe off that smug smirk on his face with a solid jab-cross combo, but verbal sparring will do… for now.
There’s a beat of shocked silence and then the room erupts in laughter. “He’s got you there,” someone says. Carter, I think? I’m a bit iffy on Cameron and Carter, seeing as they’re close in age, background style, and again, look alike. The rest of the guys I have figured out.
Chance is not amused and frowns hard at the rebuff, but he’s dismissed as Kayla begins introducing us to everyone else.
Cameron, Riley, and Grace—the oldest brother, his younger fiancée, and the teenage girl in the floor, whoseems extra interested now that there’s drama to consume and is slow to go to the kitchen with Riley when asked to leave the room for a few minutes.
Carter and Luna—the one who said ‘he’s got you there’, which means I was right, and his wife, who’s watching the show through large, round glasses with a soft smile on her lips.
Cole, Janey, and Emmett—the CIA type with a very particular set of skills, with closely cut blond hair and a shrewd gaze. She has a riot of red curls that the baby on her hip keeps trying to grab. Honestly, the kid’s cute as hell, too.
Kyle and Dani—he shakes my hand, giving me a wink of support before pushing a dark-haired, dark-eyed woman forward. Kayla was right in her assumptions—they both have on jeans and T-shirts, and I see a dog hair or two on Kyle’s.
Chance and Samantha—the tie-wearing, disapproving brother is still glaring at us, seemingly unaware that the brunette beauty at his side is glaring at him.
“Where’s Dad?” Kayla asks after we’ve done our handshakes and waves around the room.
“Here,” a voice says from the foyer a moment before a tall, barrel-chested man appears. “You must be Riggs and Maddox. Nice to meet you both.” He shakes both of our hands easily. Too easily. Kayla said her father was understanding, and I wanted to believe her, but there was a niggling little worry that maybe it was an act, because what father of a daughter would be okay with this? But Charles Harrington is smiling congenially as he greets us. “Scotch? Bourbon?”
“No, thank you,” I tell him. I’d really like a double shot, neat, to throw back for some liquid chill because Ican feel the nerves bubbling up inside me, and my usual method of dealing with that—being an asshole to keep people at arm’s length—doesn’t seem like the best course of action in this case. But risking my mouth running ahead of my brain tonight is an even worse decision.
Kayla leads us to another couch, sitting primly in the middle. I exchange a glance with Maddox as we take our places on either side of Kayla, checking in that he’s doing better than I am and is prepared to run interference for us. Well, for me. I don’t think Kayla needs any help. She’s in her element, reigning supreme as her brothers sit back, their eyes drifting from her to Chance like people watching tennis, eager for the showdown to officially begin.
“Are we going to address the elephant in the room?” Chance looks around, searching for support.
Kayla stiffens beside me. If it were anyone else, I’d think they were uncomfortable with being called out. Kayla, though? I think she’s preparing a comeback that’s going to have her brother rethinking his entire life. Before she can speak, Kyle stage-whispers in a video game voice, “Goody Two-Shoes versus The Ice Queen, round one.Fight!”
Carter smirks and says, “My money’s on Kayla, obviously. Whoever’s playing bookie, put me down for twenty bucks.” He points at Cole, then Kyle, whose brow jumps before his expression returns to nothing more than vague interest. He’s apparently taking on the role of bookie. “Ding.”
Everyone expects Kayla to respond to Chance, but instead, Charles does. “You mean your sister exercising her intelligence and freedom, taking control of her lifeand finding someone… excuse me,someones?” Charles muses thoughtfully before nodding. “Someonesshe has found connection with? Is that the elephant you’re speaking of?”
Holy shit. Charles is not only supportive. He’s going to bat for Kayla.
The air is instantly sucked out of the room, each brother subtly looking from their father to Kayla before looking at Chance. If they were kids, I’d swear someone would be taunting ‘ooh, you’re in trouble’, but since they’re adults, they fight to hide grins.
“You should’ve known she’d have Dad on her side before agreeing to walk into this lion’s den,” Cole tells Chance. “Amateur mistake on your part.”
Kyle adds, amused. “Dad wins.Flawless Victory.”
“Thank you, Dad.” Like a queen, Kayla tilts her chin deferentially her father’s way before turning icy eyes on her brother. “To be clear, I don’t need your permission, nor approval to do, be, or live however the fuck I want.”
“Kayla,” Chance says, softer. The only thing saving him is that I can tell this argument is coming from a good place. He’s worried about the sister he loves very much. He’s wrong, completely and totally so, but I don’t think he’s being malicious. In a way, I think he’s trying to protect her, not because she’s fragile but because she’s important to their family. To him. “We’ve all had our issues.” He cuts his eyes quickly to Charles before returning them to Kayla, an unspoken message in the pointed glance. “But this is not the way to address any residual Daddy issues you might have. Therapy is. Maybe Samantha could?—”
His wife’s jaw falls open in horror, but it’s his mother who scolds him first. “Chance Michael Harrington!” Miranda snaps, immediately moving to Charles’s side in a show of unity. “Apologize to your father right now.”
But the patriarch of the family doesn’t need insincere apologies and he takes Miranda’s hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. “It’s okay. I haven’t been perfect, and if I could go back in time?—”
As Charles is speaking, Kayla holds up a staying hand. “Dad, if I may?” To everyone’s surprise, he quiets for her. With a cold glare locked on Chance, Kayla clips out, “Of everyone in this family, I probably have the least amount of Daddy issues.” The accusation is clear and every brother shifts uncomfortably. I don’t know the finer details of their histories, but Kayla’s obviously hit a particularly sensitive nerve in all of them. “But even if I did have issues, it’s not your place to say how I should or shouldn’t address them. We are happy. That’s what matters. And no matter how many times you imply this relationship is something it’s not, it will never be about how many people are sleeping in our beds. We are more than the sum total you’re trying to make us out to be.”
Kyle whispers to Dani out of the side of his mouth, “Has he met Kayla? I’m surprised it only takes two guys to be enough for her. She’s a lot. Likea lot.”
Dani reaches forward, putting her finger over his mouth to hush him, but I hear her whisper in his ear. “And you think I’m not a lot? Maybe I need another guy too.”
Kyle’s eyes flash fire. “Fuck that. I’m enough for you. I don’t know what those guys are doing wrong because there’s no reason for it to take two of ‘em.” He shoots a shit-eating grin our way, obviously teasing, but his quick back and forth breaks the tension. I think that’s exactly what he was trying to do as tempers flare between thetwo siblings, both skilled enough with words to masterfully undercut the other.
Kayla might be right about her younger brother. He’s smarter than he puts on.
Chance rolls his eyes. At Kyle or Kayla, I’m not sure. “I didn’t mean for it to sound like I was discounting…this.” He waves a hand, gesturing toward all three of us.
