Page 69 of Matteo
She handed me her cell phone.
Kyran: Don’t ever—fucking ever—show up in my club half naked again. In fact, you’re banned from coming altogether.
“Half naked?” I questioned. “And when did you go to his club?”
She shrugged. “I wore a short backless dress, hardly enough to get his panties in a twist.”
“I don’t understand you, Hannah.” I shook my head disapprovingly. “What is with you lately?”
Her gaze flitted to mine. “What do you mean?”
“You’ve been acting strange lately. You’re partying harder than before. You’re disappearing without letting anyone know where you’re going or with who.” Another shrug, but there was something lurking in her eyes. Fear. Or was it rebellion? I couldn’t quite pinpoint it, but I knew Hannah well enough to know I wouldn’t get anywhere with her if I pushed her too hard. “What about Matteo?”
“What about him?”
My heart trembled beneath my chest. “Well, how do you feel about him?”
Maybe I could come clean with her and she’d come clean with me.
“Same as always.” Her answer wasn’t much of one at all.
“Which is?” I pushed further. “Head over heels for him? Or just?—”
“Yeah, head over heels,” she repeated flatly.
“But why would you go to Uncle Kyran’s club, then?” I challenged. “That’s not really the behavior of a person head over heels for someone.”
“I don’t know anymore,” she whispered as we lay side by side, lost in our own thoughts. Then she added, “But if Kyran thinks he can keep me away from any establishment, he doesn’t know me at all.”
“There are plenty of other clubs,” I pointed out.
Then a thought occurred to me, and I studied her pensively. Her cheeks were flushed, her breathing was slightly accelerated, and she was twisting her fingers nervously.
“Oh no,” I murmured.
“Oh no what?”
“Hannah, please tell me…” I pinched the bridge of my nose. “Please tell me you didn’t do something inappropriate with Uncle Kyran.”
Her nose scrunched. “He’snotour uncle.”
“Need I remind you that Kyran Callahanisalmost twice our age? Not to mention everyone knows his clubs are exclusive because they’ve got some freaky shit going on.”
I could see there would be no reasoning with her. The only hope now was that he would hold strong on his ban. “If you try to sneak into his club again, he’ll just rat you out to Dad,” I warned.
She scoffed, her expression tightening with frustration. “No, he won’t.”
“Why wouldn’t he?”
My sister’s sparkling gaze came to me as she sat up. “Because I have him by the balls.”
I sat up. “What does that mean?”
“Nothing,” she piped up, her expression lightening.
Tell her. Tell her,my head—or was it my heart?—chanted over and over again. “Listen, Hannah. I have to tell you something about me and?—”
“Not now,” she cut me off. She jumped out of bed and stepped into her purple fuzzy slippers, calling out, “Kyran Callahan hasn’t seen the last of me yet,” over her shoulder as she sauntered out of my room.
