Page 57 of One Touch

I shook my head. “Not yet. I was giving him some time to come to terms with it.”

From the corner of my eye, I watched Kate pick at her nails. I figured she was uneasy that her brother might complicate things. Hell, I was nervous about that, too, but I knew Duke was a straight shooter. He might be pissed that I moved in on his little sister—not that I could blame him—but he would come to understand we were both consenting adults.

I hoped.

“I really hadn’t planned to tell anyone.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Keeping me your dirty little secret? I’m scandalized.”

She shifted in her seat to lean against the door and face me. “You know what I meant. I wasn’t going to tell them likethat. It’s strange and complicated ... you being Duke’s best friend. Declan’s brother ...”

She trailed off, fully expecting me to pick up the conversation, but I stayed quiet. I didn’t have flowery promises for her. In all honesty, I had no idea where anything with Kate could possibly go. Before she came knocking on my front door, I had fully decided that she was off limits.

Now I couldn’t seem to keep my handsoffher, as evidenced by my hand creeping higher up her thigh and rubbing dangerously close to her middle. A sick part of me got off on how wrong it all really was.

“Let’s just take the next couple of days, have a good time. We don’t have to figure anything out right now.”

I could guess that at one time my brother had offered her empty promises and false hope. I wouldn’t do that to her. We’d both have a solid understanding of what this was.

The miles stretched on, and I finally asked a question that had been dogging me. “What’s the deal with Duke and the woman who works at the bakery?”

Kate tipped her head to the side. “Sylvie King? What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Couple of times he acted weird when she was around. It seemed ... different than before somehow.”

She shrugged. “You’d probably know more than me. Believe it or not, despite my screaming about my sex life over cobbler, we don’t really talk about it.”

I thought for a moment. I’d never suspected anything strange between the two of them before, but now that I had seen how easy it was for me to cross a line with Kate, I was curious about it.

“Honestly? She’s a King. The only one Duke can tolerate is MJ, and that’s just because she is a nurse and so good with Dad. I’ve never even seen him speak two words to Sylvie King.”

I looked out onto the highway. “Hmm. Yeah, it’s probably nothing. I overheard there was some issue with the berries he sells them.”

Kate shrugged and shook her head. “I don’t know. I’ve only just started getting to know her at the book club. She keeps to herself a lot. Honestly, if they weren’t Kings, I’d say MJ would be perfect for Duke. She’s probably a little young for him, but she’s sweet, funny, and has a kind heart.”

I lowered my voice. “Is this the book club where King and Sullivan women conspire against the menfolk?”

Kate laughed again and relaxed in her seat. “More like uncomplicating all the problems the menfolk create. Did you hear the latest? Someone put up aNo Trespassingsign along with a smallfence on a stretch of public beach and marked it as King territory. There were some very confused tourists and a few very angry Sullivans. Apparently some of our distant cousins are threatening to go to court over it.”

A laugh broke free from my chest. “I never understood how this feud has stood the test of time. It seems so ... asinine.”

Kate snorted. “Because itis. But any townie will tell you they know more about the feud than each other’s real names. It started so long ago but just self-perpetuates. People pick sides, draw literal lines in the sand, and are too prideful to cross them.”

“Bound to happen one of these days.”

Kate shook her head and looked out at the passing trees. “Not in our lifetime.”

Traffic slowed around the tip of Lake Michigan, but as we headed back north toward the city, a sense of familiar comfort came over me. I knew the bustle of the city—the rhythm and demands of honking horns, one-way streets, and throngs of pedestrians. While it lacked the slow, easy pace of a small town like Outtatowner, it was familiar.

I pulled up to my building and took the side entrance to a private garage. I wound down to a gated area and scanned my card to gain entrance.

The sun was blocked by concrete, and only small lights illuminated the lower portion of the private garage. I pulled into one of my parking spaces, turned the truck off, and hopped out.

Kate followed as I led the way. Both the underground glass foyer and the elevator itself required the key card.

“Fancy,” Kate whispered in the darkened space.

Sweetheart, you have no idea.

---