Page 44 of Stolen Hearts

She gives me a small, proud smile. “I know you can.”

“Butnotwhen I’m living in a place like this.”

Una nods, shrugging. “Well, what sort of a placewouldyou work best from?”

“Honestly?”

“Please.”

I grin. “The same place I’ve lived in and called home for the last ten years.”

She laughs.

“What’s funny?”

Une snickers. “Just that I love being right when it comes to Cil. I bet him last night that you’d just want to stay where you are, so this is hilarious to me.”

I grin. “Well, when you pitch it to him, mention it’ll save him twenty mil, too.”

“You’re such a cheap date, Castle” she laughs.

“Well, for what it’s worth,” Hades cuts in, “Ithink the brownstone’s a perfect spot for them.” He levels a cold, withering look at me. “It’s got six fucking bedrooms, for a start.”

Una rolls her eyes. “Well, that’s that, then. Let’s go ruin Brad’s day. Then it’s time to get you fitted for a tux.”

* * *

I’min one of those six bedrooms a little later when Neve drops by the brownstone. I look up from my favorite chair by the window when she knocks on my bedroom door.

“If my liege isn’t too busy,” she smirks, giggling when I roll my eyes, “I brought a congratulatory gift.”

She holds up a bottle of Jameson whiskey.

“Now you’re talking,” I chuckle, standing and grabbing two glasses from one of the shelves on my wall as she walks in. “Guess a king should probably start drinking better booze, though, huh?”

Neve smirks. “Hey, the late Prince Philip’s favorite drink was apparently an ordinary pint of Boddingtons. I think you’re good there.”

I grin as we step out onto my small, modest balcony and slump into the two wooden deck chairs I keep out there. Garden lights twinkle in the backyard as Neve pours us two glasses of the Jameson and clinks hers to mine.

“Slåinte,” she murmurs.

“Slåinte,” I grunt back before taking a large sip.

“Well,” she shakes her head. “Looks like we’ve got yet another Kildare arranged marriage.”

I smirk at her. “Still doesn’t make me a Kildare.”

“Pfft, guilt by association and all that. And hey, you get the best of both worlds, really.”

“Explain?”

She grins at me. “You get to be a Kildare without actually having to deal with the insanity ofliterally beinga Kildare.”

“Good loophole.”

Neve clinks her glass to mine again. “Fuckin’ right.” She glances sideways at me. “I mean…Myarranged marriage turned out pretty swell for everyone involved.”

“Yourarranged marriage ended up being to your fucking soulmate,” I grunt. “Not to mention to the only man in the world who could ever handle your shit.”

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