Page 135 of Reckless Hearts

“Bullshit.”

I snicker. “Seriously, I feltterriblenot telling you. But you had everything going on with Castle, and the wedding, and then all the shit after…”

She nods as I refill our glasses. “Wait—was this a thing between you two from Knightsblood?”

I shake my head. “No…” My face scrunches up. “I mean, yes? But…no.”

“You’re going to say it’s complicated, right?”

“Took the words out of my mouth.”

She laughs as we walk back outside and sit in the lounge chairs, looking out over Soho.

“In my limited romantic experience?”

“Being that you just married your crush, you mean?”

“Yeah, that,” she grins. “It’s…alwayscomplicated.”

“True, that.” I clink my glass to hers and we each take a sip before her eyes light up.

“Oo! Think of this! If you’re crazy enough to marry my psycho brother one day, we’ll literally be sisters.”

Something twists painfully in my chest.

Marriage comes after falling in love.

Not contracts. Not deals. Not dangerous, dark games and a relationship built almost entirely on the foundation of both of you being royally fucked up and into seriously deviant sex stuff.

We’ve broken walls down, yes. And this has obviously become a lot more than it was at the start, when I was fairly certain Deimos hated me as much as I was afraid of him.

But is what we have now arelationship?

* * *

Callie endsup staying well into late afternoon. And then Victoria calls to see if I still want to hang out, so of course I get her over here too, and the margaritas just keep flowing with all three of us.

That turns into Callie drunk-dialing Castle to come over, which he does, because they’re in love. But thenthatbrings up questions of why I’m essentially wearing pajamas at Deimos’ house, and why my toothbrush is in the guest bathroom.

Long story short, by the time Deimos comes home, I’m drunk, Victoria, whom he’s never even met, is drunk, Callie isverydrunk, and Castle is nursing a beer and several questions.

So much for keeping it between just the three of us.

“So, this…” Castle smirks over the Thai take-out we’ve had delivered for dinner. He points first to me and then to Deimos with the neck of his beer bottle, and then back to me. “This is…”

“A consenting adult relationship,” Deimos mutters. “Next question?”

“Buddy, believe me, I gotseveral.”

“Well, granted, I know none of the backstories here,” Victoria grins. “But I think you two look cute together.”

“Hear hear!” Callie bangs her fist on the table.

“Thank you, Victoria,” I smile.

“It’s less ‘cute’ when I chase her around the apartment, tie her up, and have my wicked way with her.”

My margarita almost comes out through my nose. Callie laughs, like it’s a huge joke. Castle laughs with a little less ease, like he’s notsureif it’s a joke. Victoria giggles the loudest.

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