Page 28 of Claimed By Daddy

“Maybe?” he scoffs, shaking his head. “Are you fuckingserious? It’s a betrayal, Enzo. You know damned well that Cillian won’t approve.”

His words cut through me painfully, because they’re true. All of them. I know I’m betraying one of my closest friends.My family. But deep down, I also know that Cillian won’t approve, and that goes far beyond Eavan being his little sister. He knows what kind of man I am.Or was.He knows about the countless, meaningless women who passed through my bed over the years. Why would he think that his sister would be anything more to me? Fuck… evenIdon’t know why she’s different.But she is.

Nikolai steps closer, his presence imposing. “He was really fucking clear when she got here, Enz. Eavan is off limits.”

“I know…” I lean against the counter, crossing my arms with a heavy grumble. “But you don’t understand.”

“And you think he will?” Nikolai quietly snaps. “He’ll find out. And when he does, that fallout... It’ll be on you.”

“She’s worth it,” I mutter into my mug.

He stares back at me in disbelief for a moment before realizing that I’m serious. “Then you’d better fucking tell him.”

“We just need a little time.” I push from the counter.

Raising his hands in surrender, Nikolai swears, “I’m not saying shit. That’s not a fight I want to find myself in the middle of. But do yourselves a favor anddon’t sit on this.”

I take another sip of my coffee, which suddenly tastes like ash. After pouring it down the drain, I leave the cup in the sink and walk from the kitchen with a gnawing tightness in my chest. Nikolai’s words ring in my ears—sharp, smug, and deadly serious.And entirely right.

Climbing the stairs two at a time, I run my hand through my hair when I reach the landing. I don’t bother knocking and quickly let myself into Eavan’s room before Cillian wakes. I shut the door behind me and exhale hard, leaning against it like I’m trying to hold everything together.

Eavan is sitting up in bed with her legs tucked underneath her and a sheet draped loosely over her soft body. Her eyes still look tired, but she’s alert. She glances at my face, and the faint smile that spread across hers when I barged into the room quickly fades. “What’s happened?” she asks quietly, pulling the sheets tighter to her chest.

“Nikolai knows.”

Her eyes blow wide. “Heknows?”

My stare not leaving hers, I share, “He heard us last night.”

“Oh my God,” she whispers, a deep crimson quickly painting her cheeks. She tugs the sheets higher, over her mouth, and groans into them. “Please tell me he didn’t say anything.”

I push off the door and cross the room to her. “He saidplenty,” I admit with a half-chuckle, sitting beside her on the edge of the bed.

Her eyes search mine anxiously. “What did he say?”

I hesitate. For a second, I debate sugarcoating it before opting to just tell her straight. “He made a few jokes. Mostly about how loud you were.”

The scarlet covering her face deepens. “Oh myGod, Enz!” she exclaims, mortified.

“And he made it really fucking clear that your brother isn’t going to approve of us. Mostly because of me, which, based on how I lived my life before you, I can’t fault him for.” I reach for her hand and hold it firmly, quickly adding, “He’s not going to say anything to Cillian.”

She falls back against the headboard. “I want to disappear.”

I lean forward, elbows on my knees, scrubbing a hand over my jaw. “It was only a matter of time. And last night was fucking reckless.”

A faint reminiscing smile pulls at the corners of her mouth. Sitting from the headboard, she leans her face against my arm and quietly asks, “So, what do we do?”

“I don’t want to stop this.” I turn toward her and cup her round face in my hands.

“Me neither,” she adds without hesitation.

“Then we need to be more careful. Until we decide it’s time to tell Cian.” I place a chaste kiss against her lips. “In the meantime, we have to hope he doesn’t figure it out himself.”

She draws in a slow breath. “You’re not scared of him?”

“Terrified.” I laugh. “If our roles were reversed,and you were my sister, I’d fucking kill either of them for sleeping with you.”

She smiles, just a little.

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