Page 23 of Risking it All

The last thing I saw before it all went black was a head of dark hair colliding with my assailant like a freight train, then I knew nothing.

Chapter 9

William

Thirty Minutes Earlier

Devin sat across from me, his hands clasped over the table as he stared a hole through my skull. I didn’t say anything despite the probing gaze.

We’d been sitting in silence for what felt like eons now, and I wasn’t going to be the one to break it.

Apparently Devin realized that because he rolled his eyes. “Are you going to tell me why you’ve been avoiding Beatrice over the last month?”

I sucked in a breath, my carefully constructed lie already on the tip of my tongue, but before I could say it, he glared.

“Don’t even try it. I know the look you get when you’re about to lie, and I’m not in the mood for it.”

I shut my mouth, listening as he continued. “Something is going on here, and it isn’t you just putting your foot in your mouth like Bea would have me believe. I’ve never seen her so in knots before and that’s not even getting into how weird you’re being.”

His glare intensified. “Now tell me what’s going on.”

There was no getting out of this was there? Beatrice warned me that I was being obvious about it, and now her brother finally had enough.

Once Devin started on something it was impossible to pry him off it. I hadn’t wanted to bring any of this to him, but maybe I should.

Rubbing a hand over my face, I nodded. “Fine, but don’t kill me, okay?”

He raised a brow, alarm showing now as he sat forward on the table. “I make no promises until you tell me what you did.”

Fair enough.

Swallowing around my dry throat, I blurted out the truth. “I kissed Beatrice back at that housewarming party a few months ago.”

Were there gentler ways of easing into it? Sure, but I didn’t know them, and I wanted this over with.

Instead of flying into a protective rage as I expected him to, Devin calmly watched me, not even batting an eye. When I didn’t say anything for a minute, he made a motion with his hand.

“And?”

I stared, not at all expecting this.

“And what?” I asked and he snorted.

“What else? That isn’t something I’d kill you over.”

I had to be mishearing. Fighting the urge to go get a q tip to clean my ears out, I repeated myself.

“I kissed your sister and that’s not…bad?”

He shook his head, eyeing me curiously now. “No, why would it be? She’s had a thing for you for years. That’s no secret.”

Really?

I wracked my brain, trying to think back for any signs of that. Sure she’d always wanted to hang out with Devin and I, but I’d always figured that was her hero worship of her brother.

Something wiggled in my stomach over the fact she’d apparently been interested that long without my noticing.

Shaking that to the side for now, I focused on Devin. “She’s your sister, and I’m a well-known flirt. I sleep with different women every week and have a reputation that’s probably going to follow me for the rest of my life. I kind of expected you to neuter me for even looking at her.”