Kyrnon was definitely a night owl.

This was the third time over the last couple of weeks when she spent the night with Kyrnon that she woke up and he wasn’t beside her. Usually he wasn’t far away, but she did start to wonder what made him get up every night.

Sitting up, she rubbed her eyes, glancing over at the clock. Four in the morning, a few hours later than his usual. Sliding out of his bed, she kept the blanket wrapped around her as she went in search of him.

Though the TV was on, he wasn’t on the couch, and only a cup of tea on the table told her he had been there recently. As she wandered about, she found a staircase toward the back of the loft, and her curiosity got the best of her as she started up.

It wasn’t until she got to the next landing did she realize that the best part of his place wasn’t the loft below, but rather the greenhouse that made up the highest floor. She’d barely taken a full step before she could feel the cool tile beneath her feet, and even the spongey feel of moss. It was significantly warmer up here than it was below, and more impressive was how vibrant the night sky was from this view.

“Like being on top of the world,” Kyrnon said softly, a stream of smoke spilling from his lips as he spoke. She was almost halfway across the room when he added, “I tore down the roof and had this done—makes me feel like I can breathe.”

She didn’t realize it until she was closer that he was lying in a bed of grass beneath open windows above him. His legs were crossed at the ankles, his arm cocked, hand beneath his head, revealing one side of the V-lines at his waist he possessed.

“Why?” she asked when she was settled next to him, running her fingers through the grass at her sides and the slight dampness she found there.

“I spent a lot of time outside when I was a lad. See, whenever we set up camp, we always found a spot right under the stars.”

He sounded somber, like the memory saddened him. “And you miss that,” she guessed, then asked, “What changed?”

“What do you mean?”

“What made you stop being able to sleep at night?”

Kyrnon didn’t answer her question right away, still staring up at the cloudless sky above them, taking another drag from his cigarette. “My childhood wasn’t a pretty one.”

“If you want to tell me, I want to hear it.”

Whatever he was willing to give, she would take it.

And she had assumed as much. Between the scars, and the way he only seemed to talk about his life in recent years as opposed to the one he led back in Ireland entirely. Besides where and little details about it, he had never spoke of his life there.

Grinding out his cigarette on the tile, Kyrnon got to his feet. “I’ll be needing whiskey for this.”

He didn’t hesitate in grabbing hold of her hand, walking them back downstairs where he left her to get settled on the couch as he rattled around in the kitchen for the bottle of whiskey he kept in a lower cabinet.

Unlike last time, he merely twisted the top off, tossed it on the counter, then took a few healthy swallows before he crossed back to her. Instead of settling on the couch, he got comfortable on the floor, stretching out on the fur pelt that looked incredibly soft.

With a deep sigh, Kyrnon said, “It all started when I was thirteen …”

---

The sun on his face was nearly blistering hot, but Kyrnon didn’t care as he raced across the field, but he could only get so far, especially when he heard the squeal of tires as the truck gunning across the land drew closer.

He only had seconds—seconds before they were on him, but he didn’t slow, even as his heart felt like it was about to beat right out of his chest.

His mam had warned him not to go past the trees, and more, not to bother the men that dwelled on the other side of them, but at thirteen-years-old, he hadn’t understood the need for the precaution, not when there were more than fifty people traveling with their caravan.

That was both the beauty and the curse of living the way he did—he had more freedom than he needed.

But despite his mam’s warnings, he had done specifically what she forbade, venturing across the line, and out of sight where any of his kin may have called him back.

Expecting another pavee family, he had been surprised to find that there was no one living in the trees like he had expected. As far as he could see, there were only the trees for miles.

Kyrnon was stubborn, however, and refused to believe that he would leave without some kind of thrill, that his mam’s rules had been for nothing.

Instead, he ventured farther, and farther, until he was so deep in the woods that he couldn’t remember how to return. He couldn’t have walked for more than another thirty minutes before the densely packed forest was giving way to a clearing where there were a row of houses, a building set at the end of the lane.

It was here that Kyrnon thought he understood his mam’s worries. City people were quite unforgiving when it came to Kyrnon and his family, not liking the idea of them setting up their camps so close to their own homes.

Quite often, they treated them as though they were worse than the dirt beneath their feet. Once, that had saddened him, made him wonder what was so wrong with the way they lived. So they chose to live more freely than others—that their customs weren’t the same … did that make them so different? But he had quickly grown out of those feelings, that disparity shifting to annoyance.

If they thought him less than, he would be better—but he would make sure they never said any shite to his face.

His cousins were skilled at bare-knuckle boxing, teaching him everything he needed to know to defend himself should the need ever arise.

And that was a good lesson to have.

But it wasn’t better than learning how to become good at slight of hand. That had taken him no time at all to get the hang of, and having the lessons since the time he was a lad, he rarely got caught anymore.

That had ended this day.

There weren’t many people about, not that he could see, but that didn’t stop him from perusing what he could, and after he had looted everything his pockets could carry, Kyrnon had started back the way he came, determined to get home and share the wealth, but just as he reached the tree line, his gaze had shifted to the building that wasn’t too far off.

Kyrnon still wasn’t sure what he thought was inside—he doubted anything better than what he had already confiscated—but even still, he started for it.

It was supposed to be easy.

Just a way to appease his curiosity, but it had become much more than that very fast.

He didn’t realize until he was much closer and could hear the voices echoing from the windows that this place was where everyone had to be.

Two men were seated outside, one wearing a sweat-stained and slightly dirty shirt with a hat atop his head, and the other was shirtless, wearing a pair of trousers with a hole ripped in the knee.

As usual, once their eyes shifted to him, their lips curled in distaste, but the one wearing the hat was the first to give a sardonic smile. “If it isn’t one of the little tinkers from across the way.”

His friend laughed. “Probably lost, the eejit.”

“Oy!” Kyrnon snapped, that temper of his creeping up so fast that he couldn’t keep his mouth shut. “Mind yer words before I show ye what this tinker’s fists will do to yer face.”

It was one thing to go up against the men in his camp—they never went too far, and should they ever find a need to teach him a lesson, it never went further than wounding his pride. These fellas … they didn’t believe in that.

“Let’s see ye do something about it, laddie,” the one wearing the hat said as he got to his feet, pudgy face ruddy with rage.

Kyrnon didn’t think, just swung, putting enough force behind the hit that he sent the man back a few steps, reeling at the contact.

That first punch always felt the best, the way he could feel the power behind it, and the slight pain of bone meeting bone. He had grown to love that ache, feeling more confident with each hit to know that the next time he threw one, it would be easier.

But despite the thrill he felt, the other men weren’t nearly as happy, and that first punch lit the flame.

Soon, he was facing off against the pair, holding his own despite the fact that between the pair of them, they had at least a hundred pounds on him. Kyrnon was light on his feet, easily moving out of reach, but as he attempted to duck the punch of one, another grabbed the pocket of his trousers, flinging the contents out onto the ground around them.

That was also the moment when the doors flung open, a number of men spilling out, a bloodied lad in the center of them. He could hardly stand on his own two feet, and hit the dirt hard when there was no longer anyone supporting him.

And all too soon, it was Kyrnon that was the focus of their attention.

Two against one, he’d liked his odds, but with this many … he knew he needed to get the hell out of there.

The hat guy reached down, picking up one of the necklaces that had slipped from Kyrnon’s pocket onto the dirt between them.

“What’s this here?” One of the newcomers asked, his tone carefully controlled.

This man seemed to be at the center of them all—the leader if Kyrnon had to guess. He was taller than most, though rail-thin, and dark eyes that looked unforgiving.

“The tinker’s a thief,” The Hat said, his lip already puffy and bleeding.

“Is that so?” His eyes tuned on Kyrnon, assessing, gauging, and whatever he saw made the corner of his mouth quirk up. “Do ye know what we do to thieves around here, tinker? They fight in our games until their debt is paid off—and look here,” he gestured around them toward everything Kyrnon had taken. “Yer debt is worth thousands.”

Tapping his fingers against his leg, Kyrnon considered his options.

He was dangerously out-numbered, though that had never stopped him before. This time, however, he was nervous, not because he couldn’t take a beating, but because he didn’t understand what had caused the lad on the ground to pass out.

He could guess … his face was bloodied and bruised, and what little wasn’t covered by his clothes was the same. The lad looked like he had garnered one hell of a beating.

Looking down at him, Kyrnon wasn’t sure if he was still breathing …

“It’s all there,” Kyrnon said, keeping his distance, knowing that this wasn’t a fight he would see the end of. “I’ll be on my way. No harm done.”

“That’s not good enough.”

And it wouldn’t be, he was soon realizing.

The man didn’t look appeased in the slightest, and if he were being honest, the man looked like he already set his mind on dragging Kyrnon into that place at his back to do whatever he requested.

Fight or flight, he thought in that moment.

And that was how he found himself taking off down the road, trying to ignore the sound of pounding feet behind him as the men chased him down.

His mother had warned him not to go past the trees.

He hadn’t listened.

---

“Oh, Jesus.”

Kyrnon was torn from his ramblings of a past that was always hovering in the back of his mind by the sound of Amber’s soft words. That had been the easiest, he thought as he took another swig of the alcohol. He hadn’t told her what all he suffered at their hands—not that he really needed to.

She could see the evidence forever marked in his flesh.

Looking back at her, he shook his head. “Probably best we leave it at that.”

He thought maybe she would, that the story he told her would be enough to appease whatever curiosity she had about him, but she surprised him as she slid off the couch and joined him on the floor. Taking the bottle from his slack grip, she took a drink of her own before handing it back.

“Go on.”

Kyrnon was tempted to tell her everything in that moment, anything she wanted to know if she stayed there beside him—but as that thought hit, he set the bottle of whiskey down, figuring he’d had enough.

“There’s not much more to tell. I paid off my debt by fighting. Simple as that.”

“Didn’t your family ever look for you?” Amber asked, her gaze searching his.

“O’course they did, lovie. They just couldn’t find me.”

That was only partially true.

Sometimes, in the middle of the night, he could have sworn he’d heard his name being called—had even thought he spotted one of his cousins outside the grimy window of the prison he was in, but there was nothing that could be found—not when the man that had taken him hadn’t wanted him to be found.

“Then how did you get back to them?”

He hadn’t.

It took years and the happenstance of Z popping into that town for something else for him to get free of that place.

But he wouldn’t tell her that.

“I got out,” he said instead, “and made a new life.”

Her face fell, but he reached for her, smoothing his thumb over her lips. “Don’t make that face. You have a very kind smile—lights up my day. Let’s see it.”

She shook her head, and if he wasn’t mistaken, he thought he saw tears in her eyes. “I’m sor—”

“Don’t apologize,” he said quickly, sitting up. “It wasn’t your doing—you have nothing to be sorry about.”

“I’m sorry that it happened to you. You didn’t deserve that.” She tucked curly strands of hair behind her ear. “And I’m sorry that it still keeps you up at night.”

“You help me sleep,” he confessed, drawing her into his embrace. “When you’re lying there beside me, I don’t disappear into my head like I usually do. You bring me peace, Amber, so wipe that sadness off your face. I don’t like seeing it.”

His words cut through her sadness quick enough.

Straddling his lap, she cupped his face, leaning down to kiss him, putting everything she felt—anger, sadness, and another that she didn’t want to contemplate—into it. Not even a second passed before he was kissing her back, taking everything she had to give.

Just a simple kiss was enough to change the dynamic in the room.

---

His expression had shifted, and there was no mistaking that he was no longer thinking about the story he had just shared with her, but rather how quickly he could get her undressed.

That had always been one of his favorite parts, she thought, him taking her clothes off. He always dragged it out, removing piece by piece until she was bare beneath his gaze.

Now he made quick work of getting her shirt off, tossing it to the side as he hooked his fingers in the lacy edges of her panties and tugging them down her legs. The sensation made her tremble, but it was the expression on his face that captivated her more.

Only once he had her bra off, and she could no longer hide from his gaze, did that lust in his eyes sharpen.

Nothing felt more satisfying than seeing the barely controlled restraint in him as he resisted the urge to just fuck her the way he wanted. Yet, Kyrnon was incredibly patient, and despite the thick length of his cock pressed against his jeans, he made no move to ease himself.

But she wanted to.

Amber wanted nothing more than to please him, to make him feel even half of what he made her feel every day.

"Can I?" She asked already reaching for his zipper, feeling a thrill in just how tightly wound he was.

But no matter his baser needs, he was still in control of himself—at least for now.

"Take me out," he urged giving her a helping hand with the button.

She could just see the trail of hair growing thicker with each inch she gained by tugging the zipper down. Beneath his jeans, he wore nothing, giving her the perfect, delectable view of the base of his cock.

He groaned, a harsh, but sexy sound that made her feel powerful, arousal rushing through her. With other partners, she had never felt that all-consuming desire to do whatever they asked, but with Kyrnon, she wanted to be good for him.

She wanted to be everything he wanted.

And as he looked down at her, eyes slightly dazed as though he were still not used to the sight of her naked before him, he looked captivated.

Grabbing hold of her hand, he placed it on his throbbing length, wrapping her fingers around it. She had learned rather quickly what he liked, and made sure she gripped him accordingly. Waiting until he gave that first grunt of pleasure before she started stroking him, taking her time, reveling in the feel as his big body quaked with the effort to remain still.

But she could feel it in the tight tension of his body how badly he needed more.

In seconds, she was wrapping her lips around him, taking him as deep as she could. His head fell back as a pleasurable sigh escaped his lips.

"Fuck, that's good," he grumbled, his voice thick with lust.

Even as he sifted a hand through her hair, twisting in the curls to guide her movements, he gave a sharp smack to her thigh, a silent command for her to open for him.

Never had she been more turned in sucking a man's cock, but with Kyrnon, she felt like she would die if he didn't fuck her. The moment her thighs were open, his gaze shot there as well, taking in the desire that she couldn't hide.

He appreciated the sight, another muttered curse coming from him. She took him deeper still until she was nearly deep throating him.

Laying one hand on her stomach, he dragged it down, pulling all the sensation with him as he finally gave her what they both wanted.

There was no hesitation, no moment of making sure she was ready before his fingers were delving between her slippery folds, then two were thrust into her so deep she spasmed around his fingers.

"So fucking sensitive," he murmured low. "You're begging for it."

Her eyes squeezed shut as he slowly started pumping those fingers inside of her, dragging across nerves that had her back arching off the floor. Once she finally had them reopened, she realized it wasn't down at her that his gaze was focused.

Instead, on the mirror opposite them. It provided an unobstructed view of her, of him. The way she worked his cock, and just how deep his fingers were buried inside her pussy.

Through the mirror, she could see his glistening fingers, the way his heated gaze was rapt to her sex. He almost seemed entranced.

Dragging his fingers from her sex, he pulled her off his cock just as quick. She didn’t think she had ever felt more aware of her own body as his gaze drifted over her like a physical touch.

Flipping her onto her back, he crawled between her spread legs once more. Hooking her leg around his waist, he shoved the slightly curling strands of his hair back out of his face, not wanting anything to obstruct his view of her.

His fingers were back between her legs before she could take another breath. She was insatiable when it came to him, arching and writhing as he plunged two fingers back into her pussy, dragging them back out with aching slowness, repeating the action over and over again until she was gasping and trembling, but even as he drew her closer to that maddening edge, he brought her back down

“I can feel you squeezing me,” he murmured, pressing his fingers in deep then rubbing the pad of his thumb in small circles over her clit. “That’s it, fuck yourself—take what you want.”

A deep whine clawed up her throat as she was helpless but to obey his command, feeling that impending release inching ever closer. This time, he didn’t pull back, but fucked into her harder until she was crashing over the edge so fast and so hard that she was seeing stars.

Before she could come down, however, he was flipping her over once more, hands at her hips as he pulled her back into the cradle of his hips, the swollen head of his cock rubbing over slippery flesh.

A broad palm pressed between her shoulder blades, pushing her chest down further until her hardened nipples brushed the soft fur of his rug, her ass was high for him.

“Stay there,” he ordered gruffly, bringing that same hand down over the curve of her ass as he moved away.

Amber had no idea what he planned, but she didn’t have enough time to wonder before he was back, his cock sheathed in latex. With one hand curled around her hip, he fisted his cock, dragging the length over her soaked pussy. She couldn’t focus on this for long, not when she felt his fingers sliding down her back until he was at the base of her spine, then down further.

Dipping his fingers into her sex first, he brought them back up and gently eased just the tip of his finger inside of her puckered hole.

“Is this okay?” he thought to ask, giving her a moment to get used to the intrusion.

Even as she nodded, a shot of fear and lust dueled inside of her. The few experiences with Rob had been awkward, and she didn’t think she could ever get into it, but Kyrnon was different.

And she knew this would be different too.

As he began to ease more of his finger inside of her, his tone was soothing as he said, “Relax. I’ll take care of you.”

The words sent a shot of arousal down to her aching core, reminding her how badly she wanted to be filled by him. It was good, so fucking good, the way he manipulated her body, whipping her body into a frenzy to the point that she was pressing back into his touch, a moan spilling from her as he added another finger.

Kyrnon took his time, like they had all the time in the world for him to make her feel it. Only when he had her begging in soft, broken moans for more, her cheek pressed to the floor, her lips parted as she fought for breath, did he finally ease his fingers out of her, drawing her up until her back was pressed against his front.

She could feel his teeth along the curve of her shoulder, even as he positioned his cock where he had pulled his fingers from. Whimpering as she felt the blunt head of his cock pressing against that tight ring of muscles, she trembled in his hold.

“Shh,” he soothed at her ear. “I’ve got you.”

There would be pain, she knew, but there was nothing quite like the sensation of him pushing into her. It almost felt like he wouldn’t fit, and she was dangerously close to demanding he take it out, but he paused, turning her to face him with a hand to her cheek before claiming her lips.

Distracting her, she realized as she felt her muscles ease, growing languid. His tongue dragged over hers, stoking a fire inside her, until she could focus on nothing more than his kiss. Before she realized it, he was as deep as he could get.

“That’s it,” he said as he broke their kiss. “You can take me.”

A string of curses fell from his lips as she clenched around him. The pain returned as he began to move, easing in and out of her with mind-numbing slowness, but with each stroke, the pain lessened until there was none, only the sensation of being stretched tight around his cock.

“Open your eyes.”

She hadn’t realized she shut them until that moment, forcing them open as she was greeted with their reflections staring back at her. One muscular arm was wrapped tight around her hips, but it was the way her legs were spread, giving an unobstructed view of her pussy and the shadow of his cock as he kept up those maddening strokes.

While he seemed captivated by her, she was lost in him. Feeling the tension in him was completely different from seeing the need reflected in his face—the way his jaw had gone tight, his brows drawn together in worry, as though he too couldn’t understand how it could be this good.

And when she arched in his hold, a pleading moan coming from her, Kyrnon cursed low, his hips snapping forward so hard it forced the breath from her lungs.

But there was no pain.

Just a pleasure so intense she was seeing stars.

Soon, he was thrusting into her so hard and fast that she was screaming his name, at least until he kissed her again. This one wasn’t slow and sweet like the last, but hard and wet and all consuming. Again and again, he pounded into her, his free hand snaking down to find her swollen clit, drumming his fingers over it.

“Your pussy is mine, Amber,” he breathed, the possession in his gaze making her dig her nails into the arm he had banded around her. “Say it.”

She wasn’t capable of words, not when he was manipulating her body in a way that she was focused entirely on what he was doing to her.

But he wanted an answer, whether she was ready to give it or not. Before she realized what he was doing, he was pulling his hand away, only to bring it back down over her sex in a hard smack.

“Fucking say it. I won’t ask again.”

“Oh, God.”

But that wasn’t what he wanted.

Another smack.

And a third before she was rushing to say, “My pussy is yours.”

“And you’re mine.”

This was said with every bit of the sexual frustration she felt, but the under currents of his tone told her they were more than just words said as he fucked her—he meant them.

She didn’t hesitate as she said, “I’m yours.”

Every part of her.

Mind.

Body.

Soul.

Her agreement seemed to snap the last bit of his control as he urged her forward, her arms catching her weight as she went down, though keeping her back arched.

One hand curled around her shoulder, the other at her hip as he pulled her back to meet his thrusts. She was so full that she felt every ridge of his cock sliding over her walls, the feel of him making her quake around him.

He made her crave this—crave the pleasurable pain he was so good at giving.

And when he growled her name, like both a curse and a promise, she came hard enough that her legs were shaking.

Kyrnon cursed loud as he gave another brutal thrust of his hips, and a second until he was spilling inside of her, holding her tight as his chest heaved.

He pressed a sweet, chaste kiss to the top of her spine, directly over the crescent moon tattooed there. And as he slowly eased out of her, she could feel the change in him.

It was in the way he carried her back to his bedroom.

The way he held her.

As though he would never let go.

---

Amber was in love, and that thought terrified her.

She wasn’t sure when it happened, but she knew she realized it the night before when they’d sat on his floor, talking, and he had told her things that she never thought she would hear. Hearing it had been bad enough, but seeing that pain reflected on his face made her ache in a way she couldn’t describe.

It was a ridiculous notion to think she could change the way he felt—it had already happened, he’d lived through it—but in those dark moments, she wished with every piece of her that she could wipe that pain away and give him some peace.

But that didn’t necessarily mean she was in love.

She would do the same for anyone she cared about, but it was the way she felt when she was around him that made all the difference.

How he tucked her into his side whether they were in his bed, or walking through Brooklyn to grab food at one in the morning.

Or how he gave his undivided attention when she spoke to him about ideas she had.

And if she were at his place and he had to go and run an errand, he would always kiss her like it was the last time before he left.

Everything.

Just everything about him had quickly drawn her in and wrapped her up so tight that she didn’t want to let go.

“Why the face?”

Kyrnon’s voice dragged her from her thoughts, forcing her into the present as she looked across the couch at him. Since the moment they had woken up that morning, things had … shifted. She couldn’t describe the change, but it wasn’t a bad one.

She was just more aware of him.

Or rather, more aware of her feelings for him.

Yet, despite the overwhelming emotion, she wasn’t ready to tell him. It didn’t matter that they had spent nearly every waking moment together since they met, or that he made it perfectly clear that she was with him. It was never easy telling someone you loved them, especially when their feelings were still unknown.

She was scared, scared that the first person she really let herself be with since her heart was broken didn’t feel that same all-consuming emotion.

She was still contemplating how to answer his question without actually answering it when he hooked a finger beneath her chin, forcing her to look at him.

“What is it?”

“Just … thinking.” That was the truth at least.

“About what?”

“Nothing that should make you worry.” At least, she hoped it wouldn’t.

But then again, wasn’t that why she wasn’t ready to tell him, because of what his reaction might be.

That answer didn’t appease him either. “Tell me anyway.”

Trapped in his gaze, she would have told him everything, just blurted it out to see what his reaction would be, but she was saved by her phone ringing.

Grateful for the distraction, she grabbed it and answered. “Hey, Mom.”

“Darling, how are you? I’m so glad I could reach you. We were hoping you could make it to brunch.”

Last week her mother had called to let her know that she, her father, and Aidan, Amber’s little brother, would be flying in for Aidan’s college tour. While he might not have been interested in going anywhere outside of California, he had agreed to visit a few schools that their father wanted him to consider.

She had forgotten all about it.

“What time?”

“Oh, we won’t make it to Manorsfield until one at the earliest.”

Manorsfield would be at least an hour away from Kyrnon’s place, and that was on a good day, but it had been raining for the better part of three hours and the idea of taking the metro out there didn’t sound as good.

“Your father is willing to have a car come pick you up—since you insist on not buying one,” she added.

“Tell him thanks, but I don’t need him to send one. Does—”

“Your father—then here, take the phone.” There’s was a bit of shuffling as the phone changed hands, then her father’s voice came over the line. “How’s my favorite girl doing?”

“Hey Daddy,” Amber said back fondly.

She barely held in her laugh as Kyrnon moved the arm he had around her, clearing his throat.

“You’re not working today, are you? We hardly get to see you as it is.”

The curse of living thousands of miles away. “I’m not working, no. I was telling mom that—”

“Is it because of the bloke you call yourself fancying and going on about? Your mum won’t shut up about it.”

“I haven’t gone on about anything!” Amber shot back, her voice rising slightly as she elbowed Kyrnon in his ribs when he laughed.

“Then bring him along if that’s what’s holding you up. Your brother and I want to meet this one.”

Already, her face was hot with embarrassment, and the thought of them grilling Kyrnon about anything made her feel slightly nauseous.

“Tell him we’ll be there,” Kyrnon said, obviously loud enough for her father to hear.

“Right then, see you soon, love,” he called back, then hung up.

“Kyr—”

“Should probably get dressed if you want to make it on time,” he said with a wide smile, as though he found all of this amusing. “Traffic is shite about now.”

“You actually want to go?” she asked as she got to her feet, going back to his closet to find something to wear. She hadn’t realized it, but she had slowly started taking over his closet with her own clothes.

“Whether now or later, I was going to meet your folks anyway, right? Might as well make a good first impression while I can.” He was still talking as he moved around her, grabbing a pair of jeans. “Because with my work, I can go out of town for days at a time. Sometimes I’ll miss important dates.”

Glancing up at him, she noted the way his voice had changed, as though it weren’t just a statement, but a warning to her. She did notice that he had a random habit of disappearing for long lengths of time without notice—then, there was also that trip to Brussels he took weeks ago.

“Dates can always get rescheduled, you know,” she said softly, answering the question he hadn't asked.

His answering smile told her that was what he had been hoping to hear.

Once she was dressed, makeup applied, and shoes on her feet, Amber waited for Kyrnon to finish his usual walk though before stepping onto the elevator.

“Which car do you want to take?” he asked, pressing a button for them to go down a floor, but not to the level that usually led them outside.

“How many are there to choose from?” she asked, half-joking, half serious. Knowing the kind of things he had already shown her, she didn’t doubt for a second that whatever he was about to show her would be … extensive.

Seven, she saw once they were in the garage that she hadn’t ever stepped foot in. Seven different cars. But as she looked around, she wondered if the number was actually eight considering she didn’t see the Ferrari.

But she did see a Lamborghini.

A Porsche.

Two Jeep Wranglers.

And other cars that she wasn’t quite sure the make of.

“Now you’re just showing off.”

Ultimately, she picked the one that looked closest to a race car, and as she slid inside the passenger seat, there was a four-point harness for a seatbelt that took a bit of effort to get situated.

It wasn’t long before he was starting the car, hitting a button on the middle console, sending the bay doors open, sunlight spilling in as they drove out. Not long into the drive, Kyrnon got a call, one that was over relatively quickly, but it did make him frown as he ended it.

“I have to make a stop,” he explained when she glanced at him in question. “I’ll drop you off first, then come around once I finish. I’ll be twenty minutes, tops.”

Well that sounded … strange. “Wouldn’t it make more sense if we did your errand first, then went to the brunch? It seems like more trouble to drop me off first.”

“I have to come alone—Boss’ orders.”

Despite the sincerity in his voice, Amber wasn’t sure she believed that. At the very least, she could have stayed in his car while he handled whatever it was he needed to deal with, but she didn’t press the issue.

It wasn’t like he had given her any reason not to trust him.

Once they arrived at the restaurant her parents had called her to, he laid a quick kiss on her lips before she was climbing out and heading inside, Kyrnon driving off once she was inside the building.

Manorsfield reminded her of the golf clubs her father liked to frequent when he was back home in Napa, and while she didn’t usually frequent them, it was always a nice change of scenery.

She took the stairs to the second level where a few tables were sectioned off at her father’s request. The first person she ran into as she made her way across the floor was her younger brother. It was easy enough spotting him, he had as much hair as she did, and despite the cooler weather outside, he was still in a pair of cargo shorts and vans, his muscled arms on display in the sleeveless shirt he wore.

He stood off to the side, leaning against the wall, his focus on their family across the room, his lips turned down. Amber didn’t have to wonder why he looked so annoyed—Piper’s laughter took care of that.

It wasn’t just her family, apparently, but Piper and her parents as well—and if she were there, Rob would be close by since she acted like she couldn’t make a move without him.

“This has to be the most awkward thing in the world,” Aidan said as Amber stopped at his side, his eyes on their cousin. “Parading a boyfriend around to the same people he’s already met. Your cousin is fucking psychotic.”

She smiled to herself but Amber still said, “Language.”

Though only freshly turned eighteen, he cursed far more than anyone she knew—something he had done since he was a boy, though their father had been trying for years to get him to curb the habit.

He also had the tendency to pass off ownership of people that annoyed him. ‘Your cousin’ or ‘your friend,’ even if they were his as well, as though trying to distance himself from the stupid shit they had done to get on his nerves in the first place.

“But you know I’m right,” he said smiling at her, with all the wisdom a younger brother could possess. “Want me to kick his ass?”

She was losing count of how many people made her that offer lately, but this was a question that Aidan asked her every single time she spoke to him, as though it was his duty to defend her.

“There’s no need. It was a long time ago.”

“Not that long ago,” Aidan said shaking his head. “But it doesn’t matter now, right? Dad says there’s a new guy.”

One time.

One time she had caved and told her mother about being with Kyrnon. It wasn’t like she had given her much of a choice since they had been in the middle of a conversation when Kyrnon had come around, her mother overhearing him in the background.

Of course she just had to tell Monroe and Aidan, as though she really needed the pair of them embarrassing her.

“Mom talks too much.”

“Does he surf?”

The answer to that question would give Aidan all he needed to know. Since he spent whatever hours he wasn’t in school catching a wave, surfing was a big part of his life.

“Doesn’t surf,” she said, though she wasn’t very sure of that answer. She actually didn’t know if he did or didn’t. “But he drives a mean Harley.” Well … one of the two he drove around on was a Harley.

Aidan seemed to contemplate that. “I’ll give you that one. Where is he now? Not trying to meet the fam?”

Rolling her eyes, Amber laughed. “He’s coming.”

She hoped. She really really hoped he mad it back in time.

“Good, because my opinion holds weight. And if I don’t like him, he’s getting cut off.”

“Like you could—”

“Amber.”

They both looked to Rob as he suddenly appeared.

Aidan’s answering scowl was fierce, his irritation clear. Once, the pair of them had been thicker than thieves, Aidan looking up to him as the big brother he never had, but after what he did to Amber, Aidan had made it very clear that he wasn’t to even breathe in either of their directions.

Amber had felt bad, not wanting her brother to lose someone he had been so close to for years, but Aidan had shot that down.

He was nothing if not loyal.

Rob attempted a smile, but it just looked awkward with all the tension between them. “Aidan, could I borrow Amber for a moment?”

“For what?” Aidan asked, genuine confusion in his expression. “She doesn’t have to listen to whatever bull—”

“Aidan, I got it,” Amber quickly jumped in before he could go off on a tangent. Sometimes her brother could get a bit creative when he was pissed.

“Let me know when Kyrnon gets here. Can’t wait to meet him.”

Whether that was true or not, it was enough to make Rob sigh.

“Oh,” Aidan said before he’d barely taken a step. “About two weeks ago, Piper called her mom to let her know she had a raging case of crabs. Of course, then my aunt called my mom—just thought you should know.” Clapping Rob on the shoulder, Aidan raised his glass in cheers. “You should probably get checked out, though I’m hoping your dick falls off. Later.”

At some point, Amber had forgotten all about admonishing her brother for his language, and was instead trying to contain her laughter.

“He’s still angry with me,” Rob said once Aidan was out of earshot.

Amber didn’t bother denying that. “He’ll move on.” Though if he thought they would ever have the same relationship they did before, he was wrong. “How many times are we going to have this same conversation? I thought we were clear the last time you showed up at my door.”

And he had gotten an eyeful of Kyrnon.

“This isn’t about that. Well, it is, but not—” he grew frustrated, as though he couldn’t find the right words. “I want to apologize, not just for that day, but for all the days before it. It shouldn’t have happened.”

Amber wasn’t sure if he meant his last few attempts to try and get her back, or his relationship with Piper, but she didn’t care enough to ask for a clarification.

“Piper’s keeping the baby, so I think we may be seeing a lot more of each other than you would like, so I wanted to clear the air between us.” His smile was sad as he said, “We used to be great friends, weren’t we?”

The best of friends, until he ruined it.

This time, her smile was a little more genuine. “We were.”

“Maybe we’ll get there again,” he said, unable to hide that hopeful note in his voice.

“Maybe,” she agreed.

With a nod, he accepted that. “The one you’re with now … does he treat you good?”

Amber didn’t rub her relationship in his face. She wouldn’t gloat. “He does.”

“Then I’m glad you have him. You deserve it.”

Silence stretched between them after that, until they were joining the rest of her family as they all sat. Unlike everyone else at the table, Piper looked the most uncomfortable.

“So where is he? The mystery man,” Amber’s mother, Avonne, asked.

“Oh, he’s—”

“Running late.”

Kyrnon’s sudden appearance behind her had Amber glancing back in surprise. Despite how much time she spent with him, she still wasn’t used to the way he could move around so quietly.

Of course her mother had to smile wide as she eased to her feet, her manicured brows shooting up as she glanced at Amber. If there was nothing else, Kyrnon had won her over with his looks.

“Such a pleasure to finally meet you, Kyrnon. I’ve heard great things.”

She had barely heard anything at all.

“A pleasure to meet you as well,” Kyrnon said, taking hold of the hand she extended and bringing it up to his lips. “I can see where Amber gets her beauty.”

And there went that Irish charm.

Oh, if he wasn’t laying it on thick now.

Next, her father was standing to shake his hand, though he looked far less impressed than her mother. And as Kyrnon took a seat at her side, his arm stretching across the back of her seat, she couldn’t help but feel elated.

It didn’t take long for him to win them over, sharing interesting stories of his work. And as he talked, Amber noticed Aidan looking at her out the corner of her eye.

When she looked to him, he gave a sort of half frown, half smile with a shrug.

Little brother approved.