Dad’s dark eyes narrowed. “He’swhat?”
“He’s great. You should meet him. You have to. He’s James’s son.”
His severe expression softened. “Of course. Look, I trust your judgment. And if you say he’s good, then I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
It felt good to smile for the first time that morning. The idea of Derek and my dad getting to know each other filled me with an inexplicable fluttering in the pit of my stomach.
“Does he look like James?” he asked, putting an arm around my shoulders.
“Sometimes, when he smiles. And in his eyes.” Unexpected tears gathered in my lashes. “It’s surreal.”
He squeezed me tighter and kissed my temple. “Tell me about him.”
I wiped my eyes and nodded. “Okay, give me a few minutes, and I’ll meet you in the dining room. I have to grab my kit.”
My dad pressed another kiss to the side of my head before heading out of the kitchen.
While I knew there were specific details I’d omit when it came to Derek, I couldn’t wait to discuss him with my father. Just as with Alexa, I wanted him to cozy up to the idea of Derek being in our lives. In what capacity, I wasn’t sure. Or maybe refused to explore at the moment.
But first, I knew what my growing headache and the parched feeling creeping up my throat meant.
CHAPTERNINE
DEREK
“Twenty minutes late.”
Ronan leaned back against the black leather chair, hands clasped over his desk and a smirk cresting the edges of his mouth.
“Something came up.”
“Somethingcame up?” he repeated, tilting his head in feigned curiosity.
While it sounded like a shit excuse, it was anything but. That girl Eva dragged into my house had barricaded herself in my pantry, of all places. Claimed Deimos was trying to eat her. He very well could have been. And probably should have put her out of her misery.
I rolled my eyes, remembering how ridiculous she’d sounded. It took nearly half an hour to coax the little bitch out without having to tear down the door… or resort to more aggressive tactics. The thought had certainly crossed my mind. But what impression would it have made on Evangelina if I’d gutted her friend in my kitchen?
“This something wouldn’t have anything to do with that woman who visited you yesterday, would it?”
My head snapped up in attention, and I narrowed my eyes but didn’t speak, letting him reveal what he knew first. Ronan chuckled a seedy laugh and cocked a brow, playing the same game of chicken.
The only way he’d know about Evangelina would have been through Kiernan—that sack of shit. I’d been so preoccupied with both women that he’d slipped my radar. I didn’t like that feeling. It wasn’t like me to forget, to not follow through on teaching a lesson when one was warranted.
“So, by your silence, I can only deduce Kiernan was telling the truth, after all.”
I returned the fake smile and sat, leaning back and resting an ankle over my knee.
“I wasn’t aware having a woman over was against the rules,Father.”
His smile wavered for a fraction of a second before sliding back into place. He knew I never called him anything besides Ronan—unless, of course, I was fucking with him. But I didn’t give a damn. I decided I didn’t like the insinuation in his voice at the mention of Evangelina.
“She was wearing a badge, Derek. And from what he tells me, you were pretty defensive of this woman, were you not?” He paused, again waiting for an explanation I had no intention of giving. “Who is she?”
“You’ve never cared about the women in my bed; why the interest now?”
He rubbed the graying stubble on his chin and laughed, though his green eyes never left mine, as though meticulously studying every reaction.
“Because if she were just some random whore, you would have said that, and we’d move on from this tedious conversation.” Ronan lit a cigar and sat back, motioning toward me with an accusatory glare. “But now you’ve piqued my interest. And you know there isn’t anything I don’t know or can’t find out.”
