“Don’t you always,” I drawl.
She stares at me, dark eyes sliding along my face. Vulnerability flickers in chocolate-colored irises. The moment drags in slow motion and tightens my chest. I squint, open my mouth to say something, anything, but before I can get a single word out, she whirls around and walks away.
Jaw tight, I follow her and catch her wrist. She peers back at me, from my grip to my face.
“You look ...” I swallow, my gaze sliding down her body.
Fuck.
Her expression remains cool, but a faint flush climbs up her cheeks. “Pretty sure there’s a rule book that says brothers shouldn’t look at their sisters that way.”
“Coming from a girl who breaks all the rules.”
She smiles, a small but genuine curve of seductive red lips. I feel that smile in my chest. A twisting and swelling, and,Jesus, there’s something fucking wrong with me.
A second later, when she spots something across the room, her smile dies. “I have to go,” she mutters, pulling free from my grasp. “You know, people to see and all that. Special night for us Rutherfords.”
She takes a step to leave but pauses when I say, “Wait.”
A dark brow raises.
I rub the back of my neck. “We should talk.”
Glancing casually around the room, she says, “If you’re feeling lonely, there are plenty of people here for you to talk to, Easton.”
Pushing out a breath, I drop my arm and slip a hand into my pocket. “You’ve been avoiding me.”
She laughs lightly. “Trust me, you get used to it.” Her gaze drifts away before finding mine again. “Our rooms are fifteen feet apart. You could have knocked on my door at any time.”
I frown, deciphering the edgy tone in her voice. “Why are you upset?”
“I’m not upset.” She forces a smile, but it’s all teeth. “I’m fucking peachy.”
I grind my jaw and set my glass on a passing waiter’s tray. Before I know what I’m doing, my hand’s on Eva’s lower back, giving a gentle push to get her moving. She glances over her shoulder with a glare, but at the look I shoot back, she scowls and walks through the crowd, with me following behind. I shouldn’t be touching her, speaking to her, let alone in my mother’s vicinity, but I’ve already crossed so many lines where Eva is concerned, and right now, they’re all blurred.
We walk until the chatter fades to a whisper. Then, we’re alone in the hallway leading to the back kitchen reserved for storage.
The moment we stop, Eva whirls around. Her eyes are electric, blazing with anger and something else I can’t place. “I can’t take back what I said, Easton,” she snaps. “Maybe it makes you uncomfortable. Maybe it even disgusts you—”
“Disgustsme?”My pulse thuds in my ears. “Jesus, Eva. You have no fucking idea—”
“You couldn’t stand to look at me for the rest of the party, and then you left with Whitney. I’m no Einstein, but I think that’s pretty straightforward, don’t you?”
I step close. So close she has to lift her chin to hold my gaze. “Do you have any idea what would happen to you if anyone suspected something going on between us?” I whisper roughly. “If anyone saw us like this?”
“Like what, Easton?” Her shallow breaths brush my neck, and heat runs down to my groin. The narrow hallway closes in on us. “We’re just two siblings talking.”
“Don’t do that,” I warn quietly. “Not after the other night. After everything you said—everything youdid. Like you said, you can’t take it back.”
She swallows, and my chest thunders against my ribs, restraint stretching tight. A flush works up her throat. Red lips slowly part. The faint scent of her lavender shampoo slips into my lungs, drowning me.
Someone touches my hand.
“There you are,” Whitney purrs. She entwines her arm with mine, and the contact fills me with cold water. “Well, this is cozy. Am I interrupting?”
“Yes,” I respond at the same time Eva says, “Nope.”
I shrug Whitney’s arm off mine, my gaze pinned on Eva, who downs her water as if it’s liquor.
