“Don’t make false promises, Cian,” Connor murmured, turning the whiskey glass in his hands.
Rachel chuckled softly, a sound that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand up.
“Maddie, we can play alone, really…” she said lightly, though Connor could swear he heard a certain tension in her voice.
“But I want a cupcake!”
Oh man, Maddie was catastrophically bad at whispering — and the cupcake was already in her hand.
“Just because I’m eating this now doesn’t mean we’re going to join your team and…oh my God.” She took a bite and her eyes rolled into the back of her head. “My goodness. How delicious can cupcakes be? If these are going to be at your garden party, Cian, I’m definitely coming.”
Cian grinned. “Deal.”
Maddie nodded and took another bite. “What’s in these?”
“Love, mostly,” Alec remarked innocently. “And thank you. I made them.”
“And who are you?” Maddie asked with a full mouth.
“Connor’s brother.”
“Mm hm,” she said, eyeing him critically. “Do you file down your devil horns too, or were you born without them?”
Alec grinned. “I like you, Maddie.”
“Unfortunately, I like you too because you made these cupcakes. That means I can’t hate you.”
“Why would you want to hate me?” he replied, feigning being struck.
“Because you’re my brother,” Connor informed him.
“Ah, yes.” Alec nodded dutifully. “I see the problem.”
Rachel laughed again, and for that alone, Connor glared at him. “Why exactly are you here again?”
“To spend time with my favorite brother!”
“He’s your only brother, isn’t he?” Rachel asked innocently.
Alec’s grin widened, and Connor suppressed a snort. “That’s correct. Hey, Maddie, you get another cupcake if you tell me what my brother did that was so awful to deserve your dirty looks. Did he sleep with you and not call?” Alec speculated.
Maddie snorted. “Oh, please. None of us would be stupid enough to end up in bed with Connor Stone.”
Connor’s shoulders stiffened. Well, technically, he hadn’t spent any time in bed with Rachel, so…
“Then what is it?”
“He doesn’t believe in love,” Maddie said, resentful.
Connor rolled his eyes, gave up, and turned away. He was okay with Maddie hating him, but that didn't mean she could twist the facts. “I believe in love. I don’t believe in Match Me! That’s the difference.”
“Match Me! is her dating agency,” Cian told Alec.
“Ah, yes!” Alec just grinned. “Well, Maddie, I’m nothing like Connor. Ilovelove. I feel like I’ve spent the last year baking wedding cakes because everyone in my hometown of Eden Bay is in love and getting engaged and married. It’s like a sickness.”
“Wait a minute. You’re from Eden Bay?”
Rachel had spoken — and Connor would have liked to claim it didn’t piss him off that she hadn’t responded to practically any of his words yet had no problem talking to his brother. But he was an honest guy, and it pissed him off.
