“Because cell phones can be traced, Willow.”
She watches me for a moment and then nods slowly.
“And you’re hiding here.”
“Yeah, I’m hiding here. Gideon’s keeping me safe, just like he’s always done for me. And no one else can know where I am. But I’ll happily borrow some pictures, if you don’t mind.”
“You got it.”
We sip quietly for a moment, and then she grins at me.
“Okay, give me a hint. Are you guys having sex? Or do I have to liquor you up a bit more before you spill the beans?”
I can’t help but laugh at that. “Fine, I’ll talk. Yes, we are. Andholy shit.”
Her smile is wide as she clinks her glass to mine. “Attagirl.”
“I would have thought for sure that you’d be pissed that I’m sleeping with your brother.”
“A month ago? Yeah, I probably would have been. But frankly, I’ve seen a change in him with you here. He smiles more, and that’s big for him.”
“He hardly ever smiled the whole time he was on my detail. And he has thebestsmile.”
“He really does.” She nods and puts the pan of lasagna in the oven. “He’s always been ridiculously handsome, even as a gangly, awkward teenager.”
“I mean, Ryker is fuckinghot, my new friend.” We cheers again, and Willow preens. She’s sopretty. “You hit the freaking jackpot with him.”
“I know, right? All those muscles just do it for me.”
“The Muscles!” I do a little happy dance, and Willow giggles. “You really have to thank whatever god you believe in for giving men those V’s on their hips that lead to the promised land.”
She flips her blond hair over her shoulder and sips her wine. “Also, the tattoos. Who knew ink was so damn hot?”
“Me. I knew.” I snort and sip my wine. “But it’s so much hotter on Gideon than any other man I’ve seen. Does Ryker have a lot of tattoos?”
“So many,” she confirms with a nod. “And one of them is for me. A willow tree.”
I stop and blink at her, feeling all of me melt at the admission. Is it from the sweetness of the tattoo or all this wine? Maybe both.
“That is thesweetest.”
“I know. And the best part? He got ityearsbefore we fell in love. My man is the best.”
“I love that.”
“Do you want to see my recording studio while this bakes?”
“Hell yes, lead the way.”
We grab our glasses, and Willow snags the bottle and leads me up the stairs to the second floor.
“This house is enormous,” I comment as we pass a gym and many guest rooms.
“I know. Ray and Debbie wantedtonsof kids, and Ray built this house for her right after they got married. But she ended up being infertile.”
“Oh my God.”
“Yeah.” Willow nods and points out Ryker’s office. “But they had me, and then the boys, and they always had each other.”
