Page 10 of Flawless

I was definitely interested.

“What’s that look about?” my sister demanded. She made an air circle around my face. “You look all… happy. That’s not like you.”

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?”

“You’re usually broody and growly. At least you have been since the bitch who shall remain nameless cheated on you.”

I sank down in the armchair across from her and kicked my feet up on the ottoman. “Gimme a break, sis. I’m so over that.”

She raised an arched brow, looking skeptical. “Are you sure about that? If you were so over her you would have jumped at the chance to hook up with my girl Rylee last night.”

“How do you know I didn’t?”

She leaned forward before tossing a pillow at me. “Shut up! You’re lying. You were too busy rescuing me. Then you went straight to the police station and came back here.”

Eden would find out, since she followed me on social media, so I figured I may as well fill her in. “I texted Austin after I got to the guest house. You were in the shower, apparently.”

“Yeah, he mentioned you texted to check on me.”

“That, and to ask him for Rylee’s address… and the code to her building.”

Her jaw dropped. “Seriously? You went over there, at that hour? You could have just asked Austin for her phone number.”

“I could have, but I wanted to see her.” No sense playing games. My kid sister had always had a knack for seeing right through me. “I needed to make sure she was okay. Once we found out you were missing and the show got cancelled, all hell broke loose, and no one could remember seeing Rylee leave.”

“But she’s okay?” she asked, holding a pillow tight against her chest.

“Yeah, she’s fine.” I didn’t think I should be the one to tell Eden about Rylee’s mama’s heart attack. If she wanted to fill her in, she would. “She was having a rough night though, so I offered to stay with her.”

“You spent the night with her?” Eden smiled. “I’m glad you finally took my advice and started living a little. There’s more to life than work, you know.”

“We didn’t…” Ugh, I was not talking to her about sex. “I was just there to comfort her, nothing more.”

“Oh God, you’re going to get friend-zoned so fast with a girl like Rylee.”

“What the hell does that mean?” There was crazy-chemistry between us, and the way she’d kissed me when I left told me she definitely thought of me as more than a friend.

“It means she’s a young, talented, sexy woman, whose star is rising quickly. And she needs a man who can keep up.”

I opened my mouth, glared at her, then snapped it shut. What the hell was I supposed to say to that, without getting too graphic?

Eden laughed and pointed at me. “I love pissing you off. You’re so easy.”

“You’re brutal.” I closed my eyes and tipped my head back. I had no idea why it was so easy for her to bait me. Maybe because I was already so invested in Rylee?

“I already knew,” she teased. “I saw your post when I woke up this morning. And I knew that wasn’t you, with all those cutesy hashtags, Mr. All-Business-No-Bullshit.”

I shook my head, torn between amusement and disgust. “She posted that to send a message to Kelly.”

“Ohhhh.” Eden rubbed her hands together. “She’s trying to warn off the ex-girlfriend. Nicely played, Rylee.”

I thought of Rylee’s words in the heat of the moment. She can’t have you back.

“This can’t go anywhere, obviously. But she’s a cool girl. I like hanging out with her.”

“Why can’t it go anywhere?” she demanded. “And don’t give me that age-gap crap, big brother. She’s a grown woman, who takes care of herself and has been for a long time.”

I suspected my sister knew the whole story about Rylee’s childhood, but I had no intention of getting into that with her. Anything Rylee told me would be locked in the vault.