Bennett (Bourbon & Blood #1) by Seraphina Donavan

more, but the damn stuff sells quicker than we can make it or find it … Speaking of siblings, I just had a beer with your brother. ”
    Loralei rolled her eyes. “ What was he bitching about now? ”
    “ He ’ s not real fond of your ex-boyfriend. Wondered if maybe there was a family connection between your ex and mine. ”
    “ Matt needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut, ” she said quietly. “ I don ’ t know if Ciaran has any connection to the Darcys or not. We ’ re not exactly on speaking terms these days. ”
    “ Did you ever wonder? ”
    She shrugged. “ He was very good at distracting me whenever I asked questions about his past … Now, I ’ ve got a question for you, Bennett! Why are you suddenly so interested in the Darcys again? ”
    Bennett considered telling her, but then thought better of it. Loralei would be nothing but a cheerleader for him and Mia, but there was no point in getting her hopes up just to dash them. Mia had made it very clear that whatever was happening between them at the moment was only temporary.
    “ Just curious, ” he hedged.
    “ I have never, in all my life, seen two people who belonged together more than the two of you. ”
    “ She left me, remember? ” There was a little bit of anger in his voice, a little bit of the hurt pride still rolling under the surface.
    Loralei looked at him archly. “ She had reasons. Good ones that you don ’ t understand yet. Hopefully, someday you will. ”
    He shook his head. “ You still stick together on everything, don ’ t you? ”
    “ I might not see her often anymore, but I ’ ll always have her back. And vice versa. Don ’ t break my girl ’ s heart, or I ’ ll make you pay. ” Loralei picked up a necklace from the display stand he ’ d been staring at, a confection of sheer ivory ribbons and amber beads. She put it in a gift box and handed it to him. “ Give that to her when you see her. I thought of her the minute it came in. ”
    He didn ’ t deny it. There was no point in even trying. Instead, he kissed Loralei ’ s cheek, then headed for the door. “ I ’ ll be seeing you, ” he said softly before exiting her shop and heading home.
     
     

CHAPTER ELEVEN
     
    Mia left the office a little early. She ’ d completed the paperwork she’d had to and anything that wasn ’ t completely necessary, she ’ d put off ‘til the following day. Preoccupied with thoughts of Bennett, she hadn ’ t been able to concentrate through most of the day.
    The eagerness she felt for him, to be near him, to have his touch, was terrifying. But, she reflected, at least she was feeling something again. The unending, numbing sameness of her days had finally broken. There was something that she looked forward to, something that she feared losing. It had only been days but all the old feelings had come back almost immediately. But then she could admit, they ’ d never really gone away. Her relationship with Bennett had never ended, it had just paused.
    Climbing behind the wheel of her rental car, she made the relatively short drive home without incident. She wasn ’ t paranoid, but she did find herself checking the rearview mirror more frequently, watching the road a little more carefully.
    Entering the house through the backdoor, she hadn ’ t noticed her father ’ s car parked out front. Walking into the kitchen, finding him seated at the island, drinking iced tea and smiling flirtatiously at her mother ’ s new caregiver was not how she ’ d envisioned ending her day.
    As always, Samuel was the epitome of an elegant and distinguished southern gentleman. His suit was perfectly tailored. His silver hair was well groomed and combed back from his high and perfectly bronzed forehead. He could easily have graced the cover of any magazine that catered to the old money set. It was a look that he ’ d always admired and strived to emulate but there was a darkness underneath it all. He was selfish to the bone and ugly with it to the