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“How would they? They think I’m in London,” she replied, looking smug. “What they don’t know won’t hurt them.”
“That’s not the point, Belle. Have you heard of the word, trust? You are eighteen years old. What are you thinking?” I asked, my eyes briefly darting toward Jamie, who had flung an arm around his nephew’s shoulder had dragged him farther out of earshot. The conversation between them looked intense.
“Yeah, eighteen, Daisy. That means I can make my own choices—”
“Stupid choices… or mistakes. This is a big mistake.” I snapped, cutting her off. “Shouldn’t you be studying?”
“Shouldn’t you be running a pub?” she countered. I huffed loudly at how impertinent she sounded.
“You’re eighteen,” I pleaded, like her age should have made her either wiser or innocent, I wasn’t sure which after I’d made my statement.
“So you said. That makes me an adult,” she clarified and folded her arms across her chest. “And you’re my big sister, so you’re going to have an adverse opinion on me with a boy like Ryan. In other people’s eyes, I’m with a boy my age and we’re having fun. You’re the irresponsible one, Daisy. Your boyfriend’s a famous rock star.”
“Ryan’s a gorgeous-looking boy and I can see why you’re not thinking straight, but he’s an eighteen-year-old boy whose only desire is to get into your pants. Do you think he’s going to stick around? He lives an ocean away, and come September he’ll be off to college,” I reasoned.
“Who says I’m not thinking straight?” she retorted. “And anyway, how do you know I won’t be the one to hurt him? But you’re right about one thing, I’m of age, a young woman with her life ahead of her. I’m not interested in long-term relationships. Ryan’s a boy and a friend, and if we want our friendship to have benefits, that’s no business of yours. We’ve spoken about this and we both know the score.”
“Bluebell O’Donnell what the hell’s gotten into you? Do you hear yourself? You deserve more than this. Think what you’re doing?” I said, glancing over to where Jamie stood before I looked back to Belle.
“I have thought, and that’s why I’m here. What or who I’m doing,” she said with a snarky smirk, “is none of your business. I’m sure if I was a boy, you’d have a different attitude to all of this, but I’m not and this is the 21st century, not the 1800s. I didn’t tell you because this is exactly the reaction I knew we’d get. Ryan asked me here because it was the nearest place he’d get to Ireland until summer break. Yes, he’s coming back in the summer and meanwhile, if we want to spend a weekend together, we will.”
“Who knows you’re here?”
“You,” she replied, looking indignant, then glanced over to Ryan who still stood, head bent as if he were being scolded by his uncle. Jamie looked suitably calm despite his initial reaction, but with his arms now folded guardedly over his chest.
“I’d have loved to have told you before, but from how you’ve reacted just now, it confirmed to me why I was right not to. Can’t you just mind your own business for a change and just be happy I’m having fun… or is fun reserved just for you?” Belle asked in a pleading tone.
I was so focused on Belle; I hadn’t noticed Jamie coming back. He touched my elbow, drawing my attention to him. I glanced at his relaxed expression and when I turned back to look at my sister; she was watching Ryan. When my eyes traveled to him, he smiled affectionately back at her and winked.
“Ryan’s going to take Belle upstairs to get settled, and we’re going to dinner,” Jamie said in his best don’t fuck with me tone. “We’ll discuss this over dinner, but we’re getting the fuck out here now before something else interferes with my plans.”
Still holding me by my arm, he led me toward the lift, pressed the button and guided me inside the lift car.
“I can’t believe—” Jamie’s fingertips silenced my complaint.
“Let it go, Daisy,” he pleaded with a guilty look on his face. “I think Ryan is the one most likely to get his heart broken in all this. He’s totally smitten with Belle and from how he talks about her, my guess is his feelings for her are deep already.” He sighed and brushed my cheek with the back of his fingers. “I have to take some blame for this, Ryan’s working as my sound guy’s apprentice on this tour before he goes off to college in the fall. When he asked me if he could invite a friend to come to Paris, I’d thought it the perfect excuse… you know,” he shook his head, “that it would keep him out of our hair. I didn’t know he’d extended his invitation to Belle.”
Although still mad, I immediately felt some of my resentment toward Ryan leave my body once I’d understood it had been Jamie’s idea to give us as much time on our own as possible. Of course, my free spirited sister Belle would have jumped at the chance to hang out with a cute boy in Paris and see her sister’s boyfriend, a member of a famous band play live.
“Okay,” I said, even though I still reluctant with their arrangement, as Jamie led me back into the suite. “I’m over it, they can do what they want,” I grudgingly agreed, not willing to risk another minute of my time with him to drama.
“Excellent, for a minute I thought you were going to tear Belle’s head off.”
“For a short while there, I almost did. She’s not quite nineteen yet, Jamie,” I reminded him as we walked into the suite and I began stripping out of my clothes. “I don’t want her to get hurt… either of them to get hurt.”
“Being hurt is part of being loved, Daisy. No one can protect someone else from that fact unless they try to control them. Besides, Ryan is the one with feelings, he’s keeping them suppressed because Belle wants nothing heavy.”
I took his words on and mulled them over for a moment, wondering how many times someone had hurt me growing up when boyfriends came and went and nodded. “What should I wear for dinner?” I asked, changing the subject as we walked into the bedroom.
Jamie’s face immediately brightened and strode over to the closet where I’d hung my clothes. Sifting through the outfits, he picked out a floor length midnight blue silk dress with a slit up to the thigh and an ivory faux fur stole. They were both new and the most expensive items of clothing I’d ever bought. I’d got them in the January sale from a little boutique in the city, and when I’d tried the outfit on, the sales assistant had said anyone would think they had made it just for me.
“This,” he suggested, fingering the delicate material gently. “I bet you look sensational in this,” he stated, taking it from the hanger and spreading it flat on the bed. “If we’re going to be out there together, I think we should make a splash. This is the perfect coming out attire. I’ve brought a decent suit with me for dinner as well.”
A spike of desire rippled through me at the thought of Jamie wearing a suit and me undressing him later. I cocked my eyebrow with interest, and he winked.
“Mm, did you just have a dirty thought Ms. O’Donnell?”
“Might have,” I confessed, stripping out of my top. When I met Jamie’s eyes, they’d darkened, his gaze intent on my body. Knowing I had his full attention, I unhooked my bra slowly and let the straps fall down my arms. I held the cups in place over my breasts in a tease.
