Page 81 of The Rebel Billionaire

She passed Rosalie back to Maggie and picked up her beer off a sidetable.

"I'll take a beer,"Isaid.

"Sure you don't want a whiskey?" Aiden asked, a gleam inhiseye.

"After your Macallan, everything else is a step down," I said, grinning at him. I heard a hoot of laughter from across the room and saw Vance elbow Jacob, herbrother.

"You owe me,"Aidensaid.

I shrugged and shook my head. "I don't think so. That would be Charlie. I was just in the right place at therighttime."

"I'm jealous," Jacob said. "I asked him twenty times to let me try it. Nothing, the selfish bastard. Howwasit? "

"It was so smooth," Charlie interrupted, smirking at her brothers and Vance. "So good, I don't think words can do itjustice."

"You know if any of us had stolen a fifteen thousand-dollar bottle of whiskey from Aiden, he would've beaten the shit out of us," Vance saidblandly.

Charlie shrugged. "I've spent my entire life putting up with you overbearing Winters men ruining all my fun. There have to be some perks. Anyway, Aidendeservedit."

"Agreed," Vance said. At Aiden's noise of affront, he looked at his older cousin and said, "Sorry, man. But you did. Firing Charlie was an asshole move. You know it. I know it. Everybodyknowsit."

"He's right," Jacob said, ignoring Aiden'sscowl.

"You guys always gang up on Aiden," a low, sweet voice broke in. Abigail Jordan. I had a feeling it wouldn't be long until she was Abigail Winters if the way Jacob looked at her was any indication. I hadn't seen her since the night I killed Big John, and then only the back of her robe as she ran for Jacob'ssaferoom.

Tonight, she was dressed more formally than anyone else in the room in a light blue linen dress with matching shoes, her hair up in a complicated looking twist. Except for the last time we crossed paths, I'd never seen her casuallydressed.

She looked directly at me, her eyes filled with an emotion I couldn't name. I wondered if she was afraid of me. I'd shot and killed a man only a few feet from her. That would be enough to scareanyone.

Turning to Charlie with sympathy in her eyes, she said, "I'm sorry, honey. I agree he didn't handle that very well. And I know sometimes, these guys go overboard when they think they know best. But he acted outoflove."

"It's nice to know someone around here appreciates me," Aiden said, his smile at Abigail affectionate andgentle.

Jacob shook his head at hisbrother.

"Stop flirting with my woman,"hesaid.

Abigail sent him an exasperated look. "Just because someone's nice to me, doesn't mean they're flirting,"shesaid.

"You guys are such cavemen," Maggie complained. She held Rosalie up in front of her and nuzzled her nose into the baby's stomach. Rosie erupted into a fountain of baby giggles, the sound pure joy. "I shudder to think what Vance will be like when Rosiediscoversboys."

"Rosie is never going to discover boys," Vance said. "Rosie is going to join a nunnery when she's twelve. If she behaves herself, I may pick her husband for her when she's thirty-five. Preferably aeunuch."

Jacob and Aiden both made sounds of agreement. Maggie just shook her head andignoredthem.

A bell rang somewhere in the house, and everyone stood. Must be dinner time. Charlie handed me a beer she'd gotten from the wet bar by the door and looped her arm through mine as we walked to thediningroom.

Abigail stopped us in the hall with a hand on my arm. Looking up at me with brimming eyes, she said, "Lucas Jackson. I'm so sorry I haven't been to see you since Charlie moved in next door. Jacob wouldn't tell me where you livedbefore."

"Why did you want to see me?" I asked, confused, and sent a quick glance at Jacob, who was eyeing us with an amusedexpression.

"I wanted to thank you for everything you did for me. I know trying to help me made the whole situation with Big John worse. You didn't have todothat."

"Yes, I did," I said. Abigail had been in a bad spot with her former father-in-law. I couldn't have left her to face it alone. She'd risked her future to help her sick mother. She didn't deserve what Big John was going to dotoher.

"No," she said, her eyes meeting mine with a level gaze. "You didn't. Except for Jacob, no one else helped me. I was in your way and you changed your plans to keep me safe. It means a lot and I wanted you to know. I wish I'd been able to thank you at thetime,but—"

But I'd just shot a man and hadn't stuck around to chat. And Jacob hadn't been eager to let his woman anywherenearme.