Page 66 of Twins for Three Bad Boys

Beside her is a woman I’ve never seen before, and my body reacts as if it recognizes her anyway.

It’s not a slow realization.

It’s immediate. A punch of attention right to the chest.

She’s smaller than Millie but somehow draws the whole room in. Short dark hair frames her pixyish face, her expression playful and sharp. Wide green eyes flash in the light, above a cute, straight nose scattered with freckles. And that smile… one tooth slightly crooked at the front, like she’s laughing even when she’s not trying to.

June.

Has to be.

My gut goes there she is, as if I’ve been waiting without knowing it.

Casper follows my stare and lifts his eyebrows. “Well now.”

Cyrus glances at me, then at her, then back at me. “That her?”

I clear my throat, suddenly aware I’ve gone too still. “That’s June, right?”

Casper’s grin turns slow. “Wayne’s nanny.”

“Mm hm,” I murmur.

Cyrus’s expression is thoughtful. “She looks like trouble.”

“She looks like…” Casper searches for the word. “Like someone tryin’ to pretend she’s not nervous.”

That’s it.

That’s what I’m picking up too. She’s laughing at something Millie’s saying, but there’s a tightness in her shoulders too, as if she’s ready to bolt if somebody looks at her wrong.

I don’t know her.

I don’t know what she’s been through.

But I know that look.

It’s the look of somebody who’s had safety taken away and learned to perform wearing a mask because it’s better than letting anyone see how close to the edge they are.

June’s gaze sweeps the room, and for a split second her eyes meet mine.

There’s a flicker.

It’s just long enough for hot and undeniable desire to spark in my chest.

She holds my gaze for one more beat.

And then she smiles.

Small at first.

Then a little bigger.

My heart does something ridiculous.

Without thinking I lift two fingers in a casual greeting, easy and warm. A hey, no pressure kind of gesture.

June’s smile warms, and she gives me a tiny nod back before Millie tugs her toward a booth.