Page 129 of Lovely Venom

The brothers return from the office, and families break into their huddles, parents doting on children to get them ready to eat.

Connor immediately joins me, but averts my eyes for some reason. Instead, he calls over his nieces to hand out the candy and tells them about my first trip to the emporium. They respond with screams of joy.

The scent of roasted lamb and yeast rolls drifts through the air, mingling with the earthy perfume of wood polish and old family leather chairs.

Dinner is served in a massive dining room with a Chippendale-style table big enough to seat sixteen. An elegant sidebar sits on one side, and a glass breakfront with sparkling stemware and traditional china stands tall on the other.

Griffin welcomes me to my first Quinlan family dinner with no hint of whether I’ll be invited back. Odd.

He says grace, then everyone, and I meaneveryone,says, “We’re one.”

Instead of Amen.

It’s a little culty. But kind of sweet. I could get used to it. Everyone digs into the food and breaks off into individual conversations. The kids eat at a table in thekitchen with adorable Sadie appointed as the monitor.

I dig in, watch, listen, and learn.

Everything deep in my bones was built to resist this. My mother kept us hidden and isolated. But my heart aches for this kind of togetherness.

After the meal, Sabine stands and throws everyone out, saying she’ll clear the plates herself with the house manager, Caroline. I grab stuff off the table, insisting I’d love to help, but Sabine says with an accent as thick as her brothers, “Put those plates down, Missy, if you want to keep those hands.”

Oh-kay. I gingerly step away from the table. But Sabine gives me a smile and winks.

Next, coffee is brewing, cookies are passed around, and the kids get cranky from the sugar high.

Connor appears behind me. “Time to go, Venom.”

I follow him to the truck, aware of every breath he takes. After the meeting, he said very little to me.

He’s even quiet on the drive. He’s tense, I can feel it. And it’s only getting worse.

“Thank you for tonight.” I break the silence. “That meant more than you know.”

He doesn’t say anything until we’re back at his apartment. Once inside, he sits me on the sofa, tension rolling off him in waves.

I steel myself as my pulse roars in my ears. This has all been too much for him, I bet. It’s getting serious, and he’s not ready. For marriage. For kids.

For me.

He looks at me, jaw tight.

Connor then says the words that make my heart shatter, “Raina, we need to talk.”

CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR

Connor

Isit Raina down on my sofa, the silence stretching thick between us. She’s still glowing from dinner, cheeks a little pink from the wine, her jaw relaxed from smiling. But I need her focused now.

“There’s something I have to tell you,” I add, watching her sink into the sofa.

Smile faltering, she leans forward, bracing herself. “Go ahead.”

“First, why didn’t you tell me Valdrin Sokolov is working for Noel Tahiri? And that he was your contact?” I wait for some kind of shocked response.

“Would it have made a difference?”

I think about that. “There’s only a few names that make my ball shrink. Valdrin Sokolov is one of them.”