Page 107 of See You There

Luke stared at her. “You did a lot of research on us.”

Dahlia made a face. “I’m in a mountain cabin with no television… It’s not like I had to look hard. When I googled you, tons of videos popped up of him.”

Luke watched the fire for a second before the muscles in his face eased. His eyes met hers. “Fair enough.”

He reached down and pulled another beer from the bowl. “Declan is the oldest. His mother is Irish, so Declan spent most of his childhood in Dublin. As my father’s presumptive heir, he wanted Declan to come to the United States for his teenage years in preparation to take over Bloom Communications.”

“His mother didn’t mind?”

Luke eyed her over the bottle. “It’s complicated. Siobhan already had a son, Seamus, when she met our dad. Her family lives in Dublin, and there were some… family loyalties.” Luke paused. “Siobhan and our dad thought it would be best if they removed Declan from those. Siobhan’s brothers were in line to inheritherfamily’s business, and Siobhan understood how important it was for Declan to be in the States.”

Dahlia’s brow furrowed. “And he only ever married that one time? To your stepmother? Courtney Crawford? Matt’s mom?”

The muscle in Luke’s jaw flexed. “Just the once. About a year before he died.”

Dahlia drank from her beer and leaned back in the chair. “I have to admit I’m surprised.Yourmom is a lawyer. Cara’s mom was a supermodel… It’s a little weird that the one he married owned an escort service.” She tilted her head. “It’s actually very egalitarian of him.”

“What did you just say?”

Dahlia winced. “I’m not judging him. I—”

“Stop! Why did you say that? About Courtney being an escort?” Luke’s eyes bulged, and even in the firelight, she could see his pallor.

Dahlia swallowed. “I’m not–”

“Just tell me why you said it!”

Dahlia flinched back.

“Fuck! I’m sorry.” Luke scrubbed a hand over his face. “I didn’t mean to shout.”

Dahlia heard genuine remorse in his voice. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. I shouldn’t have—It’s just I’ve never heard that. Where did you hear Courtney ran an escort service?”

“Matt mentioned it.”

Luke’s face scrunched, and he shook his head in disbelief. “He told you his mother was a prostitute?”

“Not exactly.” Dahlia inhaled a calming breath. It wasn’t a memory she wanted to relive. “The first time I went to the casino, I was with Matt and Chandler. It was several months ago. Matt wanted to take me out, and I wouldn’t go with him alone, so I insisted Chandler come as a buffer.”

Something dark flickered across Luke’s face.

“Chandler was gambling, and I was ready to leave. I didn’t think it would be a big deal to accept a ride with Matt. He had a driver, and I assumed I would be safe. He wouldn’t try something again with a witness…”

“Again?What are you saying?” Luke’s jaw ticked, the promise of violence in his voice.

Her heart pounded. She hated talking about this. Dahlia didn’t want Luke to see her as weak. “It’s not unusual. Studio execs, agents, directors…” She shrugged. “It’s a hazard of the industry. I’ve been lucky. One way Victor’s hovering benefitted me, I guess. When the Crawfords bought the studio, Victor insisted I go out with Matt. It was a disaster... Dinner at his place.” She waved a hand. “Details aren’t important. Let’s just say a steak knife to his balls beneath the table got the point across.”

“Are you serious?” Luke growled. “He fucking assaulted you?”

“No!” Dahlia shook her head vehemently. “He was handsy and pushy—”

“You needed to pull a knife on him.” Luke’s nostrils flared in the light, and his eyes appeared black.

“It was fine,” Dahlia said firmly. “I left, and Victor promised I wouldn’t have to be alone with Matt again. But Matt kept pushing, so I took Chandler. Unfortunately, the driver on the ride home wasn’t the barrier I’d hoped.”

“What did he do?” Luke’s chest rose and fell with his agitated breathing.