“Of course.” She ate several bites. “Tell me about your brothers.”
Daire paused and then reached for his wineglass. Small talk? He sucked at pleasantries. “Ah, Kellach is the wild one, Adam the logical one, and I’m the cranky one. I give orders and people follow them.” Or he cut off their heads. He smiled. “Everyone but you, of course.”
“I don’t follow orders well.”
“No shit.”
She cleared her throat. “Your parents?” she asked, sipping her wine.
“Retired and currently working on the food crops in Ireland. Both scientists.” He poured them both more wine. “I think they’re still stunned they gave birth to the three of us.”
She chuckled, the sound flicking across his nerve endings. “I’m sure. What about Simone?”
Most people were curious about the stunning witch. “Her mother is Vivienne Northcutt, and nobody has ever known who her father is. So when she was little, the three of us kind of enfolded her into the family.” He rubbed his chin. “Viv was often busy, and Simone was lonely, so she became ours.”
“You love her,” Felicity said slowly.
“Aye. She’s more of a sister.” He’d failed her once, long ago, and he’d never do so again. “I’d do anything for her. We all would.”
Felicity sighed. “Family man.”
He grinned. “Exactly.”
They ate in silence for a while. Oh. Maybe he should ask questions, too. “Tell me about your boys.”
Her eyes lit up. “Zane is the oldest, as you know, and is now the leader of the demon nation. As a boy, he was so serious and determined to protect us.” She glanced down. “I failed him.”
Daire reached out and patted her hand. “No, you didn’t. You did what you had to do to protect him from Ivan.”
“I know.” She swallowed. “But I didn’t realize how bad it would be with my brother, or how hard he’d train the boys.” She sighed and visibly shuddered, as if shrugging off the past. “Sam is the middle kid, and he acts like it. Is a total peacemaker with more patience than a saint.”
“Sounds like a good kid.”
“He is, until he isn’t.” Felicity took a healthy swallow of wine. “When his temper goes, it’s legendary.”
Daire snorted. “Adam is like that.” When Adam really blew his fuse, they all got out of the way. “And Logan, the massive beast who’s been eating me out of house and home, is your baby.”
She set her napkin on the plate. “Yes. He’s a sweetie, right?”
Ah, no. The kid was cunning, dangerous, and deadly. But he couldn’t organize worth crap. “Aye. He’s a nice kid.” In fact, Daire liked him, a lot. Were he and Cee Cee getting close? He liked her, and she liked him, so what the hell. Secrets and lies were behind them, and maybe, just maybe, after they shut down Apollo, he might court her. A long courtship with lots of fun for them both.
She stood and grabbed the plates.
He fumbled. “I’ll, ah—”
“Go sit down.” She set down the plates and turned to hand him the cognac and a crystal glass. “When I make dinner, I like to clean up to finish the entire act. Please.”
If the woman wanted to be all domesticated and take care of him, he was totally on board. “I sure like this side of you.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “This side?”
“Aye. As opposed to the side that drugs me and gets me shot.” He turned and banked the fire before dropping into a chair and stretching out his legs.
She hummed as she cleaned up the kitchen, and a coziness filled the room. Finally, she crossed near him. “Family is family, Daire.” Her words held a hint of warning and a thread of sadness.
His instincts started to hum. He tipped back the cognac and set the drink aside. “What are you up to, Cee Cee?”