Free One More Rule: The Blindfold Club Novella by Nikki Sloane Page B

remind myself. I’d found another person who willingly wanted to be a part of my life. Shocking.
    His carefree demeanor, and the lunch we eventually ordered, diffused some of my anger. It was pointless to get worked up, and I tried to emulate Dominic’s easy mood.
    “So, I’ve been thinking,” I said as we finished up our plates. “We both technically won the bet about Evie and Logan.”
    Dominic leaned back in his chair and crossed his arms. “How do you figure that?”
    “The no-sex rule. It didn’t get broken.”
    A lazy smile grew on his lips. “Fine, devil woman. I’ll have lunch with Joseph, but only because you want us to. Let’s be clear. You did not win that bet.”
    “Whatever.” I climbed out of my chair, and was about to tell him I was heading for the restroom, when something caught my eye. Not something, but someone .
    Holy shit.
    He wove through the tables, moving quickly toward me, a blur in an expensive suit. “Payton.”
    “What the fuck?” I stared in disbelief.
    He grinned, surprised. “Wow, nice language.” His glance went from top to bottom. “And, wow. You look great.”
    Dominic’s hand was warm on my waist, but his expression painted in a scowl at this man he didn’t know. I would have laughed if I could get over what I was seeing.
    “You must be the fiancé. I’m Kyle McCreary.” My brother extended a hand.
    Once the information settled in, the tension in Dominic’s shoulders relaxed and a smile broke on his face. He took Kyle’s hand and shook it. “Hey, yeah. Dominic Ward.”
    “Okay,” I said. “What are you doing here?”
    “Mom told me what happened. I thought I’d see if I could catch you before you left.”
    There was a thin gloss of sweat on Kyle’s forehead as if he’d hurried, and the purple plaid tie he wore with his gray suit was askew.
    “So you ran from New York all the way to this restaurant?”
    Kyle’s soft smile froze. “No, I live here now.” He pushed his suitcoat back so he could rest his hands on his hips and catch his breath. “You didn’t know?”
    He looked so different from the last time I’d seen him, which had been . . . when? My college graduation? Kyle’s hair was more like Dad’s, the color of maple syrup. He’d let it go long on the top and it was a little wild. Soft curls turned up at the ends. I couldn’t tell if he’d skipped shaving for the last three days, or if it was perfectly maintained scruff.
    Either way, it was a good look on him.
    My arms moved without thought, and suddenly I was hugging him. Kyle stood straight and immobile, confused. My family did not hug. But then again, I’d always been the black sheep.
    “No, Mom didn’t tell me,” I said. “She’s too busy , I guess.” I stepped back from him and curled into Dominic’s embrace. “When did you move?”
    “About six weeks ago. Dad got me a position with his firm.”
    “What happened to New York?”
    Kyle’s eyes clouded with an emotion I couldn’t interpret. He looked . . . unhappy? But in a flash, the emotion was replaced with an empty one. “That’s a story for later.” His gaze held mine. “Look, I can’t stay. My schedule’s crazy while they’re bringing me up to speed on my caseload, but . . . hell. We haven’t seen each other in a while.”
    We certainly hadn’t. My older brother and I weren’t close growing up. I’d done my own thing while Kyle had been the golden boy. I didn’t envy him; the crown seemed heavy. Mom and Dad laid enormous pressure on him, so I understood when he’d high-tailed it out of Chicago, not a week after graduating law school. My parents felt disrespected he hadn’t come to the firm that carried the McCreary name.
    But that had been years ago. Now he was back?
    “So you ran twenty blocks in a suit to see me?” I asked.
    “Mom said you were upset.” He took a deep breath and smoothed a hand down his tie. “Mom and Dad don’t get it. They think their stuff is more important than anyone else’s. I