“Holy shit! You got Fiona to go on a date?” Nora’s jaw practically hit her chest. “Hell, you got her to leave her house for something besides work or Shea? I need to know everything! How did I not hear about this from either one of you?”
Thankfully, Kane chose that exact moment to walk up behind him and grab his shoulders with a firm squeeze. “K, good to see you out, man. Clare, looking gorgeous as ever.” Kane greeted him by his nickname, but he didn’t seem to notice Nora was part of their group.
“Hey.” Kieran nodded toward his brother, grateful for his timing. “Nora, this is my twin brother, Kane.”
Kane peered around him to see the gorgeous, curly blonde, his smile widening to epic proportions when he did.
Nora’s eyes looked like they were going to fall out of her head. “Oh my God! I can’t believe it. Holy shit, there are two of you. Holy shit, I can’t stop saying holy shit.” Nora babbled on, looking from one brother to the other as she gulped down the remainder of her cocktail. “I’m sorry.”
“Nothing to be sorry about, baby. I’ve been known to make a lot of women scream out to His Holiness before.” Kane grinned, eyeing Nora up and down. “I’d be more than happy to keep you screaming all night, gorgeous.”
Nora sighed so loud, you’d think she just found out her puppy died. “Damn, it had to go and speak. And it had been doing so well before it opened its mouth.” She shook her head, making a disgusted face, then turned away from Kane and spoke to Clare once more. “Why do men think it’s okay to talk like that to a woman?”
“Ouch, kitty’s got claws.” Kane laughed.
Nora just shrugged, now totally indifferent. “Whatever.”
Kieran had seen Kane turn off many women before, but this might have been in record time, especially with someone as sweet as Nora, who, from what he had seen, got along with everybody. Until Kane.
“I don’t get it, either, Nora.” Clare shook her head, smiling before refilling Kieran’s Coke and depositing it on the bar in front of him.
Kane wasn’t deterred. “We’ve got a real angel here. Tell me, Nora, did it hurt?”
“Kane, come on, man.” Kieran tried to signal him to stop, but Kane ignored him, and Nora seemed more than fine with taking the bait.
“Did what hurt? I’ve heard every single one of these lines before. Let me guess—when I fell from heaven?” Nora looked back over her shoulder at Kane, rolling her eyes. “Nope, but my knees got a bit scratched up when I climbed my way out of hell. Just leave me alone.”
“Damn,” Kane said as he shook his head and turned back to Kieran. “I’m tapping out, bro. Your girl’s got one up on me.”
“Well, maybe you should leave her alone, then,” Kieran said, wondering why he’d ventured out tonight just to hang around a bunch of grown-up kids.
“She’s not his girl, either. I already asked.” Clare grinned.
“Oh, yeah, I knew that. Our man, K, here is stuck on that flower girl,” Kane informed them, and smiles broke out all around. Except on Kieran’s face.
“You don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kieran said, despite the gnawing feeling in his gut that this was exactly what was happening.
Clare laughed at the scene. “Kane, what can I get you?”
“I’ll take a whiskey neat, and put it on Kieran’s tab. He owes me rent,” Kane said, only partially joking.
Kieran nodded to her that it was fine, then made a mental note to find a new place to live.
“I’ll have another vodka cranberry.” Nora pushed her empty glass forward a bit and leaned an elbow on the bar. Kieran could tell she tried not to follow Kane with her gaze, but it stayed on his twin as he moved off to say hello to a couple friends seated nearby.
“He was only teasing, you know. My brother’s not a bad guy. He just comes on a little strong sometimes,” Kieran tried to assure her, despite Kane not doing him any favors.
“I’m sure he’s great,” Nora said, tracing the condensation on the side of her glass with her index finger. “I’m just so tired of being hit on like that, as if I’m nothing more than a conquest to be added to his list. For once, I’d just like to meet a guy who treats me like I’m worth more.”
Kieran frowned and gave her forearm a small squeeze. “Well, on behalf of my stupid brother and every stupid man out there, I’m sorry. You definitely deserve better.”
“Thanks, that’s really sweet.” Nora smiled, her eyes both sad and warm at the same time. “I’m sure a fun evening out, huh? Do I have you feeling better yet?”