Betting on Julia (A Melville Sisters Novel) (Entangled Covet) by Nina Croft

tell you.”
    “Of course you did. And I’m glad.”
    Someone cleared their throat behind her, and she glanced over her shoulder to see Bastian standing in the doorway to the sitting room.
    “Is everything all right? Do you want to cancel tonight…be with your friend?”
    “No,” they said in unison. Damn. He was nice and considerate as well as hot. It occurred to her briefly that maybe he was too perfect, but she brushed the thought aside. Anyway, it wasn’t as though she was wanting to fall in love, or anything long term. Just some hot sex to take her mind off her little—okay huge—problems.
    “I have to go,” Lissa said. “But lovely to meet you.” She thought for a second and a glint came in her eyes, her lips curving in a small smile. “I’m thinking of inviting Debs and Marcia and their partners over for lunch on Sunday. Tell them the news. Why don’t you and Bastian come over? It will be fun.”
    “Debs and Marcia are my sisters,” she informed Bastian. Julia thought the fun bit was doubtful. It was generally considered that the Melville sisters en masse was a terrifying prospect. And she couldn’t help but wonder how Bastian would cope.
    Bastian still hadn’t answered.
    “Well, you did want to meet more people,” she said. “And this is a good opportunity.”
    “But it’s a family affair.”
    “They won’t mind. They’d love to meet any friend of Julia’s,” Lissa said.
    “Okay. In that case, I’d love to come.”
    He didn’t sound over the moon about the idea though. Maybe meeting the family wasn’t part of the “friends” thing. Though it was hardly meeting her mum and dad. They now lived in Spain and had since her father’s retirement.
    “Good. Now I’ll leave you to your date.”
    Julia grabbed her leather jacket, and they walked out with her. A tall man in a dark suit stood by a car.
    “My bodyguard,” Lissa said, sounding a little defensive. Julia gave him a quick glance. He was one of the pack, but not one she had ever spoken to. He nodded to her, interest flaring in his eyes—she was the new Alpha’s sister—but he didn’t speak.
    They waited until the two had driven away, before heading off down the street. The buildings were decorated with strings of colored lights and she realized it was only a few weeks until Christmas. She usually loved the festive season; this year her mind had been on other things. Bastian strolled beside her, his hands thrust into his pockets, a thoughtful expression on his face.
    “Was Lissa your…girlfriend?”
    It took her a moment to realize what he was asking. He thought Lissa was her ex-lover. She shuddered at the thought, and a grin twitched at her lips. “Actually, I may have…exaggerated the ‘girlfriend’ thing. You caught me at a bad time and I sort of panicked.”
    “My fault for coming on too strong. So you’re not into girls?”
    “No. I’m definitely into men.” Best to get that clear right away. “Lissa is my best friend—a completely different thing. But she’s also my sister-in-law. She married my brother four months ago.”
    “And why does your sister-in-law need a bodyguard.”
    Actually, she wasn’t sure. The bodyguard thing was new, but she would definitely find out on Sunday. She hoped there was no weird shit going on with the pack. She’d avoided talking about pack stuff with anyone. She hadn’t wanted to know. Hoped it was all temporary, and she could forget all about it when she was back to normal.
    Except she was beginning to believe that had been wishful thinking. She suspected normal was gone forever.
    “I’m not sure,” she said. “But Daniel’s a very rich man, maybe it’s just a precaution.”
    “But a new precaution?”
    “Yeah. I’ll get it out of him on Sunday.”
    “What does your brother do?”
    He’s leader of a pack of werewolves.
    Yeah, like she was going to say that. He’d think she was a nutter. “He’s a scientist, specializing in genetics, but he also runs a biotech