Page 16 of Cain

“Just one?” Carver asked with a chuckle. “My sisters aren’t too bad. But Croft, Rune, and Vas’s sister Aviela can be a handful. So can West and Gus’s daughters. All three of them.”

I rolled through my mental family tree, looking for missing limbs.

“Doesn’t that leave off Camden’s daughters?” If my memory was serving me right, Camden and Annie had their son, Cameron, who hadn’t prospected yet, as well as three daughters: Avery, Arabella, and Rhea.

“Yeah. But they’re not in Navesink Bank right now. Neither is Jelly.”

“Jelly,” I repeated.

“Jelena. Colson’s daughter.”

“Right. Your parents’ generation bred like bunnies.”

“And now the offspring is our problem,” he said as a pretty, golden-skinned girl came bouncing into the kitchen.

Her chestnut-brown hair was highlighted with golden streaks. She had the same dark eyes her brothers Rune, Croft, and Vas had. As well as the dimples. I bet those damn dimples got her out of a lot of trouble. I had to make a mental note not to be swayed by them.

Like her brothers—and her parents—Aviela was tall and lean, but had all the curves of adulthood. And a mischievous light in her eyes I knew immediately not to trust.

“Hey, cuz,” she greeted Carver. “What’s with him standing around doing nothing?” she asked me. “Need me to put him to work?” she asked, looking around the kitchen. “Those cabinets need scrubbing.”

“Cain is redoing the kitchen. No need to clean them now.”

“Is he now?” Aviela asked, looking me over.

“Your eyes have no business sweeping me,” I said, shaking my head at her.

“Oh, so you’re going to be the stern, protector type,” she said, eyes twinkling. “I can be into that.”

“You can be into it in someone else.”

That had a giant fucking smile breaking out across her pretty face.

Oh, yeah.

She was going to be trouble.

For those of us who had to keep an eye on her, sure, but also for any man she set her sights on.

Spike moved into the kitchen, eyes still red, hair mussed from bed.

“Who’s this?” he asked, giving Aviela his trademark flirtatious smile.

“Princess,” I said.

“Got it.” Spike’s demeanor immediately changed—body tightening, grin dropping. “Get the idea this one is going to be a royal pain in the ass.”

“You’re not wrong,” I agreed.

“So, does that mean that whole crew who is stripping down to their underwear in the living room are also princesses?”

“They’re what?” Carver asked, looking horrified.

“They’re going in the hot tub,” Aviela said, rolling her eyes at her cousin’s reaction.

“They don’t need to do that in their underwear,” he insisted.

“What do you think a bathing suit is?” she shot back.