Four
“Hey, sis,” Agatha heard Rio say.
Rio.
Agatha’s cheeks burned so hot she wouldn’t be surprised if Jen or Rio—hey, did Agatha mention this was Rio, Jen’s stepsister she’d been shamelessly flirting with for the last fifteen minutes?—could feel the heat radiating off her.
Jen’s stepsister. Her best friend’s sister.
Agatha felt herself blink as Rio’s smirk deepened, her attention fully on Jen. As if this wasn’t a monumental moment. As if Agatha hadn’t just spent the last fifteen minutes eyeing Rio like she was something decadent and worth ruining a diet over.
How the hell did she miss this?
Okay, sure, the tattoos were new. But that wasn’t it. No, Rio carried herself differently than she had when they were kids. Agatha remembers only ever seeing her with her head ducked, shoulders curled inward, like she was trying to take up as little space as possible. And yeah, maybe she never got close enough to see what the slope of her nose looked like before, or to notice the tiny gap in her teeth. But she could see all of it now.
And Agatha liked what she saw.
Hey? Remember? Jen’s sister.
And then Rio turned back to her, meeting Agatha’s gaze like she’d known the whole time. Like she’d wanted her to figure it out. “Good to see you again, Agatha.”
Then she threw back the rest of her drink, tipping her head, exposing the long line of her throat. Maybe it was the wine, but Agatha absolutely did watch the way a drop of whiskey missed her lips, rolling slowly down the curve of her chin before disappearing into the hollow of her throat.
No, no. She needed a distraction. She’d said she needed a distraction. Just—not with Jen’s sister.
Rio.
Alice made her presence known by throwing an arm around both her and Jen, yanking her fully back into reality.
And it was a relief.
Because Rio was still watching her.
Agatha two minutes ago would have loved the unwavering eye contact.
But now? Her breath felt sharp. Her skin hot. Too hot.
“Holy shit, you look different,” Alice said, blinking in recognition. Of course Alice figured it out immediately.
Finally, Rio broke eye contact. Or maybe Agatha did first. It didn’t matter.
Rio’s smirk was still there, etched into her lips like it had all the time in the world.
“And you look exactly the same.”
Alice grinned, unfazed. “That’s a compliment if I’ve ever heard one.”
Agatha, meanwhile, was busy retracing every single step she’d taken tonight. Was she really that into women that she hadn’t recognized Rio? She wasn’t oblivious. She knew when someone was flirting back.
Right?
Or had Rio been playing with her?
Maybe.
But Agatha had a feeling—one she couldn’t quite place but didn’t need proof of.
Rio was at least into women.
And Agatha was hot.
At least, that’s what Alice and Jen had said earlier when she sent them a picture of her outfit before coming to the bar.
And dammit, Agatha was into this. The way Rio was looking at her. The low pull in her stomach when she thought about how Rio was the one she’d been flirting with.
“How was your drive?” Jen asked her sister, cutting through the static in Agatha’s brain.
Rio’s smirk stretched into something more amused. “We don’t need to do this.”
Agatha watched as Jen’s mouth turned into a straight, unimpressed line.
“Fine. I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Rio nodded, reaching back for her jacket.
Wait. When the hell did Rio have a jacket? Had she ever had a jacket on around Agatha?
“See you tomorrow at one,” Rio said, back still turned, her voice curling with mischief.
Alice’s barely audible oh, shit was the only warning before Jen’s entire body stiffened.
Because everyone had an itinerary. Every minute of every day leading up to the wedding was planned.
And Agatha, as a bridesmaid, had it memorized. Mostly so Jen wouldn’t make her memorize it.
And one? One was not the time they needed to be at the club.
“Ten, Rio. Ten A.M. at the golf club. For brunch.” Jen’s voice was teetering on exasperated. “Rio, please tell me you’re not serious.”
Rio turned back, the smirk that had been playing at the edges of her lips now fully formed.
And if Agatha or Alice had a single ounce of self-preservation, they would have pulled Jen away before she strangled her sister in the middle of The Witches’ Road.
Because Rio was relishing this.
She always knew exactly how to get under Jen’s skin. Knew which buttons to push, how to slip just under her composure like it was nothing. And every time? She got a reaction. Every. Time.
Rio was relentless.
And Agatha wondered if that translated into other aspects of her life.
Jen’s sister, Agatha reminded herself sharply, even as something low and warm curled in her stomach.
What the hell was happening to her?
Oh, right, she needed a distraction.
Jen exhaled, long and slow. “Just be there, okay?”
Rio held up her hands in mock surrender. “You got it.”
Then, just as she was about to press the door handle, she paused. Turned back.
And her eyes found Agatha again.
Was Agatha watching her leave?
Oops.
But Rio didn’t seem to mind. Didn’t even smirk this time.
She just lifted a brow, slow and deliberate.
And Agatha looked away first.
Rio won that one.
She exhaled sharply as Jen ordered a drink from Vision, finally giving Agatha a second to breathe.
But Alice—dammit, Alice—was grinning at her, eyebrows raised like she was dying to say something. Because of course Alice had been watching. Of course Alice knew Agatha had spent fifteen minutes eye-fucking Rio without realizing who she was.
And of course Alice opened her mouth.
“So,” she said, voice dripping with amusement. “Did you find a distraction?”
Agatha didn’t even hesitate. She reached out and snatched Alice’s drink straight from her hand.
“Shut up.”
Her cheeks were burning again.
And it wasn’t from the alcohol.
“What distraction?” Jen asked, finally paying attention now that she had her drink.
Agatha just shook her head, ignoring the smirk Alice was trying—and failing—to hide.
“Nothing,” she muttered. “Let’s just go back to the table.”