While we drank, Jeremy and I caught up. Apparently, he was smitten with someone, though they hadn’t made anything official. I managed to keep the disappointment off my face when Molly found us.
“What’s up, guys?” she asked.
“We’re catching up,” he said, giving her a flirty smile.
Then the most beautiful man I’d ever seen walked up to me. Tall, dark-haired with hazel eyes that sparked gold and a mouth that I wanted to kiss, he stepped between Jeremy and me as Molly and Jeremy traded hellos.
Two
RYAN
The day had been long, and I wasn’t exactly in the mood for this party.
“Tell me again, why are we here?”
My college buddy and the guy I most trusted my life with, Ian, grinned. “You used to like these parties.”
“That’s when I was fascinated with pussy,” I said.
“You still love pussy,” he replied, with an amused grin.
That was true. “This whole thing with my grandfather is taking all the fun out of it.”
Ian leveled a deadpan gaze on me. “I’m sure you’ll find a way to get over it. Besides, I’ve found the perfect woman.”
I tilted my head and held his stare. “And what am I supposed to offer this woman to go along with this ridiculous plan?”
“Ridiculous or not, what other options do you have? Are you—or I should say, have you ever been—in love with a woman?”
I held up a finger, intending on refuting him, until I gave up and said, “No,” because I was certain my first crush in middle school didn’t count.
“Are you going to give up and let your cousin win?” he asked.
Hugh. There had been a time I would have called him brother because he’d been the closest thing I had to one. Not so much anymore. Somewhere in our desire to be the best, we’d become more like enemies.
Caught up in introspection, Ian continued. “And what better way for you to beat him than bedding his most valuable employee? I’ve done a background check on her. She’s perfect. No doubt Hugh sees it too.”
“If you think that’s the right move, why are we here?”
He shrugged. “Tonight is about one night of unadulterated fun before you have to focus on the task.”
“I don’t know. Maybe I should just choose someone here.”
His head fell back as he laughed. “This is the mother of your child you are talking about. Someone you’ll have a tie to for the rest of your life.”
“I think many women here tonight are open to unconventional things.”
“True enough, but you’ll have to start from scratch with the vetting process.”
I hated this. “You sound like Grandfather. He set up my parents for the good of the lineage and they hated each other. I don’t want that for my child.”
“Exactly why I’ve had Hugh’s employee checked out for you. I know what you like. She’s likable and fuckable.”
“You haven’t shown me a picture of her,” I stated.
He grinned. “I want to see your reaction when you see her in person.”
Ian and I shared similar taste when it came to women. No doubt she’d be my type. But he was too sure. “Have you fucked her?” We’d shared women in the past.
“No. But I do hope you’ll share after you see her.”
There’d never been a woman I’d cared enough about not to as long as she was willing. I looked at the house, all lit up, and sighed. I wasn’t feeling festive tonight. “Remind me why I have to make an appearance here tonight?”
He lifted a brow. “You may need him one day.” The ‘him’ in question was the owner of the house and one of the wealthiest men in town. “Besides, once you get inside, I’m sure you’ll find someone to…”—Ian held my gaze with a smirk on his face—“get you in the party mood.”
“Fine. I need a drink anyway.”
We got out and the driver was there to close the door behind us. I saw familiar faces as we entered the house. There were gorgeous women everywhere, but no one who caught my interest. Someone snagged Ian by the arm. I kept moving in search of a drink.
That was when I spotted her. Beautiful beyond words. Light brown hair that swept down her back framed a face more pleasant than most. Light brown eyes danced in the light as she laughed. But it was her body that captured most of the male attention in the room with all the right curves from full breasts to hips a man could grab onto. Yet it was more than her beauty that gave me pause. She seemed out of place. There was an innocence about her that didn’t go with the type of party I’d entered. I felt what amounted to jealousy as she gave a shy smile to the man standing way too close to her.
“Holy shit,” Ian said, handing me a tumbler.