The Wrong Blue Eyes

“Hi, can you tell me what room Paxton Cruise is in, please?”

“I’m sorry. I can’t give out that information without proper identification.”

I just barely kept from rolling my eyes as I pulled my wallet from my purse. “Okay, well, can you tell me what room Noelle Brooks is in then?” I slid my ID across the counter to prove it was me.

“Certainly,” she agreed with a smile before taking my ID. I looked around as she typed in my name, and then seconds later, she spoke. “You’re in room five-zero-six, ma’am.”

“N-no,” I stuttered as my body temperature rose. “That can’t be right. Please check again.”

That was Nick’s room.

“I’m sorry, but it says it right here. You and Nicholas Cruise checked in yesterday.” She raised her brow, obviously picking up on the fact that I’d given her the name of two different men who also shared an uncommon surname.

Karma was a petty bitch today.

“Okay,” I whispered with my heart in my throat. I wanted the floor to open up and swallow me. “Thank you.”

I turned—not knowing where to go or what to do, so I started for the front door. I made it three steps before I spotted Paxton walking through those same doors. Just as I had predicted, he was dressed for the slopes and smiling harder than I’d seen him do in years.

Next to him was none other than my motherfucking best friend.

She laughed and looked damn near in love as she stared at my man like he was hers.

Neither had noticed me yet, even though I stood no more than five feet away. That was how into each other they were.

They stopped just inside the door, and he said something to her I couldn’t hear before brushing a fallen snowflake from her button nose, still red from the cold.

My first instinct was to break it and see how cute he found the bitch then.

I watched Paxton lift his hand and Felicity’s breath catch when he suggestively licked the snowflake from his thumb while staring deep into her eyes.

Oh, hell no.

“Elle!”

I was mid-step, hands balled, when I heard my name.

Paxton and Felicity both followed the sound of Nick’s voice until they found him rushing off the elevator, fully dressed now. And when they followed his gaze, their eyes bucked, finally seeing me standing there. They both took a guilty step away from each other, but it was too late.

I’d seen enough.

Paxton recovered quickly and was now wearing a blank expression while Felicity looked like she was stuck in a horror film.

The moment Pax saw the violence in my eyes, he pushed Felicity behind him.

That. Fucking. Did it.

With rage pouring from my heart and my head checking out of the drama, I charged them both. I got two steps within reach before I was snatched back and off my feet. Two arms wrapped around my waist and held me close as I fought to break free.

Nick.

“Let me go!” I screamed, drawing even more attention. I didn’t give a damn about all the rich bitches clutching their pearls. They could choke for all I cared.

“Calm down, Elle,” Nick pleaded. “It’s not what you think, baby. Just let me explain.”

I let out a deranged laugh that made me sound even crazier than I looked, and that was saying a lot. I had just witnessed my boyfriend ready to protect my best friend from me, and it wasn’t what I thought?

The only thing worse than getting cheated on and betrayed was my intelligence being insulted.

“Noelle,” Felicity pleaded. “Please calm down. I swear nothing—”

“Don’t you say a fucking word to me, bitch!”

“I know you’re upset,” Paxton cut in, “but I will not allow you to disrespect Felicity.”

I paused out of shock before I chuckled in disbelief. “Wow, Pax. You really are a piece of shit. My best friend? Of all the girls?”

“My brother?” he shot back with a tilt of his head. He looked much calmer than I expected.

I swallowed when guilt and denial rendered me mute. There was no way he could have known. “I—”

“I know you spent the night fucking my brother,” he blurted before I could lie.

“Paxton,” Nick barked in warning.

I had the feeling Nick holding me back was the only thing keeping him from punching his twin. Paxton shoved his fingers through his hair in frustration before giving Nick a look that said they were fucked.

Whatever they had plotted—it was apparent now—wasn’t going as planned.

It’s funny.

I went looking for Pax to confess, but I didn’t count on it being this hard or feeling like I was the one that had been duped.

“I’m sorry,” Paxton offered with a sigh. “Just please stop pretending you’re the victim in all of this. I haven’t cheated on you, Noelle. Can you say the same?”

“Maybe not physically, but emotionally you have! You’ve been treating me like a third wheel ever since we left home!”