Rush’s eyes crinkled, and the corners of his lips twitched. “With you, with you. Glad I cleared that up. I hadn’t realized we weren’t on the same page.”
I kissed him. “Shut up. Just kiss me.”
He licked my bottom lip. “I’m not gonna find any puke chunks in here, am I?”
I laughed. “You’re so gross.”
He licked my top lip. “What did you have for lunch…I am sort of hungry?”
For a few minutes, while the two of us hid in the corner outside of the bathroom, I completely forgot the panic of just a few minutes ago. Denial and self-protection tinted everything a rosy shade of pink.
“I heard a rumor that you were here.” A man’s booming voice popped the bubble of security I was enjoying so much.
Rush stiffened in my arms, and his grip on my hip tightened as he looked up and gave a curt nod. “Edward.”
Rush’s father had the exact same startlingly green eyes as his son and matched him in height and width, but the similarities ended there. Rush’s eyes were filled with warmth while this man’s were icy cold and distant. That might have been the reason goosebumps rose along my arms.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me to your lady friend?” his father asked.
Rush spoke through gritted teeth. “Gia, this is Edward Vanderhaus. My sperm donor.”
The man laughed. It was hearty and practiced. And also completely phony. It took less than thirty seconds to see firsthand why Rush didn’t like him.
“It’s lovely to meet you, Gia.” Edward extended his hand to me.
I got the feeling that Rush might crack a tooth with how hard his jaw clenched when I hesitantly placed my hand in his father’s. “Likewise.”
Releasing me, Edward gripped one of Rush’s shoulders. “Come join the party. There’re a few investors here whom I’d like you to meet. Always good to show them that a family of shareholders has a united front.”
Surprising me, Rush didn’t make a scene. He nodded, laced his fingers with mine, and together we walked back out to the party with his father. Although some of my fingers might’ve turned white from the tight clasp he held my hand in.
I stood dutifully by his side while Edward introduced us to a few people, trying not to make it appear obvious that I was looking around for his brother. I needed a closer look, but he seemed to have disappeared.
Maybe the entire thing had been a figment of my imagination.
Hormones. The hormones are screwing with me.
I’d actually started to relax a bit again, lulling myself into believing that my mind had played a trick on me, when I suddenly caught sight of Harlan again across the room.
Or Elliott.
Jesus. He looked a lot like Harlan.
I couldn’t stop staring.
I’d thought Rush had been engrossed in the conversation with his father and another man and hadn’t noticed where my attention fixated, but I should’ve known he wouldn’t miss a beat. He excused himself from the discussion and walked us over to one of the bistro-style tables that were set up around the massive apartment.
“Sir, would you care for a tartlet?” A gloved waiter presented a tray of what looked like mini pastries.
Rush lifted his chin. “What are they made of?”
“Caviar and crème fraiche”
Rush held up one hand. “Got any little hot dogs in the back? You know, for the non-asshole crowd?”
The waiter smirked and relaxed his rigid posture. “I’ll see what I can rustle up.”
I still couldn’t take my eyes off Rush’s brother across the room. God…maybe it wasn’t him. From this angle, he looked different than I remembered. But his posture…his laugh…
“You know…” Rush leaned in and whispered. “…if you keep checking out my brother, I’m going to start to get jealous.”
Shit.
I’d thought I was being discreet. Caught red-handed, I felt the need to make up an excuse. Of course, at the moment, a simple excuse such as I was looking for a similarity between the brothers, completely escaped me. Instead, I babbled.
“I can’t help but think how much your brother reminds me of how I pictured a character in my book.”
“Oh yeah? I hope you’re talking about a villain, and not the hero who gets the girl in the end.”
“Ummm…yeah. The character is sort of a jerk. He acts like a nice guy, but he’s a phony.”
Rush nodded. “Well, then you seem to have nailed that character in your book if he looks like my brother. Come on…let me show you the phony live and in person. We haven’t said Happy Birthday to the guest of honor yet.” Rush put his hand on my back and started to walk, but I stayed rooted firmly in place.
Panic set in.
“I don’t think we should go over there.”
Rush’s brows furrowed. “Don’t worry. He’ll be polite to you. Big brother puts on a good show. He’ll even act happy that I’m here…in front of people.”