Page 50 of Seductive Hearts

He kept me hanging a few long, silent moments, waiting for his reaction. He didn’t burst out laughing or throw the glass at my head. So, I chose to take that as a good sign.

“I wasn’t going to tell you this. I mean, what did it matter?” He set down his whiskey before letting out a sigh. “I had dinner with Mom last night. She told me Rose gave up on Landon. She changed her mind.”

Damn my heart.

Damn, the way it jumped in my chest, the way it took off like a racing engine.

She gave up on him.

She didn’t want him.

Because I was right.

He was wrong for her.

After taking a deep breath, I forced myself to look at the truth rather than indulge in childish fantasies. “Good for her. I knew she would see the light. That doesn’t mean she wants me, does it?”

He arched an eyebrow. I could almost see the wheels turning before he asked, “You mean it? You love her. Don’t bullshit me, Colton. My sister is everything to me, and you, you’ve plowed through most of Manhattan.”

He was right. But that didn’t change a damn thing. “I do.” It was easier the second time. “I’m in love with your sister.”

He let out a sigh. “You know I’m so fucking mad at you.”

I shrugged before concluding. “It wasn’t meant to happen, Noah.”

He stood up and stared down at me. I wasn’t sure if he wanted to kill me or breathe fire on me.

“There’s only one way to find out what she wants, isn’t there?”

I blinked. “What did you say?”

“You fucking heard me, Colton. Now, fuck off.”

20

ROSE

“And you’re sure you don’t mind, sweetie? I would head down to pick it up myself, but…”

I glanced out the window of my Uber while I chatted with Lourde on the phone. “I’m on my way right now. I signed off on the invoices, and I’ll have them up to you in a few minutes.”

“You’re an angel. Feel free to let yourself in when you arrive,” Lourde told me before ending the call. The penthouse wasn’t far from the restaurant, where I had reservations for dinner before going out with the girls.

I needed a girls’ night after the madness of the past month. With five days to the store’s opening and everything pretty much in place, it was time to let off some steam.

I touched up my lip gloss before dropping it in my clutch and cringed when I thought about facing Sienna tonight. Even though my heart was broken in two, I had to pretend to be happy, and her brother held the knife that did the damage again.

She’d never get over it if she had the first clue what went down between her brother and me, and there was no point telling her, considering we were as done as an old rerun.

According to Lourde’s instructions, I headed straight up to the penthouse with an envelope full of approved invoices for her company’s services. Maybe I could ask about Colton and find out what he was up to. The two of them had always been close.

I could’ve smacked myself for thinking about him. I had to get over the man, end of story. If only I could figure out how.

It didn’t register at first, the way acute silence rang out when I stepped out of the elevator. The doors opened straight onto the penthouse, and I was already three strides into the hall leading to the living room before I stopped short, my eyes bulging.

“Surprise.” There was Colton, as handsome as ever, holding a glass of champagne. Behind him were his parents and sister, Sienna, my parents, and our families—Uncle Connor and Aunt Pepper, Uncle Magnus and Aunt Evelyn, the boys, Evan included, and the twins, Valentina and Aria.

They lifted their glasses once Connor did. “Congratulations!” Their cheers rang out over my stunned surprise.

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