Page 17 of Square Deal

He chuckled, wiping his hands together. I caught a glimpse of that stupid ring again, and a streak of disdain pulsed through my veins. “I needed a place to crash, and I knew where Luca kept a spare key.”

“So, when I call Steve and Chase, I’ll just report it as trespassing—not breaking and entering,” I said, throwing his own words back in his face.

“What is with you and having me arrested? Do you want to see me in handcuffs that bad? Princess, if you have a fantasy you want to play out, you could have just asked.” There was a twitch of amusement in the smile that quirked at the corner of his mouth. His eyes studied me intently like I was a formula to solve.

I huffed and pulled my fingers through my hair. The man was going to make me bald. “Why. Are. You. Here?”

“My pilot can’t fly here with the weather, so I’m stuck. I figured Luca wouldn’t mind me crashing here. I stay at his condo in LA all the time.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Your pilot?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I have a plane. And a pilot. You know—to fly me places.” He shoved his hands in the pockets of his dress pants as if that little tidbit was no big deal. The sleeves of his white linen button up were cuffed just below his elbows, and his blue trousers were impeccably tailored. I was no stranger to designer threads, but he was on another level.

My beloved Louboutins were a once-in-a-lifetime find in a high-end consignment shop. Even then, they’d still cost me a chunk of my paycheck. Not that I’d ever tell him—or anyone else—that.

I did well for myself, but my shoe addiction erred on the pricey side.

The wedding industry was a fickle bitch. Maddie was lucky she could hide in her chef whites. I had to be dressed to the nines even when sneakers and athletic shorts would be more appropriate for the level of physical activity my job as an event planner required.

My phone exploded again. I checked my messages, assuming it was Maddie asking about the house. To my surprise, it was the poker club group text.

Isaac’s brow furrowed as he glanced at my phone, which had not stop buzzing with incoming messages. “Everything okay?”

“Yeah, um,” I stammered.Why did he care?I scrolled through the texts, trying to make sense of what was going on. “Erica’s in labor.”

“Erica?”

“Steve Pelham’s, uh,” I paused to think it over. I could have sworn I had caught a glimpse of a diamond ring on her left hand, but they hadn’t made an announcement yet. “Steve Pelham’s girl. They were at the wedding last night.”

"Oh, well, good for them," Isaac said, glancing out the window behind me. "That's actually pretty badass."

"Huh?"

"Being born in a hurricane is a pretty badass move."

I stifled a laugh. "You're an idiot."

Chase sent a text asking if I wanted to ride with him, but I shut his offer down fast. I let the poker club know I'd be there soon.Once I dealt with the sexy intruder standing in front of me.

“You can’t stay here,” I said, looking up from my phone.

“Don’t get your nonexistent panties in a twist,” he sneered. “I’ll call Luca and get him to sign my permission slip for you. Happy?”

“Let me spell it out for you, pretty boy," I said, pointing outside where the ominous clouds had already started spitting rain. “This house sits on the water. It is typically advisable to stay away from the water during a hurricane.”

Well, except for Maddie when she stayed at Luca’s house and…

I shivered. I knew way too much about my friends’ sex lives.

Isaac rolled his eyes and walked to the door, grabbing the handle of his rolling suitcase. “Looks like I’ll be staying a few more nights at your hotel.”

“First off,” I said, whirling around and following him. “It’s notmyhotel—I just work there. Second, it’s not a hotel—it’s an inn. And third, no you won’t. Because like I said five seconds ago, thereis a hurricane coming, and the inn is right on the water. They don’t take guests during hurricanes. Everyone checked out this morning, and everything got boarded up.”

“So, what do you propose I do, Hell Yes Ma’am?” he snipped, crossing his arms, pulling the already thin fabric tight across his sculpted chest. “Sleep outside and hope for the best?”

The logical part of me would have told him to get an Uber and check into a hotel in Havelock or New Bern. However, the logical part of me was still sedated from all the orgasms.

Asshole.

---