Page 37 of On a Fault Line

He shrugs.

He fucking shrugs!

“Get inside the elevator, Penelope.”

“Get out of your head and face the reality that is standing right in front of you.”

Taking his hands, he places them on my waist and then lifts me forward so that I’m inside the car. He then proceeds to use his key to access the penthouse floor.

Fuck him. Fuck him and his stupid mouth that refuses to share anything of worth today.

Within a minute, I’m walking into my eldest brother’s foyer, feeling a bit drunk on the brooding silence flittering around Collins and me, ready to separate from the awkwardness.

“Thanks for coming over,” Angie says, giving me a much-needed hug.

I want to cry. Suddenly it feels like my fairy tale is over, and we haven’t even lasted but a few days into the contract.

Something is very off, and it has been since I decided to come here.

But it’s not like I can talk to the girls about anything that is bothering me, so I just plaster on my best attempt at a natural smile.

“Yeah, let the festivities begin,” Claire chants.

Collins and Graham shake hands, while Nic greets him with a nod of his chin.

He’s a way better actor than I am. It’s as if nothing is even wrong based on his interactions, and jealousy strikes my heart at how he’s able to tune me out like I don’t exist way faster than I can do the same to him.

“So, you’ve been holding out info on us,” Claire says, trying to turn serious.

I take a step back. “Huh? And what is that?”

“She’s referring to your roommate’s profession. Rumor has it, he’s adancer.”

I laugh. “Yeah, well, that’s one way of saying it.”

“Oh my gosh. He’s a stripper!” Claire wiggles her eyebrows. “I have athingfor strippers.”

“You don’t have a thing for strippers, Claire,” Angie says with a laugh. “You have a thing for naked men.”

She looks down at her feet, rocking on them. “This is actually true, but I don’t like to discriminate at all when it comes to the male physique. I love them all.”

“You also have athingfor defying me.” Nic takes a step closer to his woman, pulling her into him. His eyes trail down her body. “Seems like you have a lot ofthingsthese days.”

“I like yourthingjust fine. So don’t get jealous. It’s ranked in my top three.”

A low groan escapes Nic’s lips as he presses a very possessive kiss to the base of her neck. It’s Claire’s yelp that lets me know it was more than just a peck. She rubs at her now reddening flesh, glaring daggers at her man. “You better be counting inanimate objects for the other two in the rank.”

“Oh, no. My objects very much areanimated. I don’t invest in the cheap kind without a horsepower motor.”

I cover my eyes with both my hands like I’m five years old watching a scary movie. “You two seriously teeter on the edge of mass destruction on the daily.” Smirking at Claire, I give her a bump with my elbow. “So what if my new roomie is basically a thirst trap. You aren’t hurting in the relationship department like I seem to be.”

From across the room, Collins shifts his weight. It’s subtle, but I can tell he feels off-balance with my comments.

Good.

I feel off-balance with his lack of them.

Claire nods thoughtfully. “Yeah, I agree. I basically have my own personal fuck toy whenever I?—”

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