Page 36 of Rival Hearts
“It wasn’t one of those,” I said softly.
Before I could say anything else, the door to the pub opened, and three guys walked in. Maya glanced over at them and grabbed my hand.
“Oh. My. God,” she breathed.
I followed her eyes to the door.
They were all hot, I had to give them that. Tall, muscular, and polished, wearing expensive clothes, and they exuded confidence.
One had dirty-blond hair, and he was leaner but still stacked. The next had dark hair and the bluest eyes I’d seen in a long time.
Behind them followed hottie number three, and my stomach dropped.
“Shit,” I muttered.
“Have you ever seen three such perfect specimens in one place, at one time?” Maya said in a low voice. “Holy shit.”
My ears were ringing. The third guy was none other than Alex. Was I never going to get away from him?
His eyes fell on me, and when our gazes locked, my stomach erupted in butterflies. Which it really shouldn’t have. BecauseI was angry with him for lying to me about who he was and making me sleep with my brother’s best friend.
Okay, so it had all been consensual.
Mm. More than consensual.
But that didn’t change the facts.
He said something to the other two guys before he marched right up to me.
“He’s coming this way,” Maya said, as if I didn’t have eyes for myself. I looked around, as if I could find a place to escape to, but of course, that wasn’t possible.
“Charlotte,” he said when he stopped in front of me.
Maya made a small sound at the back of her throat. Alex glanced at her.
“This is Maya.”
“AlexBlackwood,” he said, emphasizing his surname while he glanced at me before he held out a hand to Maya. She glanced at me, too, confused, before she took Alex’s hand.
“Can I have a word with you?” he asked.
“I suppose you could.”
“In private?”
I shook my head. “There’s nothing to say in private that you can’t say in front of everyone else.”
That had to keep me safe from whatever he was going to say because I was already flustered and melting on the inside. A part of me was furious with Alex.
I wanted nothing to do with him.
But the other part of me ached for him because, hell, who was I fooling?
I wantedeverythingto do with Alex Blackwood.
“Fine,” he said. “Are you deliberately out to nail my company?”
I glanced at Maya, who stared at me, dumbfounded.
