Page 66 of The Kiss that Captured a Billionaire
Her frown deepened at the trail—scarf on the couch, blood-red stilettos abandoned mid-hallway. She stopped dead in the bedroom doorway.
The bed was a tangle of rumpled sheets. On the floor, pooled like discarded skin, lay a matching blood-red designer dress, a black thong, and a lacy bra that had never seen the inside of a discount store.
A splash of water from the bathroom pulled her forward.
Rose nudged the door open with the toe of her tennis shoe.
The woman in the tub tilted her blond head back and smiled like she’d been expecting champagne— and company. One perfectly tanned leg lifted out of the water, showing off crimson-painted toenails.
“Hi, Theo. Welcome home, darling,” the woman purred.
Rose leaned her shoulder against the doorframe, crossed her arms, and raised one eyebrow.
The woman twisted toward her, flashing a sweet, fake smile.
“Theo’s not here, I am. And you are…?” Rose asked.
“Gina,” the woman replied, with the kind of confidence that implied the name should mean something. “I’m a verygoodfriend of Theo’s.”
Rose’s lips curved, but there was nothing warm in it. “You have exactly five minutes to get out of the apartment before I call security… Gina.”
Gina rose, unconcerned with her nakedness, water sliding over skin maintained with more money than Rose’s van had cost. “And who are you?”
Rose checked an imaginary watch. “Four minutes, thirty seconds.”
Rose knew her voice was cool, her smile sharp—but her hands still shook faintly as she texted Theo. Not from fear. From fury. From the knowledge that once again, someone was trying to wedge themselves between her and the one man she wasn’t ready to lose.
Do you know why there’s a naked woman named Gina taking a bath in our bathroom?
Her phone pinged almost immediately, this time with an incoming call.
Rose smiled sweetly and answered. “Hi, Theo.”
She turned on her heel, walking through the bedroom, down the hallway, and into the living room.
Theo’s voice came through tight with fury. “Gina is a friend of the family—but not, and I repeatnot, that kind of friend.”
Rose’s gaze flicked to a damp, pouting Gina stomping into the room dressed only in lace. “Then someone should probably tell her that.”
“I will. Put her on the phone.”
Rose handed the phone over, keeping her expression neutral.
She heard Theo’s voice even from a few feet away—cold, controlled, and dangerous in a way that made Gina’s complexion go pale. The woman sniffed once, inelegantly, and returned the phone without a word.
“Security’s on their way up,” Theo said. “I don’t know who gave her a key, but I promise you—this will never happen again.”
A knock sounded at the door just as Gina pulled the sleeve of her unzipped dress over her shoulder.
“Hold on. I think they’re here,” she said, walking forward to answer the door. “Hey, guys. Thanks for coming so quickly to take the trash out.”
“Bitch,” Gina hissed under her breath as she stomped past, carrying her killer stiletto heels by the straps in one hand.
“That’sMs. Bitch to you. And in case you didn’t get the message… I’m more than afriendof Theo’s,” Rose said, smiling sweetly and winking at the two security guards who were doing their best to keep a straight face.
Gina shot one last glare over her shoulder, lifted her chin, and stalked out past the two security officers.
Rose set the phone to her ear again.
