Page 37 of Skin Deep

“I know who you are.”

“We all sound alike. I wanted to make sure you knew it was me.”

“Your name came up on my screen.”

He laughed. “Just making sure you were paying attention. Who’s shouting?”

I looked toward the door. “What do you need?”

“Lach told me the name of the woman you left with last night.”

He became quiet.

“And?” I said.

“You do realize who she is, right? I mean, she looked familiar to me, but I couldn’t place her. When Lach gave me her name I Googled her.”

“And?”

“You don’t know!”

“I would if you would tell me.” I turned a little, catching Nonno and the woman staring at me.

Owen’s voice changed, like he was reading something off his phone screen. “‘Georgina ‘Gigi’ Dolce is one of the most famous faces in Italy and across Europe. She is the face of one of the most iconic Italian brands, which designs clothes and perfumes inspired by her.’” He named a few. “She models for other big-name brands, too. Brands we’ve seen but couldn’t afford. She started out as an actress. She’s mostly done movies over there, but she’s signed on to become the new Bond girl. That’s not all. She’s dated some of the richest guys in the world, including a prince.”

A few seconds passed.

“Harrison?”

“Yeah, I’m here.”

“Why are you not more excited about this? She couldn’t take her eyes off you the entire night! I knew you’d leave with her.”

“You had a bet going.”

“Of course.”

“It wasn’t a question.”

Of course he would. My youngest brother was all about numbers, and that included odds. Which was why Lach promised him the bookkeeping job whenever we got our shit together and opened our own pub.

Something dawned on me then. “Lach volunteered your services to Oran for the pub he’s backing.”

It made sense. Declan and Owen lived in Scotland, close to our parents, and they suddenly decided to move back to New York. Declan and Owen were flying back to Scotland to grab more of their things and to settle whatever they had going there before heading back to New York.

He started making static noises into the phone. “You’re breaking up.Shh.The airport doesn’t have good reception.Shh.Don’t fuck up your chance with one of the most beautiful women in the world.Shhh.I have money on this.”

It took me a second to bring my cell to my face to see that the screen was blank. When I looked up, I noticed Nonno and the woman still waiting. To see if I’d be too scared to knock on the door? They had no idea what my sister was capable of. I’d once ducked a frying pan that she’d flung at my head.

The only thing that had me stepping to the side after I knocked on Georgina’s door was that I had no clue why she was pissed.

The door came open in awhoosh, the gorgeous actress-slash-model in the center of the whirlwind. Her hair was piled on top of her head, tendrils falling around her face, and she was in a leopard-print silk robe.

Yeah, I could see why they asked her to be the next Bond girl. Her beauty was fierce, and her sexuality was off the charts. I’d learned in high school, though, why some girls developed great personalities, the ability to have a deep conversation, and some didn’t care what her date had to say as long as the compliments kept coming. That was all it took to keep them happy.

Mari made me realize how important it was to be beautiful and deep—to develop beyond skin.

The night before, Georgina seemed like she was trying to use her beauty as a weapon. Couldn’t even lie, though. She was hard to fucking resist. But it was more than that. I liked the way she danced and smiled. I even liked her confidence and the hint of vulnerability I thought I caught in her eyes. If she was as deep as she was beautiful, she could be a nuclear weapon to men. At least to this one.

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