Page 39 of The Layover

“Right. Okay. I won’t mention it at all around her, I promise.”

“Thank you.”

“So, you don’t believe in ghosts, but you do believe in wolf shifters?” Carly’s tone was playful.

And I had the perfect counter. “Of course. Shifters are real. Diego is descended from a long line of wolves.”

She laughed and shook her head. “Hold that thought.” She walked past me, toward the demolition crew, but stayed at the edge of the work zone, studying them as they went.

I was as captivated by her as them, so it was a good thing she was paying attention. What was it about this woman?

When she returned, she kept half an eye on the work still. “Lupo-Bianchi. The White Wolf. I get it.”

Diego’s last name. “Clever girl.”

Her grin was breathtaking. “Is that why you both hyphenated your names? So you could be a wolf too?”

“I’ll give you the real answer, not the playful one. But we can go back to having fun after if you’d like.”

She laughed. “I appreciate that. On both counts.”

“Yes, I wanted to take his name—who the fuck doesn’t want to be a wolf?” Since I was a kid, I’d been fascinated with all sorts of fierce and mythological creatures. Werewolves, dragons, centaurs… I’d make my mother read me so many stories where they were the heroes. Rather, I’d beg her to make the stories up, since not many existed. “But my name has weight. I’d be an idiot to ignore that it’s opened doors for us.”

“You don’t strike me as an idiot.”

I was almost surprised to hear her say so.

“Though,” Carly continued. “You do strike me as someone who wants people to think you’re dumber than you are. Does playing the pretty rich boy with more money than brains open doors too?”

“Ouch.” I wasn’t really offended. It wasn’t that I played dumb, but I did work to make sure people felt comfortable around me.

Carly didn’t seem to make that a priority. She was like Diego that way, and it might have been one of reasons I was drawn to her.

She shrugged. “Hey, I said you were pretty. Show me that tattoo on your back again and I’ll tell you you’re fucking sexy.”

How did the conversation take this turn? I didn’t care as long as we were here. “Will you fall on your knees and worship me?”

“Don’t push your luck.” Carly licked her lips, despite the words.

“Only every chance I get. Fortune favors the persistent.”

“That’s not fortune, that’s… persistence. Which I’ll admit is also sexy.”

I could push back. Remind her she didn’t care for the persistence on the plane. But I’d rather not risk ruining the moment. “As for believing in wolf shifters, I believe they make incredibly sexy romance heroes.”

“You read romance novels.” Disbelief dripped from Carly’s retort.

“I do. The world is full of shitty things, so I want my fiction to have a happily ever after.”

She sighed. “I feel that on a fundamental level. But you’ve found your HEA.”

One of them. I loved Diego with all my heart, and yet, I still had room for one more in there. “I did, and I never take that for granted, because I don’t think most people ever do.”

“Do what?” Speaking of the wolf, Diego was back.

“I don’t think most people find a man as wonderful as you to love for the rest of their lives,” I said.

Diego smirked. “Of course not. No one is as wonderful as me.”

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