Page 62 of The Mastermind

No more indecisions. No more excuses. No more shoving away my desire for her.

I wanted her. She belonged to me as I belonged to her. She’d had a place in my heart when she gave me that friendship bracelet long ago. Our friendship had deep roots, and now it was growing into something more.

Why had it taken me this long to realize that? Why did it take seeing another man holding her to know I never wanted to see that again? In order for that reality to happen, she had to be with me.

As I swept her across the floor, wearing the color of my eyes—her words—I felt as though I was holding a gem that had always been mine. I just hadn’t known it until now. My heart drummed at the revelation.

I studied her, and she avoided my gaze as though she feared I’d see something she wasn’t ready to disclose, but I also glimpsed the hurt in her eyes.

“What’s wrong?”

She flicked her attention back to me. Besides the hurt, disappointment also washed over her face.

“When did I become your girlfriend, Remi? Or was it just a convenient excuse to chase off your brother?”

Would she believe me if I told her the truth? That I’d wanted her for so long that the idea of her being my “girlfriend” had become so real in my mind, it slipped out without a thought? That when the “wall” fell away, there was nothing to keep the truth hidden? Would the excuse of a Freudian slip satisfy her? No, she wouldn’t appreciate any amusement right now.

“It wasn’t an excuse,” I said.

She stared at me, but I couldn’t read her expression. She had closed herself off to me, and I didn’t like that.

The dance ended, and she finally replied, “I don’t want to play games anymore, Remi. I’m tired. I’m heading back to the suite,” she said, looking and sounding exhausted. “Dance with any woman you want. Your ex, Alice, wants to ‘pursue’ you. She misses the ‘hot sex’ and wouldn’t mind having a ‘friends with benefits’ relationship with you.” Audri turned and walked away from me, heading to the elevator.

What the hell did Alice say to her?

“Wait, Audri!”

“I want to be alone,” she shot back and disappeared into the hallway.

Of all the people who invaded my space at that moment, I didn’t expect it to be Brian.

“Seems like you pissed off an extraordinary woman.” A cocky grin slid onto his face. “If you don’t want her, I’ll take her. She has a fine ass and—”

My fist connected with his face, and he fell back a few steps. “You leave her alone. Did you forget our conversation? I can take away everything important to you.”

People gasped, and a security guy approached us, looking from Brian to me. “Everything okay, Mr. Starke?”

“All is well,” I replied. “We’re just sparring for fun. My older brother and I spar a lot.”

“We’re good.” Brain rubbed a hand on his jaw. “It was an accident. Nothing to see here.”

The hatred for me burned in his eyes, but he couldn’t do anything to me.

Before Brian left, he leaned in. “Is this how you killedthat guy at Yale?”

A moment of pause throbbed in the room. I stared at him as he strode away. How the fuck did he know about that incident?

I’d deal with him later.Right now, I was too concerned about Audri.

What exactly had Alice said to her? Alice and I had never dated. We had a brief sexualrelationship—longer than my other entanglements, but it ended the moment she wanted more from me. She wanted to date, really date, like boyfriend and girlfriend.

I had never wanted that with anyone until today. Alice was a decent person, which was why I had continued my friendship with her. But what had happened during her conversation with Audri?

I had to sort this out before I lost Audri.

CHAPTERTHIRTY-TWO

AUDRI

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