Page 5 of Greed

I bow mine because this is not the fairytale ending for tonight that I was hoping for.

“Hey, Rygar,” the pretty blonde in a red jumpsuit greets the driver as she approaches the car. “How are you?”

The driver happily tells her he’s fine before he ducks to glance into the car. “Mr. Wells?”

Declan looks at me before he turns his attention to the woman. “I’ll be right there, Ava.”

She nods as if she understands that, for this one moment in time, his attention is directed to me.

“Abby,” he says my name softly. “It seems that my sister has decided that this is the optimum time to drop by to pick up something she forgot in my apartment months ago.”

The pretty woman bends to see into the car. “I told you at the gala I was going to stop by to get my composition book. There’s a piece in there I want to rework.”

He nods at her intrusion but keeps his gaze pinned on me. “You did tell me, but you neglected to mention that you’d be stopping by tonight.”

“Well, I’m here now.” Her hand flies past him, headed right for me. “I’m Ava. I’m Declan’s sister.”

“Abby.” I take her hand gingerly for a soft shake.

“I love that outfit.” She grins. “I’ll be out of his hair in five minutes flat, so don’t change your plans on my account.”

“I should head home,” I tell them both since whatever magic was stirring between Declan and me seems lost now.

Declan tilts his chin down. “It was a pleasure, Abby.”

“Thank you for the ride,” I whisper.

“Any time.” He moves his long legs and shifts to the side to slide off the seat and to his feet on the sidewalk next to his sister.

“Let’s get you home,” the driver says before the door closes, and what might have been vanishes in the blink of an eye.

CHAPTERTHREE

Declan

“You’re not goingto get laid because of me.”

I toss my younger sister a look meant to shut her up. It fails miserably.

“She was cute, Decky. I loved her costume.” She bats her eyelashes. “Where did you find her? Was it in Times Square? Does she take pictures with tourists?”

Abigail is an attorney. She works for one of my closest friends at the firm founded by his great-grandfather decades ago.

She viewed me as a stranger tonight, yet I sought out a very beautiful and familiar face when I saw her on that sidewalk.

We work in the same building. I noticed her months ago, but the fact that I spotted her twice holding hands with a man who didn’t understand the value of a well-tailored suit kept me at bay.

I haven’t seen that man in weeks, so I approached Abby tonight, believing that the path to fuck her is now free of entanglements. Given how she looked at me, I still think that, but Ava’s unexpected interruption brought the evening to an abrupt halt.

“No,” I answer succinctly. “And it’s Declan.”

As annoying as it is, the nickname has become a staple within my family. Not only do my brother and sister use it regularly, but my parents, whenever they grace New York City with their presence, have started using it as well.

I would outright hate it, but it’s always delivered with a hint of fondness.

“I’m sorry I messed up your plans,” Ava says as she twirls the ruby and diamond engagement ring on her finger.

She may only be twenty-one, but she found the love of her life in our brother’s best friend. Ava and her fiancé, Harrison Keene, are building a life together, just as Sean and Callie are.

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