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Ellie scoffs. “He can suck it up. I needed the girl time.”
“Same,” Tilly and I say at the same time.
We walk down the stairs, our heels clomping on the wooden floors. When we step into the living room, Adam and his brothers stop what they’re saying and turn toward us.
Goddamn. This view should be criminal. It’s as if God said, “Yep, this is the right combination of tall, dark, and handsome.” And then proceeded to click copy and paste for each brother.
Adam and Mathew are wearing black tuxes with black accents, which make their dark hair stand out even more. Their younger brother, Carter, and his husband, Sam—the only blond of the group—are wearing dark grey suits. Their ties are coordinated in their colors, and it’s fucking adorable.
And then there’s their youngest brother. Nolan Ellis. I swear he was created to make women weak in the knees. If Clark Kent was in his late twenties, he would look like Nolan. I swear to God, he’s the most scrumptious thing I’ve ever seen. Every time I’m around him, my self-control is pushed to its limits. He’s a playboy of epic proportions and a walking red flag for my well-ordered life.
I don’t date. Period. I have one-night stands when I’m desperate, but for the most part, I rely on my trusty vibrators to sate that need. And yes, that’s vibrators with an S. Sometimes you need to switch things up a little to keep it interesting.
There’s no doubt in my mind that if I gave in to my desire to fuck Nolan six ways to Sunday, I’d never be able to go back to anything else. Not to mention it would be idiotic to sleep with one of Ellie’s brothers-in-law. Talk about awkward family gatherings. No, thank you. Not that I go to that many. I would like to still enjoy the ones I do, so I stay the fuck away from sexy Superman.
“Jesus,” Adam grunts, his eyes locked on Ellie. Matthew curses a similar sentiment as he stares at Tilly. I grin at their slack-jawed expressions. These two women deserve this kind of worship more than anyone I know.
Without my permission, my eyes flick toward Nolan. He’s staring at me with a propane tank’s worth of heat in his eyes; I’m surprised I haven’t gone up in flames yet. My cheeks warm at his attention. I’m used to men giving me admiring looks. Between my tan skin and dark hair, I give off an exotic vibe. Not to mention the curves I rock from having Cody. I’m confident enough to know I’m attractive. But—and this is a big one—I have never seen a man look at me the way Nolan is right now. It’s as if he’s ready to kneel at my feet and do anything I ask of him. Talk about a visual.
“Everyone ready to go?”
Adam’s question interrupts the daze I’d been in, imagining a scenario where Nolan is on his knees in front of me.
Ooof. I need a drink.
CHAPTER 2
Nolan
I’m a fucking creep.
I’m a weirdoooo.
The lyrics to Radiohead’s song, “Creep,” keep playing in my head as I stare at Katie’s thigh peeking through the slit in her dress. I haven’t been able to take my eyes off her since she walked into Adam’s living room. I felt like Bugs Bunny as my eyeballs shot out of my head and turned into cartoon beating hearts.
She’s fucking gorgeous. Like yank-my-heart-out-and-lay-it-at-her-feet gorgeous. And she won’t even give me the time of day.
To be fair, she’s so far out of my league that it’s not a surprise she barely tolerates my existence. It’s not going to stop me from crushing on her, though. I’ve never met a woman who could capture my attention the way Katie Cole has.
And the thing is, it has nothing to do with the fact that she doesn’t seem to return my feelings. If a woman isn’t interested in me, that’s fine. I’ve never seen them as a challenge or something to conquer. There isn’t a need for me to try to get the ones who don’t want me because there are plenty of other women who do.
Katie Cole is different.
I know she finds me attractive. I’ve been around the block enough times in my twenty-eight years to know when a woman is attracted to me. Regardless, she doesn’t want anything to do with me.
I’ve fully respected her choice. I’ve only flirted with her once, and from the moment she shut me down, I’ve done my best to keep my distance. It hasn’t stopped my stomach from fluttering every time we’re in the same room or my heart from beating faster when she looks at me.
“Stop staring, and have a drink,” Carter murmurs in my ear. He holds out a plastic flute of champagne, and I take it gladly. The crisp bubbles run down my throat, giving me a chance to cool off.
The stretch limo we’re riding in is barreling down the highway toward Greensboro. Adam was kind enough to rent us a ride to the event and then provide us with hotel rooms to stay the night. This fundraiser is a big deal for his foundation, and having his family around to give him support is more important to him than the cost of getting us there. He also has more money than God, so he can afford it.
Our sister, Sara, and her fiancé, Ben, are already there. They wanted to have a “staycation”—direct quote—so they’re going to meet us at the venue when it’s time. Our parents are also coming, but they’re driving separately. Mom said something about letting us kids have our fun without our parents hovering.
I decide a distraction is in order to get my mind off Katie. “Cheers to Adam and Matthew for putting on an event where we get to wear fancy duds and drink on their dime.”
Everyone laughs, including Adam, and we clink our flutes together.
“I’m so glad we can provide you with entertainment for the evening, Nolan.” Adam shakes his head in amusement. It’s his go-to expression when it comes to me.
