Page 20 of Filthy Rich Brother's Best Friends

I tilt my head. “Still carrying that chip on your shoulder?”

“Still pretending you’re not an asshole?”

I take a step closer. She holds her ground, but I catch the slight shift in her stance.

“I forgot how charming you are.”

“And I forgot how exhausting you are.”

She turns to the fridge, grabs a drink, and lets the door fall shut behind her. She takes a long sip, not looking at me.

I’ve never been able to ignore her. And I’ve also never been able to stand her for more than five minutes at a time.

We’ve always burned too hot. We’re either at each other’s throats or ignoring each other’s existence. There’s no middle ground.

“I’m surprised you haven’t left yet,” I say.

She blinks. “Why would I leave? I live here.”

“So if you had known I was coming…”

Her eyes flash. “I would’ve left.”

The air snaps between us.

Then I hear the front door open and close. Voices carry down the hall, footsteps follow.

Jude walks in first.

He’s mid-laugh when he looks up and sees Lola. And freezes. Everything about him changes as his eyes stay fixed on her.

“Lola?”

Something about the way he says her name sets me on edge. And then there’s the way she looks like a damn deer inheadlights. His presence is an even bigger shock than mine. And that’s saying a hell of a lot.

Which means one thing.

He’s fucking slept with her.

There’s a sharp, stabbing pain right under my ribs.

“Well,” I say, trying hard to keep my tone light, “this is cozy.”

Lola doesn’t respond. Her face is completely blank now. But her grip tightens on the knife in her hand, and her jaw tenses.

Jude’s still watching her. Dude looks like he’s seen a ghost.

Then Miles walks in.

I feel bad that I don’t get the chance to warn him what he’s walking into. He barely gets two steps into the room before he stops.

I get to watch the realization hit him in real time. The click of recognition followed by the change in posture and the slow raise of his eyebrows behind those thick-framed glasses he always wears. His mouth moves, but he doesn’t say anything.

Now all three of us are staring at Lola, who looks ready to bolt. She looks like she wishes the floor would swallow her up so she can escape the awkwardness of this moment.

Blaire and Gigi are watching too. Gigi’s grip on her glass becomes white-knuckled and Blaire settles her hand on the counter like she’s ready to launch herself over it.

I guess their little flirtation game just got interrupted. Immediate game over because every man in this room is focused on one woman and one woman only.