Page 81 of Painted Truths

"He was an angry old cunt anyway, right, Nate?"

"Yeah. Sadistic bastard. After coming home from that last book tour and finding him in bed with Zara, I never spoke to the prick again. I hope he died roaring." His words are vehemently spoken, almost spat from his mouth. It's so at odds with the man I've seen him to be up to this point. "Don't know why he fucking thought I'd want a goddamn penny off of him."

"Who's Zara?"

Nate huffs out a laugh, steepling his long, lean fingers under his chin as Henry answers, "She was Nate's fiancé, Peach."

Foot. Meet mouth.

"Don't forget her most recent title in my life was stepmother."

Oh, fuck!

Nate's sombre exterior and quiet demeanour make a lot of sense now. My heart hurts for this austere man with the beautiful soul he has purposefully shut away from the rest of the world.

Before I can utter an apology, Caden strides through the den door, fully dressed this time, thankfully.

"Sorry about that, man. The guys swung by, and Lay was so tense after the flight, we all just lost track of time."

His eyes land on me, tucked away in an oversized chair on the far side of Henry. His mouth creases into a smile that lights up his whole face, and I'm again reminded why he's been voted the world's sexiest man for the last two years running.

"Well, fuck me pink, Henry! You really did find her."

"Told you I did. She's mine too, so hands-off, yeah?"

A smile tugs at the corner of my lip at his possessive words, and I reach across the gap to thread our fingers together lightly, his jealous, proprietorial tone turning me on way more than it should.

Caden's eyes darken, and his nostrils flare slightly for a split second before he cackles so loud that I visibly jump in my seat.

"You know I gave my heart away a long time ago, Henry, my man. Otherwise, I'd give you a run for your money." He grins that million-dollar grin that has women dropping to his feet like flies the world over, then pops a light eyebrow before looking Henry right in the eye and deadpans, "Nothing I like so much as sinking my teeth into a ripe and juicy peach, though!"

Henry is up from his seat and out the door after a laughing Caden before I've even blinked.

"Are they always like this?"

"No, my friend. Unfortunately, they are usually a lot worse."

Nate sighs dramatically before rising and holding his hand out for me to take.

"Come on, Henry's Peachy one, let's get ourselves a nice strong drink." He raises a cynical brow. "I think we're going to need it."

Resting my fingers on his palm, I stand, allowing Nate to tuck my arm under his like a proper gentleman. He tuts and shakes his head, eliciting a giggle from my grinning mouth as he leads me away from the whooping and hollering of the two fully grown children chasing one another through the open courtyard.

* * *

We have an early dinner with Nate, Caden, Layla, and Beau, the drummer from Misdirection, who is covered head to toe in tattoos and, despite my first impression, is actually a great big sweetheart. It's rapidly becoming clear the more I'm around Henry's best friends, the more I can understand what makes him tick.

The way I've caught him watching me several times when he didn't think I was paying attention sends delightful shivers down my spine. His eyes hold the promise of so much more to come, and I'm like a kid at Christmas, letting the anticipation build to extreme heights, knowing the reward will be all the more delicious for the wait.

Once we're being served our dessert of the absolute best Tiramisu in the world, which Nate informs me is Caden's favourite dessert due to his lifelong love affair with coffee, Henry excuses himself to grab his gift for the happy couple.

He returns just as I'm taking my last bite, wishing I could ask for seconds without sounding like a complete piggy. He's carrying what looks to be a large, framed picture or perhaps a mirror, covered in brown paper and tied with an oversized red satin bow.

Gently depositing it on the floor, he reaches a hand up to rub the back of his neck, looking a trifle uncertain.

"I didn't know what to get the couple who has everything, so, umm... I went with this."

Slowly, he peels off the ribbon, letting it fall to the floor, before taking his time tugging the top two corners open and ripping the paper from the front to allow us to see what's underneath.