Page 40 of London Dynasty

“Didn’t know you’d be here.” He opened the fridge and snagged a takeout container. He tipped his head. “It’s from last night if you want some. We ordered enough for an army.”

Rose moved to his side and wrapped an arm around his waist, smiling up at him adoringly. When she looked back at me there was warning in her eyes. She was staking her claim on him. I wanted to tell her that she had nothing to worry about. I wasn’t the least bit interested in Holden.

“Wait,” she said, blinking a few times, “is she the one from the loo?”

“The one and only,” Holden said, digging a fork into the container. He spun it around, capturing a large bite of noodles.

“I guess we have kinda met,” Rose said. She popped onto her tiptoes and whispered something in Holden’s ear. He barked with laughter.

“I doubt it,” he said.

“You work at Hillgrove’s?” I guessed. I ignored the heat that rushed to my cheeks. They both knew I’d heard them fucking in that stall.

“I think you know the answer to that,” she said with a smirk.

“I was just using the toilet,” I said flatly. “I felt bad interrupting. Thankfully, it didn’t last too long.” I crossed my arms and shrugged.

Rose let out a whoop of approval. Holden, meanwhile, clutched his chest. “You wound me, but I hope you enjoyed yourself.”

“Holden,” Spencer said, coming out of the bedroom, “stop torturing my girlfriend.” He was wearing nothing more than a pair of jeans. Without a belt they hung at the waist, showcasing the hard angles of his body, particularly the deeply hewn v-shape that started at his hips and continued under his waistband. His hair was still damp from the shower, but his jawline was peppered with stubble.

“Apologies,” Holden replied, glancing between us. “Moving up the ranks quickly, are we?”

“Why wait?” Spencer asked. He walked over to me, paused, and planted a kiss on my forehead.

I resisted the urge to melt into a puddle on the spot. There was a tenderness to it that was unexpected but welcome. I tilted my head back and accepted his lips on mine.

“Come back to bed,” he whispered. Letting me go, he poured himself a cup of coffee and stalked out of the room. Holden followed after him, leaving me alone with Rose.

She watched me as I busied myself making my cup of coffee. There was no milk or cream in the fridge but I found some sugar in a cupboard. When I turned to look for a spoon, Rose opened a drawer, pulled one out, and passed it to me.

“Thank you,” I said, trying to keep things cordial. So what if I had heard her with Holden or she had been with Spencer in the past? All that mattered was this moment. I had no past with either of the Byrd brothers, and I had no future as well. Rose didn’t know that, and she didn’t need to know.

“Spencer isn’t the type to settle down,” she warned me.

“We’ll see.” I smiled at her over the rim of my coffee mug.

“You think if he puts a ring on your finger, he’ll belong to you?” she asks, shaking her head. “You’ll never be a part of their world, even if you marry him. Don’t believe otherwise, or they’ll just break your heart.”

I paused and considered her for a moment. Was this just an astute observation or personal experience speaking? It was hard to tell, and I knew, without a doubt, I couldn’t trust her to be truthful with me.

“I know what’s going on,” she continued in a low voice. “That he’s going to marry you for money. That your parents arranged it, but there’s something you should know. Holden told me—”

“Rose,” Holden’s voice cut her off sharply. He rounded the fridge, his face a stony mask. It was impossible to know if he’d heard what she was about to say. “We should let the lovebirds have their nest for the day.” He looped an arm around her shoulders, towering a good foot over the petite blonde, and guided her toward the hall.

But his eyes never left mine.

Chapter Twenty-One

Spencer had gathered my dress and shoes and laid them out over the freshly made bed. My bag was sitting next to it. He looked up at me as I entered with my cup of coffee and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind, I added my number to your phone.”

“It feels like we did this a bit out of order, didn’t we?” I dug my mobile out of my purse. Scrolling down, I found his entry. “Smile.”

I snapped a picture of Spencer, standing there shirtless, caught completely off-guard.

“Don’t use that.”

“Too late,” I said as I added to his profile. Then I dashed off a text. “Now you have mine.”