Page 71 of Wrecked By You
“Not a problem,” I said breezily, pleased that he couldn’t make it. I’d rather spend one-on-one time with Ella. Ginny had already promised to stay in the suite with Chloe while we went out and explored a little of Vegas. In fact, when I’d broached the subject, she’d looked rather thrilled at the prospect of putting her feet up and renting the latest blockbuster from the hotel’s extensive selection.
As we rounded the table, Nolen stiffened. “Ah, shit,” he muttered. “Brace for impact.”
I followed his gaze to a stunning-looking woman dressed in a sharp suit and pencil-thin high heels on a collision course with us. Her wavy, light brown hair fell past her waist, and her copper eyes bored into Nolen, blazing with a hatred that made even me stop and pause, and I’d perfected that look.
“There she is, the love of my life.” Nolen greeted the woman with a beaming smile.
“Drop dead” was her retort as she prodded him in the chest. “You’re an asshole.”
I huffed a laugh, but she didn’t even flinch, her ire solely locked on my cousin. I caught Ella’s wide eyed stare, and another chuckle escaped me.
“Shh,” Nolen scolded, glancing back at our table. “We have children present.”
The woman briefly glanced at Chloe, then turned her venomous glare back on Nolen. “You won’t get away with this.”
“I already have,” he drawled.
Ah, must be a business deal they were both vying for. Vegas was a hugely competitive city, with billionaires contending for prime real estate in an area that, when compared to Los Angeles, was pretty small.
“Does Jason know?” she snapped.
Jason.I looked at Nolen and then at the woman, and suddenly put it all together. “Marlowe?”
Marlowe Beck was the older sister of Nolen’s best friend, Jason. They’d grown up together, been inseparable, and Nolen had had a huge crush on Marlowe. She’d moved away to college, and he, at sixteen, two years younger than her, had thought it was the end of the world. After he’d finished college, he’d moved to Vegas with Jason, and they’d gone into business together. I hadn’t seen Marlowe since she was eighteen.
She peered at me, almost as if she hadn’t noticed my presence until I’d spoken. “Johannes?” She looked me up and down. “Goodness me, you’ve changed.”
Ella appeared at my side, a clear case of staking her claim. Fuck, she was utterly magnificent. I touched her elbow in an act of reassurance. “Yeah, well, I was only thirteen the last time you saw me.”
Marlowe laughed. “That’s true. I guess we’ve all changed.” Her eyes turned cold again as she set them on Nolen. “Some more than others.”
“I love you, too,” Nolen declared.
“You’d better watch your back, Nolen. I won’t take this lying down.”
“Shame.” He raked his gaze over her. “You’d look fantastic lying beneath me.”
“And you’d look terrific lying in a shallow grave,” she replied.
Ella inhaled a sharp breath, while I laughed again. “If this is the kind of entertainment Vegas has to offer, then I’m looking forward to a show or two.”
“Your cousin is vile.” She glanced at Ella. “My apologies. You’re not seeing me on my best day.” She gave us both a curt nod. “Great to see you, Johannes.”
And with that, she swept by, striding across the restaurant with the confidence of a woman who utterly believed in herself.
“Wow,” Ella whispered. “She’s… feisty.”
“But beautiful.” Nolen stared after Marlowe for a few seconds, then sighed. “Sorry about that. Shall we continue?”
I squeezed Ella’s arm. “Won’t be long.” I set off walking with Nolen, noting his quiet contemplation.
“So what happened with you and Marlowe? As I recall, you had a crush on her when we were kids.”
Nolen looked at me, and his happy-go-lucky mask slipped, exposing rawness underneath. “I don’t know. I’ve never figured it out. I kissed her for the first time at my college homecoming, and she was all for hooking up, then later that night, she told me I was just a boy and she was only interested in men. Not long afterward, she married some douche lawyer. Then about twelve months ago, she got divorced and Jason brought her into the business. I’d hoped the intervening decade would have softened her attitude toward me, but she soon divested me of that opinion.” He laughed, the sound brittle and steeped in hurt.
“Yet instead of asking her what you supposedly did, you decide to, what, steal business from underneath her nose?”
“Ihaveasked her. She refuses to tell me. Jason hasn’t a clue either. And I didn’t steal anything.”