Page 72 of Wrecked By You
“She doesn’t seem to think so.”
He narrowed his eyes. “How about you concentrate on your own love life and leave me to concentrate on mine?”
“I don’t have a love life.”
Nolen smirked. “Sure you don’t.”
“She’s my assistant.”
“Who you’re banging.”
“That means nothing.”
“It does when you look at her like you do.”
“And how is that, exactly?”
“Like you’re in love, dear cousin.” He made a heart shape with his hands.
“Bullshit,” I scoffed. “We’ve had sex. Twice. That’s it.”
“So?” Nolen shrugged. “I haven’t had sex with Marlowe even once, yet I know she’s the one for me.”
“I think Marlowe needs a little convincing.”
Nolen chuckled. “I thought you’d lost your sense of humor.” He clapped me on the shoulder. “It’s good to see the man I grew up with making a comeback. Love is a great healer.”
“I’m not in love,” I said through gritted teeth. “I’ve been in love, and this isn’t that.”
Nolen’s jaw flexed. “No, it isn’t. And thank fuck for small mercies.”
He tapped a key card against a door and opened it, gesturing for me to go in first. The second I walked inside, my mind fired off a hundred ideas for what I could do with this space.
“Wow.”
“Right?” Nolen nodded. “And I figured we could add a second level and put the VIP spaces above the main dance floor.”
I’d had exactly the same thought, especially with the height of the ceiling. It was crying out for that kind of enhancement.
“So,” Nolen said. “Shall we talk numbers? And then you can spend the weekend with your girl pretending you’re not in love with her.”
My stomach flipped, and my heart skipped a couple of beats. “Marlowe was right,” I said. “You are an asshole.”
Chapter24
Ella
What are the chances?
I tuckedChloe’s bedsheets tight around her and kissed her forehead. “Night, baby girl. You be good for Ginny. I won’t be long.”
“I will.”
She snuggled further down into the bed, clutching her new teddy bear. My heart had soared when Johannes had produced it after he’d returned from his business meeting with Nolen, and Chloe had instantly fallen in love with it, pronouncing it her new favorite. I hadn’t missed the pride and delight that had crossed Johannes’s face either, and for the first time since my life had imploded, I’d begun to dream of a different future than the one prescribed by my life with Mateo.
A future with Johannes.
But neither of us could commit to that while we were keeping so much of our real selves hidden. It was like walking on the edge of a cliff, the stones loose beneath our feet. Both of us were afraid of falling, and neither one seemed prepared to make the first move in case that resulted in disaster.