Page 121 of The Irresistible One
“Why do you ask?”
“I realize I see things that not everyone else does. That’s because I’m trained to look in the middle, where the start and end of an equation meet. And the middle is where the magic lies.” He pushed back several pieces of hair.
“That middle told you Eden was single?”
“No. It showed me that someone in this room can’t take his eyes off her, and he doesn’t want anyone to know that.”
“Ah, yes. Troy … I do know that.”
“Does Eden?”
“Not that I’m aware of. But even if she knew, it wouldn’t matter.” I gave my sister a glance, still in a deep conversation with Sophie.
He nodded as my eyes returned to him. “I feared that. It’s …”
“Complicated, yes.” I sighed.
Unspoken words passed between us—about a past that neither of us was willing to discuss, but a past that Dutton was aware of, making his statement hold even more weight.
“It’s good to have you here, buddy.” I clasped his shoulder. “I hope it means you’re going to be spending more time in LA.”
“I don’t know … we’ll see.”
Despite him preferring a life in the shadows, I could always tell when Dutton’s eyes were on me, the color impossible to miss. The icy blue was like a goddamn neon light.
“Now that you’re up to speed with our operations, I’m sure you could do this next phase from anywhere.”
He adjusted his collar, making sure it overlapped the lapels of his sports coat. “You’re right about that. Usually, I’m pretty eager to take off once I hit this stage. That hasn’t happened this time.”
The funny thing was, none of us knew where Dutton was staying in LA. He wasn’t at his parents’ house. He hadn’t asked for a hookup at the Cole and Spade Hotel in Beverly Hills, even though he knew we had an in. He wasn’t staying with any of us. But since we respected his desire to keep things secretive, none of us ever asked him.
“Are you saying you’ve missed California?”
He nodded. However, the movement felt like he was assuring himself, not me. “LA’s got a lot to offer. Good food”—he smiled—“dependable sunshine, and killer surf. And the fucking women …” He let out a burst of air.
I chuckled. “We have those, yes.”
He nodded in the direction of Sophie and Eden. “Looks like you’ve found yourself a good one.”
“I have.”
“I’ve enjoyed talking to her brother. He seems like a great dude.” He kept his voice down since Hayden was standingclose. “And he loves Sophie’s little girl something fierce. That says a lot about a man—the way they are around kids, especially when they’re not their own.”
“I couldn’t agree more.”
He rocked back on his feet. “He mentioned he was going to be watching Ellie over the next couple of days.”
“He is.” I chuckled, thinking of Hayden with our two princesses, up to his fucking eyeballs in girlie demands. “You know it’s one thing to fall. But when that relationship comes with an incredible family on both sides …” My voice drifted off as I looked at Troy and Hayden, knowing the others in Fort Lauderdale were just as stand up and solid as them. “It makes the foundation even stronger.”
He put his arm around my shoulders. “It’s good to see you in love. You deserve it, my man.”
FORTY
SOPHIE
There were moments I was positive I had fallen in love with Colson Weston. Specific memories I could look back on during our time together when I had just known, when I had felt it, when the emotion had been so palpable that my body was buzzing. Like the night he had taken me up in the hot-air balloon, and rather than spending the entire evening gazing at the sunset, I couldn’t take my eyes off him. Or the dinner we’d had in the private room at Toro when he told me he trusted me. Or while we had been at Charred, and he put his arm around my shoulders and reintroduced me to his family, keeping me close because he knew how anxious I was feeling. Or the times when our dinners hadn’t been enough and we snuck into a hotel room to get lost in each other’s bodies.
And now.
