Page 62 of Nothing to No One

“You were special requested for the Lighting Darkness event.” That stunned her into silence. “Guess you didn’t know that.”

“I didn’t.”

“Neither did I,” Struan said. “Who?”

“From the top.”

“All the way—”

“Yep.”

“And now you’ve sufficiently freaked her out…” Roxie said, looping their arms together. “Drinks all round! I don’t have my ace bartender with me, but the understudy’s been practicing.”

“I know you’re not talking about Tripp.” Struan led the way toward the living room. “Getting wine from the bottle to the glass taxes him.”

“Well, you know…” Roxie held their link closer. “It involves him taking his hands out of her bra…”

“Shows what you know.” Tripp exuded only pride. “Getting rid of the bra is step one.”

“Before the drink?”

“Way before.”

Struan stopped by the couch. “You want to sit out back?”

“Is Roman afraid of the dark?” Roxie asked. “If so, yes, and let’s turn out all the lights.”

Tripp dropped into the furthest armchair. “That’s the woman’s fiancé you’re talking about.”

When her horror rushed to Struan, the last thing she expected to see was his smile.

“Relax, B, they know it’s not real.”

And just like that, all the tension rushed out of her body. In some possessed moment, she grabbed Roxie into another hug, tighter, and way more sincere than the last.

TWENTY-TWO

“AWW, HONEY,” Roxie cooed. “Were you worried I thought you’d lost your ever-loving mind to be attracted to a cretin like him?”

“Still Struan’s brother,” Tripp reminded her in the background. “And Sway’s ex.”

“That was Stockholm. No one will convince me different,” Roxie said, stroking her hair. “No, you can talk freely here, Bambi, honey. Tripp really would explode if he betrayed anyone’s confidence. And Struan’s loopy-lou for you, honey. There’s no denying that.” Stated as fact with a neutral expression like it was no big deal, Roxie glanced left and right. “Where is my drink again?”

“Wait ‘til you see this,” Tripp said, slouching low in the seat, resting muscular forearms on the arms. “This is where Roxie rights the wrongs of the world.”

“I don’t right the wrongs. I just call it like I see it. And this is a complete clusterfuck.” To calm herself, or maybe to soothe, Roxie guided them to the couch and seated them close together, arms still entwined. “You should’ve called me earlier.”

“I’ve never called you in my life,” Struan said, somehow knowing the woman meant him.

“Well, you should’ve. I shouldn’t have to hear this third hand from Tripp.”

“Third hand?”

“She was eavesdropping. She eavesdrops,” Tripp said, looping her in. “Roxie meddles.”

“I don’t know how I’ve been tagged with this label.”

“You denying it?”

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