Page 146 of Nothing to Fear

“Yeah, but they’re being chased by an evil madman, honey,” Roxie said, leaning over the table to pout at the man currently taking Savvy’s hand to lead her to a seat. “Your bed’s probably already soiled.”

“Live in the building but you don’t have clean sheets?” Zairn dished food onto Roxie’s plate. It was sweet, watching him care for her despite them antagonizing each other. “I’d talk to management.”

“I would, but he’d want sex out the deal and for that, I’d want more than sheets.”

When the spoon was back in the bowl, Zairn took Roxie’s hand, pushing up her ring finger as he raised it for them both to admire.

“How about a rock the size of Gibraltar?”

“Hmm…” Roxie sighed and put down her glass. “Okay then.”

On her way to the chair, the couple’s mouths met and she, like everyone else, averted her eyes… Did hers have to land on Darroch’s staring right back?

The banter, the flirting, it spoke to her romantic side. Few wouldn’t swoon over how the couple interacted. They exuded love. With a loose arm on the back of his fiancée’s chair, Zairn owned the woman next to him while giving her complete freedom to fly.

Once upon a time, she’d wanted love like that, wondered if it existed. In the past, if she’d witnessed a similar show, she’d daydream about love like that, certain there was a chance it existed up ahead.

Except it didn’t for her. Not anymore. That love, her great love, was in her rearview even as he stared right back across the room. Forever, gone in a flash. Nothing lasted forever.

FIFTY

THE BRECKENRIDGE PARENTS left not long after the meal was over. It wasn’t that they didn’t have life in them, she got the feeling they wanted the younger ones to let loose.

Ha, like they were teenagers with the house to themselves for the first time, the alcohol did flow a little freer after their elders departed. Festivities had progressed to a point their hosts invited everyone downstairs to the heart of the always beating building.

“Come down to the club,” Roxie beseeched, shaking Savvy’s hand. “We’ll kick everyone out. And you’ll be safe, the Ruby Room Dyce glass is bulletproof.”

Just what everyone wanted to consider on a night out.

Darroch was by the still open door, speaking to Tripp, the only other person left with them.

“Empress!” Tripp called. “Get moving!”

Roxie did glance back but took one more opportunity to turn on her doe eyes.

“Not tonight,” she said because the last thing she wanted was anyone else in danger. “It’s been a long day.”

A ridiculously long day.

“Okay.” Roxie hugged her and kissed her cheek. “If you change your mind, call; Ballard will send up a phalanx of guards to bring you down. Not bring you down, bring you down… escort you, is what I mean.”

“Okay,” she said on a laugh.

Tripp materialized to commandeer Roxie’s hand and lead her across the room. “Yeah, she gets it, Rox Out.”

Once Darroch closed the door behind the pair, she breathed out.

“Tired?” Darroch asked, sauntering toward her in the middle of the living room.

“Not really.”

“I’m sorry about everyone descending on—”

“They care about you. Didn’t you once say you don’t take that for granted?”

“Once said a lot of things.” He stopped in front of her. Closer than maybe he should’ve. “We both did.” Instead of backing away, her chin rose until their eyes met. “You know I’d never let anything hurt you, don’t you?”

Maybe. Yes. But she’d trusted him before and that turned out to be a mistake. Would he let anything hurt her? What a question. He’d let himself hurt her, broken her heart. Mocked her, lied to her, gotten God knows what kick out of pretending to be someone he wasn’t, two someones he wasn’t.

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