Page 86 of Anti-Hero

I shrug a shoulder, attempting to act nonchalant. This is the exact response I expected. But I didn’t realize how much I wanted her to say yes until she said no.

“It doesn’t have to be a big deal, Collins. You moved in with Lili when you were eighteen, and she was a total stranger.”

She clicks her tongue. “That was totally different, and you know it.”

“It doesn’t have to be. Pretend my apartment is a dorm and I’m your random roommate if it’ll make you more comfortable. You need more space, and I have space. It’s as simple as that.”

“Plum is going to wake up screaming in the middle of the night, you know. Your neighbors will hate us.”

“It’s a penthouse. I don’t have any neighbors. And I would hate missing the screaming.”

Collins snorts. “Yeah, right.”

She’sstillwaiting for me to cut and run. It erases all my self-doubt that I’m bringing this up too soon. I’m limited with how much attention I can show her at work. Here? She’s going to have a hard time missing my commitment, no matter how hard she tries to.

“Offer stands,” I state. “Come on. Dinner’s getting cold.”

“You said pasta?” she asks, perking up as we enter the kitchen.

“Yeah,” I reply. “Thought the carbs would help soak up the alcohol.”

She sticks her tongue out as she opens the container, spooning spaghetti with meatballs onto one of the plates I set out. “Hilarious.”

“Speaking of drinking, what do you want?” I fling open the fridge doors, doing a quick scan of the contents. “I’ve got?—”

“I’m good with water.”

“Sparkling or still?”

“Still’s fine, thanks.”

I nod and fill a glass. “Ice? Lemon wedge?”

Collins raises an eyebrow as she twirls some pasta. “Both, thanks. Was Edna wrong? Sounds like you do a lot of, uh, entertaining.”

“Not here. Flynn has crashed a few times, and Bash squatted mostof the summer, but I prefer my privacy. This is the first place that’s allmine, not my parents’.” I hesitate before adding, “I mean, I used money from my trust fund to buy it, so they contributed. I don’t make enough to cover a place like this myself. Notyetat least. But I picked it out.”

She nods, giving the kitchen a quick glance. “It’s nice.”

I snort. “Thanks, Monty.”

I don’t think many women would describe a sixty-five-million-dollar penthouse asnice, but it’s more complimentary than I would have expected from Collins.

Ostentatiousorway too bigorcharacterlesswould also apply. I mostly use this gourmet kitchen for reheating. No bachelor needs seven bedrooms. And I hired an interior decorator who made this place look like the glossy pages of a design catalog. Pretty to look at, but not very welcoming.

I’m excited to set up the nursery. It’ll be the first part of this place that will actually feel like a home.

“There’s plain pasta too,” I tell Collins as I set her water down beside her plate. “I wasn’t sure if sauce would sound good.”

“Thanks, Kit,” she says sincerely.

“No problem.” I fix my own food, then take the stool next to her at the counter.

Collins points her fork at the fridge. “What’s the story there?”

I glance at the playing card taped to the stainless steel. “Thatis the playing card that Flynn snuck out of a casino in Vegas.”

“Why?”

---