Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 92334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92334 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 462(@200wpm)___ 369(@250wpm)___ 308(@300wpm)
We lay there for a moment, panting and tangled together. The city hums below us, oblivious to our private moment high above. Sloane shivers slightly in the cool night air, and I pull one of the fur blankets over us, cocooning us in warmth.
Sloane hums in what I can only hope is satisfaction, nestling closer to me. We stay like that for a while, watching the twinkling lights of the city, our breathing slowly returning to normal.
Eventually, Sloane stirs. “We should probably head back down,” she says reluctantly. “I still have work to do on that necklace.”
I tighten my arms around her. “The necklace can wait until morning. Tonight, you’re all mine.”
She looks up at me, a glimmer of mischief in her eyes. “Is that so?”
“Absolutely,” I growl playfully, rolling us over so she’s pinned beneath me. “I’m not done with you yet.”
Chapter Twenty-One Sloane
My phone buzzes again—another text from Chloe. I glance at the notifications piling up: “CALL ME!” followed by a string of exclamation points. I’ve been ignoring her messages for days, caught up in the intricate details of the necklace design. And if I’m being honest, caught up in Cole.
I smile, thinking of how it always starts the same way—him looking over my shoulder at whatever piece I’m working on, his breath warm on my neck. Four nights of following him to his room instead of mine. This morning, I’d curled up in his sheets while he took calls in his office, my sketchbook balanced on my knees, feeling strangely at home there.
I pick up my phone and dial Chloe’s number. She answers on the first ring.
“Finally! Where have you been? I’ve been trying to reach you for days.”
“I know, I’m sorry. I’ve been working on the winter collection.” Not entirely a lie. “The necklace design needed adjustments.”
“You never even called me after your date,” Chloe says.
I sink onto the couch in my studio. “Things have . . . intensified.”
“Intensified how?” There’s a pause. “Sloane. Have you been sleeping with him?”
I bite my lip, glad she can’t see my face. “The past four nights.”
“Holy shit,” Chloe breathes. “I knew you liked him, but I didn’t realize it had gotten this serious. Sloane. We need to talk about him and someone named Julian Voss.” The familiar last name makes my blood freeze.
“Julian Voss? Who’s that?”
“Well . . .” Chloe lowers her voice. “This guy Julian, he used to be married to that designer Claire Voss. And he isn’t just some businessman. He’s got connections to some serious underground crime rings.”
“What do you mean underground? Like, mafia and shit?”
“Hailey isn’t sure exactly what, but she’s heard rumors. Bad ones. People who cross him tend to disappear. And I don’t mean they move to Florida.”
“Jesus,” I mutter.
“That’s not all,” Chloe continues.
I sit up straighter.
“According to Hailey, Claire died in a car accident five years ago, but there were always whispers that it wasn’t really an accident. That Julian might have been involved somehow.”
My mouth goes dry. “Why are you telling me this?”
“That’s the thing, Sloane. Cole and Julian were business partners back then. They ran everything together.”
I think of Cole’s face when Claire’s name came up at dinner the other night. The way his expression had closed off completely.
“Cole isn’t like that.”
Chloe is quiet for a moment. “Are you sure? I mean, really sure?”
I almost laugh, remembering my paranoid thoughts on that first flight to Switzerland. I’d googled him obsessively, convinced that any man that powerful had to be hiding something. Serial killer had actually crossed my mind—which seemed ridiculous now, but . . . oh god. Had I accidentally stumbled on to something?
No. I shut the thought down immediately. I’ve seen Cole with his staff, seen how he treats everyone from his executives to the cleaning crew with the same respect. The gentle way he handles my pieces, like they’re treasures.
“He’s not in the mob, Chloe. And he’s definitely not killing people.” But even as I say it, I think of how carefully he chooses his words when discussing his past. How much he leaves unsaid. And the way he spoke about Claire, like he’d cared about her deeply. Was it grief? Or guilt?
“Maybe not anymore. But Sloane, you need to be careful. These aren’t the kinds of people you want to get tangled up with. And I know this isn’t as important,” Chloe says quietly, “but Hailey says Julian’s been making moves with Bergdorf’s. Word is, if this keeps up, Cole Asher might not have his hold with them for your launch much longer. Rumors of a possible delay so Julian can launch first with his line. Are you sure Midnight Frost is scheduled as—”
“Wait.” Her words hit me. “Are you asking if there’s still going to be a launch for my collection?”
“Is it on schedule for the first of the year like you think?”