Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88501 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 443(@200wpm)___ 354(@250wpm)___ 295(@300wpm)
As far as I could tell, Sebastian, Declan, and Rome hadn’t noticed my tactic yet.
“I take it he’s still being an asshole?”
My head snapped up to find Dr. Liam Rose standing next to me, a smirk twisting up the left corner of his mouth. It shouldn’t have been a shock that Rome’s new boyfriend had noticed my “subtle” movements.
He was looking good in slacks and a hunter-green V-neck cashmere sweater that complemented his dark-red hair. His eyes twinkled with mischief, reminding me that Declan wasn’t the only one who’d found the perfect boyfriend in life. Rome couldn’t have gotten a better match than Liam. They were both stubborn, hotheaded, and impulsive when they wanted to be, but they also had the same wicked sense of humor and deep loyalty.
“Pretty much,” I mumbled as we turned together from the front parlor and strolled through the less crowded foyer. “We haven’t talked. Or rather, I haven’t tried to talk to him.”
Liam was the only one in the group to know my shameful secret—I was still stupidly infatuated with Pierce Sutton. A normal person would have moved on after years passing with zero encouragement and far too much cold shoulder. But not me. Oh no, I had to cling to memories of the warm smile and gentle laugh I’d gotten tiny tastes of as a kid.
Part of me kept praying that I would gaze at him one day and wonder what I’d ever seen in him. That I would grow indifferent to him. Or that someone would cross my path who shone a thousand times brighter than Pierce ever could.
But it never happened, and Pierce remained Polaris: cold, distant, and shining, as if he were calling me to him.
“Tonight, I’m giving my pursuit of him a rest,” I announced, forcing a grin I didn’t feel. “It’s Declan’s birthday party, and I want him to enjoy time with all his friends on his special day.”
Liam grunted, appearing dissatisfied with my plan. “Are you sure you won’t tell Rome or Sebastian? They might be able to help.”
“No, they can’t know. I don’t want to mess up this group’s dynamic.”
A heavy sigh slipped from Liam, and he tossed back the rest of the amber liquid that remained in his crystal tumbler. “Do you have any idea how hard it’s been not to tell Rome? We talk about everything. He’s worried Pierce’s shitty attitude is going to drive you away.”
I huffed a soft laugh. “Not likely.” If Pierce being an icy prig was going to drive me off, that would have happened a long time ago.
“That’s what I told him, but he’s still skeptical.”
“Yeah,” I muttered.
Pierce and I were at a crossroads. My stubborn infatuation had gone on for more than fifteen years, and since becoming an adult—moving me out of jailbait territory—we’d made zero progress. Pierce barely spoke to me, and that only made me more determined to overcome his stubbornness and prove that we’d be perfect together.
I lifted my eyes to my new friend and confidant and offered him a weak smile. “I’m sorry to have put you in the middle of things.”
Liam shook his head. “No, don’t be. I wish there was more I could do to help.”
“Well, if I think of anything, you’ll be the first person I call.”
Liam tilted his empty glass toward mine, and we clinked them together. “I’m more than happy to stir up trouble.”
Rome located his “missing” boyfriend a minute later, and we chatted for a while before we were all summoned to the dining room, where an elegant five-tiered cake with black-and-red frosting was unveiled.
“Hey, Parker. That looks more like a wedding cake than a birthday cake!” Sebastian called out, and everyone laughed.
“Shut up,” Parker snapped, pointing a knife at him. “Picking wedding cakes is hard work. Sometimes, a guy needs to go through a few test cakes to figure out the right one.”
I stood at the rear of the room, lost in the crowd as I watched Chef Donovan and Declan’s assistant, Franks, lighting tall, slender candles. As soon as the last one was lit, Parker started us all singing “Happy Birthday” to Declan.
As if by magic, my eyes lifted from the cake and Declan’s warm grin to lock with Pierce’s gloomy gaze. In a heartbeat, my brain flashed back fourteen years to when he’d been seated opposite me in my childhood home while singing the same song for my thirteenth birthday.
My heart jumped into my throat and lodged there. My lungs felt as if they were in a vise. I couldn’t draw a breath. Could barely even think as goose bumps broke out across my arms. He was gorgeous. Too perfect, almost. Tall and lean, with dark hair and a tan face with sharp cheekbones. His eyebrows were thick, giving his face an even more menacing appearance. As an undergrad, he’d laughed and smiled so often, destroying my ability to think.