She hiked a shoulder. “What can I say? If given the opportunity to dress up for my Ollie, I’d be a fool not to take it.”
I chuckled. God, I really loved her. “Well, he’d be a fool not to notice.”
It was almost hurt that flashed in her eyes, but she shook it off. “So, what are you doing here? Did Lillith invite you?”
Again, she was looking around. It was right when Rex broke the crowd, the man so ridiculously gorgeous my breaths turned shallow and my heart took off at a sprint as he strode our way. All lean strength and powerful presence.
“Oh wow.” Nikki whipped her attention back to me, mouth dropping open in disbelief.
“It’s nothing,” I whispered. “We’re just friends.”
“Really?” Her voice was a wry, scandalous accusation.
“Really,” I promised, even though it somehow felt like a lie.
“Nikki,” Rex said a little hard with a slight dip of his head.
“Rex,” she returned, laughter in her voice.
He handed me the glass of wine. “Here you go.”
“Thank you.”
I took a sip when I caught sight of Lillith moving our direction. Her hand was wrapped up in the man I knew to be her fiancé.
Broderick Wolfe.
He was tall and wide and impeccably dressed in a suit that had clearly been tailored to perfectly fit his muscular body.
“Rynna. You’re here. I love it. All my favorite people in one room.” Lillith walked up to me and hugged me before she stepped back and angled her head. “Rex, how are you? It’s so nice to see you.”
There was a bit of worry in her voice when she asked it. As if she might be protective of me.
“Good,” he said in that rough voice. He turned and shook Broderick’s hand. “Thanks for the invitation. The place looks great.”
Broderick shook his head. “I’m glad you’re here. None of this could happen without RG Construction. Your company is the backbone of the operation.”
Wow.
That was some kind of praise.
I glanced at Rex. His expression was rimmed with satisfaction as he returned Broderick’s handshake. “My men are incredibly skilled. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Broderick laughed, this loud, boisterous laugh as he set a hand on Rex’s shoulder. “Always so humble.” Broderick looked around the group. “This man right here is the driving force behind an incredible team. He literally has saved my ass at least a thousand times during this project.”
He returned his attention to Rex. “You didn’t earn your reputation for nothing. I sought you out becauseyouare the best. In three short years, you brought RG Construction back from what could have been its demise. That is no easy feat.”
Rex flinched.
It was subtle.
But I saw it. Felt it.
His voice was hoarser when he spoke. “If we’re looking for someone to give credit to, let’s give it to my mother. She was the one who taught me there is nothing hard work won’t achieve.”
God, this man was an enigma. Hard and soft. Modest and proud. Layers and threads and dimensions of mystery.
Broderick just shook his head as if he couldn’t believe Rex, either, before he turned a charismatic smile on me. “And who do we have here?” He reached for me, taking my hand between both of his.
