Prologue
TwelveYearsAgo
Two men whom Grace Willoughby had known her entire life watched her and her boyfriend with undisguised scrutiny.Of course they did.Her brother, Hayden, and his best friend, Callum, had never treated her like anything other than a kid.Now that she lived on her own and had returned home with a boyfriend for her family to meet, both were making this family dinner more awkward than it already was.
Her boyfriend, Dominic Marino, sat at the outdoor table on her parents’ back deck.Despite the fact that Dominic had insisted on meeting her parents, it was clear he didn’t want to be there.If she were honest, their relationship was too new.It’d only been weeks since he’d swept her off her feet.Far too soon for family introductions, but Dominic always got his way.
She tried to ignore the small stirrings of doubt and found herself staring at Callum.She quickly jerked her gaze away.
Callum Hale.Broad shoulders.Powerful long legs.He wasn’t family, though he acted like it and probably believed it to be true as he sat next to Hayden and shot the shit with her dad.
She hadn’t seen Callum since he and Hayden had graduated from Army Ranger School.His stormy eyes melted her insides, and when he turned his bourbon-brown gaze on her, she wanted to drag him to bed.So she did what she did best: ran her mouth and rolled her eyes and tried her damnedest to treat Callum like Hayden.It might have worked to the outside world but didn’t change the stupid-level of arousal that coursed through her veins when he smiled.
Her backup plan was to ignore him.Ignoring him was a talent she’d mastered over the years, because there was only so much world-class sass she could spew before her sarcastic well was depleted.If she wasn’t able to shield herself from Callum, her insides turned into a gooey, upside-down tornado.That would have been a terrible problem to have while standing next to her actual boyfriend.
And her actual boyfriend was a verifiable catch.
Handsome: Check.
Wealthy: Double check.
Polite—erm, well, half-check.
He gave excellent interviews, had topped more than his fair share of famous people lists of the likes of Forbes, Inc., and Bloomberg, and once had paparazzi in speedboats follow his yacht while he partied with nepo babies and Los Angeles royalty.
How could she compare Dominic to Callum, who literally never noticed that she had grown up from the kid next door to a woman with a figure that wasn’t all that bad?Nice curves and a pretty smile, if she said so herself.But nope.Not even so much as a second glance.That was probably good, because if he had given her a fraction of a thought, he would have noticed that she’d pined after him from the moment she’d noticed boys.
Irony of all ironies, he noticed her now.
Or rather, he was noticing her sitting on a two-person bench with Dominic.
His steely eyes had tracked Dominic since the moment Callum eased into his chair, longneck beer sweating in hand, frowning in a way that said he clearly didn’t trust her boyfriend.
That was fine.Callum didn’t have to trust Dominic.
Dominic didn’t seem to notice Callum.He wasn’t fazed by the uncomfortable small talk or broiling summer heat.In expensive khaki pants and a polo shirt, she wondered how he could look so cool and detached.Hayden and Callum wore boardshorts and T-shirts and looked like they might walk to the neighborhood pool after burgers and beers.
She ignored them and focused on her boyfriend.“Do you want something cold to drink?”
Dominic’s flashy smile was one more layer of his put-together persona.Dark hair.Dark eyes.Killer smile.“I’m fine, darling.”
Darling.Was she a darling?It wasn’t the first time she’d asked herself that question.Darling always sounded like he was speaking to someone else.Just as “Mrs.Willoughby” would always be her stepmother, “darling” would be someone else.
Someone more blue-blooded or pretentious.
Someone who wore pearls and sweater sets.
Someone who looked like they should be on Dominic Marino’s arm.
The nickname would take getting used to.All new things had a breaking-in period.
Her dad returned to the deck with a tray of burgers for the grill.“These shouldn’t take long.Hope everyone is hungry.”
She was starving.Between the time zone change and flying into a private airport, she hadn’t grabbed a meal all day.The flights were supposed to have been catered, but as best she could tell, that meant champagne, liquor, and charcuterie boards.After more than a few olives and fancy deli slices, she agreed with Dominic that she’d eaten several days’ worth of calories.She had still been hungry, but the flight attendant cleared the tray at Dominic’s request.
She wanted to disagree, but her boyfriend had a weird way of finagling her agreement.Manipulating?No, that didn’t sound right, but Grace could never pinpoint how it happened.
“Hayden says you work in finance,” Callum said.
