When I saw him watching me from across the rink, it felt like for the first time in a long while—hell, possibly ever—someone finally sawme. Isn’t that what we all want, deep down?
I’m not even sure what it was about his friend’s comment that snapped everything back into place. Maybe it was the mocking way he saidballerina.Maybe it was the reminder of the viper nickname. All I know is it felt like a bucket of cold water dumped over me, and suddenly I remembered that no matter who we are when it’s just the two of us, our roles are already written out in the real world. And they’re not changing.
A buzz on the intercom pulls me from my spiral. “Ms. Kendrick, your brother is here. Shall I send him up?”
I push the button. “Yes, Alfred, thank you.”
A few minutes later, I hear a soft knock at the door, and I swing it open to reveal Jack. I can’t help the smile that splits my face, despite my awful mood. As the baby of the family, he’s equally spoiled and adored by both my mother and myself.
“Hello, baby brother,” I say.
“Hello, ancient sister,” he replies, following back to my makeshift nest on the couch, dropping beside me. He scoops up Valentino and settles her in his lap, and her purrs get louder, if that’s possible. Everyone loves Jack. It’s impossible not to with his golden retriever energy.
He leans back after giving her chin a thorough scritch, resting one arm along the back of the couch. “You look like hell. What gives?”
I toss a throw pillow at him. “Fucking rude.”
He shrugs. “It’s true,” he says unapologetically.
“Yeah, well, we can’t all be walking supermodels like you, Jack.”
“Excuse you, I prefer ‘walking, talking sex god.’ At least that’s what Mateo calls me.”
I snort a laugh. “I cannot see Mateo ever saying that to your face. He knows your ego would grow too large to be supported on planet Earth.” Though I can admit that it’s likely Mateo thinks it. Jack is tall, with a lean athlete’s build. His copper hair is more auburn than mine, but his eyes are the same shade of green.
“Sadly, you’re correct. My husband is far too reserved for my liking. But seriously, why do you look like something Valentino dragged in?”
Did I say that I adore him? I take it back.
“A couple of things, okay? For one, I’m more than a little hungover, and I’ve got a lot going on.”
“Have you gotten off this couch at all?” he asks casually. Too casually.
I roll my eyes. “If that’s a subtle way to ease into asking me if I’ve eaten or moved my body, the answer to both is yes. I had a real breakfast, got lunch delivered, and then went skating to clear my head.”
He grins. “Good girl.”
I fake a gag. “Ew,” I say, wrinkling my nose. “Don’t ever say that to me again.”
Jack throws his head back with a laugh. “Well, I’m glad you aren’t sitting here spiraling on an empty stomach at least. You wanna talk about it? Mateo swears I’m a good listener.”
I sigh, curling my fists into the blanket. “I got drunk last night,” I say slowly. He cocks his head, giving me his full attention. “I ended up at Mark’s apartment. We had a really good morning, and I agreed we’d have a real conversation soon. I was thinking about telling him everything.”
He makes a sympathetic face. I’ve been filling Jack in on some of what’s been going on between me and Mark. Clearly notallthe details, butabout how my omega feels and my emotions. “I sense abutcoming,” he says.
“But then I ran into him and his friend at the rink. And I dunno, things went a bit sideways. And I shut down. It’s just been a rough day.” My voice falters, and I press my hands to my face.
He leans forward, elbows on his knees. “Are we talking like, need a whole pint of ice cream rough or torture yourself with sad breakup songs rough?”
“Both,” I mutter, peeking through my fingers.
He nods solemnly. “The worst kind of day, then.”
I laugh a little. “What do you know about a horrible day? I don’t think you’ve ever had a bad day in your entire life,” I tease. I know it’s not true, of course, but Jack does seem to naturally move through life with a sunny optimism that seems to always work out for him. My dad likes to say that we are two sides of the same coin.
“That isn’t true,” he says with a lopsided grin. “One time, the gym was closed because of a water main break, and my favorite pair of shorts ripped right up the crotch. On top of it, Mateo was at work and I ended up bored.”
I fake gasp. “The horror!”
