The blush that suffused his face was the answer I was seeking. I hadn’t been asking whether they occupied the same space but whether or not they were a couple. I knew I hadn’t imagined those longing glances and secret smiles between the two men.
“We’ve been overseeing the work on this place,” Stewart explained. “Mr. Montgomery bought it and had it completely redesigned.”
“Does he live here?” I asked, keeping my voice low so Knox wouldn’t hear me. He’d already answered that question, but I still didn’t believe it.
Stewart laughed. “Of course not, silly. He bought this place for you. Even asked for mine and Guillermo’s input on what you might like when he was hiring the decorator.”
I stared at him, confused. Why would Knox do something like that? Apartments with views of the city weren’t cheap. Certainly not ones of the park. And based on what little I’d seen so far, he had spared no expense.
“Emily, I think it’s safe to say, there’s one filthy hot billionaire whose got a bit of an obsession with you.”
My gaze searched the space where Knox had disappeared. He wasn’t there, but I still looked, wondering if that could possibly be true.
~~~~
Knox
Filthy hot billionaire.
Admittedly, I’d been called a lot of things, but that was one of the more amusing nicknames, often used as a hashtag on Twitter.
Granted, if you wanted to break the adjectives apart, they suited me relatively well. My dark desires certainly took a high dive to the filthy side more often than not, and I was a billionaire. As for the hot part, that wasn’t something I’d ever call myself, but I knew I was easy on the eyes. Of course, my parents were responsible for that, not me.
“When you say filthy…?” Emily asked Stewart, her sweet voice trembling with both curiosity and possibly embarrassment.
I stopped my forward progress, halting just before they would’ve seen me. Standing near the wide doorway into the living room, I paused to listen.
“I mean,” Stewart said with a beguiling chuckle, “he’s a dirty man. In a good way, of course.”
“How do you know? Does he bring women here?”
“Oh, sweet, sweet Emily, I am not one to gossip and I happen to think Mr. Montgomery would appreciate you askinghimthose questions, not me.” Stewart leaned in a bit, his voice conspiratorially low. “Does it scare you that he might want the kinky stuff?”
“No,” she answered quickly. Maybe too quickly. “I mean, I…” Emily giggled. “I’m not interested in Knox that way. But I do like dirty. Speaking of… Do you know Kieran O’Rourke?”
I found it promising that she’d brought up Kieran twice now since we’d departed from the club. My concerns as to whether she was attracted to him or not were officially quashed.
“I’ve met him, sure.” I could hear the smile in Stewart’s voice. “Another filthy, hot billionaire.”
“I happen to like filthy,” she said with a giggle.
Interesting. While I had suspected Emily was a dirty girl two years ago when she’d let me get her off with my fingers, I hadn’t gotten that impression from the updates I received from those who were paid to keep tabs on her. Ever since she moved to New York to attend NYU, there had been no reports of her dating anyone. Probably a good thing because I would’ve put a stop to it immediately. I was nothing if not possessive, and no way in hell would I let another man put his hands on her. Not without doing everything in my power to convince her otherwise first.
“Why do you ask?” Stewart questioned.
“Just, you know, curious. I met him tonight. He seems … sweet.”
I fought the urge to laugh. Kieran had been called a lot of things, but I didn’t think sweet was one of them.
My phone buzzed with a notification. I checked it to see that it was the doctor arriving. With a quick press of some buttons, I gave him access to the penthouse and returned to the living room to inform Emily of his arrival.
“If there’s nothing else I can get you,” Stewart said, standing tall, “then I’ll retire. But I will see you first thing. I think you deserve breakfast in bed.”
“Only in my dreams,” she said, then slapped a palm over her mouth, her eyes shooting to me.
“I think it’s safe to say your dreams may all be coming true,” Stewart told her as he patted her hand and headed toward the hidden entrance that would take him back to his apartment.
When she turned her attention on me, I held Emily’s gaze, enjoying the way her eyes were wide and glistening. It was obvious how much she cared about Stewart.
