They ended up on the balcony.
“I love this place, Nadia. It’s seriously cute.”
“I can’t believe I got it so easily or cheaply. It was some kind of grand opening special with no down payment required.”
“You always were a lucky bitch.” Katie toasted her with a laugh. “Remind me to have you pick my lotto numbers for this weekend.”
“Hi, new neighbor!” someone called from the ground floor.
Katie grinned down and lifted her glass. “Just visiting my friend, Nadia.”
After joining her at the rail, Nadia peered downward. A small but rowdy crowd had gathered on the pool deck. At the center was a dainty redhead. Bold, beautiful, and the perfect foil for the muscular, dark-skinned male with his arm around her shoulders.
“I’m Raz,” he called. “And this is Dina. If you’re bored, come and join us.”
She shared a “why the hell not” look with Katie and swiped a few bottles of booze on the way downstairs to join the party.
8
Nadia woke with a wicked-ass wine headache and a litany of swear words. Thank Christ she didn’t have to work today. Holding her tongue wasn’t a probability when she sported the mother of all hangovers. Should Sal annoy her, he wouldn’t survive the bitch slap.
With great care, she lifted her phone and checked the time.
Noon.
Fuck.
In her drunken stupor, she’d forgotten all about poor Ariel. Had Luc returned with the requested items and received no answer? Would he have left the groceries anyway?
Nadia stumbled out of bed and toward the kitchen, not bothering with a robe. It wasn’t as if Katie hadn’t seen her in boy shorts and a tank before. Halfway through her zombie-walk, a male voice registered. With a dawning sense of horror, she met Luc’s amused gaze.
“Fuck a duck!”
His dark brows shot up, and a smile played at the corners of his mouth. “I’m sure ducks are lovely, but I’m not into bestiality.”
Katie snorted coffee out of her nose and proceeded to choke. Nadia didn’t feel sorry for her in the least little bit. Etiquette required alerting a sister when a hottie was in the house!
Left with the choice of darting back to the bedroom or sucking up the humiliation for the sake of caffeine, she continued her journey. Frankly, she was too damned hungover to care.
“Some warning would’ve been nice,” she growled as she met Katie by the sink.
“What was I to do? He literally walked in four minutes ago. You didn’t tell me he had a key to your balcony door.”
“He doesn’t. We must’ve forgotten to lock it. He lives next door.” Nadia made the mistake of gesturing with her head, then clutched it in agony. “Gah!”
“I have a cure,” Luc offered from behind them.
“Does it involve decapitation? I’m pretty sure it’s the only thing that will work at this point.”
“You seem… out of sorts. Shall I return another time?” The sparkle in his impossibly blue eyes was completely at odds with his polite expression.
She should say yes, but seeing him had made her day brighter.
“All is forgiven if you reveal this hangover cure of yours.”
“Come here, Nadia,” he ordered.
Her entire body tingled. Why did Luc’s commanding tone conjure such fantasies in her alcohol mudded mind? She barely smothered the urge to tell Katie to get the fuck out of her apartment so she could have her wicked way with him.
