The others she passed barely paid her any attention. As she closed in on her target, Alex forced herself to take several long, calming breaths.
She could do this. She’d say hi, ask how he was, and then politely ask him to leave. But so help her, if he didn’t?—
Play nice, Al, and remember. You’ll always catch more flies with honey.
Alex sucked in another breath. Her sister’s sweet voice filled her head as the attempted sounding board for reason. It was always like that. Ever since they were kids, despite Alex being the older of the two.
Avery was the responsible one. More practical and reserved than Alex’s naturally free spirit. And despite Colt’s many,manyflaws, Avery loved the moron to pieces.
So she’d be nice. For her sister’s sake only, of course. Because flies to honey, and all that. But as soon as he was within earshot, she blurted?—
“Little young for you, isn’t she, Colt?”
The sarcastic quip was out of her mouth before she could even think to stop it.
Sorry, Aves. Guess we’re going with the vinegar approach, instead.
Colt’s spine became visibly stiff before he turned those ocean blue eyes her way.
“Alex?” His dark brows rose high in a look of surprise before dropping low with obvious confusion. “What are you doing here?”
His gruff tone took her aback, the harshness there even more unexpected than the man’s very presence.
Alex blinked and then, “Wow. Good to see you, too. And I was about to ask you the same thing, actually. Because, well . . . the thing is . . .I’man artist.”
Her point should have been clear, but Colt’s expression turned clueless with a short shake of his head.
“So?”
“So it makes sense formeto be at an art gallery. Butyou?—"
“You have to leave,” he growled. “Now.”
The sting from his angered tone sent her into a physical recoil.
“Excuse me?” Alex frowned.
Colt’s intense stare left hers to scan the crowd again. “I mean it, Alex. This place . . . You don’t want anything to do with these people. Trust me on this.”
His focus returned to her, the expression on his handsome face more serious than she’d ever seen it before. And that made absolutely no sense, because the Colt she knew never tookanythingseriously.
Not ever.
“Okay, first of all,” she began again. “I’m not sure howyougot invited to tonight’s showing, butIwasgiven a personal invitation by the gallery owner himself, so?—”
“Gordan Crawford personally asked you to come here tonight?”
The astonishment in his interrupting rumble immediately put Alex on the defensive.
“You don’t have to sound so surprised. I do own my own successful gallery, you know? Albeit on a much smaller scale than this one, but yes. Mr. Crawford stumbled upon my place last week while he was in Charlotte on business. Apparently he liked what he saw because he gave me an invitation to tonight’s party on the spot.”
Rather than being impressed, as she would have expected, every muscle in Colt’s six-three frame seemed to grow even more tense. His gorgeous stare turned to ice as he leaned in closer and his voice lowered to a hush.
“Alex, listen to me. I promise I’ll explain everything later, but right now, I need you to?—”
“Mr. Morris!”
A booming voice pulled their attention from each other to Alex’s left.
