The fuck? Why didn’t he tell me? Why didn’t she?“So, you two already?—”
“No, no,” he says hurriedly. “Nothing happened. It was after you approached Luna at work about the Vale offer. I told myself I was going to Pippa’s to seal the deal, but I was lying to myself. I just had to be around her again.” He seems pained by that admission.
Fucking same, brother, fucking same.“I get that.”
He shakes his head. “We kissed, but we both stopped it before it went further.”
I blink a few times, trying to discern how that makes me feel.
When I hesitate to respond he says, “She’s different with you. Seeing you two together…there is history there, ease. She fights me with every step. I don’t know, maybe it’s too messy.”
“Shit. No, man, she’s on guard with everyone. She was like that with me, too, for a long time, but there is a part of her that rebels against having to play the right part all the time. I think our history allows her to let go and find release. Enz, she’s fighting it because she wants you. And she doesn’t want to.”
I chuckle to myself because I am not only describing Pippa, but also myself. We both want Enzo. “Look, I’ve given this some thought. I think we should explore it.”
He flinches a bit.
I’m not sure what that means, but I continue. “We both want her, she wants us. The tension will continue building until it explodes. Better to just try it—see what happens.” I pause. “Of course, it’s up to you. I won’t pursue anything with her, with or without you, unless you’re okay with it.”
“Are you serious?” he asks hesitantly.
“I am.” I lean forward, elbows on my knees, hands clasped like I’m holding myself together. “We’ve been through everythingtogether, Enz. You’re not just my best friend. You’re my fucking family. And I’d never,ever, do anything to break that.” I meet his eyes—no smirk, no deflection, just truth.
“But I need you to hear me when I say this,” I continue, “she’s different. Shit, she got under my skin the first night I met her. I tried to brush it off. I told myself it was just sex, but it’s not. You know it. I know it.”
His silence is more than I can take. So I continue, “I don’t know what this means—for me, for you, for us—but I don’t want to bury it. And I sure as hell don’t want either of us to blow this up out of pride or fear. So if there’s a chance we could figure this out without wrecking everything, I’m in.”
Another long beat passes.
Enzo’s fingers drum against his knee as he thinks, then he stops. “My first priority is us. You and me. We don’t fuck with that.”
I nod. “Then maybe we talk to her together.”
The air shifts. It’s subtle, but I feel it. His eyes lock on mine and for a second, something unspoken pulses between us. The kind of spark where your heart stutters and your chest tightens.
I swallow hard.
Neither of us move.
Enzo finally breaks eye contact, scrubbing a hand over his jaw. “Yeah. Let’s talk to her…together. It’s a good start.”
I nod again. My pulse is racing.Just breathe, Hudson. Jesus.
Damn if I don’t already feel like we’re standing at the edge of something we can’t take back.
The window inside the car rolls down.
Niko says, “We have eyes.”
We turn toward Malin’s property where one of the security guards scanning the perimeter is looking our way. He has binoculars and his attention is focused on us.
“Let’s head out, Luca,” Enzo commands.
Luca slowly pulls forward, taking the next right turn. I have my eyes locked on the security guard, who is taking pictures of our vehicle. Fortunately, the tags will lead him on a wild goose chase.
“Fuck, we didn’t get enough info on the rotation of his security detail,” Enzo says. “I’ll have Eva send a crew out tomorrow to install some cameras.”
“I’m sure she and Luna will get better intel tomorrow when they hack the security system and cameras in the area, too.”
