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“I’ll put my lawyers on it. Is there anything on those three I could use as leverage?”

Graham lets out a dry chuckle. “Yeah, actually. The photographer is sleeping with the supervisor. They’re both married. You could definitely hold that over their heads.”

“And the journalist?”

“No dirt on him. But if he breaks the NDA, his career is over. That should be enough.”

We iron out the last details before hanging up—account numbers for the wires, where to send the NDAs, and the not-so-subtle threat of leverage if anyone gets chatty.

Within the hour, I get a text from Graham.

Graham: Story is pulled. Photo is off the server. Have your lawyers send the NDAs first thing tomorrow.

I let out a breath. For now, at least, all our reputations are safe.

“Is it just me, or does this feel kind of wrong?” Jarek opens the minibar and grabs three glasses.

Zander stokes the fire. I stare at the blinking lights on the tree, then at the rug in front of the fire, and think about Nina on it. Nothing else.

“How so?” Zander sets the poker down and takes the glass Jarek offers him.

“I don’t know. It just feels like we’re hiding her.”

“We are hiding her.” I take a glass from Jarek. “That was part of the deal, remember? To protect all of us, Nina included. On the outside, she’s our concierge for the month. Inside this house, she’s—well, more than that.”

“Yeah, I know.” Jarek takes a swig. “Never mind. I don’t know why I even asked.”

I do. Nina has all of us taking a harder look at our lives, and wondering whether the things we’ve spent years chasing are the things that actually matter.

But that’s a dangerous question to start asking.

CHAPTER 21

NINA

I opt for a cup of hot tea tonight instead of wine. Ice skating has left me in a cozy mood.

After slipping into my pajamas, I head down to the kitchen to put the kettle on. I bring my book, the one I’ve barely had time to crack open, and read while I wait for the water to heat up. Down the hall, I can hear the guys talking.

Their voices carry through the quiet house. It sounds like they’re in the study, and whatever they’re discussing sounds intense. At first, I don’t pay much attention. I make my tea, gather my book and cup, and head for the stairs. I’ve been looking forward to reading a bit before bed.

But when I hear my name, I take a detour down the hallway and stop just outside the study.

It’s not in my nature to eavesdrop. But once I realize they’re talking about me, curiosity wins, and I linger just out of view.

“Alright, now that the tabloid is handled,” Zander says, all business, “and now that you’ve hopefully learned not to go kissing Nina in public unless you want your face plastered all over the internet, Jarek…”

Tabloid? What is going on? And why wouldn’t they tell me if another scandal was brewing?

Zander continues. “Let me tell you what my attorneys have dug up on her ex.”

My pulse kicks up. Reid? Zander had his lawyers digging into my ex and my private life without telling me? What the hell?

“They’ve turned up a decent bit of dirt on the bastard.” Zander sounds pleased with himself. “As expected, Reid Smythe is a complete fraud. He’s not the morally upstanding man he pretends to be. He’s already cheating on Sage, his co-host.”

“I’m guessing none of us are surprised,” Jarek says. “Any guy who treated Nina like shit and keeps going out of his way to make her life hard is a waste of air. I still think we should fuck the guy up.”

That does it. I step into the room without thinking.