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“Just that I always assumed you and Rafe, Alex and James too, had all the power in the world. That you never did anything you didn’t want to do.” She lifts one shoulder in a shrug. “I guess everyone bends in some ways.”

“This is my house. It would look bad if I wasn’t here.”

“Right. You know, I can’t help but feel like none of this is an explanation as towhyyour mother is trying to present an entire harem to you.”

That makes me scoff. She wants nothing of the kind. She wants me with a ring on my finger, and not in a courthouse kind of way. No, my mother wants the spectacle. Another giant Calloway wedding, just like her and my father’s.

She’s just as committed as I am to making sure I fulfill the clause of the trust. She’s just determined to go about it in a different way.

“My mother believes in tradition,” I say. “She loves legacy, which means she’d love for me to produce an heir and a spare.” My voice comes out dry. It’s a half-truth, but the details of the trust aren’t publicly known. And lord knows the last thing my mother wants is for me to find any kind of happiness or love. Not that that can be found in marriages, anyway. I’ve seen what society matches look like.

It’s all manipulation and games.

And not the fun kind.

“So she’s trying to set you up?” Nora asks.

“She’s trying to engineer somewhat organic meetings between me and single women she’s vetted.”

Her eyebrows draw close. “And you’re not interested in any of them?”

“In being pushed together with someone I don’t know by mymother?No. You’re my shield tonight, trouble. Just like I’m yours.”

“Stop calling me that.”

“Trouble? It’s the truth, isn’t it?” I look through the open doors and past the terrace. The sun has long since set and the ocean is just a sea of darkness at the end of the property. “You’ve been trouble since you arrived in this city.”

The practiced, easy smile she’s worn all night is nowhere to be seen. I feel a dark satisfaction at seeing the real her again.

“I’m not trouble,” she says. “I’m just trying to live my life.”

“And causing chaos in mine,” I reply. “But we’re allies tonight, and we have an audience.” I lean in closer; I can’t help myself. “You’re not wearing your lovely fake smile right now.”

“I don’t fake smile.”

“Yes. You do it all the time.”

“You’re impossible.” She takes a sip of champagne and runs a hand over her neck. The movement sweeps her hair to the side, revealing a curve of pale skin.

I look away.

Like my little sister, I remind myself again. It sounds mocking now. She’s always been pretty and off-limits. Pretending tonight doesn’t change a thing.

A group of people across the champagne tower watch us with undisguised interest. I almost never bring dates to parties like this. Haven’t for years, at any rate. But here I am with Nora by my side.

There will be talk in the morning.

We move through the crowd, stopping to chat with various guests. I introduce Nora as my date, watching as eyebrows raise and whispers start. She plays her part well, laughing at the right moments and charming everyone she meets. Most people recognize her last name; her brother is no stranger to these parties, even if he’s not here tonight. Some recognize her from the campaigns and the billboards she’s graced during her years as a model.

We get separated during a discussion with some of my business associates, and I find her again a few steps away, sampling from a tray of bacon-wrapped dates.

“Stay close to me,” I tell her.

“Are you worried about the safety of your own party, in your own house?” She grabs another glass of champagne from the tray. “That doesn’t sound great if I’m meant to stay here. Rafe called this place a fortress.”

“It is. When it’s not filled with people.” I lead her out of the house and onto the terrace. The spring air is cool, and it smells like the ocean. Our dock is lit up with a few lights at the far end. “The entire perimeter is controlled. You’re safer than in your apartment.”

She raises an eyebrow and nods out to the ocean. “Theentireperimeter?”