Page 40 of The Arrangement (Executive Suite Secrets #3)

Simon surprised me by reaching across the table and taking my hands in his. His hands were soft and cool, but his fingertips were surprisingly rough from calluses.

“Liam, I’m going to remind you of a few things you seem to have forgotten. Rome is thirty-five.”

“Thirty-four,” I corrected, making his smile even wider.

“He’s thirty-four, and he comes from a family that has been rich for several generations. He grew up with money, just like his father and grandfather.”

Fuck . He was right. I was the newbie here. Not Rome.

“The only problem I see here is that Rome hasn’t done a good job of showing you all the precautions he has in place to protect him from bad actors. He also hasn’t taken steps to protect you from those people or taught you how to deal with things. This shit isn’t on your shoulders. It’s on Rome’s.”

“He showed me a business card for someone named Shonna. She’s the head of his charitable foundation.”

Simon nodded. “My mom heads up a small foundation, and she has David. She calls him her No Ma’am Man because it’s his job to say no to all the people who want access to the money.”

“But what about bodyguards? How does he know that someone won’t kidnap him for ransom?”

“From what I know of Rome, he lives a rather low-key life. He doesn’t post pictures on social media about extravagant trips or expensive toys.

He’s not the head of a company like his cousin.

Sebastian is the head of Courtland Enterprises, and Pierce is the head of a major corporate law firm.

As people in the public eye, they are more likely to have bodyguards.

Rome has avoided it so far, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he adds one or two to his roster of employees once you two are openly dating.

For now, most people look at Rome and see a guy with some money, but they don’t realize he’s a billionaire. ”

“Oh.” The sound slipped out of me. I must have thought the world knew Rome was rich and a target because my boss had recognized him in an instant.

But then, that was part of her job. She had to gather donations for our department, so she probably knew all the rich people in the tristate area by sight.

I pulled my hands out of Simon’s loose grip as I sat back in my chair. “Rome doesn’t need me to worry about him.”

“I did not say that,” Simon said sharply, causing my gaze to jerk to his face.

“Rome is a walking catastrophe. No one finds trouble like he does. He definitely needs someone to watch out for him, but I would worry less about protecting his money and more about the random shit that comes out of his mouth.”

Slumping in my chair, I groaned. “I overreacted.”

Simon held up one hand with his finger and thumb, spaced about an inch apart. “A smidge, but your heart was in the right place. You love him, and people lose their common sense when they’re in love.”

I opened my mouth to say, “Of course I love Rome. He’s my best friend,” but those words became lodged in my throat as I realized that the love I felt for Rome was a hundred times bigger than what I’d felt as best friends.

It was a crushing, all-encompassing love that leaked into every part of my life.

It was love that wasn’t content with having a few laughs and hanging out with him.

This love wanted to spend every waking moment with him, to share every thought and worry with him.

It wanted to wake to his smile in the morning and curl up next to him at night.

Good and bad, happy and sad, plus all the other chaotic bits in between.

I didn’t just love Rome; I was in love with him.

“Fuuuuucccckkkkk,” I moaned, and Simon chuckled.

“There it is,” he murmured. He propped his elbow on the table and rested his cheek on his palm as he grinned at me. “You would have worked your way around to it, eventually. Sometimes, the process is faster to talk it out with someone.”

“Definitely. But how do I fix this? He’s likely in a panic, thinking I’m going to disappear again.”

Simon lifted his coffee to his lips and sipped it. “You could literally call him this second and ask him out, and it would all be fine. I promise you.”

He was probably right, but Rome deserved something bigger. The guy was insane and liked surprises. The bigger and sillier the better. Shouldn’t they kick their relationship off in proper style? Yes, I was getting an idea, but I would need some help.

“Feeling better?” Simon inquired as he popped the last bit of his scone into his mouth.

“I am, actually. Thanks for your help.” I finally dug into his lemon bar, humming happily at the combination of tart and sweet on his tongue. I needed to find my way to this place.

“Not a problem. I like Rome. He’s been like an older brother to me since he was in college. Not nearly as overprotective as Sebastian, and a lot of fun. I want to see him happy.”

“What about you?”

Simon blinked. “Me?”

“Yeah, you and your stubborn fucking asshole,” I quoted, sending Simon into fresh peals of laughter. “Is there anything I can do? Even if it’s just listen.”

Simon cradled his coffee mug with both hands, seeming to be on the fence as he weighed my words.

“You know, sometimes it’s easier to talk to someone without a vested interest,” I poked, winning back his smirk.

“Yeah, well…maybe keep this to yourself for now. I don’t think the others realize.” He paused and shrugged. “It’s only a matter of time, but not yet.”

“I don’t follow,” I murmured. The trail of words he’d sprinkled in front of me led to a mental dead end. “But I won’t repeat what you tell me.”

Simon flashed me a weak smile. “That stubborn fucking asshole? It’s Pierce.”

“Pierce?” I repeated, and then my eyes almost fell out of my head as the name was placed in my brain. “Rome’s friend Pierce?”

He nodded. “I developed the worst crush on him as a teenager. Even attempted to flirt with him. He was nice about it and pretended not to notice. Was never inappropriate toward me, no matter how much I wished he would be.” He moved some crumbs around on his white plate, his voice barely more than a whisper as he spoke.

“He was sure I’d outgrow my infatuation, and I honestly hoped I would.

But when I was entering my senior year of college, he happened to be in town for my solo concert.

We talked briefly, and all those feelings for him came rushing back. ”

“Did you tell him? Try flirting again? Things could be different now that you’re an adult.”

Simon winced. “My flirting has all the delicacy and subtlety of a chainsaw. My common sense flies out the window with Pierce, and it only gets worse each time he acts distant. He won’t talk to me.

Can’t even stand to be in the same room as me.

It’s like I can’t control my mouth. Everything in my brain says I have to push him until he finally snaps. ”

“Yeah, that might not be healthy.”

“Tell me about it. But I have no idea how to fix any of this. I know something happened between him and my brother. Some huge falling-out right before he died. Pierce won’t discuss it, and he won’t let it go.

As a result, the mess has trickled down to cover me.

I know I’ve done nothing to make his life easier, but I feel like I can’t move on. Not yet.”

“You sure he’s gay?”

“Yep, totally gay. That’s not the problem.”

“Shit. I’ve been no help at all.” I crammed the rest of the lemon square into my mouth and eyed the counter for another treat. I’d almost earned it at this point.

“No, honestly, you have. It was good to say the words out loud. I haven’t told Sebastian, Declan, or Rome because Pierce has been their good friend for longer. I’m the token little brother they keep out of pity and obligation. Things don’t need to be more awkward than they already are.”

“I don’t believe that. Rome cares about you. Not out of pity or obligation, but friendship. He’s so fucking proud of what you’ve accomplished, and I think he’s genuinely happy that you’re living here. Don’t sell yourself short.”

One corner of Simon’s mouth quirked. “You too.”

He was right. I was gonna grab Rome’s heart and keep it forever. And once I accomplished that, I was going to figure out a way to help my new friend defrost the heart of a certain asshole.