Page 4 of The Heartbreaker

“No.”

His answer didn’t shock me in the least bit. Rhett never wanted to talk about anything. He kept it all buried in the furthest, deepest part of him until he exploded. Those explosionsalways looked different, but in this case, I wouldn’t be surprised if he disappeared for a few days.

Still, I pushed and said, “Are you sure?”

He swished out some air. “Yeah, I’m fucking sure.” He stood. “I need another drink.”

I wasn’t positive if that was code for something else, like he was calling a rideshare to get out of here, so I asked, “Are you going to take off?”

“If I do, don’t come looking for me.” He disappeared toward the bar.

Damn it.One sibling was keeping it together while the other was falling apart.

I tried not to think about Rhett while I turned toward the crew. The couples all seemed to be having a blast, the women far more engaged with the strippers than their men. The only singles part of the gang, aside from Rhett and me, were the Westons. A family of five siblings—four men and a woman—who owned high-end restaurants and clubs across the world, many of those located in our hotels. Although Eden couldn’t attend—she was away on business—the four brothers were here. Since the merger, I’d gotten the opportunity to work with them, even hang out outside of normal business hours, and I would consider them friends.

Which was why I knew things were about to get rowdy.

If there was one thing this group did well together—the Coles, Spades, Daltons, and Westons—it was having a good time.

And it seemed like everyone was.

That was all the more reason to shake Rhett out of my head and focus on the party. Especially considering this was my first time out in a while. Daisy’s mother was back in town after a long stint on the road, and she had Daisy for the next week. Knowing my daughter was safe and in good hands gave me a chance to let loose and unwind. I wanted nothing more than to laugh my assoff, catch a buzz, and go for a long run in the morning to sweat out all the excess booze.

But before this night was over, I needed to make sure I had enough material to razz up the guys during our next executive meeting. After a night of debauchery, I fucking loved rousing the fellas on all the shenanigans that had gone down.

One way to ensure that was more alcohol.

There wasn’t a waitress anywhere near our tables, nor was there any walking around the VIP area. So, I turned around to scan the other side of the lounge, looking for someone capable of taking an order of shots, and that was when I saw her.

A woman so fucking beautiful that my eyes wouldn’t leave her.

Even if there was a reason to drag my stare away, I wouldn’t.

I couldn’t.

She was that breathtaking.

That gorgeous.

That enticing.

I pushed myself to the end of my seat, knowing I was about to get up at any second because I needed to talk to hear her voice. I needed to talk to her. I needed to be closer to her than I was now.

That was how drawn I was to her.

And while I stayed here, somewhat frozen, I took in the details I’d missed when my eyes first landed on her. I certainly couldn’t have ignored her red hair. That was what had initially mesmerized me. But the more I looked at the long waves, strands that hung down her back and over her shoulders and hugged the sides of her face, I realized it wasn’t just a deep auburn. The color reminded me of a burnt fall sunset.

Her face was a combination of soft features that even individually screamed of a level of beauty I’d never seen before. Lips that were plump and glossy. A small button-like nose.Smooth, sun-kissed skin. Eyes that I couldn’t see the color of from here, but I could feel how alluring they were.

And then there was her body.

A chest that was the perfect size for her petite frame, hips and a waist that dipped in just right, and an ass with the amount of thickness I desired.

She didn’t run in a straight line from head to toe.

She had curves.

Curves I wanted to fucking devour.