something banked in those intriguing eyes that called to her.
No, Kora hadn’t met him, but she’d definitely heard of Donovan. Oddly enough, though he was Sam’s only sibling, they’d never been introduced. From the stories she’d heard, Donovan was the brains and brawn behind Brashwood Enterprises LLC, a multibillion-dollar company with interests in real estate development and property management, among other things, which kept him busy and away from his hometown. Sam had talked about Donovan as though he were some sort of god who’d earned his rightful place on the pedestal that Sam had placed him on.
“The infamous real estate mogul?” Kora questioned, trying not to appear impressed.
But the truth was, she was impressed. Not only because of the stories she’d heard from Sam, but also because of what stood before her. The man was something else. Tall, dark, devastatingly handsome. Short black hair, sparkling green eyes, a chiseled jaw so sharp it could possibly cut glass. And that air of reckless abandon clad in an expensive suit… Yeah, it called to her inner hussy, all right.
Perhaps it was the alcohol making her knees go weak. Yeah. She should definitely blame it on the alcohol. Much safer that way.
Donovan didn’t answer, but the smirk told her everything she needed to know.
When a waitress passed by, her eyes slowly regarding Donovan, Kora was tempted to snort. Instead, she smiled to herself when Donovan ordered himself another drink, and then one for her, his gaze never straying from Kora’s face.
“Figured since the happy couple was footing the bill…” Donovan grinned, a full-fledged smile that set her body on fire.
And for the first time since she’d received the invitation to the baby shower, Kora was no longer worried that she wouldn’t survive tonight. What better way to pass the time than to chat it up with a man Sam idolized, a man who was drawing attention simply by standing there.
A man who had suddenly added an ironic twist to this entire fucked up ordeal.
If she could find a way to sneak this guy off into the nearest storage closet, it would possibly get even better.
WHILE HE WAITED FOR his drink, Donovan watched Kora. Although he only knew about her from Sam’s stories, as well as what their mother had shared, he could definitely tell that Sam hadn’t been thinking clearly when he’d done the deed with Kora’s sister. Not that Trina wasn’t a nice girl. Donovan was sure she had some upstanding qualities, but stealing your sister’s boyfriend...? That was petty and childish bullshit right there. And when Sam had informed him of the abrupt change in his life, Donovan hadn’t felt the least bit sorry for the guy.
For the past hour, Donovan had listened to the hushed whispers, most of them talking about how Kora had been the one to cheat on Sam, pushing him into Trina’s arms with her wandering ways. Part of him had wondered why the hell she didn’t step up and tell the truth. Still, somehow he’d managed to keep his mouth shut and not interfere.
It really wasn’t his business, and he got the impression Kora had experience dealing with this shit. Didn’t mean he liked it, but Donovan knew when to step back and watch. As long as they weren’t spouting derogatory remarks, he felt it unnecessary to intervene. And since he’d put the old guy in his place already, Donovan figured word was out about him.
In fact, he was surprised his brother hadn’t confronted him yet. But the night was still young. Although, the last thing Donovan was worried about was his brother. He was too busy being captivated by the woman standing only a few feet away from him.
But he was still trying to figure Kora out.
Now that he’d looked into those intriguing gray eyes for himself, he understood why she was handling this the way that she was. She’d been labeled already, and if he had to guess, Kora was rebelling in her own way.
No lie, that was a fucking sexy trait right there. The bad girl rebel.
Without remorse, Donovan allowed his gaze to slide over her, slowly. When she caught him staring, he offered her a smile. And when she didn’t move away, he decided to move closer. A lot closer. So close he could smell the sweet scent of her hair and feel the warmth of her arm against his.
Before he could speak, Kora turned to face him, her face lit up, her eyes glassy. She was intoxicated—or well on her