Anyone But Nick (Anyone But... #3) - Penelope Bloom Page 0,25

when somebody is thinking about doing the nasty to his little brother.”

“I’m not thinking about ‘doing the nasty.’ I just . . . I wanted to get a better handle on what’s going on in his head. One minute, I think he hates me. The next, I’m not so sure anymore.”

“If you want my professional opinion, Nick is lonely. He’s too smart for his own good, and he gets bored with every woman I’ve ever seen him date. Let me put it in the simplest terms I can think of: Some men like a nice, big, luscious ass. Others want boobs they could fall into from a ten-story building and live to tell about it. But Nick? He’s got a boner for big brains. Not literally, obviously. Wait . . . what if that’s what the snails are really after? An intellectual connection. Do you think that could be it?”

“You really are an idiot,” I said with a grin. “And thank you.”

Cade did a little flourish of a bow and nodded. “Anytime you need my expertise, just ask. You’re also a shitty listener, for the record.”

I found Nick just as he was walking away from a group of smiling businessmen. I was about to approach him, but I noticed he seemed to be heading somewhere with a purpose. Curiosity got the better of me, so I decided to follow him at a distance.

Nick wove through the crowd, smiling and exchanging a quick greeting with people as he passed. He eventually headed up the twisting staircase that led from the main room to the series of balconies that made up the second floor.

Within a few steps, the sounds of the party had faded away. Following Nick suddenly felt much more stalkerish and a lot less innocent, but I persisted. He disappeared into a room near the end of the hallway a few moments later.

I paused, taking a deep breath and trying to think hard about the smart thing to do. None of my usual single-mindedness for work was compelling me back down to the party. I knew I would typically dive into the task Nick had given me, aiming to blow him away by how many investors I’d be able to bring to our cause, but then again, I hadn’t really felt normal lately.

My heart was pounding as I reached for the door handle. I didn’t know why I should expect to find anything but him grabbing something from a closet or anything equally innocuous, but my skin was prickling with anticipation. Maybe a stupid, hopeless part of me was hoping he’d turn around, lock those bright eyes of his on me, and confess that he’d had feelings for me his whole life—that he just never knew how to tell me.

I shook my head. Stupid. Wild, childish fantasies were not going to help me do the job I needed to do. And neither was peeking inside this door, but I found myself pushing the handle down and moving my head to peer inside all the same.

Inside, I saw Nick and a young, beautiful woman standing together with their lips locked. As soon as I saw them, my eyes widened, and I clicked the door shut, forgetting to be quiet in my hurry to get back downstairs.

Chapter 6

NICK

I pulled back and fought the urge to wipe my lips with the back of my hand. I couldn’t believe she’d kissed me.

I heard the door open a moment after the kiss and turned my head just in time to see Miranda’s wide eyes. She pulled the door shut without a word.

Shit. I wanted a line in the sand, and I guessed I couldn’t have asked for a sharper stick to draw it with than this, could I? But that didn’t help push back any of the overwhelming guilt I felt.

“Laine . . . ,” I said slowly. “I’m sorry—”

She was breathing heavily as she looked up at me. She let her eyes fall and sighed. “God. I’m an idiot.”

“Hey,” I said. I awkwardly reached out to touch her shoulder but thought better of it. I’d apparently sent enough mixed messages already and didn’t want to make it any worse. She was pretty, with shoulder-length black hair and a freckle-specked nose. I pulled my hand back and let it flop to my leg. “It’s okay. I’m just not . . . interested in you that way.”

I had dated her briefly a few weeks back. I hadn’t heard from her until a few minutes ago when