But while every man was devastating in his own right, my gaze was irresistibly drawn to the lean form lounging closest to the door. Christian turned his head at the exact moment my attention landed on him. Our gazes locked, and an electric current of something primal singed my blood.
The fogginess clouding my head suddenly had nothing to do with the margaritas. “Forget the trip for now.” Jules’s voice dragged my attention back to her, though Christian’s eyes remained a hot brand on my skin. “What was that?” “What was what?” My heart ricocheted in my chest.
The lingering aftertaste of strawberry and tequila dissolved into spice and whiskey on my tongue. It was how I imagined he would taste—like heat, sin, and pure, unfiltered masculinity.
“That.” Eyes like hazel blades punctured my feigned ignorance. She tilted her head a fraction of an inch toward Christian. “The sexual tension is so thick I can cut it with a butter knife.” “There’s
no sexual tension.” Unless you counted the ache in my core and the awareness tightening my skin. “There is. Even I feel it.” Ava lifted her hair off her neck. “If it gets any hotter, I’ll have to make Alex revisit his no PDA rule.” “Exactly.” Jules stood abruptly, drawing the men’s attention and interrupting Josh as he reached banana float use number twenty-five. “Everything okay?”
he asked. “Yep. We just need to use the restroom.” She grasped my wrist and pulled me up and toward the back of the house. Ava and Bridget followed us. “Don’t eat all the chips while we’re gone!” “I’m a doctor, and I still can’t find a medical reason for why girls always have to use the bathroom at the same time,” I heard Josh muse as we left. “You’re an idiot,” Alex said. Their voices faded when Jules pulled us into the guest bath and shut the door behind us. “Why do I feel like this is an FBI interrogation?” I leaned against the counter and eyed my friends warily.
“Because it is.” Jules planted her hands on her hips and adopted her lawyer voice. “Now, tell us the truth. Are you, Stella Alonso, having or have ever had sexual intercourse with Christian Harper?” “No.”“Do you want to?” Two seconds of hesitation was enough to elicit gasps all around. “I knew it!” Triumph glowed in Jules’s eyes. “I’m so happy for you! Finally, someone you’re attracted to. Christian is crazy hot, and you’re living in the same house. It’s like the perfect setup for a sexy fling.” Bridget was less enthused. “I thought this was a fake relationship,” she said gently. “What changed?” “Like Jules said, he’s pretty good-looking.” I instinctively grasped my crystal necklace. The warm, clear stone was supposed to clear my mind and help my focus, but my thoughts tumbled in my head like laundry set on high. “Also…”
After another moment’s hesitation, I spilled everything that’d happened. New York, Christian’s weird aversion to art, the watch, his confession about wanting me.
By the time I finished, three eyes pinned me to the marble counter with varying degrees of shock （Ava）， concern （Bridget）， and delight （Jules）。 “I had a feeling he was into you since the day we met him,” Jules said sagely. “The way he looked at you when we signed the lease?
Whew.” She fanned herself. “Listen, if you want to leave and bang his brains out, I won’t be offended. It’s a new season, babe. Time to clear out those cobwebs from your sex life. It’ll be like spring cleaning for your vagina.” I winced at the mental visual. “I wouldn’t jump into anything that fast.” A frown marred Bridget’s forehead. “Christian is, well, you know my thoughts about him already. I’m forever grateful he helped me and Rhys with our photo leak problem, but he’s not someone you turn to if you want a serious relationship.” “That’s why I said bang, not date,”
Jules said. “I bet he’s a beast in bed. He just has that look.” Heat stained my cheeks. “What would Josh say if he knew you were secretly assessing other men’s sexual prowess?” “He’d say he’s still better than them, and he’d be right. Our sex life is fantastic.” Jules cast an apologetic glance at Ava. “Sorry.”“I’m going to pretend I didn’t hear that last part.” Ava had accepted the relationship between Josh and Jules on the condition that they never discussed their sex life in front of her. She turned to me, her dark eyes warm with concern and curiosity. “The question is, do you want just sex with him? Or do you want something more?” “Don’t be ridiculous,” Jules said. “Stel isn’t interested in dating. Right?” The crystal flamed against my palm. I didn’t answer, but my silence spoke volumes. “Oh.” Jules’s smile slowly faded into realization. “Oh.”
Oh was right. I didn’t know if I wanted to date Christian, but I knew I wanted him. And I knew it was only a matter of time before the dark chemistry between us exploded into something neither of us could come back from.
25
CHRISTIAN
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” “I’m drinking and enjoying your delightful company.” I raised my glass. “It’s nice to see you again, Larsen.” “I wish I could say the same.” Rhys had been grumbling and brooding since I arrived, which wasn’t a huge departure from his usual demeanor, but now that the girls were out of the room, he turned the full force of his ire on me.
“One year of being Prince Consort and you’ve forgotten our history. Our friendship.” I laced my tone with carefully crafted disappointment. “I thought you were different, but it’s true what they say. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.” I used friendship in the loosest sense of the term. Our rocky, complicated relationship started with Rhys saving my life and him walking away from Harper Security to be with Bridget. The path between those points had been riddled with disagreements, barbs, and a strange mix of mutual respect and suspicion. “Cut the bullshit, Harper.” Rhys’s glare crackled with irritation. Classic Larsen. If he brooded any harder, he’d require a plastic surgeon to carve the frown out of his face. “I told you to stay away from Stella. I don’t care if it’s fake. She’s living with you, and I don’t trust you under the same roof with her.”
“You seem awfully concerned about her love life,” I drawled. “Anything Bridget should know?”
The air dripped with silent danger, but no one seemed concerned except for the royal bodyguards shifting uneasily in the back of the room. Josh watched our back and forth with fascination from Rhys’s other side while Alex scrolled through his phone, looking bored. “I’m concerned because of Bridget,” Rhys growled. “Stella is her best friend. You fuck with her, Bridget’s gonna be upset. Which means I’ll be upset.”
“Ah, I see.” I swirled my drink in its glass before taking a thoughtful sip. “It must be tiring, having your emotions so intimately connected with another’s. Does it work the other way around, or is it a one-way leash only she gets to yank?” Josh snorted out a laugh. “You act amused,” Rhys said without looking at him. “Like Jules and Ava won’t be riding your asses if anything happens to Stella.” Josh’s smile disappeared. Alex looked up from his phone, those cold green eyes drilling into my skin for the first time since I arrived. We hadn’t acknowledged each other beyond an obligatory nod of greeting. We didn’ts hide our quasi friendship, but we didn’t announce it to the world either because there was nothing to announce. Other than our monthly chess matches and the occasional business interaction, we rarely saw each other. “Obviously, I’m concerned,” Josh said, doing a one-eighty as he directed his next question at me. “What are your intentions with Stella?” “I don’t have to explain myself to you. I don’t even know you.” A lie. Magda had inadvertently fallen into his hands before Dante bought it off him, which meant I knew every single thing about Josh Chen. His family background, his grades in med school, his favorite basketball team and how he took his coffee. He was a golden boy with a dark streak, but not one I needed to concern myself with now that Magda was no longer in his possession.