By what I, Jessa Walton, little ole nobody from Oakville, had come up with.
And to top it all off? My high school crush and boss sat just a few feet from me, tipping a tumbler of whiskey back and forth in his hands, looking every inch the off-duty billionaire he was. He’d loosened his collar and rolled up his sleeves during small talk, which had very nearly impregnated me right here in his living room. No, that was impossible. The man didn’t even want me here—that much had been clear in the dour look that washed over his face when he spotted me in the living room.
He'd barely said two words to me after asking me how I was and what I thought of the place. Now he simply sat in the taupe leather armchair, watching us without really seeing us, brooding and moody as hell.
Which was also sort of hot, in its own annoying way. Because I would have given anything to know what was roiling behind those moss green eyes.
“Jessa, you need another?” Axel asked me, popping to his feet. Cora and I sipped on white wine, and I’d drained my glass. Whatever they had seemed expensive, because I was buzzed off a single glass. Usually the six dollar bargain bin wine took at least three glasses to get me good and warm. I nodded happily, eager for more of whatever they had to offer—this penthouse experience, this companionship, this luxurious slice of life.
“Thanks, Axel,” I called out as he took our glasses to the wet bar near the huge windows overlooking Manhattan. Damian sipped from his tumbler, his gaze flitting to meet mine only briefly.
“Jessa is a fantastic clothing designer,” Cora said, sending a smile my way, then looking back at Damian. “Did you know that?”
“I didn’t,” he said.
“Not fantastic,” I said quietly. “Just learning.”
“You’re headed for greatness,” Cora said, squeezing my shoulder.
I fought the smile that threatened to consume my face. Her support still felt so strange, so foreign. My design work was a secret I’d barely admitted even to my closest loved ones. Now she was outing me…with pride. She had no idea how much it meant to me. My throat tightened, and I surged forward, wrapping her in a quick hug.
“Thank you,” I whispered. “For believing in me.” A laugh fluttered out of her, and she rubbed my back. I sat back in my seat, pressing a hand to my heart. “It means a lot to me, is all.”
“Awww, would you look at that.” Axel returned with our glasses, shimmering with freshly poured white wine. I received mine with a big smile.
“Now that we’ve been refreshed, I think we should keep looking,” Cora said with a big grin. She dove back into my designs, making comments about the small details along the way. I loved the conversation and her attention to my craft, but Damian’s presence sizzled on the periphery. My entire body prickled with awareness, though I was sure I had to be imagining his attention.
Axel approached Damian and the two started their own conversation in hushed tones. I tried so hard to be a part of both conversations, but I couldn’t. Cora wastooexcited about the lace details on the dress I’d worn to the fundraiser last week.
She flipped another page. I looked behind me. Damian shook his head at Axel, the two clearly in the middle of some brotherly battle, and then he stood. Zero perked to life, trotting over to stand by Axel.
“Oh, you’re just gonna walk away?” Axel goaded Damian. I was too curious not to watch. Damian flipped off his brother and headed for the kitchen.
Axel cackled as he absent-mindedly pet Zero’s head. “Come on. Come back.”
“I’m busy,” Damian called over his shoulder. “You can come with me if you want.”
Axel heaved an exaggerated sigh and followed Damian. “Excuse me, ladies,” he said to the both of us, though Cora hardly noticed. Zero returned to his dog bed with a sigh.
“Are they fighting…?” I asked Cora. A grin curled at her lips.
“Hardly. Axel just loves to needle him.”
“About what?”
“Everything, mostly.”
A laugh shot out of me. That summed it up nicely. I watched Axel and Damian retreat, pausing in the doorway between the kitchen and the hallway to argue a bit more. It was the most I’d seen Damian’s lips move since I’d started working with him. And I was mesmerized.
“Don’t you think?” Cora’s voice snapped me back to reality.
“I’m sorry, what was that?” I turned toward her again, heat creeping across my chest. I’d been caught staring at Damian—how embarrassing.
“I said you’d do well to enroll in fashion school, don’t you think?”
I swallowed hard. I didn’t want to tell her I was already enrolled in a fashion course. I didn’t want her to know, because I didn’t want the brothers to know. I couldn’t have anyone doubting my dedication to the job. I needed the money so badly, I was too scared to do anything to jeopardize it.
“I’ve considered it,” I said slowly, wondering if this was considered a white lie or an outright lie. My course didn’t equate to a fashiondegree. And Ihadconsidered it. “I might have to get some savings under my belt first.”