He rose and extended his hand. She placed her palm in his, and damned if electricity didn’t spark between them as he pulled her to her feet. “Come on.”
“Wait.” Her gaze was on their hands. “You suggested I put this somewhere safe.” She pulled her hand out of his and eased the engagement ring off her finger. “I assume you have a safe in this apartment?”
He nodded and accepted the heavy ring in his hand. “Are you sure you trust me with it?” he asked, trying to lighten the moment.
And the way she rolled her eyes and grinned, he knew he’d accomplished his goal. He curled his hand around the ring, which he’d put in the safe in his bedroom until she was ready to deal with it.
“Bedroom’s this way,” he said, tilting his head. He led her to the spare guest room, grabbing her suitcase on the way.
His cell buzzed from his pocket. He ignored the call for now, guiding her down the hall and into the room across from his.
Something he hadn’t given thought to until now.
The most gorgeous woman he’d ever laid eyes on, his ex-best friend’s sister, and someone who needed his friendship more than anything else, was now living with him.
Keeping his hands to himself while giving her the shoulder she needed to lean on would be a challenge when all he wanted was to sweep her off her feet and take her to bed.
* * *
Beck walked Chloe into the room, set her suitcase on the bed so she could unpack, and excused himself to return a phone call, as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. Whatever. She didn’t have the strength to worry about another man’s moods. She had her own emotional state and life to fix.
With a sigh, Chloe sat down on the bed and took in her surroundings. The room was large and pretty, with white crown moldings and a light linen color on the walls. Windows let in a good amount of sunlight, giving the space a cheery feel, and the chic ruched taupe-colored comforter set was gorgeous, as were the decorative accents, lamps, and ultramodern fixture hanging from the ceiling. All reminders of the direction she wanted her career to go in.
She shook off that thought and decided to tackle one thing at a time, starting with unpacking. She rose, unzipped her suitcase, and put away her undergarments first, falling in love with the gorgeous white oak chest of drawers with nickel-finished hardware.
She placed the sexy bra and panty sets she’d bought for her honeymoon in the drawers, including the lingerie, and did her best to ignore the gut punch at the reminder of what might have been. Despite having realized that she and Owen were a mistake, she couldn’t deny wanting the family life he would have given her.
After putting her toiletries in the private bathroom attached to the room, she went to deal with the clothes she’d hang in the closet … and realized all she had packed were Hawaii-appropriate items. Long sarong skirts, bikini bathing suits, sandals, and sundresses. Everything to remind her of being dumped and nothing helpful for living in New York in the spring.
All her clothes were in boxes at her mom’s house, waiting for her to bring them to the place she’d planned to live with Owen. Thank God he’d signed the lease and not her. The rent wouldn’t be her problem, but the lack of clothing was. She couldn’t have those huge boxes sent to Beck’s, and she definitely wasn’t ready to go to her mom’s and face her disappointment and worry.
She wasn’t sure what to do as she zipped up her suitcase and placed it on the floor in the corner of the room. Her cell rang, and she picked it up from where she’d placed it on the nightstand.
Jordan’s name flashed on the screen, and Chloe answered, happy to talk to someone who would be rational about her situation.
She pressed accept. “Hey!”
“Hi, Chloe. How are you?” Jordan asked.
Flopping back down onto the mattress, Chloe left her feet hanging off the side so as not to put her boots on the bedspread. “I’m feeling less hungover, so that’s an improvement.”
Jordan chuckled. “Glad to hear it. Your brother came home really pissed off, and considering I pushed him to let you stay and party last night, I’ve been steering clear.”
Chloe winced. “As if he has a say in what I do? When is he going to start treating me like an adult?” she asked, frustrated. “Never mind, that’s a rhetorical question. But I am sorry if you’re taking the brunt of my decisions.”
“Seriously? When can’t I handle your brother? It’s fine. He’s just pissed you’re with Beck. Their history is … complicated,” Jordan said.
Chloe glanced at her French manicure and thought about what she knew about Linc and Beck’s falling-out back in college. “I remember meeting him when we went up for parents’ weekend, freshman year. They were best friends, but then I never heard about him again until I went into business with Linc and Beck was both his competitor and enemy number one.”
“Mmm.” Jordan let out the sound.
“I’ll take that to mean you can’t say more. I respect that. I guess I’ll just ask if I need to be worried about Beck? He’s giving me a place to find peace for a little while, and I need that.” Chloe would never ask Jordan to betray Linc’s trust, but she did need to know if the man who’d stepped in was using her in any way as Linc had insinuated.
“No. I don’t believe you need to be concerned,” Jordan said. “I don’t know Beck, but when Linc came home and told me where you were, I did some digging and asking around with people in the business. Beck seems to be a decent guy. Intensely competitive but nothing that stands out as an issue. Beck and Linc’s problem is a personal one.”
Chloe closed her eyes and expelled a relieved breath. “Thank you.”
“That said, I wouldn’t let my guard down completely. It was an ugly situation between them, and no one really knows how he’ll react. And that’s all I can really say on the subject.”
Curiouser and curiouser, Chloe thought before turning her attention back to her brother and his soon-to-be wife. “I’m glad Linc has you, Jordan. And I’m glad you two realized taking that next step into a real relationship means what you share will grow deeper.”
“Thanks, Chlo. You take care, okay? And if you ever change your mind, you’re more than welcome to stay with us,” Jordan reminded her before they said their goodbyes.
Then, Chloe pulled out her laptop she’d packed to take with her and began to do some online shopping. She also made calls to a couple of personal stylists she knew in order to fill in her wardrobe while she was staying with Beck.
* * *
Beck withdrew to his bedroom, leaving Chloe alone in her new accommodations across the hall. For a man who kept his emotions locked up tight, Chloe brought out the oddest feelings, and he wasn’t talking about his attraction to her, either. Her vulnerability reminded him of his sister. Whitney had had a bright smile, a big laugh, and she’d just begun to see who she might become as a woman when cancer had hit, but she’d also been a fighter. And she hadn’t gone down easily.
He walked to his bedside drawer, opened it, and pulled out a piece of paper he’d had laminated so nothing would ever destroy his tangible memory of her. The words Bucket List were handwritten across the top of the page. A list of things Whitney wanted to do once she’d kicked cancer’s ass. And when it became clear that wouldn’t happen, a list she made Beck promise he’d complete for her. So one of them would fully live. He hadn’t been Whitney’s twin, but they’d been close nonetheless.