Page 51 of Filthy Rich Brother's Best Friends

My phone buzzes on the nightstand.

Dread floods my mind before I can even reach for it. Isn’t that just perfect? A full-body panic response triggered by a notification. I’m pretty sure it’s become a Pavlovian response at this point. My phone goes off, and panic takes hold.

My heart rate slows back to almost normal when I see it’s just my brother. And then spikes right back up when I see what it says.

Wes:Had a meeting near your place. You around?

Panic hits so hard I shoot upright before I can think.

“Everything okay?” Jude asks behind me. He pushes up on one elbow.

I nod too quickly. “Yeah. Yep. Totally.”

He watches me, clearly unconvinced. I can feel his gaze tracking every movement as I slide out of bed and start grabbing for my clothes.

“I just—need to go. And…so do you. Now. Please.”

His brow lifts, but he doesn’t argue.

He climbs out of bed, moving slower than I want him to, and starts pulling on his clothes. I grab a pair of shorts, tug on a shirtand try to arrange my hair into a ponytail that doesn’t screamjust got laid.

Wes cannot know what just happened. He can’t seeJude. I’m guessing he knows Jude. It feels like he should. He’s living with Wes’s two best friends, so they have to at least be friendly, right?

I shove my phone into my bra, then cross to the window. He literally just texted me, but apparently I’m paranoid. I peek through the blinds, and scan the street. Nothing yet, but he didn’t say how close he was.

I spin on my heel. “You have to go out the back.”

Jude, now dressed, blinks at me from beside the bed. “Lola?—”

“No,” I cut in, already herding him toward the door. “No time. You just—can you not ask questions right now?”

He nods and grabs his shoes. I crack open the door. Thankfully there’s no sign of my roommates. I take Jude’s hand and lead him out. He follows me through the kitchen, out the back door, and onto the patio without a word.

I keep my arms crossed as he pulls on his shoes.

He studies me as he moves, and I know he’s trying to figure out if he should ask questions. I don’t give him the chance.

“Thanks for the smoothie,” I say. “And…for everything else.”

He looks at me for a second too long. Then his grip finds my waist, and he pulls me in before pressing a soft kiss to my mouth.

“You’ll let me know if you need anything?”

I force a smile. “Sure.”

He doesn’t believe me; I can see it in his eyes. But he walks away anyway.

The moment the gate clicks shut, I sag against the doorframe.

My life is a disaster. And day by day it’s getting more complicated.

Chapter 15

Reid

I’m halfway up Lola’s driveway when I hear the sound of a car behind me. I glance over my shoulder expecting a food delivery vehicle since I know Lola’s roommates don’t cook.

The car looks familiar, but I don’t think much of it—at first. Until the car stops and the driver’s door opens.