Prologue
Anais
Men are trash.
It’s the only thought going through my mind as I watch Evan Maxwell from across the room, at his parents’ annual holiday party. He’s talking and smiling at a woman who looks like she just stepped off aVictoria’s Secretrunway. I can’t blame him. With her long blonde hair, perfect curves, and a face meant to bring men to their knees, she’s stunning, every man’s fantasy. Everything I’m not.
She is also currently flirting withmyman.
Not that Evan is actually mine, anywhere but in my mind. But still, semantics.
And no, I’m not crazy.
I’ve known Evan Maxwell my entire life. I’ve been in love with him since I was old enough to know what that word meant. He’s my brother’s best friend and eight years older than me, but that’s never mattered to me. To him though? Maybe.
Evan has never looked at me in a way that suggests my feelings are reciprocated, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t feelsomething. A couple months ago, at the Rothmans’ end-of-summer party in the Hamptons, I got drunk and stupidly told him how I felt. I don’t remember much about my declaration, but I do remember the look on his face. The disgust. The disdain in those icy blue eyes. And how he turned and walked away from me without any acknowledgment of what I had said.
You would think that’d be enough to kill my feelings toward him. It wasn’t. Like a masochist, it has only made me more determined to make him mine.
But watching that woman lean in close to him now, all perfect and laughing, I wonder if I’m fighting a losing battle. Still, I won’t give up.
I tear my eyes away, stewing in my disconcerting thoughts.
What will it take for him to see we’d be perfect together?
Our families have known each other forever. Evan’s parents – Christian and Elena Maxwell –are my godparents. The golden couple of America. Christian owns the world’s biggest diamond and jewelry corporation, and Elena is Hollywood royalty. With their two daughters, and Evan, they are the picture-perfect family.
My family is no stranger to power either. My dad runs the country’s biggest telecommunications company, while my mom owns a leading PR firm, managing A-list clients. Together with five other families, we form an elite circle of some of the most powerful and influential people in the country.
Despite being a cliché, the press refers to the oldest sons of each family as “American Gods” – an annoyingly fitting title, which has inflated their already large egos. Seven men, untouchable, and doing what they want, without fear of consequence. Frequently pictured in the tabloids, every move, every scandal, every hook-up, is documented for public consumption.
It’s easier for me, and the other siblings. Though we still end up in gossip pages, it’s nothing compared to the spotlight my brother, Evan, and their friends live under. But somehow, they all seem to thrive under the attention they receive.
“Hey, Anais,” a soft feminine voice cuts through my thoughts. I look up to find Thalia Maxwell, smiling down at me. With her dark hair, olive skin, petite features, and blue-grey eyes, she is as beautiful as her famous mother.
I force a smile, praying she didn’t catch me openly ogling her brother. “Oh, hey Thalia. How’s it going?”
I glance behind her, pretending to look for her shadow, aka her boyfriend, Theo Rhodes, the number one show jumper in the world. Her lips tug up into a smirk, as she lowers onto the plush leather couch across from me. “He’s just in the restroom.”
I laugh. “How’d you know I was going to ask?”
“Because everyone always asks. I’m starting to get a complex.” She rolls her eyes, but there’s no heat in it. “Believe it or not, we’re not actually joined at the hip.”
She grins wider. We all know how Theo is with Thalia. They’ve officially been together for nearly two years, and their relationship hasn’t been easy. When it became public the press went wild. Between the age gap and Theo’s ex, it was a scandal. But no matter what happened, they came through the other side and their love for each other is obvious to everyone they meet. It’s real. Something I want for myself.
“How long are you back on the East Coast?” I ask, sipping my now lukewarm champagne.
Thalia exhales. “We head back to Miami the day after Christmas. There is a big tour starting in January, so we need to be prepared for that. And with the Olympics next year, the team selectors will be watching closely.” Worry flickers in her eyes. “I’m hoping to make the team.” Just then Theo drops down beside her, placing a kiss on her temple.
You can see why Thalia fell hard for him.
Theo Rhodes is a handsome man with his piercing blue eyes, dark hair and chiseled features. What makes him even more interesting? Evan hates him. He thinks he is too old, too serious, too everything, for his little sister. Which makes it even more ironic that I’m hopelessly in love with him. Still, I choose to ignore that small detail.
“Theo,” I greet with a smile.
“Anais, good to see you. How are things?”
“Good, thank you.” I turn back to Thalia, giving her my full attention. “Wow, making the Olympic team would be incredible.”
