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My fingers find my necklace. I run the pendant up and down the chain, watching it wink at me in the mirror. Maybe I’m lucky because I’m unlucky to others. The more I ponder it, the more it makes sense. I start fires. I steal wallets, watches, or anything I can get my sticky fingers on. If I choose you as a mark, you’re bound to have a stroke of bad luck, simply because of what I plan to do to you.
Feeling feverish, I splash my face with icy water and try to wash the thought away. Fuck other men; I don’t care about them, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t care about Rafe.
I get washed, brush my teeth, and slip on Rory’s shirt. When I step back into the bedroom, Rafe rolls onto his side to face me, eyes narrowing on the logo.
“That better not belong to another man,” he says quietly.
“It belongs to your sister-in-law, actually.”
He screws up his nose. “Even worse. You better take that off before I fuck you.”
I throw a discarded cushion at his head. He catches it in one hand. “Who said we’ll be fucking tonight?” Though, watching his abs tense as he slides the cushion behind his head, I know it’s inevitable.
He treats me to a lop-sided grin, tone all silk and syrup. “What’s the alternative? Talk about our feelings?”
Enjoying the heat of his stare as I stroll across the room, I play into my nonchalance. “No, but we can talk about something else. Like, why Tor Visconti showed up earlier, and why you punched him.”
He’s barely listening, as he’s too busy watching me bend over as I put my folded clothes on the armchair in the corner. “Family drama. Boring.” He lunges off the bed, swiping for my legs. “Come here.”
Maybe it’s the vodka slowing him down, but for once, I manage to step out of his reach in time. “Nico said you got him good.”
“I did,” he says carelessly. “Nowcome here.”
Stopping at the foot of the bed, I lift my gaze to his. It’s dark and irritated, the look of a king not used to being denied what he wants.
Smirking, I stoop to pick up all my gifts and drop them on the bed. “Let’s go through what everyone got me for Christmas, shall we?” I say sweetly.
His stare blisters. “No. Also, everyone kept thanking me for presents I’d never heard of. Did Laurie go all-out this year, or did you put both our names on all your gift tags?”
“Both our names.” I flash him my most angelic smile. “Seemed only fair, considering I paid for them on your Amex, sugar daddy.”
He laughs and shakes his head. “I bought your neighbor, who’s said three words to me in his entire life, a round-trip to Toronto to watch the Maple Leaves play. How charming of me.”
“Speaking of Matt, you see the welcome mat he got me?” I slide it out and hold it up. “It’s a pun, just like his.”
Rafe reads off the slogan. “Hi, I’m Penny. I just make cents.” He grimaces. “That’s fucking awful. It’s not coming home with us.”
I falter. There it is again.Home.The word that sounds too permanent for my heart to cope with.
Our eyes clash, his searching mine with mild confusion. “It’ll come home withme,” I say quietly.
For a second, he doesn’t understand. Then I see the realization harden his jaw and boil down to indifference just as quickly. “Ah, yes. I forgot you typically live in a crack den with a busted building door,” he says dryly.
I say nothing.
With a slow exhale, he drops back to the pillows, locking his hands behind his head. “Go on then, show me the rest.”
I do. I show him the Van Cleef necklace Rory and Angelo got me. The personalized Blackjack set from Nico, and the Charlotte Tilbury makeup hamper from Tayce.
He barely glances at the presents, choosing to stare at me with a soft expression for the whole show instead. “Lovely,” he says when I’m finished. “Now come here, or I’ll wake the whole house up dragging you here.”
But I’m not listening. There’s another gift sitting at the bottom of my bag, one I’d forgotten all about. Not one I received, but one I was of two minds about giving.
Discomfort nips at my edges. I do a shitty job of hiding it, though, because Rafe’s brow deepens. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing—”
But his eyes are already on the bag. This time, he’s faster, and he grabs it from me before I can stop him.
