I woke up back in the room I was originally in and started to panic, but then I saw that Troy was camped out on the chair beside my chair. He was sprawled forward in the chair, with his head on my bed.
Before I found out about my connections, he had been my ideal “type.” I always had an attraction to tall, dark, and handsome. Troy checked all those boxes and then some. With his Italian heritage, he had dark hair, and honey brown eyes. His long sooty eyelashes and tan made many a girl envious. He kept physically fit with the combination of his martial arts and weight lifting. His hair was kept like most military men—short on the sides. I had never seen it long; he was a stickler for clean cut appearances.
He ran a successful security firm, and I think that’s what kept me from forming my connection with him sooner. We hadn’t gotten to spend too much time together. However, in all fairness, I had been upset at him for a few weeks since he had called Jace into one of his security details. Which wouldn’t have been too big of an issue if Jace’s ex-girlfriend hadn’t been there. I knew they had been friends, I was okay with that. I wasn’t okay with the fact that the tabloids had blown their relationship out of proportion and I had let my insecurities get the better of me.
The guys were all attractive, and I knew I was cute, maybe even pretty, but I still struggled with the fact that I was supposed to capture their attention. In the beginning, I had thought I would be fine with the guys carrying on relationships with others, but the more I got to know them, the more I wanted them all to myself. I was selfish.
I reached out and ran my fingers through his hair, unable to resist any longer. He groaned deep in his throat before finally stirring.
He blinked up at me. His gaze puzzled and scrutinizing. He finally sat up and stretched. The bottom of his shirt rose up, and I could see the little trail of hair that started at the bottom of his belly button. He told me once he kept his ‘happy trail’ but shaved his chest and pubic area, daily. He even went as far as to keep his armpits, legs, and arms groomed. He wasn’t too crazy about inheriting the ‘hairy’ side of his heritage. I found it highly attractive.
He cleared his throat as he leaned forward, bracing his elbows on his knees, then steepled his fingers together so they rested on his sensual lips. “A couple of nights ago, I felt my tattoo burn and felt this overwhelming urge to call Noah. Noah seemed really…evasive when I finally talked to him. Which is truly out of character for him. That very night, I had a dream of taking a girl on this romantic horse carriage ride in Central Park.” I looked at him expectantly, not knowing how to proceed. “I don’t do romance,” at my raised speculative eyebrows, he laughed. “Don’t get me wrong. I do my share of wining, dining, and hooking up, but I don’t do romance. I’m very upfront with any girl. They know the rules. They know I’m unavailable.”
I nodded, waiting for him to continue. I had a feeling I knew where this was going. “Why did I dream about you?” he asked, as if he already knew the answer. “Last night, I saw you protectively holding Chip, even though he was bent on destruction, and in that moment, I knew it wasn’t a dream at all.”
“It wasn’t,” I said quietly. I looked down at my hands, trying to figure out the best way to continue this conversation. I didn’t want to lie to him, but I wasn’t sure if he was ready for the truth. The guys had taken it in stride the last time. I had struggled with it. Things had changed. Would they still take it so well?
I had a feeling Troy would and could handle it, but I was unable to let him know as Collin came into the room. A cup of coffee in his hand, flowers, and balloons. He stopped short as he saw Troy, his smile dying on his face.
“Ricci, what are you doing here?” he was frantically eyeing us. He looked panicked, but I wanted to reassure him.
After knowing my sister was clinging to life, it made me even more determined to blow his little operation up. I just needed to find out how much he truly knew.
“His team found my sister last night,” I finally said.
His eyebrows knitted. “Which one?” He must have realized his mistake, because he laughed uneasily. “I mean…Emma?” He turned to Troy. “Is that why you left the party early?” He was such a jerk; I know I had told him her name was Ella.
My eyes narrowed on him. I wanted to make sure he dug his grave deeper. “You went to a party last night? Which one?”
Collin looked like he was inwardly cursing at himself. “Look, babe, I’m sorry. I know you were laying here sick and all, but I was so worried about you, and I needed to get my mind off things, so I went to Jaxson’s celebration party. That was a great game, wasn’t it man?” His smile didn’t even reach his eyes.
Troy stood, and he looked at us contemplatively. “I wasn’t aware you were dating anyone.”
Collin had the audacity to blush. “Yeah well, it’s new and we’re still getting to know each other again.”
“So, there’s nothing going on with you and Rose?” Troy asked, although I could see he already knew the answer.
Collin’s eyes widened in surprise, before he stammered. “No, man, she’s still dating Drake, isn’t she? Besides,” he looked over at me. “With a girl like her living with me, why would I want anyone else? Anyway, I just talked to the nurse. She said you’re free to go home. Do you want to go home, grab a movie, and recuperate on the couch together all day?”
I resisted the urge to snort as Noah came walking into the room. He stopped short when he saw Collin in there. “Hey man,” he said coolly as he exchanged a look with Troy. I knew they were secretly communicating with each other.
“Was he hooking up with Rose last night?” I projected my thoughts to Troy.
Troy didn’t even react in surprise as he looked over at me and barely nodded.
“Did Remy confirm that she hit on him?” I asked.
Again, he nodded.
I sighed in satisfaction and sadness. I was glad that I was proven right, but sad Drake may have to have his heart broken once more.
I was brought out of my thoughts as I heard Collin saying, “Great, so get dressed, babe, and we can go home.”
I was brought out of my thoughts as I looked over at Noah. “How’s Ella doing?” I asked, making sure to emphasize her name. Then I looked over at Collin to see what his reaction would be to my following words. “Did you know they found my sister and a few other children locked up in dog kennels? They were severely dehydrated and malnourished. One of the children said if they were lucky, their caretakers remembered to give them some bread and water once a day.”