I woke slowly, my senses cluing me in to the fact that I wasn’t in my apartment. The mattress was too comfortable, the sheets too luxurious, and the pillow too fluffy. I also wasn’t accustomed to waking in the arms of a man who was hard, everywhere. It took everything in me not to rub against him and start something I wouldn’t have the will to stop in my current dreamy state.

One glance at my phone told me my alarm was set to go off in a few minutes, so I gently extracted myself from Cole’s embrace and gathered my things before tiptoeing out of his bedroom. He probably didn’t have to be up for hours, and there was no reason to wake him merely because I had to get to class on time.

After showering and dressing in the hall bathroom, I went downstairs, wondering if the breakfast fairy would appear, as promised. The smell of pancakes wafted down the hall, answering my question before I even made it to the kitchen. And if waking up surrounded by Cole hadn’t been enough to ensure a good morning, seeing Nicholas standing over the stove flipping pancakes clinched it. His lack of a shirt certainly didn’t hurt, either.

“I thought you were joking about the pancakes.”

He swiveled around and grinned at me. “I don’t joke about pancakes. They are the pinnacle of breakfast foods. At least of the ones I can make.”

I eyed his practically perfect physique. “I figured Mr. Las Vegas ate green smoothies every morning.”

He grimaced before turning back to the stove. “No green smoothies. I usually go for egg white omelets or yogurt and granola. Pancakes are for special occasions.”

“What’s the occasion, then?”

“Your first night staying with us, obviously.”

I hated that his sweet words made me suspicious, but I still struggled to understand why the Ts were so enthusiastic about having me invade their home on a regular basis. Weren’t men in their twenties supposed to crave freedom? As much as I wanted to, I was finding it impossible to completely suppress my skeptical nature, especially because of the origin of our relationship. Still, they hadn’t given me any reason to distrust them. They were doing everything right. Maybe too right.

Even as the thoughts crossed my mind, I shoved them away. I refused to distort their considerate actions into malevolent ones. There was nothing wrong with my boyfriends treating me well. In fact, I should expect it.

Nicholas pointed to the table, where four places were set with plates, silverware, and juice glasses. “Sit. I’ll serve you.”

I selected a seat and poured orange juice from a carafe. Fancy. “Are you expecting additional diners?”

“Shane should be down here soon, and I wasn’t sure about Cole. I thought you might wake him up.”

“I tried to leave as quietly as possible.”

“That’s not what I meant.” His tone was rife with suggestion, and I tried, unsuccessfully, not to blush. If Cole hadn’t stopped things last night, I would have happily woken him up for a morning workout.

After Nicholas stacked three pancakes on my plate, I looked up at him, rosy cheeks or no. “I could get used to this.”

He leaned down and nibbled on my bottom lip. “So could I.”

“No fooling around before seven o’clock unless I’m invited,” Shane interrupted, taking a seat across from me. Unlike Nicholas, he was fully dressed. Unfortunately.

Nicholas released my mouth and returned to the kitchen. “Your invitation was implied. Didn’t realize you needed one hand delivered.”

“In that case . . .” Shane stretched over the table and gave me a lingering kiss.

Now, the morning was shaping up to be my best ever.

After eating what turned out to be a delicious stack of pancakes, I pushed my plate away, and Shane stood with me. “Are you heading out?”

“I was hoping to take Snow for a short walk before I leave. It’ll save Cole from having to deal with her this morning.”

“I’ll go with you. I have a few minutes.”

“Okay. Thanks for breakfast, Nic.”

“You’re very welcome, Cinderella.”

We released an excited Snow from her crate, and Shane showed me where to find her leash. Outside, I was happy to discover that the air was crisp but not so cold as to make it uncomfortable. Shane took my hand not holding the leash, and we set out into the peaceful morning.

Snow kept getting tangled in her leash because she was so excited to see me, so I paused on the sidewalk and picked her up.

Shane shook his head. “I kind of hate to admit it, but she is one of the most adorable things I’ve ever seen.”

I smiled up at him. “Isn’t she? I still can’t believe you three got her for me.”

He brushed away a piece of hair that had blown into my face. “If you haven’t figured it out yet, we’re rather smitten.”

“With Snow White?”

“Her too.”

Biting the inside of my cheek to stop the goofy grin I knew was surfacing, I set Snow back down and resumed our walk.

“Are you excited about meeting Nic’s family this weekend?”

Tell the truth or lie?

“Honestly? No. Is that horrible?” Not giving him a chance to respond, I kept talking. “It’s not that I don’t want to meet them. I just have a feeling I’m not going to fit in, and it’s intimidating.”

“I get it. And I wish I could say they’ll be overly welcoming, but it’s probably better for you to be prepared.”

“That doesn’t sound good.”

Shane stopped and pulled me toward him. “Be yourself, Emma. If they don’t accept you, that’s on them. In the grand scheme of things, they’re not important. Only Nicholas is.”

I nodded, not liking the implication but taking note of his words. Only Nicholas is. He was telling me to put Nicholas first. I wasn’t exactly sure what that meant, but I had a feeling I would find out in a few short days.

* * *

Chelsea unlocked the door at my knock and let me into her future office. “Hi, Emma.” She swept an arm through the air. “As you can see, nothing has changed, so this might be a wasted trip for you.”

In reality, she’d added another table, a few more chairs, and another lamp or two, but nothing structural had changed. When she offered me a cold bottle of water, I decided that the cooler was the most important addition.

“I wasn’t expecting many new developments for my first few visits. Where are you on renovation proposals?”

“I’m expecting to receive several by the end of the week. Since I want to get started as soon as possible, I’m only accepting bids from the designers who can immediately fit me into their schedules.”

“That’s great. Not to sway you, but you’re going to love Nic’s proposal.”

“I take it you’ve seen it, then?”

“I have, and it’s incredible.”

Her smile turned mischievous. “Are you two an item?”

I hesitated. Time to go all in, Emma. “We are.”

“You are one lucky girl. Smart and, excuse me if this is inappropriate, drop dead gorgeous. He’s the whole package.”

I laughed. “Not inappropriate. I’ve always thought he could easily be a movie star.”

“Definitely. You two make a stunning pair.”

“Thank you.” I pulled out my notebook. “I thought of a few more questions for you, if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.”

“Now that you’ve had a little more time to get used to the idea, are you still happy with your decision to rent this space?”

She considered the question for a while before responding. “For the most part, yes. I’m in love with the idea of being one of the first to open shop in what will hopefully be a successful revitalization area. I’m also nervous about it. I don’t feel comfortable being here alone at night, especially when Loft25 is closed. Then, there’s really no one around.”

“You should talk to Nicholas about options for security. Until then, I’ll ask him if one of the bouncers could walk you to your car on the nights you end up staying late.”

“Oh, does he work there? I assumed he only designed the club.”

“He’s one of the co-owners.”

“Wow, a man of many talents.”

She appeared so in awe of him, I couldn’t resist teasing her. “Should I be concerned about your interest in Nicholas?”

“If I was a few years younger, maybe. Does he happen to have an older brother?”

“Unfortunately, no.”

She sighed in resignation. “Too bad. Anyway, if you wouldn’t mind asking him about the bouncer idea, I would feel a lot better knowing that was an option.”

“No problem.”

After finishing the follow-up interview, I took more photos of Chelsea’s office, then moved on to outdoor photos of the warehouse district. I wasn’t an experienced photographer, but the professional camera I borrowed from the school paper would take better photos than I could capture with my cell phone. I didn’t want to drag a real photographer with me until Chelsea’s renovation was underway.

While I wandered through the streets, I could understand Chelsea’s discomfort with being alone at night. Even in the middle of the afternoon, I found myself looking over my shoulder every few minutes. I could just imagine sketchy characters lurking around every corner.

Deciding to meet up with Cole at Loft25 before continuing, I cut through an alley near the club. As I reached the end of the narrow lane, I heard male voices and slowed, ducking into the shadows. Two men were standing next to a tricked-out Escalade and seemed to be in the middle of a heated argument.

Speaking of sketchy characters . . . wait, isn’t that Jeremy? Too intrigued to flee, I edged back a few steps and took cover in a recessed doorway. I wasn’t close enough to hear what they were saying, but I didn’t dare creep any closer.

After several more minutes of arguing, Jeremy pulled a thick envelope out of his jacket and thrust it toward the man, who had a snake tattoo slithering up the side of his neck. The mystery man thumbed through what appeared to be a serious wad of cash before nodding and tossing the envelope through the open window of the Escalade.

Whatever the man said next made Jeremy even angrier, and he kicked a tire before storming off and out of sight. Mr. Snake Tattoo laughed before getting in his car and peeling away.

I slumped back against the brick wall, grateful my presence had remained undetected. A thousand questions rolled through my mind. Who was the man with the snake tattoo? Why was Jeremy meeting with him? Where had Jeremy gotten all that cash? And, most importantly, did he steal it from Cole or the club? Unless it was a stack of ones, there was no way he’d already made that much money in tips.

Heading back the way I came, I walked straight to my car and drove to my apartment. I’d have to make an excuse to Cole, because if I saw him right then, I would end up divulging what I saw. Part of me believed I should tell him, anyway, but I couldn’t quite bring myself to do it. Jeremy’s clandestine meeting was beyond shady, but it wasn’t necessarily illegal. If I told Cole now, he’d undoubtedly confront Jeremy and their fledgling relationship would come to an abrupt halt.

I needed more information. If I could figure out what Jeremy was up to—and why—I’d be able to determine whether Cole should be warned about his brother. After everything he’d gone through, and continued to go through, with his mother, I couldn’t help but hope for things to work out with Jeremy. I wasn’t naïve enough to believe they would, but I could still hope.