Cynthia peeled off to the side once she got into the spacious kitchen so Noah could come in behind her. He was breathing heavily, as though he were actually breaking in.

She cracked a smile. He was so strait-laced it was funny.

Startled expressions covered everyone’s faces as they turned their heads to face her and Noah. A brown-haired, hazel-eyed woman struck out at the air with her hand in a karate chop. She completed the move by stumbling backward and bumping against the fridge.

“I don’t know why you keep trying to defend yourself like that, babe,” said a man with brown hair and blue eyes. He looked vaguely familiar. Could this be… “It will never work.”

The woman clutched her chest and sagged, relief washing over her face. “Oh. It’s just you guys. Good God, Noah, I nearly peed myself.”

“Noah took off.” A shorter woman with dirty blond hair and brown eyes entered the room. “I didn’t see— Oh.” She stopped when she caught sight of them. She braced her hands on her hips and stared at them with a perplexed expression. “Am I going deaf? I didn’t hear you barge in.” Her gaze shifted to Cynthia’s face before dipping to her chest. Then she flung out her finger. “Ha! That shirt rocks. I need one.”

“Cynthia, hi.” The vaguely familiar man stepped forward with a sure step, his body every bit as strong and powerful as Noah’s. “Long time.”

Her suspicion confirmed, she compared the younger image in her memory with the muscle-stacked man in front of her. “Colton?”

His smile hadn’t lost its power. “Yup.” He put out his arms. “How do I rate?”

She gave him a grave look. “Really bad, man. You must think of the glory days constantly.”

Another guy, this one with dark hair, laughed and pounded Colton on the back. “She has your number.”

“Do you remember Dave?” Noah asked, nodding toward the dark-haired man while putting his arm around her back and ushering her deeper into the room.

She squinted as she looked him over, another muscly man with a serious case of the handsome disease. In fact, all the guys in the room were hot, each in his own way. “Not really…”

“Ellen hated me,” Dave said as he leaned against the island. A boyish grin worked at his lips. “I was never allowed to play in her reindeer games.”

“Who’s Ellen?” Ms. Karate Chop asked, leaning against the back counter near the fridge.

“Cynthia’s sister,” Dave said.

“That’s my girlfriend, Madison,” Colton said, turning so he could gesture at her. A softness infused his eyes that was really sweet. “A.k.a. Nunchuks.”

“Hilarious,” Madison said with a flat look before crossing the space and shaking Cynthia’s hand. “Hi. Welcome. Sorry you had to come in through the back. Janie is the worst host in history.”

“Is that how they did it?” the dirty blond woman asked, her eyes sparkling. Ah, so this was Janie. “Noah, you surprise me. Or was it Cynthia?”

“Cynthia, definitely,” Colton said, laughing. “Noah would wait out there until Christmas.”

“Hello.” The tallest man in the room, probably six foot three, sauntered around the others. He had hooded eyes, a sleepy, sexy sort of smile, and a very loose understanding of personal space. He’d stopped firmly within Cynthia and Noah’s bubbles. “I’m Ethan,” he said, sort of leaning in.

“Bro.” Noah put a hand to Ethan’s chest. “I’m right here. I do not need you in my space.”

Ethan laughed in a carefree sort of way, but rather than take a step back, he took a step to the side—still in her space, just not in Noah’s.

“I’m not really sure how this is better?” Cynthia asked, looking up at him.

“It’s great to meet you. I met these guys at the tail end of high school. You wouldn’t know me.” Ethan took her hand and shook it slowly, his gaze one hundred percent focused on her in a creepy, yet strangely alluring sort of way.

“Go away,” she said without meaning to.

Before she could take it back, or say something jokey to ease the blow, the room erupted in laughter. Ethan winked and turned, sauntering back the way he’d come.

“You get used to him,” Janie said, walking toward the fridge.

“Where’s Kaylee?” Noah asked.

“She went into work for a few hours. She’ll be over when she’s through,” Ethan replied.

“Kaylee is Ethan’s girlfriend,” Noah explained.

“And that psycho hunting through the fridge is my lady love.” Dave gestured at Janie. “You’re going to have to find someone new to pick on now, Janie. And please don’t say me.”

“No, no.” Cynthia held up her hand. “Please, pick on Noah. Don’t let me deter you.”

“Nice.” Janie beamed, unleashing a thousand-watt smile.

“Dave, if you know what’s good for you, you’ll keep Janie from picking on me. Cynthia’s creative, and she might target you as payback.” Noah patted an open stool at the island. “Sit. Do you want a drink?”

“Of course she does,” Janie said, ramming into Colton with her shoulder to make him move away from the island. She set down the ingredients she’d gathered from the fridge.

“I want to show her the playgr— Damn it.” Colton shook his head. “The mini-golf stuff.”

“Colton, seriously.” Janie frowned up at him, fearless in the face of a strong man towering over her. Cynthia liked her immediately. “Let the poor girl get to know us before you put her to work.”

“Darling,” Dave said, putting his hand on Janie’s arm. “She is dating Noah. Colton needs to get her input before they talk strategy.”

A look of unease crossed Noah’s expression.

Cynthia laughed. “Yesterday I was hiding from my family in a tree in the front yard. I really don’t think you need to worry about your friends spooking me.”

“Good point.” Dave nodded solemnly. “Colton, get whatever you need to show her. She’s crazy, and Noah won’t be able to cope.”

“That’s my beau.” Janie patted Dave’s arms. “Always saying the right things in every situation.”

“So how do you all know each other?” Madison asked, walking over to pick up some of the stuff Janie had dumped on the island.

“Really? You’re siding with Colton?” Janie demanded. “Hoes before bros, Madison.”

“I am choosing a ho. And a bro. Double whammy.”

“You got me there.” Janie frowned and picked up the silver shaker and the bottle of vodka. Noah shifted, and the firmness of his pressure on Cynthia’s back tightened. He seemed to do that whenever he was uncomfortable about something.

She wondered what it was—some sort of awkwardness between the girls Cynthia wasn’t picking up on? An issue with Colton’s project? She couldn’t tell, and didn’t want to ask in front of everyone. She’d have to remember to do so later.

“Besides,” Madison said, “he won’t stop obsessing, and if Cynthia is as smart as Noah says, she’ll probably come up with something easily. Anything would be better than what he has.” She motioned for Colton to get going, and he didn’t hesitate. “Which leads me back to my original question. How does a smart girl like you know all these morons?”

A laugh bubbled out of Cynthia unexpectedly. Madison wasn’t nearly as prim and proper as she looked. It took a second for Cynthia to figure out where that perception had come from in the first place: the suit. Madison wore the kind of business suit distinctive of someone with a high-dollar, important job. The kind of job Cynthia wanted to work up toward…if she could manage to stay in one company for long enough to even learn everyone’s name. But the devil was in the details. Unlike someone who really was prim and proper, Madison’s hair was thrown back in a messy ponytail, her flats looked worn and comfortable, and no makeup adorned her face.

Cynthia scouted out Janie’s outfit while Colton told Madison about Ellen’s crazy little sister. Janie had old jeans covered in dots of color—paint, maybe? Her shirt, not unlike Cynthia’s, was a little worse for the wear, with a hole in the sleeve and a faded logo of some sort on the front. She didn’t seem to care about her wardrobe in the least, even though her boyfriend was wearing something like the ensemble Noah had started out with.

“So wait,” Madison said, holding up her hand to stop Colton. She turned to Noah. “You’re now dating the sister of an old fuck buddy?”

“And you say I’m the one that always says the wrong things?” Dave asked Janie.

“Pass that award along to Madison,” Janie said, dumping vodka into the mixer.

“Yeah, that sounded bad,” Madison muttered, her face turning red.

“It’s fine.” Cynthia waved it away. “I mean, obviously it’s gross, and I’d prefer not bringing it up all the time, but whatever. It was over a decade ago. I’m not dwelling on the past.”

“Well, you’re here, so clearly you aren’t dwelling on the past,” Janie said. “It takes an understanding woman. I should know.” She shook her head as she added more ingredients to the shaker.

Cynthia shot Noah a confused look over her shoulder, silently asking for more information. His brow furrowed, but before he could say anything, Colton stalked into the kitchen with a binder, a stack of papers, and a laptop.

“So why couldn’t we do this in an office, or wherever this stuff came from?” Cynthia asked as Colton spread it all on the island.

“Because we’re hungry and he’s the cook.” Janie jutted the shaker out in front of her.

Dave sauntered over and took it. “Time to show Noah up.” He posed with the shaker by his ear. His muscles bulged, straining his shirt. A shit-eating grin took over his lips. “Hot, am I right?”

“Would you just shake it?” Janie asked in annoyance.

Dave winked at Cynthia before shaking the drink.

Odd.

“Okay,” Colton said, putting three legal-pad-sized images in front of Cynthia. One she recognized as the wall painting that Noah had shown her. This image was so much larger and clearer, though, and she instantly recognized the artist.

“No way!” Cynthia pulled the papers toward her so she could get a closer look. “Please tell me that you didn’t somehow get Chris Perrin to do murals for you? Because, though I’m not a jealous person, I will be jealous.”

“Chris who?” Colton asked.

“Janie’s alias, you nitwit,” Dave said, handing the shaker back to a suddenly hunched and red-faced Janie.

Cynthia stared at Dave for a moment. Her gaze shifted to Janie, who wouldn’t turn around. She glanced back at Noah, who had a sly grin on his face.

“Nope.” She waved her hands in front of her face and got off the chair. “No.”

Colton paused with his hands out over the island, as though afraid to touch anything. “What’s the matter?”

“She is Chris Perrin?” Cynthia jabbed her finger at Janie. “She is Chris Perrin?”

Madison started laughing as Janie hunched a little more.

Colton relaxed. “Oh, I figured Noah had told you.”

Cynthia turned on him. “And you had one in your house. I can’t believe you.”

Noah’s smile lit up the room. He grabbed her and pulled her up for a hug. “I didn’t pay a dime for that painting, either. Surprise!”

“Bastard,” she said, no weight behind her words. She melted against the feel of him, relishing in the electricity surging between them. “It isn’t fair that you always have it all.”

“Never has been fair. That’s why his nickname is Sterling.” Dave guffawed.

“Mr. Silver Spoon.” Ethan leaned back on his chair. He draped an arm across the back, a move that looked as uncomfortable as it did odd. How did he also seem relaxed?

“Wait…” Cynthia blinked as she stared at Dave for a moment. “You were that main painting. You were in all of those paintings. Wow. It took me a long time to connect the dots.”

“And I was in all the social media leading up to it.” Dave preened. “My baby made me look like a god.”

“Yikes.” Cynthia wiggled out of Noah’s arms and sat back down. “I don’t know about the social media—or god—situation, but yeah. I remember that painting. No offense, but it wasn’t the one I liked best.”

“Um, yes! Offense taken.” Dave held up his hands.

“Can we get back to this now?” Colton pounded on a thickly stuffed green binder.

“See what I mean?” Madison said to Janie.

“Yeah. You win. He is wound up.” Janie poured drinks.

“So if you were so into her, why not buy on the website?” Dave asked Cynthia as she shook off her awe and shifted her attention to the pictures Colton had spread out for her.

“I bid at the event, but didn’t get any of them. When the website came up, I was on a rocky road with work again, so I figured I’d better save my money.” She leaned forward. “I need to see the layout and any other pictures you’ve taken.”