Rival CEO (Billionaire Secrets Book 1) by Ainsley St Claire

Author:Ainsley St Claire [Claire, Ainsley St]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Loisir Publishing
Published: 2024-06-24T00:00:00+00:00

After our walk home, the click of the lock echoes through the hollow space as I step into the apartment first. It’s quiet—too quiet—and I can tell immediately that Crystal’s not here, leaving me with a blend of longing and concern. She’s rarely out without me—or maybe Theo—and though I know she’s with Teagan, the emptiness remains striking.

“Hey, you okay?” Theo asks.

I turn to find the guys behind me, their forms just shadows against the backdrop of the night. “Yeah,” I reply. I toss my keys on the small table by the door and shrug off my jacket, hanging it over the back of a chair. My gaze drifts to the couch, to the spot where Crystal usually curls up with her laptop, chasing down leads or comparing prices for whatever we need.

I can almost picture her there, her focus absolute, her brow furrowed in concentration. The urge to call her, to have her tell me about her night, surges within me. But I force it down, knowing she deserves her time with Teagan, her momentary escape from the relentless pace we’ve all been keeping.

“Let’s fire up the gaming console,” suggests Austin, patting me on the shoulder. He knows, they all know, how much I miss her when she’s not around.

“Sure,” I say, allowing myself to be led toward the entertainment center. Rhys is already scrolling through the game library. I settle on the couch, grabbing a controller. The familiar weight of it in my hands grounds me, brings me back to countless nights spent like this. We choose a game, something cooperative, something that demands less of our frayed nerves and more of our ability to function as a unit.

But as the game loads, I can’t shake the image of Crystal from my mind—the way her eyes light up when she talks about finding a better deal, the pride in her voice when she saves the company money. It stings, knowing that earlier I let suspicion tarnish my trust in her, even if only for a moment. And it stings more to know my partners are the source of that suspicion.

“First round’s on Justin,” Rhys declares, breaking into my thoughts with a lopsided grin.

“Deal,” I agree because, despite everything, these moments with the guys are important too. They’re the fabric of EnergiFusion, of this life we’re building. I pull my phone from my pocket and order some Scofflaw IPA—a beer from Atlanta—for delivery.

We play, we laugh, and we lose track of time. But through it all, I hold on to the warmth of Crystal’s smile, the unwavering support she’s given me, given all of us.

I resolve all over again to make things right, to show her in no uncertain terms how much she means to me, and to all of us.

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