And then she let herself out.
Well, hell.
He’d just been schooled.
An unexpected smile tugged at his lips.
Vince had landed himself one helluva woman, but then, his cousin already knew that because he’d married her.
So where did that leave Sutton?
According to Emma — somewhere between potential good guy and forever douchebag.
Hmmm…not much of a choice was it?
Bookmark: 16
-16-
Elizabeth was blissfully lost in her painting for the gallery show when a knock at the door interrupted her creation.
She thought to ignore it but when the knocker seemed intent on gaining entrance, she sighed grumpily and went to the door.
A very handsome, boyishly devilish — and quite obviously a Buchanan — stood there with the most exquisite flowers she’d ever seen.
“Um. Hello?” She ventured, not sure what to think. “Who are you?”
“I’m Reece…and you must be…the lovely woman taking up all my big brother’s time. May I?”
Elizabeth glanced down at her paint splattered overhauls and the tiny tube top she was wearing underneath that barely covered her breasts and didn’t know how to react.
She didn’t want to be rude to Sutton’s brother but…what would Sutton think about her spending time with his family?
He hadn’t seemed keen on introducing her, for obvious reasons and she didn’t think anything had changed in that department.
But Reece seemed harmless enough and nice, even. And besides, Sutton was a jerk so who cared what he thought.
Reece, as if suddenly remembering, handed her the flowers. “These are for you. I hope you like exotics. I think they lend a certain something, don’t you?”
Elizabeth accepted the beautiful blooms with undisguised pleasure. No one had ever brought her flowers before. “My name is Elizabeth, pleased to meet you. Come on in.”
Reece took a quick glance around the apartment.
“A little cramped isn’t it?” he remarked, though it didn’t seem insulting, just an observation.
“Oh, it’s much bigger than my last place. And nicer, too,” she couldn’t help but add. “I like the neighborhood here and it’s within walking distance to Kerr park. I like to sketch there sometimes.”
“Ahhh, yes, an artist. Let us get acquainted. I bet we have much in common.”
She liked Reece almost immediately and it didn’t have anything to do with the fact that he’d brought her flowers when Sutton had never done anything quite so chivalrous.
Buying her an entire wardrobe didn’t count because he’d done it for selfish reasons, she countered in her head.
“So did Sutton ask you to come and keep me company?” she asked, trying not to search for small kindnesses in Sutton’s inexplicable behavior.
“God no. Sutton is oblivious to most things, including me. But I, on the other hand, notice a great many things, such as when he decides to move out of the west coast cousins’ place and seek out a place of his own that’s separate from any of the multiple holdings we own throughout this city. Makes a man go, hmmmm, doesn’t it? So then, I figured, he must want some sort of privacy, something off books. And because I’m bored most days, seeking out the truth of my brother’s secret seemed a worthwhile endeavor and here I am, sitting and chatting with a most intriguing woman.”
“Well, told like that, it does seem intriguing,” she murmured, though a tingle of apprehension threatened to ruin their light banter.
What if Reece already knew about her arrangement with Sutton and he was coming to get a taste?
“So, are you and Sutton close?”
“Close is a relative term,” he answered, sinking into the sofa while she put the flowers into water. “How did you meet, exactly?”
Elizabeth bit her lip, not sure what she should share. Of all the things she thought she might think today, wishing Sutton here there was not one of them!
But she didn’t know what to think about this visit with Reece.
He was, admittedly, very handsome, charming, and probably used to getting his own way just like Sutton, but what did he want with her?
But Reece seemed to sense her apprehension and said, “Don’t answer if you don’t want to. I’m just a nosey shit most days. Frankly, I’m jealous. My brother always seems to find the prettiest, most unusual gems for himself. I dabble in art, myself. You can’t possibly have that in common with my brother; Sutton wouldn’t know a Picasso from a Rembrandt.”
She laughed. That much was true.
“Yes, but would you believe we met at an art gallery?”
“Ahhh, let me guess, Covington House?”
“Yes. How’d you know?”
“Because Buchanan Enterprises recently acquired the art house — tax shelter if we’re being honest — and Sutton had drawn the short straw. I volunteered to take it but Sutton, for whatever reasons, had decided to keep it. Fate is funny that way, isn’t it?”
Elizabeth nodded, letting that information sink in.
If Reece had been the one in the gallery that day, how would things have turned out differently?
“But that’s my brother, the luckiest bastard in the bunch,” Reece said with a sigh. Then he brightened and asked, “Would you permit me to see what you’re working on?
Elizabeth hesitated, never being one to openly allow strangers to look at works in progress.
“I promise to be complimentary,” Reece said with a charming smile.
There was something so easy-going and nice about Reece that she relented with a warning, “It’s a work in progress, so please keep that in mind.”
“No judgment,” he promised with adorable cuteness and she relaxed. Why couldn’t Sutton be more like Reece?
She took him into the spare room where Sutton had set up an art space for her and walked to her canvas.
Just seeing it again gave her goosebumps.
It was her favorite — wonderfully wild and out of character — art piece yet.
To her delight, Reece was immediately drawn. “This is spectacular! I must buy it. I want it now. When will it be finished?”
“It’s not ready,” she laughed. “And I can’t sell it yet. I’m having a gallery showing. You can buy it then.”
“Then I will,” he announced with a grin. “You are a rare talent indeed. Truly wasted on my blockhead brother though. He has no eye for true art.”
Was Reece flirting with her?
She couldn’t quite tell and she was so backward when it came to the social dance between men and women that she didn’t even know how to ascertain if he was flirting or just being nice.
So she just blurted out, “Are you flirting with me?” and Reece laughed as if she were too cute for words. Admitting sheepishly, “I mean, I can’t really tell.”
“And if I were?” Reece asked, his voice dipping into seriously sexy territory but it made her feel weird. Did she owe some kind of loyalty to Sutton after he’d plainly said he didn’t owe her fidelity of any sort?
Elizabeth offered up a small, unsure laugh. “Then I should warn you, I’m not very good at that thing.”
“And if I said, I like that about you?”
“Then…I don’ know what I’d say to that.”
Elizabeth should’ve been affronted his obvious forward nature but to be honest, it felt nice to have someone share a common interest as well as find her attractive.
And Reece was quite good-looking.
Were all the Buchanans insanely handsome? Surely that wasn’t fair in the big scheme of things. Where was the balance in the world?
Reece started to lean forward and she realized with a flutter in her heart that he meant to kiss her!
Oh! What the hell?
But just as their lips were about to touch, a voice at the doorway made her heart alternately leap for joy and freeze at the same time.
“Brother, if you value your fucking face, you’ll get your fucking lips off my woman.”
***
Of all the things he never expected to see…Elizabeth laughing and joking and about to kiss his little fucking brother!
The rage coursing through his veins was hard to contain. It took everything in him to remain calm on the surface when he wanted to punch Reece in the throat.
Elizabeth was his.
Although sharing had never bothered him before, it made Sutton see red to think that someone else might want to enjoy his sweet peach.
Particularly his fucking little brother.
The little sneaky prick.
“Sutton,” Elizabeth’s surprised gasp kept him from tossing Reece out on his ear. Instead he lounged against the doorjamb as if cool as a cucumber. “When did you get here?”
“Apparently just in time,” he retorted, shooting Reece a cool look but the little shit never took anything seriously and just laughed off Sutton’s ire.
“Is it my fault you leave your toys unattended?” Reece said with a shrug. “Besides, you know I can’t abide a mystery.”
“And I can’t abide anyone pissing on my territory.”
Sutton caught the indignation on Elizabeth’s beautiful face and he knew she wanted to say a few words but wisely remained silent.
She didn’t want to reveal the nature of their relationship, which was just as well, it was bad enough that Emma knew.
“You never did appreciate what was right in front of you, why start now?” Reece said with a smirk. He turned to Elizabeth, kissing her hand. “Until we meet again…”