Enchanted (The Accidental Billionaires #4)(38)

“Yeah, well, real life doesn’t have to suck,” Seth said grimly.

“It does,” I told him right before I knocked down a good portion of my third bottle of beer.

“Have you talked to Andie at all?” Aiden asked. “You seemed to be having a good time with her in Cancún.”

I’d connected with both Aiden and Seth a few times while I was out of the country, and I hated myself for sounding so enthusiastic at that time. “Not at all,” I replied flatly. “Why would I? We had a good time while it lasted, but she’s Owen’s friend.”

I tried like hell not to think about that last hour on Eli’s jet. It had been awkward and silent. We hadn’t said a single word to each other. Not even as we’d disembarked from the jet.

“I got the sense that she might have been a little more than a friend,” Aiden pressed.

“A fling,” I said, the words tasting bad in my mouth.

Like I’d told Andie, I didn’t do flings. But maybe I should think about it in the future. Perhaps it would help me become more sophisticated about screwing a woman and just walking away after our bodies were sated.

I finished my beer and reached for another, pissed off at myself for not just getting over Andie Lawrence.

Problem was, I couldn’t forget all of the things that had happened. They played through my mind in a loop, and I watched that particular movie in my head over and over.

Why didn’t I see that she wasn’t up for more? Why did I think she’d want to spend her life with me?

Hell, the entire relationship had been too much, too fast.

Once I’d had a chance to cool down from the anger-that-was-really-pain that I’d experienced after she’d blown me off, I’d done my best to reason things out. I wanted to figure out exactly when our intentions became so different.

I’d wanted everything almost from the very beginning.

She’d never said she wanted the same thing.

No strings attached . . .

She’d never taken that back. I’d just assumed that she’d felt differently by the end of the trip.

Dammit! I’d felt her emotions, and she sure as hell should have been able to decipher mine.

I’d chalked the whole thing up to me and Andie just being too . . . different.

I’d wanted it all.

She’d wanted nothing except the experience of being with me.

I looked up, and two sets of eyes were staring at me inquisitively. Obviously, Aiden and Seth expected me to say more. But I had nothing more to say. I really didn’t want them to know I’d fallen hard over a span of two weeks for a woman who wanted no future with me.

I felt like a fucking idiot.

I didn’t really want to show them just how naive I’d been.

Damn both of my brothers for being the type of guys who looked a whole lot deeper than most men did. When it came to family issues, they were relentless.

However, they’d never pushed me about a female or my feelings about one, and I didn’t want that to start now. I was the oldest. I was supposed to be giving them advice. I didn’t need them to try to get me to spill my guts. I didn’t do that. Ever.

“What happened?” Seth asked curiously.

My gut hurt with the need to tell them everything so we could try to figure it out together. I wanted to tell someone. Fuck! I was sick and tired of trying to keep everything to myself.

Now that I didn’t need to be a father figure to my brothers and sisters, I wanted to be their damn brother again.

I wanted Seth’s and Aiden’s advice. After all, they were both married and happy. I knew they had more experience with females than I did. Hell, almost any other man in the world had more knowledge of women than I did.

It was just so damn hard to shed the instinct to be the oldest and wisest, be that guy who didn’t need anyone’s input on life situations.

“Nothing happened. We saw a lot of stuff in Mexico. We ate a lot. We fucked. And then it was over.” It wasn’t exactly a lie, but it wasn’t entirely true, either.

“Bullshit, Noah,” Aiden said harshly. “You look like your whole damn world is ending, and that’s your fourth beer. You rarely have more than one, and never more than two. Something’s up.”

“I’m thirsty,” I said as I glared at him.

“Are you working your ass into the ground again?” Seth asked as he surveyed my face.

“No. I can’t fucking concentrate,” I admitted in an ornery tone.

“Something happened between you and Andie,” Aiden stated with no uncertainty.

I glared at him. “Do you think you’re psychic now or something?”

“I know you, brother,” Aiden shot back, sounding unperturbed. “When have you not been able to concentrate? When have you just screwed a woman you didn’t care about? What the fuck happened?”

I was starting to feel the effects of the alcohol. I’d downed those brews pretty fast, and I really wasn’t used to drinking more than one beer in one sitting. “Fine. I wanted more. Andie didn’t.”

“How much more?” Seth questioned.

I was spilling my guts, but damned if I really cared anymore. I needed to get used to the fact that I was now on equal ground with all of my family, that we could just talk like brothers. “I wanted to marry her. Are you happy now?”