Chapter 01: When Trouble Walked In

ELLIE

I think being the only single person in a group of friends made up entirely of happy couples who have a lot of sex was affecting me, making me think it was time to find the right guy.

Not that I was really looking; I’d just promised myself not to go out with any more bastards or womanizers after everything I’d been through.

But that’s when the problem started—or rather, that’s when the problem walked through the door.

Ben’s younger brother, Ethan, walked into Zoe and Ben’s apartment during one of our gatherings, which involved drinking a lot of alcohol and catching up.

I hadn’t heard much about him. All I knew was that he ran the London office and was returning. Anna should have told me he was… like that.

Just by looking at him, I’d say he was the kind of guy I called a Wolf Charming. That was my antithesis to Prince Charming, who, in my mind, was what I didn’t want but probably should want. But I always thought Prince Charmings were too perfect and, consequently, boring.

The Wolf Charming was my ideal type—the kind who has wild sex with you and takes you roughly, but who has that charming side and treats you like a princess the rest of the time.

That was the impression the tall, broad-shouldered man with dark blonde hair gave me when he walked into the room, dressed in a suit on a Saturday. He looked too elegant and at the same time fierce and virile.

“Wolf Charming?” I whispered to Anna as we moved closer to greet him with the rest of the group.

Anna, my best friend, was probably the main reason I had this idea of finding the right guy stuck in my head.

Not that she had told me to do it, but simply because she was married to Will, the hottest and sexiest tattooed ex-player and nerd I had ever met. They were perfect together.

I was still trying to convince the two of them to donate some of Will’s DNA, so I could clone him in a lab. I always say it’s unfair that there’s only one Will. Anna hit the jackpot, and of course, so did Will.

“Bastard Charming, from what I’ve heard from Will,” she whispered back.

My smile faded instantly. Not that I judged before getting to know someone—I didn’t do that; I hated stereotypes and typification as a good scientist should—but hearing that would put any smart woman on guard.

In recent months, I’d worked hard to stay away from any womanizers, bastards, and players in New York.

Swallowing the last sip of beer, I leaned forward, placing the bottle on the coffee table before it was my turn to greet the man with striking light brown eyes. He was a good twenty centimeters taller than me, even in heels.

My stomach churned as I forced a smile in response to his, which revealed perfect teeth.

Damn… he’s fucking gorgeous.

I blinked, trying to snap out of the trance.

“Nice to meet you, Ethan. I’m Ellie. Welcome back to New York,” I said, offering my hand while my heart pounded in my chest.

I ignored that, along with the shiver that ran down my spine. Maybe it was because everyone around us was staring with some strange expectation, as if something screamed, two single people in the room, not just me as always.

“Nice to meet you, Ellie.” He shook my hand firmly.

I tried to ignore the quick once-over he gave me, spending way too much time focusing on my breasts. I pulled back as soon as he let go of my hand.

Ben, Will, and Jack gathered on the sofas after Ethan’s arrival, and I pulled Anna into the kitchen for another drink.

“His eyes are just like Ben’s,” she commented.

Yeah, those brown eyes were hypnotic.

Zoe and Bennett, or simply Ben, were another couple in my group of friends who were probably influencing me, though I think in a slightly different way than Anna and Will.

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