Library
Search
Home / Romance / Rule Number One: My Brother's Best Friend / Chapter 33: The Park

Share

Chapter 33: The Park

Author: Scribe
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-19 14:33:24

Why?"

"Because," I began slowly, "Marco's worked long and hard atnot being a womenswear designer. Of course, he's probably going to have to give in and give it a whirl someday." I grinned as Marco made a growling sound under his breath. "Seeing as that's the family business, an' all."

"The family business?" Roxy repeated, her brows furrowing. "Maretti?"

"No, Maretti is just my mother's name." Marco released a world-weary sigh then scowled again. "I'm Marco Maretti-Salvani."

"Salvani..."

We waited patiently, knowing it could be only seconds before the penny dropped. And when it did, Roxy uttered an ear-piercing shriek.

*

I must have ordered stock from Marco for over a year before I discovered the truth, I reflected, checking my lipstick in the mirror one last time before opening the bathroom door and heading back towards the stairs. Marco had persuaded me that it might be a good idea to accompany him to a few other trade shows that year and we'd been on a flight to Milan. He'd asked me
Continue to read this book for free
Scan code to download App
Locked Chapter
Previous Chapter Next Chapter

Latest chapter

  • Rule Number One: My Brother's Best Friend    Chapter 48: What you really feel

    Hauling me upright, he frogmarched me up the stairs and into the flat, only then pausing to flip on a light switch. I blinked hard, momentarily blinded. "I didn't think you'd really be in bed," I muttered as he tugged my coat from my shoulders and hung it up with his jacket. "I thought..."I squinted around the room, searching for evidence he hadn't really turned in for the night, glancing at the battered brown leather sofas, strewn with newspapers as usual, the multitude of discarded mugs on the coffee table and finally at the overflowing bookcase on the far wall, legal tomes and paperback thrillers contending for shelf space. No clues here. Drew only tidied up on very special occasions. "I thought you were just saying that to...""To what?" He swept past me to switch on a lamp."To make a—" I stopped again when he came straight back, realising for the first time he was clad only in a grey t-shirt and plaid boxer shorts, his blond hair sleep-tousled. He reached around me and turned o

  • Rule Number One: My Brother's Best Friend    Chapter 47: Bloody Drunk

    Montague Street was about a mile from where I lived, slap bang in the middle of town. Drew had purchased number twenty-two, a dilapidated and frankly rather ugly two storey building, on moving back to Stow Newton three years ago. He'd intended to do the place up in his spare time, convert it into two flats and flog them off at a profit as soon as possible.In the event, he'd done everything except sell the flats, staying put in the top flat where he'd camped out during the renovation and renting out the bottom flat to a work colleague. It was far too convenient a location to leave, what with its proximity to the High Street, secure off-street parking, the fact it was staggering distance from his favourite pub and also—the cherry on the cake as far as Drew was concerned—that it was two streets away from the railway station.But there was no getting away from the ugliness. It didn't help that the rest of the street wasn't exactly picture postcard material, being comprised of ramshackle

  • Rule Number One: My Brother's Best Friend    Chapter 46: Montague Street

    "No, of course not! I was just thinking that there was no point in us both sitting down here and that you could..." To my enormous relief, because I really didn't have any idea how I might have talked my way out of that one, the doorman beckoned towards us. "Ah, it's here already. That was quick."Saying nothing, but then he didn't need to—I could see the amusement in his expression—Marco held out a hand to help me. I rose slowly, more to make sure that neither coat slipped from my grasp than because I was unsteady on my feet then turned to smile at him. "Thank you for a wonderful evening. It's been..."He laughed. "Interesting?" he suggested."Yes." I knew I was blushing. "Very. And I'll call you tomorrow, okay? To talk about—business."He was still laughing. "Okay." He pulled me towards him and kissed me on both cheeks, making no attempt to kiss me on the mouth this time, much to my relief. "Tomorrow," he agreed, letting me go. "Sleep well, cara.""Thank you. You too. Oh—" As I reac

  • Rule Number One: My Brother's Best Friend    Chapter 45: Half past Eleven

    "Here you are, bella. But I'm not sure it's much colder, I'm afraid."Shit, Marco was coming back! Bending down, I balled up the soft leather jacket and closed the door, only then realising I had no place to hide it. How the hell was I going to explain where I'd got it from? "Fuck," I muttered under my breath as a waft of Drew's aftershave, both familiar and delicious, assaulted my already reeling senses. "Come on, Sam. Think!"I looked around frantically, my gaze finally landing on my own coat draped across the back of the sofa. And racing across the room, throwing Drew's jacket over my arm as I went, I snatched up my long black coat, threw it over the top and took a wild dive towards the sofa."Oh." Stopping short outside the bathroom door, Marco regarded me with understandable surprise. "You're over there now."Sitting primly with one knee crossed over the other, I gestured to my coat and my handbag as he came to hand me the refilled tumbler. "Just... Just getting these," I said ch

  • Rule Number One: My Brother's Best Friend    Chapter 44: Leather Jacket

    it seemed there was little I could do, other than obediently offer my right arm. I watched as he eased the bracelet from its presentation mounting and unfastened the clasp, my heart thumping ridiculously loudly when he finally looped it around my wrist, the metal cold and unfamiliar against my skin."There," he said, looking pleased as he held out my hand to inspect his handiwork and thankfully not seeming to notice that I winced when he grasped my fingers. "It looks well on you, cara."It did, there was no denying that. It was quite the most beautiful piece of jewellery I'd ever been given—and almost certainly the most expensive too. "It's beautiful," I told him again, forcing myself to smile, hammering back my misgivings. "Thank you."Marco gave a nonchalant shrug. "My pleasure. Now..." He reached for the champagne flutes and gave me one. "Let's toast your birthday properly, shall we?" He clinked his glass against mine, his eyes seeming to darken slightly as he regarded me for a mom

  • Rule Number One: My Brother's Best Friend    Chapter 43: Time

    I managed another bright smile and started back along the corridor, rediscovering as I moved just how much of me was aching. In fact, I concluded, allowing myself a grimace as Marco disappeared back into his room, pretty much every part of me was sore. No doubt I'd been running on sheer adrenalin for most of the evening, that and the couple of hours sleep I'd managed to grab after lunch. But the excitement of being offered a new job in a foreign land had definitely worn off. Drew's reaction had seen to that.

How much longer was I obliged to stay here with Marco to discuss the finer details of an offer I probably shouldn't have accepted? How rude of me would it be to fob him off with my "actually, I'm really sorry but I'm knackered" excuse and leave? Probably very rude, I decided, heaving a sigh. It still wasn't that late, at least, not by Marco's standards. I knew from experience he rarely turned in before midnight. Could I keep going until then without collapsing in a heap? What ti

More Chapters

You may also like

Explore and read good novels for free
Free access to a vast number of good novels on GoodNovel app. Download the books you like and read anywhere & anytime.
Read books for free on the app
SCAN CODE TO READ ON APP
DMCA.com Protection Status