She, Annika Dev, could never go out with someone like Hudson Craft—evil millionaire who was in the professional heartbreaking business. It didn’t matter if she was going to die alone. She could never live with herself if she dated someone like him, who put out so much negative energy, so many dark, sad vibes into the universe. Plus, how would she feel if, against all odds, she really did have to close down Make Up in a few weeks? How could she continue to go out with him without it making her sick to her stomach? What she was going to do, like the mature, responsible person she was, was get up and let herself out of this room. And possibly out of this party, which happened to be his party, because of course it was.

Instead, Annika found herself getting up and walking to the sculpture on his sleek, otherwise empty nightstand. Come on, Annika. Just leave. But she couldn’t. It was like Hudson had his own gravitational field, and he’d pulled her, a tiny, helpless star, into it. Escape was impossible. “I like all of these sculptures. What’s the story behind this guy?”

Hudson walked to where she stood, all tall and delicious-smelling. She made a point of not letting her breath waver. “I made that in college.”

Annika turned to him. “You made that?” He’d mentioned visual arts in Vegas, but never specifically sculpting.

He huffed a breath and put a dramatic fist on his hip. “What? You don’t think I’m creative enough to be a sculptor?”

Annika crossed her arms. “To be honest? No.”

He laughed easily. “Ouch. Quick and painful.”

“Sorry,” she said, feeling a little bad. She turned back to the teal-and-gold sculpture, tracing her finger along the liquid curves and voluptuously rounded edges. Everything about it was soft and vulnerable, so different from the Hudson Craft she knew. So Mr. Merciless-Forbes-Millionaire-Businessman had an artistic side. There was that disorientation again. She couldn’t keep up with his two halves.

“It’s fine. I don’t really talk about it much. I actually used to want to be a sculptor, but then I realized I wouldn’t make any money that way. And that wouldn’t be of any help to my parents.”

“Oh. They owned that convenience store in rural Ohio, right? And you wanted to help them retire?”

Hudson looked taken aback. “How do you know that? I don’t remember that being in any articles.”

“It wasn’t. I remembered you telling me in Vegas.”

They studied each other for a beat, his eyes softening. “Vegas. Right.”

Annika went back to studying the sculpture, a little unsettled. What was he thinking? Why could she never tell with him?

After a beat, he added, “Well, they’re retired now and their house is paid off. But I still send money home to them every month to keep them comfortable.”