Page 107 of Chasing Lynda

Lynda

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“WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK just happened?” Bennett asks, glaring at Dodge.

Before Dodge can answer, Carter joins in. “Yeah, I mean, you can’t marry Lynda!”

“The fuck I can’t!” Dodge reacts, staring at his friends. “I don’t know how we hadn’t thought about it before. This is the solution to all of our problems.”

Bennett runs a hand through his brown hair, mussing it up in a way that still manages to look sexy. “Yeah, but—”

Carter intervenes again, his dark blue eyes filled with barely contained fury. “Sure, you marrying Lynda solves all our financial problems and gives us the chance to keep your dad out of jail. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate the fact that you’re sticking it to Chrissie and Mitch too in one fell swoop. But I thought we had a fucking deal. I thought we all agreed that we’d all be free to explore things with Lynda. I fucking care about her and I’m not ready to give her up.”

Bennett nods in agreement. “Carter’s right. I like Lynda. I haven’t liked anyone like this since ... Chrissie. And she’s everything each of us thought Chrissie could be but never was.” His ice blue eyes skim over me in a soft caress as he lowers his voice. “Lynda is sweet, smart and she doesn’t try to manipulate us and divide us to reap the benefits of us fighting. I don’t think it’s fair that you claimed her for yourself, Dodge.”

Dodge stands up from his spot next to me, crossing his arms over his broad chest. “What else was I supposed to do? Was I supposed to let Chrissie and Mitch take everything? All the fortune my family built in the last hundred years, this house and the company? You know better than me that losing control of Butten Enterprise would also mean losing everything for your families. Or do you think that Mitch would let your parents keep their positions in the company and their seats on the board?”

Bennett and Carter keep glaring at Dodge, until the latter sighs. “I understand all this. But that doesn’t change the fact that you shouldn’t have acted unilaterally.”

Dodge claps Carter on a shoulder. “Look, I don’t think Lynda and I getting married should necessarily change our deal.”

Bennett snickers. “Right! Are you saying that you’d be happy to let us fuck your fiancée?”

Dodge shrugs. “After Chrissie dumped me, we planned on living together in the hotel penthouse. I know the hotel is gone, but actually now that we have the trust fund, why not get a house? Our deal can still stand. If Lynda was to choose one of you over me, I’d only ask her to stay married to me for the five years required by the clause in Pop-Pop’s will. What she did behind closed doors, would be no one else’s business. But—”

Zane speaks up for the first time, just a second before I have the chance to say what’s on my mind.

“You know, Dodge, this is all very sensible and I appreciate you considering our feelings in this fucked up situation. But there’s one thing none of you three assholes has even thought about doing during your dick measuring contest.”

The other three men look at Zane with varying degrees of confusion.

Dodge is the first to ask. “What did we forget?”

Zane’s green eyes land on me. “I haven’t seen any of you asking Lynda what she wants; unless we missed a proposal before you announced your engagement.”

I have all their eyes on me.

Zane is right. How the fuck do I feel about all this?

I’m mad at Dodge. “Zane is right. What if I don’t want to marry you, Dodge?”

I feel a lump forming in my throat. It’s happening again.

My freedom and my choices are being taken away by men for their own gain.

Dodge’s eyes widen, he looks surprised by my reaction, which confirms that he really hadn’t considered my feelings. “Lynda—” he says and I bolt.

I stand up and rush out of one of the full-length windows that from the living room lead into the backyard.

The sea scented breeze reaches me, making goosebumps appear on my naked arms; despite being June, it still gets chilly when the sun begins to set.

I walk fast through the huge yard and into the garden; all I have in mind is putting distance between me and the guys, I have no real destination in mind. Because the reality is that I’ve nowhere to go.

“Lynda, wait!” Dodge catches up with me at the edge of the garden, where the manicured lawn gives way to the golden sand of the private beach. “Lynda!”

He closes his strong fingers around my biceps pulling me to him and I struggle against his grip.

I don’t even know why I’m fighting him; my fight or flight instinct is heightened to the max right now.

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