Page 6 of After-Party Consequences

Given deMarco’s track record with dates, he was at least as much of a hound dog as Cade. Courtney was a dark horse whoalso had a lot more class than the two of them, but Cade would still take his chances.

Especially when Courtney hissed, ‘Have you completely lost your mind?’

And it occurred to Cade that if Courtney was anywhere near as reckless as his kid sister, keeping it in his pants wasn’t going to be any easier for him than his buddy Zane.

The arrogant thought had the picture of those stunning emerald eyes swirling through Cade’s memory again... But now, instead of the fragile strung-out kid, he couldn’t help wondering...

Whatwouldshe be like now? Because he’d heard whispers she had cleaned up her act and stopped modelling a while back.

He cut off his curiosity, though, along with the strange surge of adrenaline.

Get a clue, Landry.

Charlotte Courtney might be four years older, but she was probably just as much of a handful. There was a reason why he preferred women who were sophisticated, mature and predictable. Something he suspected the former British bad girl would never be...

Zane hitched his shoulder in a confident shrug. ‘ThisBlushbusiness is an annoyance, right? But I’m more interested in sorting out which of us gets Helberg. This is a good way to take you guys on and beat you once and for all. Two birds, one stone.’

‘It’s nuts,’ Cade had to admit. ‘But it also makes sense.’

Could he do it, though? More than two months, dating only one woman?

The prospect didn’t fill him with joy. He liked sex. It was one of the few recreational activities he allowed himself. And he enjoyed the thrill of the chase even more...

‘It’s ridiculous.’ Courtney did not sound happy.

Okay, so now Courtney sounded like he was protesting way too much.

Cade rarely dated the same woman twice—because it tended to give them ideas of the eligible bachelor variety—but he could make an exception for a few months. There had to be a woman who could hold his interest for more than a couple of dates. And not every woman was looking for a commitment. All he had to do was find the right one.

‘You got a better idea?’ Zane fired back. ‘Because the likelihood of us stepping out of each other’s way just because you asked nicely is...what?’

Cade couldn’t help it, he laughed. ‘Afraid you’ll lose, Courtney?’

He found himself relishing the challenge of going up against these two, already calculating the logistics of how to win the bet.

He was headed to the Bay Area this afternoon, to check out some of the properties in the Helberg portfolio on the West Coast which were ripe for redevelopment—in the hope of closing this deal soon. Why not scope out suitable dating options over the weekend at the same time? Seeing as he was going to be based mostly on the West Coast for the summer, it made sense to hook up with someone on that side of the country.

Plus, he’d had an invite tonight to the lavish Fourth of July bash tech billionaire and fellow Louisiana native Luke Broussard and his wife, Cassandra, hosted every year on the estate Landry Construction had built for them and their ever-expanding family in Marin County. Cade hadn’t intended to go. With three children at the last count, the Broussards tended to invite a lot of families to their events and, as a rule, Cade didn’t do families. But the evening bash was an adults-only affair—which had a reputation for being exclusive and private as well as fun and informal. The perfect place to start looking for a woman who was engaging enough to hold his attention until Labor Dayin early September, but who was also as commitment-phobic as he was—without getting caught on camera before he had made a choice.

Thoughts of Charlotte Courtney popped up again, reminding him of a rumour he’d heard that she was a friend of Broussard’s wife, Cassie, another aristocratic Brit and a successful entrepreneur. Hadn’t Luke told him Cassie had bought a dress from her because the former wild child had started some kind of fashion brand?

He frowned. Why the heck had he even remembered that?

Okay, maybe hewasa tiny bit more than just curious about how that kid had turned out, and whether or not she hadreallymanaged to turn her life around, but that was it. The last thing he needed for his summer date was someone volatile or reckless or confrontational—even if she was pretending to be a businesswoman now, instead of just a bratty kid.

‘Not at all,’ her brother, Adam, replied, with a tiny hint of superiority which probably came with all that stellar breeding, something his sister sure as hell hadn’t inherited. ‘Quite the opposite,’ he added. ‘So, just to clarify: we date one woman each, between now and Labor Day. Anyone caught dating more than one woman in that time relinquishes their claim on Helberg?’

‘Right. I’m in,’ deMarco concurred.

‘You’re on,’ Cade replied, shoving the unhelpful thoughts of Adam’s kid sister out of his head. He doubted she remembered him with much positivity either, given the expression on her face—angry and devastated at the same time—when he’d given it to her straight about her behaviour four years ago. So the smart move would be to give her a wide berth if she did happen to turn up at Luke’s bash. And Cade prided himself on always making the smart move.

Adam stared at them both. Then a smile curved his lips. ‘May the best man win,’ he declared.

Cade nodded and smiled back—because he intended to do whatever it took to ensure the best man would be him.

CHAPTER TWO

That night

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