Page 18 of Her Brother's Billionaire Best Friend

“Hey, you don’t have to tellme twice.” I pulled my shorts up and buttoned them. “The last thingI need is a lecture on top of having to play nice and normal aroundthe bride’s weirdo family. Did you know they run a bear ranch inMontana?”

“I think it’s a bearrescue,” Matthew corrected me, standing and retrieving his ownclothes. “Not a ranch.”

“What’s thedifference?”

“One is taking existingbears in and caring for them. The other would be breeding bears forbeef, I guess.” He hitched his cargo shorts up and I had a momentof shame at the realization I’d fucked a guy who wore cargoshorts.

“Pretty sure you don’t getbeef from bears,” I said, pulling my shirt over my head. “But hey,at least they’re having the wedding here and not there. She wantedto have her favorite bear as a bridesmaid.”

“Yeah, that would have beenkooky. And probably dangerous.” Fully dressed, he went to the tableand retrieved the joint we’d only half-smoked. “Let me walk youback to your villa? We can finish this, and I can make sure you’renot attacked by alligators. Or bears.”

The immediate change backto the guy I’d come up here with was so jarring, it made me laugh.“Wow. You went from ordering me to fuck myself with a bottle toasking me for permission to walk me home.”

Even in the dim outdoor lighting, Icould see his blush. “Yeah. I hope that wasn’t too—”

“This was probably thehottest sex of my life,” I blurted. Not that he hadn’t alreadyprobably guessed. There was no way he didn’t know how good hewas.

He ducked his head as if embarrassed, aboyish and adorable motion for a toweringly tall adult man to make.“Yeah… me too.”

I laughed like a blast froman airhorn. “Liar! You got tied down and fucked by three dudes.Youjusttold meabout that.”

“Fine. But you’re in the topfive.” He put his arms around my waist and drew me inclose.

I realized he was about to kiss me whenhe leaned down, and I stepped quickly back. It wasn’t anythingpersonal, and that’s why I didn’t want to kiss him. I offered himmy hand instead, for a shake. He humored me with a repressed smileand a firm, businesslike grip. I took my hand back and stuffed itinto my pocket. “To answer your question, I’ll let you walk me, butonly to the hedge. I don’t want anyone to see me withyou.”

“Good idea. And we’reobviously not going to talk about this—”

“Ever again,” he finishedfor me. “Got it.”

Something twisted in my chest at thosewords. “Great. Sex concluded.”

He put an arm around my shoulders. Afriendly arm. “Let’s get you back.”

* * * *

(Matthew)

The most exciting sex of mylife, one-on-one division, and I’d agreed to never talk about itagain.

I wanted to run around the resortyelling about the amazing sex I had. Some of them already knew, anddamn, I wanted to buy them beers and reminisce about the good timewe had. But I couldn’t even mention it to Charlotte?

I looked down at the womanbeside me. The woman who had gone back to my room with me anddecided we were going to fuck. I knew people, powerful people, whowere nervous as hell around me because of who I was and the absurdfortune I’d inherited. And this woman had looked at me and decidedto hop on?

There had been nojustifiable reason to refuse her either. Other than her brotherbeing my best friend. And the fact that she was in her twenties,and I was about to turn forty in a few months. And the fact thatshe would allegedly obliterate my heart.

She looked up at me andsmiled, two perfect dimples appearing in her cheeks, and I knewinstantly that Scott was one hundred percent right.

This woman could destroy me.

“You’re awfully quiet,” shesaid. “Buyer’s remorse?”

“God, no.” I shook my head.“No, that was amazing. I’m just really high.”

“Well, right there’s whereyou get off, pal,” she said, pointing toward a y-shaped split inthe path. “I’ll see you around?”

“There’s no chance you’regoing to miss me. I’m going to be at all the ‘functions.’” I madeair quotes. I had no idea why I made air quotes.

“Good. At least I’ll havesomeone to be snarky with.” Her face fell. “No. You’re in thewedding party. You’ll be busy doing wedding partythings.”

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