Page 28 of Buckled in Barbwire

My sister narrows her eyes. “Is he expecting something… more explicit?”

I glance at two women hovering nearby. “No.”

“Then your integrity is safe. Just do it.”

“Absolutely not,” I blurt.

“What’s the big deal?

“I’m not interested in being treated like a pawn just so he can get richer and more powerful.”

Her upper lip curls slightly. “Is that how he makes you feel?”

The heat from last night rekindles in my belly, spreading in a tingly wave that almost makes me gasp. “Not necessarily, but I didn’t agree to his conditions. Who knows what might happen if I did.”

“And what are you getting out of it? Besides him ravishing your mouth and flooding your house with flowers,” Gemma teases.

A crease forms between my brows. “I’m not sure.”

“You should find out.”

“It won’t change my answer.”

She huffs hard enough to send hair flying off her forehead. “Fine, don’t let me live vicariously through you. Whocares about bagging a billionaire. It’s not likePretty Womanactually happened.”

“Don’t make it sound so glamorous,” I mutter.

My sister mumbles under her breath about a wasted opportunity. “What’s your plan instead? Other than taking me on a spontaneous shopping spree to avoid your botanical garden.”

I shrug and continue browsing the store. “To just ignore him. He’ll realize I’m not worth the effort eventually.”

Gemma snorts while trailing after me. “Brody doesn’t seem like the type to give up.”

“An unbeatable challenge is only fun for so long. There are plenty of other women who will gladly—and much more willingly—fill the role,” I say.

“But the entire town already thinks you’re dating.”

“We’re not.”

“Could’ve fooled me,” she chimes.

That deserves a glare. “Whose side are you on?”

“The one where you live happily ever after with Brody freaking Benson. The man is a legend. He’s feeding the rumor mill and supporting our local businesses. It’s no wonder Cloverleaf Meadows puts him on a pedestal.”

My mind is quick to picture him standing tall and proud and capable of annihilating logic. I shiver as if his presence towers over me. Spicy musk and crisp pine infuse the air until I’m breathing him in. His influence is already too much and he’s barely trying.

Gemma is staring at me. Her eyebrows raise higher with each rapid beat of my heart. There might as well be drool collecting on her chin as she anticipates the potential of a juicy reveal. I pull in a slow breath to compose myself. Thelast thing I need to do is give my sister a reaction she can use against me. Another flurry of assumptions will descend along Main Street soon after. Brody would be very pleased.

“Oh, shit. You’re smitten.” Her chirpy tone is positively giddy.

“Definitely not,” I retort. “He bothers me.”

My sister’s audible inhale probably smells bullshit. “Then set the record straight. Find a guy you actually like and throw it back in Brody’s stupid handsome face.”

I’m weighing the option when my phone vibrates in my back pocket. A glance at the screen makes me wince.

Bianca:PAISLEY JANE KEATON!

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