Page 90 of Summer Love

"I don't think I like the idea of us being voted on like we're meat or something,” I managed to say.

Shep scoffed. "Speak for yourself. I love stuff like this."

It wasn't that I cared about the result; it was the idea that this was supposed to showcase who we were to the community. Voting on the hottest man was a cheap way to gain attention. I was worried about the tone of the article and how we would be portrayed.

I hadn't gotten good vibes from Valerie. She'd been watching us closely, almost like she was a shark scrutinizing the best way to eat her prey. I didn't trust her, not like I did Elena.

Did I trust Elena to have our best interests at heart? Dad was counting on me to ensure this was positive publicity.

Voting on who was the hottest felt shallow and a little gross. Would anyone even be thinking about our carpentry skills?

Shep's hand landed on my shoulder. "You're overthinking this. It's for fun."

"If you say so." But my muscles were stiff, my neck tight.

We headed over to our trucks parked in the small lot by the beach. I was looking forward to talking to Elena tonight about us and the article. I just hoped she said what I wanted to hear. Dad was counting on me, and I couldn't let him down.

* * *

At home, I showered, prepared chicken, veggies, and potatoes for the grill, and fired it up while I waited for Elena to arrive.

She messaged when she stopped at home to check on Grams, and then when she was on her way. By the time her car pulled up, I was driving myself crazy with the what-ifs. What if this article put the company in a bad light? What if people thought we weren't serious about the business? That we were just interested in a good time?

I didn't think Elena would do that, but how much control did she have over the layout and the direction?

I opened the door for her before she could knock.

She wore the same outfit as earlier, and she smelled like sunscreen and something tropical. It was intoxicating. I pulled her toward me and kissed her. I wanted to press her against the door and have my way with her. I eased back slightly and said, "I have food on the grill, but I'm having other ideas."

She laughed, her palms on my chest. "Let's eat first. I didn't have time during the shoot."

I willed my dick to calm down. There was a conversation I wanted to have with her, and I wasn't sure how it was going to go.

"Food first," I agreed as I closed the front door and led the way onto the deck where the food was already cooking on the grill.

"It smells great."

"I thought we could eat and talk about things."

Her cheeks flushed. "You mean what you said at the shoot?"

I pulled her into my side. "I'm in love with you, and it might be too soon or whatever, but I know how I feel."

"I love you too."

I kissed her, aware that she was hungry, and this couldn't go any further yet.

When she pulled back, she said, "Was there something else you wanted to talk about? You seemed tense when I arrived."

"It could be the built-up sexual attention from earlier." It was torture not to touch her while everyone was surrounding us, especially when I told her how I felt.

"Are you sure that's it?"

I sighed. "Shep mentioned something about your staffers talking about a poll. Who's the hottest brother?"

She winced. "That's an idea that Valerie's been throwing around. But it wouldn't be part of the article. If she did it at all, it would be an online thing. For fun."

"I don't like the idea. I don't want people to think we're just cruising for women or something." It didn't help that Elena and I couldn't show everyone how we felt about each other. Not until after the article had been out.

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