Page 36 of Puck You Very Much

Lucy snorted and gave him the middle finger. “I don’t like this bromance between you and Maddie at all! Now leave me alone—I have to prevent a catastrophe.” The next moment, she was hurrying toward the exit.

“You’re acting like a stalker, Lucy!” Matt shouted after her.

“Eat your soup, Matt, before it gets cold.”

“But it’s already cold! I told you that.”

Lucy stopped answering and sped up.

The problem was cut-and-dried: Dax was hot and in a bar. Alone. Even if he didn’t intend to pick someone up, it wouldn’t take long for someone to pickhimup.

Groaning, she ran her hands through her hair. It didn’t matter if he was angry or in a bad mood, the bastard was irresistible and he would get what he wanted. How fortunate that it was her job to prevent him from making these kinds of mistakes.

The Snow Hut didn’t deserve its dreamy-sounding name. Death Hut or Wrong Decision Hutwould have been much more apt. The walls were plastered with dead animals, death metal was blaring from the speakers, and it smelled as if someone had vomited on the sticky wooden floor, the stench redoubled with a beer-soaked mop.

The light was hazy and the company questionable. Lucy would have preferred to be anywhere else. But she wasn’t here to have fun, she was here to piss Dax off and then escort him back to the hotel.

The only good thing about this bar was that Lucy hadn’t seen a single journalist. But that was a small consolation, because there were enough outside the hotel that if Dax wanted to take anyone to his room, the press would find out.

Frustration and restlessness filled her.

She believed she had made progress with Dax last week, but she couldn’t pinpointwhat exactlythat progress was. Matt was right, they weren’t friends, but at least they had…expressed mutual respect for each other, right?

Dax had behaved for her sake, and she had encouraged him. She had also kept his secret to herself. Wasn’t that worth something?

She stood on her tiptoes—wishing for the umpteenth time that her legs were about eight inches longer—as she searched for Dax’s dark head.

Maybe he was sitting innocently alone at the bar. Maybe she had judged him too quickly. Maybe he didn’t want to pick anyone up. Maybe he was simply having a quiet…

She spotted him at one of the square tables and the thought dissolved.

Nope. He was here to arrange a one-night stand. No question. Across from him sat a blonde with long legs, flushed cheeks, and a plunging neckline.

Lucy’s stomach clenched uncomfortably and a bitter feeling that felt suspiciously like disappointment spread through her.

It wasn’t fair that the leggy blondes always won, that they always got the hottest men while Lucy didn’t get a second glance… Wait a minute…

Lucy shook her head, irritated by her thoughts.

Of course, the blonde wasn’twinning. That would mean that Dax was the prize, and that Lucy was annoyed that he didn’t give her a second look…which was complete and utter bullshit! Dax Temple was an arrogant prick who was ruining her job. His ego definitely deserved a little dent!

She lifted her chin, shrugged out of her jacket to make it look like she intended to stay, drew herself up to her full unimpressive height, and strutted across the room.

On her way to Dax’s table, she pulled her mother’s ring off her middle finger, slipped it onto the next, and stretched the corners of her mouth a little to make the smile seem genuine.

She searched for a chair to pull up, but there wasn’t one available nearby. No matter, she already knew exactly the right place to take a seat.

“Hey, darling,” she said breathlessly as she reached Dax’s table. “Here you are.”

Dax’s head whipped around and he stared up at her, mouth gaping. Lucy was shameless and smart enough to take advantage of his temporary speechlessness.

“I’ve been looking for you,” she continued. “My goodness, my feet are killing me. Then again, you told me I shouldn’t wear high heels in my condition, no matter how sexy they make me look. God, I have to sit down.”

The next moment, she wrapped an arm around his neck, sank into his lap, and beamed up at him. Then, she turned to the blonde, who was looking at her like she had a pumpkin for a head. “And who’s this? Nice of you to keep him company while I was otherwise occupied!”

“Um, I…” Uncertain, the woman looked from Dax’s still-shocked face to Lucy and back. “I’m Brandy.” She reached out a hand hesitantly and Lucy took it.

Damn. The blonde was actually nice and didn’t deserve this scene. Lucy, however, had to prioritize the man who was currently digging his fingers into her hip.

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