Page 11 of The Rancher's Wedding Betrayal
Eve was about to walk past the pool area when she saw a shadow detach itself from the poolside cabana, and as her lips parted open, a scream about to tear out of her throat—
Hunter?
Her ex-stepbrother's silver gray gaze clashed with hers. "Where have you been?"
Was it just her...or did he sound ratherangry?
"I was just out on a walk."
Her voice unconsciously trailed off as Hunter closed the distance between them. His hair was slightly damp, as if he’d just showered, and he had changed into a faded gray t-shirt that revealed every sculpted pane of his body, and a pair of black athletic shorts that emphasized the...the...
I think...
Eve quickly tore her gaze away from Hunter and stared determinedly into the pool's blue-lit water.
I'm going to forget what I just saw.
Hunter's jaw clenched at the way his former stepsister avoided his gaze.Why, dammit?Why did she have to keep lying?
He had seen her come out of the stable, and it had reminded him of that time when he had asked Janelle about Eve's whereabouts, and his cousin had shrugged and told him to ask Matt, since the two were "inseparable".
When Eve had told him earlier she was still a virgin, he had never paused to consider why. But now?
Could Braxton be the reason Eve was still single? And if that were the case—where the fuck did that leave him? Was he simply expected to stand by and let another man steal her away from him?
“You’re quiet,” Eve said, growing nervous at his brooding silence. “What are you thinking about?”
“I should be the one asking you that."
She was right, after all. Hewasangry, and she had no idea why. "Hunter—"
He cut her off, asking with uncharacteristic abruptness, "Have you given thought to my proposal?”
Eve swallowed hard at the question, and as silence simmered between them, she suddenly felt self-conscious about how little she was wearing, with her college shirt barely reaching mid-thigh, and her breasts braless underneath. But the moment she crossed her arms over her chest—
Big mistake.
The movement only caused her shirt to inch up while simultaneously drawing Hunter's attention to her bare legs.
Change the subject, now!
Eve cleared her throat. "You never, um...you didn't even explain why we have to marry—"
"Do you really think June would marry my father again if we simply told her we've made up?"
No,Eve thought.
"We have to give her a permanent reason to have hope—"
"And that can only be marriage."
"Exactly."
"But what about you?" she dared to ask.
"Marriage to me is simply a matter of securing my family's inheritance for future generations. If you and I were to marry different people, we'd end up having different heirs."
"But I would never—"
