Page 43 of Tempt Thy Neighbor

But maybe telling someone about itwillhelp. Maybe I’ll see just how absurd any attraction I have for him really is.

“It’s a long story.”

She glances over her shoulder when we hear the shower kick on. “Well, you better make it quick before he gets back.”

I give her the short version of my past with Sutton, how we hated each other in high school, our summer together, and how he used me up and cast me aside four years ago.

“I’m not going to lie, that makes him significantly less attractive,” she says when I’m finished. “He just left you there? And hasn’t said anything to you about it since?”

“Other than rubbing the way he made me feel in my face, no.”

“Remind me why you’re living with him again?”

I laugh, but there’s no humor to it. “Honestly? Because I’m stubborn. He crashed my showing with Lucy, then bet me we couldn’t live together without one of us trying to jump the other. And, well…”

“You’re competitive as hell and trying to prove him wrong?”

“Exactly.I know, I know—it doesn’t make a lot of sense.”

“Actually, it kind of does.”

I tip my head to the side, silently telling her to continue.

“Well, I mean, you want to prove to him that you don’t want him, that what happened in the past has no effect on you. He might havehad the upper hand back then, but you have it now.”

Wow. She completely nailed that.

“You’re good,” I tell her.

“I know.” She gives me a sly smile.

“Does Dean know all of this?”

“No, and you’re not telling him either. He just thinks we’re two old friends helping each other out.”

“Come on. There’s no way that’s all he thinks. He’d have to be blind not to see the hatred between you two.”

“He told himself he wasn’t madly in love with you for like a year. I really don’t think my brother is the best judge of these situations.”

“True.” She laughs. “But I think he’d want to know what happened. Then he wouldn’t be so chummy with Sutton.”

“You’re right. He’d probably go high and to the right and try to do something like punch him to prove nobody messes with his sister, but I don’t need Dean to fight my battles. I’m handling everything on my own.”

She gives me a look and nods. “Fine. I can respect that. Your secret is safe with me.”

“And that right there is why I can’t wait for you to be my sister-in-law one day.”

Her eyes spark with joy at the thought of marrying my brother, and a pang of unexpected jealousy slices through me.

I’ve always been fine on my own, never really interested in anything long term. I’ve honestly been too busy to even consider it. Sometimes being on your own gets lonely though.

“With all this history between you, how’s it going living and working with him?”

I blow out a breath, thinking about the last four weeks.

Sure, Sutton annoys the hell out of me just by breathing and he’s too cocky for his own good, but it’s not as awful as I thought it would be…though I don’t think I’m ready to admit that out loud.

“If you consider living with your enemy who annoys you to no end to be fine, then it’s fine.”

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