Page 24 of The Trouble with Sexy (Rock Canyon, Idaho 0.50)

Ryan felt sick having to stand in front of all these men, and it reminded her of what Gemma had said earlier. She did feel a little like a cow at the fair.

Buck went through the names quickly, and when Gracie took the stage, the flurry of bids was downright aggressive until Eric Henderson offered four hundred dollars. Buck pounded the gavel after three “Goings,” and Eric swaggered up to the stage grinning. Ryan couldn’t hear what Gracie said to him, but Eric just shrugged and unceremoniously dumped her over his shoulder. Gracie hollered at him while Gemma and Ryan watched in horror as the large grinning man left the hall with his prize.

Ryan turned to look at Gemma, who was covering her mouth, and she realized that Gemma was giggling uncontrollably. Gemma was still laughing when Buck called her up on stage.

Marcus Boatman and Mike had an intense bidding war, with Marcus bowing out once they reached $375. Mike came up to the stage to lead Gemma down with her hand resting in the crook of his elbow.

A few more women “sold” before Buck called Ryan up onto the stage. She smiled nervously as he introduced her, and she pressed her hands against her stomach, trying to quiet the moths as she searched the crowd for Gregg. She didn’t see him in the sea of faces and started to panic as Buck called for the opening bid. Twenty-five. Fifty. One hundred. One hundred and fifty.

Her eyes focused on the last bidder’s voice, and Chase Trapasso gave her a wide smile. Another voice upped the bid to two hundred, and Chase countered at two fifty, and still she couldn’t see Gregg. Chase was a good-looking guy, but she didn’t want some just any guy. She wanted the man she was crazy about, although at the moment she was pretty sure she was the crazy one, for loving such a jerk. She’d hoped he would have been standing right in the front row, ready to plop down all his money. Maybe she’d pushed him too far and he didn’t want her anymore.

Another voice yelled out three hundred. Chase held his hand up and said loudly, “Three fifty!”

Panic overwhelmed her, and suddenly she reached out to take the microphone from Buck. He was so surprised he didn’t even stop her as she shouted, “Greggory Phillips, where are you?”

The crowd parted a little, and she saw him standing there next to Mike and Gemma, smiling lazily. He gave her a little wave and she saw red.

“Are you going to bid on me or not?”

He shrugged and shouted, “I’m not sure yet. Three fifty is a pretty steep price.”

Her face turned scarlet and she sucked in her breath before yelling: “Why, you lousy, no good . . . you know what? Fine! Don’t bid on me. I’m sure someone else would love to see my tiny white corset.”

The whole room sounded at once, between gasps of surprise and male shouts of approval. Buck tried to take the microphone from her, and she shot him a look so dark the big biker backed up. She turned back to Gregg and nearly choked on the lump in her throat. He was staring at her calmly, and she blurted, “What’s a reasonable price for a woman, then?”

He had the audacity to shrug again. “All depends.”

“On what?” Obnoxious man. How was it she ever thought he was nice? He was awful. He needed to be slapped.

He looked at her squarely. “On whether she loves me or not.”

Her eyes narrowed. “I told you I loved you, jackass!” She handed the microphone back to Buck and started to march off the stage.

“Five hundred dollars!”

Ryan turned around and found Gregg pushing his way toward the stage. She stood frozen as Buck banged the gavel when no one challenged his bid, and Gregg took the steps to the stage two at a time. When he reached her, he pulled her close and whispered, “When did you tell me you loved me?”

She couldn’t look away from his intense expression. “The other night before I . . .” She blushed.

He scowled. “It doesn’t count if I’m sleeping.”

She smiled softly. “Why not? I still said it.”

He put his mouth close to hers and urged, “Can you tell me again?”

Her smile spread impishly and she wrapped her arms around his neck. “If you say please.”

His scowl melted into a resigned smile. “Please.”

She pressed closer and whispered, “And say really loud how sorry you are for being such a jerk.”

“I’m sorry I was such a jerk!” He shouted it loudly and impatiently.

The whole room laughed and cheered. Ryan laughed along with them, and Gregg nudged her. “Are you going to tell me?”

She ran her hand over his cheek, looked into his eyes and said, “I love you, Gregg.”

He picked her up against him and spun her around, making her dizzy. When he set her back on her feet, he cupped her face and kissed her like she was air and he was drowning. The kiss ended when Buck tapped Gregg on the shoulder.

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