Page 35 of My Three Rivals

I was conflicted at that moment, wondering if I wasn’t truly in over my own head, but when Maverick turned to me, his aqua eyes had regained their original color, a deep sense of compassion oozing from him when he gently swiped a matted piece of hair from my forehead.

“Don’t,” I said before he could speak his mind and ruin the euphoria lingering inside me.

“What?” he laughed. “You don’t even know what I’m going to say.”

I turned away and stared up at the ceiling. “Whatever it is, don’t.”

“I have an idea—” he started to say, but I shook my head, keeping my eyes trained upward.

“Not now,” I insisted.

His hand slipped into mine, and he heeded my advice, the two of us staring upward as our bodies returned to normal.

Then we could get back to the battle raging under my roof again.

CHAPTER15

Wyatt

Igritted my teeth, eying the cut wires under the hood of the Bobcat. It was just like all the others, impossible for me to fix. This was going to cost us a fortune in damages.

Clever move on Tegan’s part,I admitted silently, secretly appreciative of her cunning.But this is going to set us back.

There wasn’t anything left to do but send the machines back to be repaired and pay for the damages. There would be annoyed foremen to endure, but given our tenuous business practices, that was as far as matters would go. Still, it was enough, and it was costly, even if it didn’t involve the authorities.

“What are you doing?”

I jumped, startled by Maverick’s unexpected approach. I hadn’t heard him coming over the hill.

I gestured vaguely at the ruined Bobcats. “Did you see what she did?”

Maverick sighed heavily. “Tegan?”

I turned to face him. “Who else?”

He pursed his lips and looked down. “What did she do?”

I laughed in spite of myself, realizing that I really was more amused than I should have been.

“She disabled all the equipment, so we couldn’t break ground today.”

Maverick guffawed and quickly covered his snicker with a cough, but he wasn’t fooling anyone.

“Atticus is pissed about it,” I added, pivoting back to look at the machines. “But he thinks he has her under control now.”

“Actually, that’s what I came to talk to you about,” Maverick said, kicking his too-expensive loafer into the grass. His footwear was completely inappropriate for the terrain, but as I eyed him, I realized his t-shirt was on backward, and he’d missed a loop on his belt. Interest piqued, I waited for him to continue, a sense of knowing falling over me.

“What’s that?” I asked, although I had a feeling I already knew where this conversation was headed.

“Tegan…”

My eyebrows shot up expectantly, my shoulders arching defensively.

“What about her?”

“I think we’re at a stalemate with her.”

Instantly, my shoulders relaxed, and I released a small, relieved laugh. The truth was, I’d been unable to get her off my mind all day, the smell of her lithe, perfect form still clinging to me. I didn’t want to fight with her anymore, despite what Atticus had in mind.

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