Page 6 of Forbidden Love

Being near him was dangerous, and partnering with him and his brothers was not a good idea. I wished I could move away, but I couldn’t. “I don’t think it’s a good idea for us to work together.”

Tyler grinned. “Are you afraid you wouldn’t be able to resist me?”

I snorted and stepped back until my wrist fell from his hold. I didn’t acknowledge that I missed the contact. “I can resist you.”

Men in Europe were confident in a way most Americans weren’t. They were more adventurous and attentive in bed. I was more experienced than that eighteen-year-old girl he left sleeping in a hotel room that night.

He moved close to me in the same manner that Todd had earlier. Except this time, I felt his proximity in the hair that stood up on my arms and neck and the slight anticipation in the way my body leaned toward him. “We’ll see about that.”

When he moved away, the air around me cooled considerably. Why did I let him get to me? The thing was, he was so different from when we were kids. He was all man and more confident. I had a feeling he’d be skilled in the bedroom—not that I should even be thinking about that.

I went back to the event but didn’t see Tyler for the rest of the night. When everyone was gone, I went through the donations and found a sizable check from Fletcher & Sons, written by Tyler. Had he anticipated donating before he arrived? Was that his purpose in being here tonight, or was it the potential partnership?

A needy part of me, the girl who wanted closure after we’d hooked up in that hotel room, wanted to know if it was me, but I quashed that notion quickly. There was no way Tyler would ever consider dating me, not with his friendship with my brothers. Besides, if we partnered together, it would make things messy.

He’d always see me as his friends’ younger sister, nothing more. A part of me wanted to prove to him that I was all grown up now. I was a confident woman who could have a fling and walk away. I could prove to him and to myself that I could resist him.

But I wasn’t as confident about that part. I’d hear what he had to say about this potential partnership and then turn it down. I could always use the excuse that I wasn’t sure how long I’d be in town.

No one expected me to stay, so it wouldn’t be a surprise when I left. There was nothing for me here. There never had been. The ski resort was my brothers’. My parents let them run it almost entirely on their own now.

There was never any room for me, not when I was in college and certainly not now. The hollowness in my chest threatened to overwhelm me, but I added up the donations and made notations in my spreadsheet. The evening had been more successful than I’d anticipated.

I’d hoped my friends, Natalie and Alice, could come, but they both had children. Natalie had Delaney, and Alice had Sam’s daughter, Maggie. They didn’t go out a lot anymore, and I couldn’t blame them. I hoped the fact that they were dating Tyler’s brothers wouldn’t make for awkward encounters while I was in town.

I should reach out to more of my high school friends if I was going to stick around. Just because Natalie and Alice were in serious relationships didn’t mean that I had to stay home. I could go out and have a good time.

Oliver came into the room. “How’d you do?”

I tilted the screen so he could see the total numbers.

He whistled. “That’s impressive. I’m proud of you.”

I shouldn’t have felt any pleasure at his words, but I did. I still sought their approval when I received so little of it. When would my brothers stop seeing me as their little sister and, instead, as an adult they respected?

Eli and Xander walked in next. They stood behind my chair, looking at the numbers over my shoulder.

Eli ruffled my hair. “You did good.”

I felt a rush of pride. I’d set out to do something at the ski resort, and I had. “It will be good publicity for the business.”

Oliver made a noise of disagreement. “This was all you. We just provided the venue.”

“You know everyone donated based on the Wilde family name and the resort’s reputation.” They hadn’t invested in me.

“You’re the one who came up with the idea and organized everything. You were the face of the cause tonight,” Xander said.

“I don’t know.” I had planned everything, but it felt a little too similar to what I’d done in my last job. Organizing big events for other people and organizations. None of it was mine.

“You’re not giving yourself enough credit,” Oliver said, taking a seat next to Eli across from me.

“How are you going to distribute the money?” Oliver asked as he leaned a hip against the desk.

“I’m meeting with Todd to discuss ways to target the kids who’d need it the most.” I had more ideas, but I didn’t feel comfortable sharing them with my brothers yet.

“You could also reach out to social services and see if they have any tips,” Eli said, the one in charge of managing the hotel. He had a knack for finding the solution to anything.

“I’d say that’s a better bet than Todd. I think he wants more than your charity work,” Xander said.

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