Page 28 of Bragg's Match

“I’m not holding you against your will.” She tugs on her hand and I strengthen my grip. “I’m stopping you from running away before we discuss what happened.”

“What is there to discuss? I was asleep. I didn’t realize it was you.”

“Didn’t realize it was me? What did you think? I was a life-sized doll? Those things are massively expensive.”

“How do you know how expensive a life-sized doll is? Never mind. Don’t answer. I made a mistake. End of story.”

“End of story? You crawled over the Soleil Wall to get to me. This isn’t the end. This is the beginning.”

“This is the beginning of nothing,” she hisses. “I was asleep. You can’t hold me accountable for my actions while I’m sleeping.”

“What you’re saying is your subconscious wants me but your conscious doesn’t?”

“Exactly. I don’t want you.”

I ignore the sting those words cause. I know she’s lying. Her conscious wants me as much as her subconscious. I may know better than to look down, but I can feel how restless her legs are. I decide to let it go for now.

“Got it.”

I roll to my back and stretch my arms above my head allowing my t-shirt to hike up my chest. I finish the stretch and scratch my stomach. I can feel her gaze on my body. It’s practically scorching my skin. All those weights I’ve lifted when I’m stuck on a coding problem have finally paid off.

I get out of bed and stroll to the door as if I don’t have a care in the world. “I’m going to shower.”

I whip my t-shirt off before I step into the hallway. I smile at her gasp. Challenge accepted, Ms. I Don’t Want You. Challenge accepted.

When I enter the kitchen fifteen minutes later, Soleil is sitting at the kitchen bar with her phone in her hand.

“You’re sure? You’re absolutely positively sure?”

Her gaze flicks to mine and I slow to allow her a good long look. I’m wearing a skintight t-shirt I know matches my blue eyes to perfection. The t-shirt is uncomfortably tight, but I’m willing to sacrifice in the short term to win what I want in the long term. I’d prefer to walk around shirtless but I’m worried after how we woke up Soleil’s head would explode if I did.

Soleil clears her throat before speaking into the phone, “Yes. Yes. I’m still here.”

I turn toward the coffee pot to hide my smirk at her reaction. I never knew chasing a woman could be this fun. Usually, I don’t have time for chasing. I’m way too busy building my company. Instead, I drop a hint about my net worth and a woman can’t drop her panties fast enough for me.

I don’t want Soleil to be the same as those shallow women.

She drops her phone on the counter. “Ugh. I can’t believe it.”

“Believe it? What’s wrong?”

“There are no rental apartments or houses available in all of Winter Falls. How is this possible?”

I don’t say I told you so. I think it. But I don’t say it.

“Maybe because it’s a small town and there isn’t much real estate?” I shrug.

“I thought you were joking when you said there weren’t any rentals available.”

“Elder’s the jokester, not me.”

“Right. You’re the prankster who destroyed his bed last night.”

I wince. It really was a mistake. But Soleil will never believe me. Not now. Maybe I should tone down the pranks.

Nope. What a silly idea. Pranks and fun are exactly what Soleil needs. She works entirely too hard.

Plus, she’s always taking care of her friends. She needs someone to care for her. And I volunteered for the job. Too bad she ripped up my application form and threw it away.

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