Page 26 of The Rancher's Plain Jane Wife

Damian surveyed the younger man's tension with dislike. "Does Sarah know about her?"

"Of course—-"Fuck.Too late, Colton realized he shouldn't have said that, and as swift as his reflexes were, they just weren't as swift as Damian's, and the sudden punch to his stomach had him bending over with a groan of pain.

Grabbing Colton by the collar, Damian hauled him back up and snarled, "Don't fucking lie to me again. You really think I'd believe Sarah's fine with you having another girl on the side?"

That much was true, and that was why Colton had realized he had said the wrong thing. And when he saw the fury mounting in the billionaire's gaze, he threw his hands up and burst out with the first excuse that came to his mind. "You got it all wrong, dammit."I'm sorry, Sarah Bear.But a man's gotta do what a man's gotta do to save his assandhis girlfriend's. And he heard himself say, "I'm saying she knows because it'smutual—-"Seeing Damian raise his fist again, Colton started to babble. "Sarah knows the real score between us, and she doesn't mind that I have Beth because she, ah, has someone else, too—-" Damian suddenly released his hold on Colton's shirt, and he crashed to the ground.

"Who is it then?" the billionaire bit out.

Picking himself up, Colton said lamely, "Someone she knew you won't approve." A stupid excuse, but hopefully the billionaire would be satisfied with it—-

"Why would Sarah think we wouldn't approve of this man?" Damian demanded.

Shit.Colton hadn't thought that far ahead, and stuck for something to say, he once again rashly blurted out the first thing that came to his mind. "He's...married?"

Which turned out to be another mistake, with Damian pulling his fist back.

"Oh my God, stop!"

Relief washed over Colton at hearing Sarah's voice, the sound of which was apparently enough for Damian to check his violent impulses, and Colton started breathing more easily as the billionaire took a step back.

"Colton, are you alright?"

Damian, seeing Sarah about to reach for the younger man's bruised face, grabbed her hand and pushed it back down, saying brusquely, "He's still alive, isn't he?"

Colton, seeing the glint in Damian's eyes, quickly nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine. We just had things to...thrash out," he finished awkwardly.

"Are you really okay?" Sarah asked anxiously.

Furious at the way Sarah kept fussing over the boy, Damian didn't wait for Colton to give his answer. "Forget about him, dammit. We're leaving."

And with his fingers still tightly curled around her wrist, Sarah found herself being dragged off, her legs working overtime to match Damian's furious pace.

"Why did you hit him?" she demanded.

"Doesn't matter."

"Of course it matters!"

"Then I'll tell you," he said curtly, "once I'm certain he's telling me the truth."

Sarah froze.What truth?Could Colton have given the billionaire a hint about her feelings for Damian? Made him realize that she might not be as over him as she wished?

Damian could feel the violence inside of him simmering back into life when he saw a fleeting expression of guilt on Sarah's face. "Tell me the truth," he bit out. "Do you know about Beth Cohen?"

The way her face paled was answer enough, and Damian's lips tightened.

With Colton's words about Sarah being aware of Beth's existence proving to be true, did that fucking mean the rest of the boy's claims were true as well? Was Sarah seriously having an affair with a married man? And if she was, had Damian's constant rejections of her driven Sarah to doing it? Was that why she had told him it was too late?

Eleven

Ithink I've been spoiled,Sarah realized over at dinner that evening. Josiah and Naomi had just made their grand entrance, and while Sarah joined the rest of the guests in getting to their feet and clapping, part of her mind remained busy (over) analyzing Damian's present behavior.

He had never ignored me before,Sarah thought uneasily. He avoided being with her, yes, but the moment they were in the same room, he had always been attentive to her needs and never failed to make her feel special. That was how it had always been...until now.

The thought had Sarah searching the ballroom for the billionaire, and she eventually found him seated at a table with his peers, all of whom were unmarried like him. She waited for him to look her way, like he usually did, but this time the billionaire's attention remained fixed on their parents, who were now descending the ballroom's sweeping staircase like American royalty.

Was this him being jealous over something Colton said or did? Or was he truly mad at her for some other reason?She couldn't stop obsessing over the reason behind his indifference, and she couldn't stop her gaze from continuously darting to his table, just to see if he'd finally look her way. But he never did, and even worse—-

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