Total pages in book: 146
Estimated words: 142214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 711(@200wpm)___ 569(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142214 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 711(@200wpm)___ 569(@250wpm)___ 474(@300wpm)
“I can’t.”
She might be fed up with Greyson and his mind games, but it felt wrong to follow another Greyson encounter with a Soren date—or whatever the hell this was. There had to be some unspoken rule about playing the field with brothers within the same twenty-four-hour span.
“Besides, we have our date this weekend,” she reminded.
“Fine. But that’s not the one you paid for. You’ve gotta get your money’s worth, and I plan on pulling out all the stops.”
“I didn’t actually pay for a date.”
“Doesn’t matter. You won the auction, and as official Bachelor Number Twelve, I’m obligated to deliver you a good time. It’s my civic duty.”
“Well, you’ll have to take a raincheck. I promised Bodhi I’d hang out with him for the parade and fireworks.”
“That’s fine. Gives me time to plan something really special. But we’re still on for tomorrow night.” He brushed a kiss on her cheek. “Pick you up around seven.”
“Okay. I’ll see you then.”
On the ride home, her mind dwelt on the echo of screams as Soren kissed her. The gossips in this town lived for drama like that. Such a juicy public display of affection could haunt her for life.
“Crap.” This would never pass without Greyson finding out about the kiss.
CHAPTER 12
“Oh, How They Pound, Raising the Sound”
“Coming!” Wren rushed to the front door as someone’s pounding fist shook the snow off the awning of her house.
She flung open the door and Greyson stood there, fist suspended in midair. His narrowed glare snapped to her face as he thrust the check forward. “What the hell is this?”
She rolled her eyes, leaving the door open behind her. “You Hawthornes sure know how to make an entrance. Did you ever hear of a phone?”
“Cut the crap, Wren. I went to grab a coffee in town this morning, and several busybodies told me you put on quite the show last night at Jocelyn’s event. Mind filling me in?”
She picked up her mug, hiding behind it like a shield. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“Oh, you don’t? Well, let me clue you in. Apparently, you and a horny elf got into a bidding war for my brother last night at Hook, Wine, & Sinker. You put on quite the spectacle and ended up mopping the floor with her.” He leaned close and growled, “You severely overpaid, by the way.”
“Actually, I didn’t pay. You did.”
“Yeah, about that. It’s not fucking happening. Soren can buy his own sorry ass.”
“I’m afraid there’s no way out of it now. I told Jocelyn you’d endorse the check, and you know how she is. She takes her town fundraising very seriously.”
“I’m not using my paycheck to buy my brother so you can date him.”
“Technically, it came from an unclaimed paycheck. You said you didn’t want it, so why do you care what the money goes toward?”
He took a menacing step forward, then stilled as if catching himself. “You’re not baiting me today.” Tossing the check on the counter, he said, “Tear it up.”
“Can’t.”
“Wren.”
“Greyson, just because you growl at me doesn’t mean you get your way.”
They held each other’s stare for an excruciating few seconds as the threat in his eyes darkened. “You know the rumors aren’t gonna stop. This is just the beginning. You ready for that?”
Her stomach twisted. As much as she hated being the center of Hideaway Harbor gossip, there was no avoiding it now. Not only did Soren come with a ridiculous price tag, but he kissed her like he was claiming territory. Greyson got his brother’s message loud and clear.
She shrugged. If he planned to act unaffected, she could also pretend. She played it off as if the attention didn’t bother her. “Soren does what Soren wants.”
“Oh!” he laughed. “Is that what you think they’re talking about? That’s not how I heard it. No one’s talking about Soren.”
Her shoulders fell. “What do you mean?”
“They’re talking about you, how aggressively you bid on him, how you wouldn’t let the other women have a shot, how your bid was, by far, the highest of the night.” He cocked his head. “You made a public claim, Wren, and that’s how they saw it.”
She looked up at him in panic. “No. On some level, they all knew it was a joke—”
“Maybe they would have, but not after…” His words faded away as he searched her face. “Did you do it? Did you kiss him?”
An avalanche of shame swept over her as hurt flashed in his eyes. “Soren—”
“Did you fucking kiss him, Wren?” he snapped, wanting only the truth. “You either shoved him away or…” His jaw ticked as the air crackled with tension, as if he couldn’t bear to even finish the question. “Did it mean something to you?”
“It was a joke, Grey. We’re just friends.”
“That’s not what you said yesterday.”
“That’s because you pushed me away, and I wanted to push back.”