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“I kidnapped my brother. Your wardrobe simply came along for the ride.” The torch lights play over Harrison’s beautiful body, golden hair, and dancing eyes. He’s wearing the same smug arrogance as the day I met him, and I’m sorely tempted to tell him where to go as explicitly as I did then.

“Play with us?” Ash calls from where he’s dribbling the ball, the dog weaving between his legs in pursuit. “You can even be on Barney’s team. He cheats and gets away with it.”

I want to hate Harrison. But in this moment, seeing Ash happy and the brothers together and Barney’s infectious joy for everything, it’s impossible.

Harrison holds out a hand.

“Whatever this is,” I warn under my breath, “it stops tonight. I will do more than throw an entire closet of Brioni in the pool. You don’t get to fuck with me anymore. We’re not together.”

An emotion flickers behind his eyes, but it’s gone a moment later. He nods.

I brush the dust off my silk pants and take his hand.

7

RAE

“Time for bed,” Ash yawns half an hour later.

I drink the beer I’ve been nursing at the patio table while the guys kicked the ball around, trading stories and jokes.

“What’s Barney chewing on?” I ask, realizing the dog has been quiet since knocking me over, content to lie in the corner and ignore both the ball and me.

“Oh bollocks.” Ash cringes.

I cross to the dog and pull a pair of panties out of his mouth. “Seriously? You stole my clothes and fed them to Barney?”

“I stole. He fed.” Harrison glares at his brother. “Did you not take her bag up to my room like I told you?”

“I thought she’d like to make up her own mind about you.”

“Thanks. I think.” I frown as I stare at the mangled fabric.

“I’m going to take a shower before bed. Raegan, I’ll put your bag upstairs. You two sleep well.” Ash disappears into the house, followed by a whining Barney.

It’s just Harrison and me.

I drain the last of my beer and grab the other bottles from the table. “When I left, you were ready to beat the crap out of your brother. What changed?”

Harrison waits for me to go ahead of him into the house, and I try to ignore his physicality. He’s as strong as ever, naked to the waist, tan, carved muscles. His beautiful eyes track me, his cut jaw twitching.

“I asked him a question. He answered correctly.”

Inside, I turn so fast he bumps into me. “Whether I slept with your brother is none of your damn business.”

He takes the bottles from my hands and continues toward the kitchen, chuckling under his breath. “That’s not what I asked.”

The sound of water comes on upstairs. Ash.

“What’s so funny?” I call after Harrison, not bothering to keep my voice down now that his brother is occupied.

“It’s nothing.” He deposits the bottles by the sink before returning. “I’m going to clean up here.”

I’m surprised, but instead of commenting, I go upstairs and find my bag in my old room. Unzipping the suitcase, I retrieve my toiletries and some pajamas before realizing Ash is in the second full bathroom.

Harrison’s still downstairs, so I head into his bathroom. When I get there, I brush my teeth and wash the makeup off my face. I turn to hang the washcloth on the towel rack, noticing pieces of grass and stuck to the butt of my outfit, plus a smudge that’s probably a grass stain from when Barney knocked me over.

This wasn’t the plan for tonight. I was supposed to be having a long, hot bath before collapsing into bed at my hotel, twenty feet away from Ash’s soft snoring. Instead, I’m in Harrison’s bathroom, resisting the impulse to sniff his soap for another hit of familiarity.