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Ice water filled his veins "How the fuck do you know my type?"

Brennen held up his hands in mock surrender "Dude, I don’t care what you like It’s what the lovely Ms A for tall, blonde and English"

"But you’re Irish and blue," Christian said

"It’s all the saets them hot all the sarabbed a beer fro his feet up on the balcony’s railing "I’ with you"

"You don’t have a date with Zoe?" Christian could barely contain his relief at the news

Brennen took an unnecessarily long pull of beer "I wouldn’t call it a date-date I’"

"When does this joyous event take place?" Christian snatched the beer fro of his Dunhill

"Day after tomorrow Hoover Dam, helicopter tour and maybe a sunset picnic at the reservoir" Brennen laced his hands behind his head "I’ot soot a flash ht"

Christian rolled his shoulders "You’re still tracking those down?"

Brennen’s head swayed fro to a beat only he could hear "Maybe I’ll take Zoe Wo’s at two and they’re not perfor out a thin streaarette in an ashtray sitting on the outdoor bar

"Nah, I’ this as a favor to Martha It’s in the fine print of rumbled "Hell, it’s probably in Zoe’s"

"You should look athis friend’s pain If Martha hadn’t been the best at the gao "Think Martha would mind if I took your place?"

"Have at it, mate I hate helicopter rides"

"Since when?"

"Since I found out I suffer from arachnophobia"

"Fear of spiders?" Christian asked, completely bewildered

Brennen nodded, his face solemn "Got that, too Or at least that’s whatone in bed"

"You have therapy sessions in your bed?"

"God, no I screw rabbed two bottles of beer and tossed one to his friend "Cheers"

"Guess thisto Ethan’s house toht?"

Ethan Rivers threw the wildest, most debauched parties Christian had ever had the pleasure to attend Anything and everything was available: woalities Ethan observed were no one under eighteen allowed and all transactions, as he liked to call them, had to be explicitly consensual

It was a temptation Christian normally succuo and only thy he shouldn’t--BTS and Zoe In the past any reason or rule given to prohibit hi whatever the hell he wanted would have had hi Ethan think of new and i back in his chair, he took a long pull of his beer There were other things he wanted to do, like read the rest of Zoe’s series to get into the head of her villain and run about a yive Zoe tomorrow to cool off so that when he showed up instead of Brennen, she wouldn’t throw so at him Like ninja stars

"Sorry, I’ve already s on the bed and plopped down beside them Retail therapy and a trip to the spa should’ve helped more than just her back However, it had only buoyed her spirits te a store filled with hippie chic clothing had kept her shopping high going

Now that she was alone, she crashed--figuratively and literally--as she fell back on theher to yet another text She grabbed it, reading the five texts she’d previously ignored and her sto before she could hit send on the third one Pressing talk, she braced for her brother’s lecture

"Are you out of your damn mind?"

"You really kno to start a conversation, Luke," Zoe said

"What I know is how not to beat around the bush Every tiet online, there you are with Romanov"

"Maybe you should stay off the Internet" She winced Antagonizing Luke was akin to waving a red flag in a bull’s face

He made an indescribable noise "So it’s true"

She sat up and looked around the rooet her brother out of her now public personal life A copy of today’s paper lay in the closest chair She focused on the front page picture of a Wall Street executive pictured with a blue collar worker "It’s truly a publicity stunt I’ out with him as a favor to Aunt M" Okay, so part of that was true

"You expect me to believe that?" he asked, his tone incredulous

The phone beeped She glanced at it and let out a sigh of relief "Gotta go Melanie’s calling"

"Hold--"

She pressed talk again "Oh, thank God, it’s you"

"Still me," her brother said

"Holy crap!" She ended the call and scrolled through her contact list to find Melanie’s number She touched the screen as soon as her best friend’s picture showed up

"Oh my God, that man is hot," Melanie said when she answered "I ? Of course he’s a good kisser How’s he in bed? You don’t have to tell me Just press one if he rocked your world"

"Sorry to burst your erotic bubble, but it’s only a publicity stunt," Zoe repeated the words, but hearing herself saying theain actually hurt this time

"Damn I had hoped--"

"What? Someone like Ian Ro with a little laugh It was either that or cry a river of tears

The line was silent for a moment "If you need someone to talk to, I’m here for you"

Zoe smiled "I know, but I’m okay Seriously" She traced a pattern on the comforter, then hiked her knees to her chest "Dothey read or see"

"Whatever you need, Z"

After a few more stilted lines of conversation, she finally ended the call and dropped her phone She wrapped her ars and placed her chin on her kneecaps

Touy who kne to do that And she wouldn’t think of Christian at all, she swore silently Not one bit

Never again

She froze, unable to believe her eyes

Christian lounged against a silver sports car that sootten permission to park on the tarmac