“Triple.” He grabs the quiver of arrows and dangles them in front of her. “Look, I’ll pay you a thousand dollars right now if you give me a little taste.”
Not in this lifetime or the next, buddy.
Before I can stop and remind myself that this is a very influential client, I grab his arm and growl, “Don’t harass her, Carlos. She’s a businesswoman, not one of your Hollywood starlets. We’re lucky she’s even letting us use her farm.”
His smile just grows at my irritation, but Lily presses a hand to my shoulder, easing me back. There’s concern in her eyes, but also a hint of gratitude, and that’s worth stomping on a dozen clients’ toes. “It’s okay, Tristan. Why don’t we just go outside and see if I’m really worth all this fuss?”
I huff out a sigh, but Della crows like that obnoxious rooster Logan was badmouthing earlier. Lily ignores him, clearly already preparing herself for the demonstration, so I focus on carrying the target outside and setting it up. She’s a picture of poise and strength as she hammers three arrows into the center of the target, and it’s hard to miss Della’s appreciation as she turns to give us a lopsided smile. “Something like that?”
“Exactly like that, you goddess!” Della hoots, and while she packs up her equipment, he slaps me on the back. “That’s screen gold right there. And if you convince her to plaster that pretty face all over this campaign, I’ll double your fee, too.”
There’s no missing the covetous gleam in his eyes, but I just shake my head. “Stick to the storyboard, Della. Lily is off limits.”
His dark eyes narrow, but there’s a thoughtful look on his face as I stalk towards the barn without a backward glance. I’m fairly certain I’m leaving a trail of steam in my wake, but I forget about him the moment soft hands grip my shirt and Lily pulls me in for a hungry kiss. “I loved the way you growled at him for me, Tristan.”
I hum against her mouth, pleasure rolling over me in addictive waves. As she twines her arm around my neck, I have a hard time remembering anything that happened before stepping into the barn, but I manage to say, “Della’s a pushy asshole, but if you want to be the face of the campaign….”
“I don’t care about that. I just want to make the most of this while it lasts…” She breaks off, her gaze catching on the collection of old toys in the corner. There’s that hint of something again – sadness or nostalgia, I can’t tell - but then she shakes her head and pulls me closer. “I just want to thank you for looking out for me, Tristan.”
“Always.” Equal amounts of pride and protectiveness bloom in my chest, and I nuzzle into her neck, close enough to her mating bite to make her shiver. “This job is just a blip in time, but the way I feel about you, that’s inching closer and closer to forever…”
“Tristan.” She melts against me, her eyes gleaming as I press a soft kiss against her lips. It’s not frantic and hungry, like I imagined when I teased Ellis about claiming her in this barn, but it makes my heart fill with so much yearning I’m surprised I don’t light up like a camera flash.
Instead, we’re jerked apart by someone clearing their throat in a loudly obnoxious way. It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell Della to go for a hike when I take in the tall, elegant alpha standing in the doorway, a sneer on her perfectly painted lips.
“Well, well, Tristan,” Tahlia says with a satisfied purr, “so this is what you get up to when you’re hard at work.” She folds her arms across her chest and cocks her head like the barn cat that just got the cream. “What’s the saying again? While the alphas are away, the frisky little mate will play?”
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN – LILY
“That’s a typically ignorant thing to say, Tahlia.” Tristan’s arms tighten protectively around me as he glares at the stunning stranger in a tight red pantsuit. She has pin-straight brown hair with the kind of stark, sculptured features that I thought only existed in fashion magazines. She’s also an alpha and I can smell her peppery scent even over the warm, earthy fug of the barn. “And just for the record, we don’t need anyone’s permission to be here.”
Tahlia? The name doesn’t ring a bell, but she’s scowling at me like I’m a nasty horse apple she’s found squished under her expensive Italian stiletto. “But you need permission to be on my land,” I tell her. “Who are you exactly?”
“I’m going to tell Ellis about this,” she says, ignoring my question and waving a manicured nail between us. “He needs to know exactly what he’s risking his career for.”
“Oh, give it up, Tahlia…” Tristan huffs, but she’s already spun on her heel and is stalking away in triumph. He blows out a breath, and I grimace in apology, but he cups my face, histhumbs brushing soothingly over my cheeks. “Hey, don’t look so worried. Tahlia is Ellis’ agent, but stirring up shit is her specialty.” The thought of that sneering woman having anything to do with Ellis sits all wrong with me, but I’m distracted by the way Tristan licks his lips, the corners tilting up in a wicked grin. “Besides, the guys know exactly how I feel about you, and they’d be ecstatic to know that we were making out in your barn.”
I smirk at that, and Tristan makes a low sound in the back of his throat before dipping down for another kiss. It’s just as sweet and hungry as all the other ones we’ve shared, but now there’s an edge of possessiveness that makes warmth bloom in my belly. “Come on, let’s head home and warn Ellis that Tahlia’s on the warpath.”
I’m a little wary that she might be hiding in the huckleberry bushes waiting to ambush us, but when we rejoin Della, he’s alone and his flirty manner is nowhere to be seen as he frowns into the distance. “I tried to stop her from busting in on you, but Tahlia Durant is both the witch and the flying house in this scenario.”
“That’s Kansas, not Idaho,” I tell him. “But I’m happy to sign the contract. If it’s everything you’ve offered, we can get started as soon as you like.”
“Perfect,” Della grins, slapping Tristan on the back. “Then I’ll get onto my lawyers and see you fine folks tomorrow!”
Della whistles as he strides over to his car, and it’s Tristan’s turn to roll his eyes, but I quickly kiss the exasperated look off his face. It’s easy, then, to convince him to help me hitch the old Airstream to my truck, which is a difficult maneuver on a good day. We’ve both worked up a sweat by the time we’re done and I crank the air conditioner as high as it’ll go, loading Bloomer and my extra duffel bag into the back seat. Bloomer is ecstatic about going for a ride with us, treating our necks to sticky love licks as we take the road away from the farm. Once we’re on thehighway, we roll down our windows and sing along to the radio, and for a while I forget everything but the warm pressure of Tristan’s hand on my thigh. But my mood comes crashing back to earth as we arrive at the manor and find Tahlia standing on the porch, her hand on her hip and a scowl on her face as she argues with Ellis.
“Crap. Looks like her broomstick is faster than your truck,” Tristan mutters.
I nod silently, my dislike for the other woman growing as I take in the lines of stress on Ellis’ face. She clearly needs an attitude adjustment, and I can feel my temper rising as I park and grab my duffel bag. Bloomer bounds ahead of me, no doubt in search of Leo, but Tristan rounds the truck to take my hand firmly in his. Something that Ellis’ agent focuses on with all the venom of a prairie rattlesnake.
“I can’t believe you’re openly flaunting yourselves in front of him,” she sneers, her manicured hand clutching Ellis’ arm. “That mating bite doesn’t smell like you or Otley. Which means there’s probably a pissed-off alpha around here somewhere, ready to drag your name through the mud.”
“Enough, Tahlia!” Ellis’ face flushes an angry red, but it’s his icy tone that sets her back on her heels. “You don’t know what you’re talking about, and Lily is none of your business, anyway.”
“Everything that affects you is my business,” she says in a placating tone, pulling a water bottle from her tote and passing it to him. “Why don’t we talk about this inside? The heat in this godforsaken town is diabolical.”
I’d be quite happy to direct her ass back over state lines, but Ellis just folds his arms and leans against the porch railing. “I said everything that needs to be said, Tahlia. I’m taking a break from acting, which means I don’t need you blowing up my phone or chasing me across the country. This is myprivatelife, and I don’t want anything interfering with it.”
