She adopts an injured look that would probably earn her a little gold statue back in LA. “I’m not trying tointerfere, Ellis. You know I’m just looking out for your interests. And with the trilogy wrapping up, any bad press right now could impact your chances of landing your next project.”
Tristan huffs out a laugh, but I can feel his tension in the hand that grips mine. “He just said he’s taking some time off. And Ellis always has half a dozen directors dying to work with him.”
Ellis shoots Tristan a fond smile, but Tahlia looks at him like he’s less than dirt. “The public lovesAgent Ripcord. They’re less forgiving of the face behind the name, especially when they get played by their own mate.”
“Oh, for Pete’s sake!” I explode, having had more than my fill of this wretched woman and her spiteful accusations. “No one is playing anyone! Tristan is devoted to Ellis and Otley.”
She whirls on me, her eyes narrowed to slits. “If you really believe that, then why are you trying to worm your way between them?”
“I’m not!” I drop my duffel bag and step towards her, tilting my head so she can’t avoid my scent wafting her way. “Why don’t you take another sniff, and then you might realize that we’rescent matches.”
Her shoulders stiffen, her alpha pheromones taking on a bitter edge. I can’t see how she can deny what is dancing in the air between us, but she turns her back on me and pulls Ellis aside. “I don’t know how she’s convinced you of this, but you know how easily people take advantage of you, Ellis. I really think you should come back to LA with me…”
Anger spikes through me, but it’s a pale version of the growl that rolls through the screen door. When Otley pushes it open, his eyes are bright with dislike as he stares at the female alpha. “I’d think very carefully before you dig yourself into an even deeper hole, Tahlia.”
Her face pales, but she stands her ground, her chin jutting in the air. “This has nothing to do with you, Otley. I’m trying to protect Ellis’ career…”
“Enough!” he snarls, his dominance shimmering in the air. “The only thing I’m interested in hearing is how you knew where to find Lily. According to the security team, you went straight to Rosie’s Blooms from the airport. How did you know the address?”
“I…” Words fail her for a second, her gaze darting around. “Ellis told me.”
“I did not!” Ellis glares at her, suspicion now written all over his face. “What’s going on, Tahlia? How did you know about the farm?”
“My guess is she’s known for a while,” Otley says with quiet menace. “Crest was her mentor, after all. He must have told her when she took over as your agent.”
“But that’s…” Ellis suddenly backs away from her like she’s radioactive. “Did you know about Lily? All this time?”
“I was acting in your best interest…”
“Mybest interest?” The betrayal in Ellis’ voice makes her wince, but when she tries to reach for him, he makes a grinding sound. “I really wouldn’t, Tahlia. And if you need to hear it straight from my mouth, we’redone. Don’t contact me, and don’t use my name to open any doors for you, because they’ll slam straight back in your lying face.”
Tahlia looks like she wants to argue with him, but Otley shakes his head. “If you don’t think this is a breach of your duty to your client, I’ll happily sue your ignorant ass into the gutter. Now get off our property.”
After a final desperate glance in Ellis’ direction, Tahlia leaves with as much dignity as she can muster, and none of us move until her car has disappeared around the bend. Ellis has been standing as rigid as a statue, but he suddenly slumps against theporch railing and drags a hand over the back of his neck. “What a shitshow. I’m so sorry, Lily…”
“You don’t owe me an apology, Ellis,” I cut him off. “That woman clearly had an agenda. And I’m just glad Leo wasn’t around to witness it.”
“He’s up in his room playing video games with Cody,” Otley says quietly, his eyes still glittering with anger. “I wasn’t going to let her catch even a glimpse of him.”
“Thanks,” Ellis and I both say at the same time. It makes me smile, but Ellis groans into his hands. “I’m just so…appalledat my poor judgment. I should have listened to you, Ot, when you said I needed a clean break from my uncle.”
Otley reaches out to cup his shoulder. “Well, that’s why we work so well together. Your trusting nature balances out my prickly paranoia.”
“Yeah, right. Sunshine and storm clouds.” They exchange a small smile and then Ellis slings his arm around Tristan’s shoulders. “So, how did things go at the farm? I hope Della was less trouble than Tahlia.”
“He was his usual annoying self,” Tristan replies, then shoots me a wicked smile. “But Lily impressed him with her bow skills, so now he’s even more infatuated than he was before.”
Ellis laughs, but Otley cocks an unimpressed brow as he studies my face. “If he’s harassing you…”
“He’s not.” I pick up my duffel bag and pull the screen door open. “How about I fix something for lunch? Leo and Cody are probably about to gnaw their arms off.”
“I have some lobster BLTs from Lexington’s…”
Otley is already striding towards the kitchen, so I use the breather to head upstairs. Anything I can manage to scrounge up for lunch will be far less impressive than the five-star restaurant, so I stop by to check on the boys and then jump in the shower. While I’m used to the June heat, the confrontation with Tahliahas left me feeling grimy, and I take my time, letting the fancy bath products soak away the lingering ugliness. When I’m done, I put an anti-frizz treatment on my curls and dab on a little makeup, before heading back into my bedroom to dig through my duffel bag. I’m still deciding between a couple of uninspiring t-shirts when there’s a knock at the door and Ellis steps into the room, his attention on his phone.
“Oh, sorry.” He stops abruptly, his eyes widening as he takes in my damp towel and flushed skin. “I didn’t mean to barge in. I’ll wait in the hall…”
“Just turn your back and I’ll put something on.”
