Page 20 of Beautiful Distraction

“You’re mistaking me for someone else.”

“Ava’s driving a white Ford,” Mandy butts in, not reallyhelping. “Where do you think you met her?”

I lift a hand to stop him before he gets a chance to reply.“It’s none of your business, so butt out.”

“Whatever.” Mandy shrugs.

“Maybe I am confusing you with someone else,” Mr. Hot Guysays.

“You are.” I groan inwardly. Not because he’s trying toexpose me so openly in front of my best friend, but because I’m forced to lookat him…and don’t like what I see.

In the indirect light of the fireplace and several tablelamps, he looks magnificent…and oh so intimidating.

He’s beautiful, no doubt about that. His features aresomething you usually see on movie posters, and his clothes barely hide theAdonis body underneath them. But what makes him dangerous material to anywoman’s heart—and panties—are his magnetic eyes.

The kind that whisper sweet promises of nights filled withendless lust and clutching at the sheets in ecstasy.

The kind that draw you in with no guarantees of a tomorrow.Or even post-sex breakfast in bed. Come morning, he’ll be gone, carrying yourdamp panties in one hand and your heart in the other. His eyes narrow on me,taking me all in, from head to toe.

“Hmm.” He leans forward, and his knee almost brushes mine.The gesture is so intimate, I can almost feel his touch on my skin.

Why won’t he just drop it?

Maybe he really has no idea where we’ve met.

Irritated, I turn away, sipping on my cup of tea and burningmy tongue in the process because I don’t know what else to do with myself.

“I don’t thinkwehave met,” Mandy says. “I never forget a face, and most certainly not someonelike you. I’m Mandy, and this is Ava. We’re from New York, by the way.” Shepoints her hand at me and leans forward, her ample bust on full display.

“Kellan Boyd,” Mr. Hot Guy says, ignoring her attempt atflirting.

Kellan?

I fight the sudden urge to say his name out loud, just tohear what it sounds like on my tongue.

I lean back and deliberately turn away from him as I watchMandy’s reaction.

Her whole posture’s changed. She looks kind of agitated. Isthat shock etched in her features?

But why?

“Did you just say Boyd?” she asks slowly. “Like the Boydbrothers?”

Licking her lips, she crosses one leg over the other andbrushes a strand of blond hair out of her face. The gesture is so innocent andyet provocative I almost cringe. She peers at me meaningfully, like I’msupposed to understand something major. I shrug my shoulders at her.

Does she know him?

AmIsupposed toknow who he is? Because I sure as hell have no clue.

Do you know who I am?

I remember his question. I didn’t know the answer then, andI sure as fuck don’t know it now, so I shoot Mandy a questioning look.

“The Boyd brothers own a string of nightclubs,” Mandyexplains to me in an excited whisper.

“That would be my brother, Cash. I’m just an investor,”Kellan says coolly and raises his eyebrows. “What’s someone from NYC doingaround here?”

He’s an investor.

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