Page 17 of Accidentally Checked By My Brother's Best Friend

“How about you tell me what happened with you and Duncan last night?” Her voice takes on a tinge of amusement, and I feel heat creep up my neck. “I may have underestimated just how sexy that man is.”

You’re not the only one.

Keeping that thought to myself, I give her the facts and only the facts. “I was waiting for David and Scarlett to come back so we could wait outside the locker room for Duncan. But the press found me first. Then Duncan intervened.”

“I’ll say he did,” Caroline’s sultry voice carries over the phone, and I roll my eyes. “That picture is causing quite a stir.”

Thepictureis causing quite a stir? How about the man in the picture and the stir he’s causingme? My heart races for a different reason as I once again recall the feel of his arms wrapped around me. The musky scent of cedar radiating off him. It’s all but branded in my memory.

He’s branded in my memory.

Dropping my head in my hand, I grumble. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Depends on who you’re asking. I, however think this presents us with an opportunity—”

“Caroline—”

“You haven’t even heard me out yet!”

“This time.” I rub my hand up and down my face. “I’ve been a part of your schemes before.”

“This isn’t a ‘scheme’. It’s a well-crafted idea, one that I think could silence Nathan...for good.”

The thought of getting my ex off of my back sends a sense of longing so deep that I nearly moan in desperation. But IknowCaroline, and I’m afraid of what concoction her mind has come up with. She’s a fantastic agent, but she missed her calling as a screenwriter.

Whatever this ‘opportunity’ of hers is, I’m positive I don’t want to be cast as her leading lady.

“Okay. Spill. But please don’t make me regret considering this.”

“Really?” The excitement in her voice already makes me regret letting her present the idea, and she hasn’t even said anything yet. “Okay. So I spoke with Duncan’s agent, Finn Mitchell—”

“No,” I say, in a tone that brooks no argument. And one Caroline steamrolls right past.

“Finn and I thought that maybe you and Duncan could—”

“Caroline,” I growl.

“Pretend to date,” she finishes excitedly. Pretty sure she’s chewing the cover of her pen, waiting for my reaction.

“What?!” I screech. “Are you kidding me right now?”

“Not kidding. Social media is loving you and Duncan.” The glee in her voice has my stomach swirling. “Everyone loves the ‘Grumpy/Sunshine’ trope. And they loved seeing this grump of a man getting sappy all over you. He’s an internet sensation. They even have a nickname—”

“Stop. Caroline. Just stop,” I groan, leaning my head against the back of the couch, my palm planted on my forehead. “Duncan and I are practically family.”

“But you’renotfamily,” she says with way more enthusiasm than I can handle right now. “That’s the beauty of this. Besides, Finn says that it worked out magically for one of his other athletes.”

My mouth falls open. “What type of agentisFinn?”

“A good one. And one who cares about his clients,” Caroline spouts. “Just like me.”

“Hah!” I sputter. “This doesn’t feel like caring.”

“Sweetie, listen to me.” Her voice takes on a serious tone. “Nathan is out of control, and I’m not sure what he’ll do. How many times has he reached out to you today?”

Pulling in a deep breath, then slowly releasing it, I think about the hundreds of messages flooding my phone from Nathan. Not to mention the new ones that have probably come in since I’ve been on this call with Caroline.

“Exactly. You need someone like Duncan to keep you safe…from Nathan.”

---