Page 16 of An Inconvenient Plan
He ignored her brush-off. The stakes were too damn high for that. Instead he pulled out a chair, set it on Hailey’s other side, and took a seat. Rose started up herI hate Joshbarking spree. He spoke above the racket. “How long are you in town for, Bill?”
“It’s Phillip,” Hailey said through her teeth. She dug into her purse and fed Rose a treat under the table. Rose quieted as she chewed.
“That’s what I said,” Josh replied.
Phillip scratched the side of his neck, eyeing him and then Hailey. “Would you prefer I leave you two alone?”
Smart man.“Yes.”
“No!” Hailey turned to Josh. He smiled pleasantly. She fake smiled back. “May I speak to you for a moment in private?” she whisper-shouted.
“Sure.” He turned to the interloper. “Could you watch Rose? Thanks.”
Hailey marched to the back of the café to an empty children’s section. Her back was bare—the dress open all the way to the sweet dip in her lower back just above her curvy ass. Only a narrow white band across the middle of her back held the sides of the dress in place. He clenched his jaw. This was how she dressed for the prince?
He leaned against the wall in a casual slouch by a short kids’ table, hiding the intensity of all he was feeling. It was worse now that he saw the prince up close, looking all pretty, the perfect match for beauty queen Hailey. Jealousy took a gleeful ride on top of missed opportunity and unsatisfied lust. “What’s up?”
She stood in front of him, her pale blue eyes flashing fire. The jolt it gave him was more than lust; it was a primal recognition of a warrior’s spirit. She was magnificent. “What is up?” she half-shouted. “I’ll tell you what is up. Just because our parents are getting married, that doesn’t give you the right to show up here acting like an overprotective big brother.”
“Sorry, little sis. Mad was concerned, so I stepped up.”
She huffed. “Mad was happy for me. You came here because of some twisted sense of honor. News flash, I can handle myself.”
He straightened out of his slouch, keeping his voice low. “I see a player moving in for the kill, I can’t just stand by.”
She leaned in, whisper-shouting at him, “I have plenty of experience handling men, even players, so back off! I donotwant a scene here like when you had a throwdown with Blake Grenier over me. Phillip has security here.” Blake Grenier was the costar in his sister-in-law Claire’s Fierce trilogy movies.
“Blake was an asshole. You knew that and you still wanted to go upstairs with him.” That still pissed him off. They’d been at the Fierce trilogy movie wrap party with Claire and crew. Josh knew the real deal about Blake from Claire, and he also knew Claire had warned all of her friends, including Hailey, to stay away from Blake. So when Hailey hadn’t listened to Josh’s request not to go upstairs with Blake, he’d been forced to warn Blake away from Hailey. The man came at him and he’d neutralized the threat.
Hailey’s cheeks and neck flushed pink, her voice loud now. “He was giving me a tour of where they filmed the Fierce trilogy!”
He went nose to nose with her. “He wanted your panties as a fucking trophy.”
Her breath quickened, lips parted, eyes locked on his. The air vibrated between them for a tense electrifying moment. His gaze dropped to her luscious pink lips, the urge to stake his claim so powerful he held back for a second more, needing to be sure he was under control.
She shifted back a step. “Look, I get that you’re protective, but I don’t need it. Now go before I sic Mad on your ass.”
He crossed his arms. “Mad would back me up. She’d look out for you just the same as me.”
She looked over to the prince, who now held Rose in his lap.Asshole kissing up to her dog.She turned back to him. “Goodbye, Josh.”
“I know his type. He uses women and throws them away. Look him up. He dates models from all over the world.”
She flicked her long hair over one smooth shoulder. “So you think he wouldn’t be interested in me because I’m not a model?”
He lowered his voice to a husky tone. “Not in the way you’d want.”Not like me.
She lifted her chin, proud and haughty and beautiful. “You have no idea what I want.”
“Try me,” he drawled.
She stiffened, but her eyes never left his. She was at least curious what he might offer.
“Is there a problem?” a masculine voice asked.
They both turned to see Phillip standing there.
“Where’s Rose?” Hailey asked.
