Page 58 of Riding the Storm
“Is it what?” I say too fast.
“It sure is!” Harleigh blurts out. “Looks like she took that walk in the woods last night after all!”
Shelby’s jaw drops. “No, you did not!”
“Nothing happened,” I lie, blending concealer like my life depends on it.
“Oh, something definitely happened,” Shelby says, stepping in and shutting the door behind her. “That bull rider branded you.”
“It’s not a brand!” I snap, then realize how ridiculous that sounds. “It’s. Just. A. Mistake!”
Harleigh giggles. “A mistake, huh? How big of a mistake are we talkin’?”
I groan and flop into the chair by the vanity. “It was a lapse in judgment, okay? Atemporary lapse.”
Shelby crosses her arms, smirking. “Uh-huh.”
“It was,” I insist. “And it doesn’t leave this room.”
Both of them exchange a look that screams,Yeah, right.
“I mean it,” I say, pointing at them. “Not a word to anyone. Especially Matty.”
“Why?” Harleigh asks. “She seems to like Bryce just fine.”
“She likes him because he’s a paying client,” I say, dragging in a deep breath. “And getting involved with him is unprofessional. I can’t be the girl who sleeps with our clients. Word gets around fast in this town, and it’ll make me look bad, which would make Wildhaven Storm look bad. And Matty will lose her ever-lovin’ mind if she finds out.”
Shelby leans against the dresser, smiling. “You’re overreacting. I don’t think she’d care.”
“She would, and I don’t want to lose her trust. She took a risk, letting me take over for Giles. I can’t let her down. It was a heat-of-the-moment thing, and it won’t happen again.”
Harleigh clasps her hands under her chin, eyes twinkling. “Oh, come on, Char. You’re seriously telling me you got to roll in the hay with the sexiest man to ride a bull, and you’re calling it a mistake?”
“Yes,” I say firmly, though my voice wobbles.
She raises a brow. “And does Bryce think it was a mistake?”
I glare at her reflection. “Like he cares one way or the other. I was just another notch on his very jagged bedpost, I’m sure.”
She raises a brow. “What about that?”
“What?”
“The hickey,” she says, pointing to my ear. “You don’t leave that on someone by accident. He wanted to mark you.”
I smother a sigh and focus on my reflection, dabbing more concealer on the spot until it’s mostly hidden. My pulse is racing due to their questioning—and from the memory of Bryce’s hot breath against the exact spot on my throat.
Shelby shakes her head. “You’re crazy, Charli. If I had a night with a man like him, I’d shout it from the rooftop.”
“Same,” Harleigh says dreamily. “I’d be skipping the party and going back for round—”
“Okay!” I cut in, laughing despite myself. “Enough.”
But Harleigh’sgrin only widens. “Fine. I’ll keep quiet but only if you answer one question.”
I narrow my eyes. “You’re blackmailing me now? Is that any way to treat your sister?”
“Consider it sisterly curiosity.”
