Tap That

“I will, but the men need to handle this.” Seth stopped long enough to frame her face with his large, callused hands. “Stay here.” Before she could argue, he closed the door and locked it from the outside.

She kicked the door, cursing her confinement. This was precisely why she and the Stallard brothers had fallen out all those years ago. They’d locked her in the barn office and she’d missed her eighth-grade prom.

Marching back and forth, she cursed under her breath. This was more serious than a stupid dance.

Her men were out there facing a terrible man, a ruthless businessperson who wanted to hold her feet to the fire. It would be hell on earth before she’d take her clothes off for strangers.

She paused, listened, and could’ve sworn she heard a scuffle. Throwing her weight against the door, she groaned when the darn thing didn’t budge. “Let me out of here, Seth Stallard!”

Gathering courage to try again, she went to the far wall and took off at a run. She had just turned sideways to throw her weight against the blasted thing when the door swung open.

Landing on the ground, she stared up at her men, dazed and confused. “Where’s the asshole?”

“By asshole, I assume you’re talking about me?” Bonzo appeared above her then, too.

“What is he still doing here?”

“He wanted to tell you something,” Beck explained, reaching for her.

She took his hand and he pulled her to her feet. “Go ahead. Tell her.”

“I wanted to extend my heartfelt congratulations,” Bonzo said stiffly.

“Heartfelt?” Her gaze worked from one man to the other. “Why heartfelt?”

“Thank him,” Beck said out of the corner of his mouth.

“No,” she said stubbornly. “This man sent his men to threaten my aunt. He tried to hold me to a contract that was manipulated from the start. He promised one thing in order to get my signature but then the contract meant another. He can jump off a moving tractor!”

“I see why the two of you find her so interesting,” Bonzo said. “She’s entertaining.”

“She is that,” Beck said, tilting his head at the end of the barn. “Shall we?”

“Seth.” Bonzo shook his hand and then turned to Lindsey and nodded. “Lindsey.”

She looked away. Regardless of his well wishes, she wouldn’t shake his hand or look him in the eye. He had a chance to be a respectable businessman but apparently honor wasn’t in his business plan.

“So what happened while I was under lock and key?” She was pouting.

“Guess.”

“Blackmail, threats, coercion?”

“You’ve mistaken me for my brother,” Seth teased.

“Never,” she said, wrapping her arms around him and giving him a passionate kiss. “You’re bullies. You know that, right?”

He winked. “We look after our own.”

Beck returned and pulled her away from Seth. After another bout of kissing, she was released. “Is everything handled with Bonzo?”

“Absolutely.”

She breathed a sigh of relief. “So I’m off the hook and stripping isn’t in my future.”

Seth and Beck looked at her as if she’d just spoken a new language. “What?”

“Stripping is definitely in your future,” Beck said. “Your immediate future.”