The Romeo Arrangement

“And?” Tobin lifts a brow. That’s damn near screaming for him. “Did he find anything out of sorts?”

“Yep. A tracking device just like the kind I pulled off the Sellers’ truck that night at the Bobcat. One of those fuckers slashed a brake line, too.”

Tobin mutters a curse under his breath, then straightens like he’d been saying the rosary.

I frown.

It’s never a good thing to see him that shaken up.

“Bebe called last night. She said she’s arrived back in Los Angeles and the press releases should be posted by noon today.”

“Perfect.”

I’m glad something’s gone right and she’s following through on her promise.

Whatever else she is, the woman always comes through for me in a pinch, and the dumpster fire performance of my last couple movies wasn’t her fault.

She warned me about all the actors who bombed when they tried moving into producer roles.

I’d already checked out by then but hadn’t fully moved on.

“I’m going to take some bacon and eggs over to the cabin, in case our guests are getting hungry.”

“Great. Try to get some solid grub in the old man. He’s improving by the day,” I tell him.

Whether he ever admits it in this lifetime, I know Tobin enjoys the company around here.

So do I.

And if I have my way, I’ll continue enjoying it, particularly my time with one sexy blonde wildcat.

Grace is dumping grain and pasture in the feed bin for the horses when I step into the barn, and the sight of her makes my jeans feel three sizes too small.

Hell.

I close the door, latch it, and walk over, meeting her as she walks out of the stall.

“Missed you when I woke up.”

“Oh, I…” Her cheeks flush red and she averts her eyes. “We, um…we probably shouldn’t have done that.”

A flash of disappointment hits but dissolves just as fast when I realize she’s only saying that shit because she thinks she should.

Casual hookups aren’t her thing. She’s more old-fashioned than damn near every girl I’ve ever bedded before, and honestly?

It gives my dick an appetite for everything but doubt.

“I woke up smiling, darlin’. Can’t remember the last time that happened. If you’re worried about any hard feelings here…they’re only below the belt. Promise.” I flash her a grin.

“But we’re pretending, remember? Aren’t you worried about complicating things even more?”

“I remember. And fuck complications.” I step closer, sliding my hands inside her open coat to grasp her around the waist. “Wish I could say I came out here to talk, but…Jess found a tracking device and a cut brake line on my truck.”

She gasps, her eyes wide, and she grabs my upper arms. “Ridge! They could have—”

“Kept me from having the best sex of my life?” I interrupt. “Yeah, tragic.”

“Will you be serious?” She rolls her eyes. “That’s bad news. Scary news.”

I pull her forward, firmly against me so she can feel how hard I’ll fight for her if any of those pricks show up where they shouldn’t.

“I know. I’ve got you. I’m not letting go.”

Smirking, I push my hips into hers, making sure she senses something else that’s hard and just as determined as my will.

“Stop it.” She’s trying not to smile. “I’m not falling for your games again. We need to focus on the bad guys.”

“We will.” I lean down, brushing a kiss on her temple. “And I recall the game being very, very mutual.”

She sucks in a sharp breath and releases it slowly.

“Fine. You win. Now can we—”

“Seems like the attraction’s pretty mutual, too,” I add. “As it should be, considering we’re engaged.”

“Fake engaged,” she quips, dropping her head against my chest. “You don’t hear me arguing, but we can’t just keep—”

“Why?” I interrupt. “Give me a good reason. We’re adults, we’re responsible, and we know full well what we’re doing.”

Lifting her head, she asks, “Oh? What are we doing? Besides ignoring thugs who were trying to set us up?”

“Fuck them. I said it’s under control.” Grabbing her ass, I press her harder against me. “All this talk when we could be doing something better.”

I grind out a sigh, pressing my forehead to hers, brushing my lips across her hot mouth like a kid with the forbidden candy.

“Ridge!” She slaps my shoulder, even while laughing. “Be serious.”

“Fine. I’m pulling together a backup with my crew. Faulk almost has his resources in place, and we’ll bring in Grady and Drake soon. The full force of the Dallas PD might not seem like much when it’s half a dozen deputies, but they’ll have our backs, and so will the Feds. Bet we’ve got more than a few agents just waiting for their chance to bust the Old Town Boys.”

She melts against me, relief already filling her. “You’d best not be playing.”

“No, Scout’s honor. I’ll tell you another secret—I’ve had a hard-on that could hit a home run since I woke up. Only one way to fix that. The same cure we had last night. What was it, six damn times?”