moment,” I decided out loud.
“I just told you that nothing happened between us,” she said. “Should I go into more detail? Do you want to ask him yourself?”
“I’m just surprised, that’s all,” I said. “Let’s talk about horses.”
“No. Uh-uh.” Peyton crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not talking business until we get this shit aired out.”
“There’s nothing to air out.”
“You’re a terrible liar,” she said, not the first one to tell me that. “I never slept with your brother. You know why?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to know why.”
“Yes, you do. You want to know and I’m going to tell you.” Peyton leaned close, her eyes narrowed. “Because girls threw themselves at him. He’s never paid for pussy in his entire life because pussy falls into his lap. All the time.”
“Didn’t want to hear this,” I chanted, wondering if it would be too childish to stuff my fingers in my ears to ward off any more of my brother’s sexual history before it wormed its way into my mind for the rest of my life. Avery had always been pretty outgoing, but I didn’t need to know that he was a … pussy magnet, for lack of a better description.
“I saw him at the bar all the time,” Peyton said. “After his marriage, too, which was weird.”
“There was some stuff to work out between him and Paisley,” I said diplomatically.
“I don’t care,” she said. “Girls still threw themselves at him, but he wasn’t the same. He didn’t hit them up. I gave him a ride back to his house a couple times when I realized he’d probably kill himself or someone else if he tried to drive. He was passed out completely both times. And that is the extent of my sordid past with your brother, Avery.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. “What about Hunter? Tucker? Chance?”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Okay, you’re right. I am.”
“Except that you’re not.” Peyton pushed her hair out of her face. “You really need to know that I haven’t fucked any of your brothers.”
“It’s not like that.”
“It is like that.” She looked angry, and I regretted that I’d made her feel like that with my pettiness. “Should I quiz you about your previous sexual partners? Should I demand to know who, out of this entire town, you’ve stuck your dick in that I might talk to on a daily basis or cross paths with every so often? Do you see the difference here? The double standard?”
“I get it.”
“You get it. And yet you’re still asking me. You’re still dying to know.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “This is weird for me and not fair to you. I get it. I’m really sorry. If I knew how to stop, to say the right thing, I’d want to be doing that right now instead of babbling at you. Maybe let’s put a pin in it, save it for another time.”
“Oh, hell no,” Peyton said, putting her finger in my face, against my lips to keep me from talking. “I did not drive all the way out to your huge fucking ranch for my job to get in the way of a business meeting about a project we’re both excited about. Hell no. We’re having this meeting.”
“If you insist,” I said meekly.
“Good,” she said, her temper still hot enough to burn. “I think we should start small, with only you and me, testing the waters before we hire anyone else to help us with the operation. Agreed?”
“Just — just you and me,” I stuttered. “Agreed. Sounds good.”
“Jesus,” she muttered after studying me for a few beats. “Okay. Okay. I have a solution. This is going to make everything better. Ready? Are you ready for a remedy? A true resolution to this problem?”
“Okay,” I said uncertainly, trailing off.
“Turn around.” She pointed her finger down and spun it in an exaggerated circle. “Go on. Turn around if you want your solution. Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I tell you to.”
I waited a full breath until complying, wondering what miracle she had in mind that
“I just told you that nothing happened between us,” she said. “Should I go into more detail? Do you want to ask him yourself?”
“I’m just surprised, that’s all,” I said. “Let’s talk about horses.”
“No. Uh-uh.” Peyton crossed her arms over her chest. “I’m not talking business until we get this shit aired out.”
“There’s nothing to air out.”
“You’re a terrible liar,” she said, not the first one to tell me that. “I never slept with your brother. You know why?”
I shook my head. “I don’t want to know why.”
“Yes, you do. You want to know and I’m going to tell you.” Peyton leaned close, her eyes narrowed. “Because girls threw themselves at him. He’s never paid for pussy in his entire life because pussy falls into his lap. All the time.”
“Didn’t want to hear this,” I chanted, wondering if it would be too childish to stuff my fingers in my ears to ward off any more of my brother’s sexual history before it wormed its way into my mind for the rest of my life. Avery had always been pretty outgoing, but I didn’t need to know that he was a … pussy magnet, for lack of a better description.
“I saw him at the bar all the time,” Peyton said. “After his marriage, too, which was weird.”
“There was some stuff to work out between him and Paisley,” I said diplomatically.
“I don’t care,” she said. “Girls still threw themselves at him, but he wasn’t the same. He didn’t hit them up. I gave him a ride back to his house a couple times when I realized he’d probably kill himself or someone else if he tried to drive. He was passed out completely both times. And that is the extent of my sordid past with your brother, Avery.”
I opened my mouth and closed it again. “What about Hunter? Tucker? Chance?”
“You’re shitting me.”
“Okay, you’re right. I am.”
“Except that you’re not.” Peyton pushed her hair out of her face. “You really need to know that I haven’t fucked any of your brothers.”
“It’s not like that.”
“It is like that.” She looked angry, and I regretted that I’d made her feel like that with my pettiness. “Should I quiz you about your previous sexual partners? Should I demand to know who, out of this entire town, you’ve stuck your dick in that I might talk to on a daily basis or cross paths with every so often? Do you see the difference here? The double standard?”
“I get it.”
“You get it. And yet you’re still asking me. You’re still dying to know.”
“I’m sorry,” I said. “This is weird for me and not fair to you. I get it. I’m really sorry. If I knew how to stop, to say the right thing, I’d want to be doing that right now instead of babbling at you. Maybe let’s put a pin in it, save it for another time.”
“Oh, hell no,” Peyton said, putting her finger in my face, against my lips to keep me from talking. “I did not drive all the way out to your huge fucking ranch for my job to get in the way of a business meeting about a project we’re both excited about. Hell no. We’re having this meeting.”
“If you insist,” I said meekly.
“Good,” she said, her temper still hot enough to burn. “I think we should start small, with only you and me, testing the waters before we hire anyone else to help us with the operation. Agreed?”
“Just — just you and me,” I stuttered. “Agreed. Sounds good.”
“Jesus,” she muttered after studying me for a few beats. “Okay. Okay. I have a solution. This is going to make everything better. Ready? Are you ready for a remedy? A true resolution to this problem?”
“Okay,” I said uncertainly, trailing off.
“Turn around.” She pointed her finger down and spun it in an exaggerated circle. “Go on. Turn around if you want your solution. Close your eyes. Don’t open them until I tell you to.”
I waited a full breath until complying, wondering what miracle she had in mind that
Similar Books
