Read Online Relentless by Cheryl Douglas - Free Book Online

just behind it. He was rubbing his eyes as he yawned. His hair was standing at odd angles, a rarity for the always perfectly groomed salon owner. She reached up to brush a kiss across his cheek as she walked past him. “Sorry to wake you, babe.”
    He closed the door when she passed the threshold. “No problem, what’s up?”
    “Mind if I crash here tonight?”
    He frowned. “No, but what’s wrong with your room?”
    She scowled, throwing herself down on the mattress next to Brad’s tousled double bed. “It’s next door to his .”
    “You mean the hot cowboy? I thought you were excited about having him as your next-door neighbor?” He stretched out on his bed. Lying on his side, facing her with his head propped in his hand, he asked, “What happened to change your mind?”
    She rolled onto her back with her forearm covering her eyes. “I’m such an idiot.”
    “Hey, no you’re not. Why would you say that, hon?”
    Nikki smiled, in spite of her foul mood. Brad was the ever-loyal friend, her brother from another mother, as he so often reminded her. “I went to his room to proposition him.”
    He leaned forward, his mouth dropping open. “Shut the hell up. You did not.”
    She covered her face with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment. “I told you I’m an idiot.”
    “So he shot you down?” He shook his head. “That’s hard to believe. I thought he was going to tear me apart earlier when he thought I was trying to get you drunk so I could take advantage of you.” He leaned into the pillow, laughing. “I told Ron the story. He laughed his ass off.”
    She grimaced, pulling the pillow over her head. “So glad I could be the butt of your joke.”
    “Come on, honey, don’t be like that.” He tossed a decorative cushion at her. “You know I love you.”
    Peeking out from behind the pillow she was using to shield her face, she said, “I know you do.” She rolled over on her side, hugging the pillow against her body. “I slept with him.”
    “Shut up,” he said, bolting upright. “When you told me you propositioned him, I thought he turned you down and that’s why you were so upset.”
    “No, he went along for the ride.”
    He frowned, eyeing her carefully. “What exactly does that mean?”
    “He was probably just taking pity on me. He didn’t want to humiliate me by rejecting me, so he screwed me and…”
    After a moment of silence, accompanied by a dramatic sigh, he asked, “And? Tell me already; I’ll be an old man by the time you finish this story.”
    She covered her face with the pillow again, feeling like a coward, for the first time in a long time. She was used to tackling her problems head-on, not running away like a scared doe that’d spotted a hunter gunning for her. “He gave me this line about wanting me to be his. He said he didn’t want to share me with other men, ever.”
    Brad shivered, grinning. “God, there’s nothing I love more than a sexy alpha man. And a world champion bull rider to boot. Hello. If he played for my team, I might have to say adios to Ron.”
    Nikki rolled her eyes. Ron and Brad were perfect for one another, partners in business and life. There was no way he’d allow a sweet-talking cowboy to jeopardize what they had found together. “I don’t believe you for a minute. You love Ron too much to even consider being with anyone else.” Not that she wanted the kind of serious, committed relationship her best friend had, but she did have the odd pang of jealousy. He had someone to confide in, someone to support him, no matter what life threw at him. She wanted that someday, just not today.
    He ran his fingers through his disheveled hair, trying to restore order to his trademark tresses. “Okay, tell me what happened and start from the beginning.”
    “I went to his room with champagne and strawberries, hoping he’d be willing to help me celebrate.” She paused, wishing she didn’t have to relive every humiliating moment, but she knew her