tango. Broad shoulders, dark hair, blue eyes...
Dodger.
Brielle
swallowed back the gasp that threatened. He was an Anderson ? She forced her lips into a smile, while her gaze jumped from one handsome
brother to the other. The deep recesses of her conscience grabbed hold of the
knowledge she hadn’t slept with a creep. A sizable relief. She could lay that
demon to rest.
But with both Anderson brothers dressed to kill, was Dodger the guard…or the groom?
“Hello, ladies.
I’m Greg Phelps, the show’s host,” an attractive Hollywood blond greeted them
from the center of the room. “Welcome to Meet Your Mate .”
The actresses blushed
and gushed like he was the cat’s meow. Greg wasn’t the one causing the flutter
in Brielle’s stomach.
Dear God what if
he recognizes me?
He won’t , her mind
reassured, thanks to the radical appearance change—no red hair, no blue contacts.
Plus, the lack of accent and henna tattoo…and she’d gone up a dress size. Yeah,
she really needed to lay off the French fries.
But she wasn’t
the only one who’d changed.
Clean cut,
impeccable clothes, strong air of authority, the man oozed testosterone. Damn
him—he’d changed for the better. Like his gorgeous eyes and rock hard body
weren’t enough to elevate him to smokin’ hot status. Cripes. Her body already dampened
in special places.
Special places
that were not to take part in this job .
She shook off
her Dodger stupor and reminded herself of the mission.
Soon, nerves
disappeared, allowing training to kick in. Tiny sparks of tension, emanating
from the left, prickled her skin. She settled her gaze on the four contestants
while Greg explained the newcomers’ arrival. The attractive women, ranging from
short to tall, blonde to brunette, all wore similar, half-hearted smiles.
Though not pleased with the arrival of more contestants, none appeared hostile.
Good or bad?
Bad, Brielle
decided, because then she could’ve called the hostile one out and ended this
nightmare before it even started.
With all the
reluctance of a four-year-old at bedtime, she returned her attention to Greg,
as one by one, he introduced the new girls to the groom. It didn’t matter which
brother Dodger turned out to be—groom or guard—and yet she couldn’t explain the
relief shooting through her body when Greg pronounced him the groom’s brother,
Jack.
Why should it
matter?
It didn’t , she insisted.
Her relief had nothing to do with the fact those four beauties wouldn’t be
throwing themselves at Dodger.
Not Dodger , Jack . He was Jack Anderson. The former Army Ranger her uncle had
praised to high heaven. The Neanderthal, who—if he knew her real reason for
joining the show—would pressure his parents and her uncle to make her leave. The
sexy man standing thirty feet away was not Dodger. No. Dodger did not
exist. That was the past. Over and done with.
Tell that to her
tingling, happy parts longing for a repeat performance, wondering if there was
a small broom closet nearby…
Oh, hell no. Brielle dismissed
the absurd notion the moment it surfaced. Her chin rose. And there was nothing
happy about her parts. She was just relieved to know which brother was which.
And now that she did, she could get on with the show.
As each actress
stepped forward to meet the groom, she used the time to resurvey the room,
noting more details. Posh, cream-colored furniture, shiny mahogany floors,
French doors to the outside, gold tapestry drapes and an open door to what
appeared to be a study on the left. The owners can’t be all bad, she reasoned,
as her gaze settled on their taste in artwork. An Andy Matthews original
painting hung above the handsome men patiently standing in front of the
fireplace. Two thumbs up for the show’s producers. They sure scouted out a
beautiful location. Although, the mansion did seemed a bit over-the-top for a
bachelor and his brother. That was Hollywood for you.
Uneager to give
them her attention, she swung