one
Lex
“We need a malestripper, and we need one fast.” My younger sister, Lyra, tugs on my arm. “The bachelorette party is from the city—they’re expecting a male stripper for entertainment.”
“I don’t dance, and I certainly don’t take my clothes off in front of strangers, especially not horny women.”
“Maybe you should—it might loosen you up,” Liv, Lyra’s twin, adds with a smile.
Having grown up with three younger sisters, I’m used to their teasing. But I would have thought they would have grown out of it by now, especially since I’m five years older than my next-closest sibling, Lana. At thirty, I should be well past the teasing phase.
“Look, Lex, the Whitmore family is filthy rich. Why they chose our winery for the bachelorette party and wedding venue is beyond me, but we need everything to go off without a hitch.” Lana raises an eyebrow, daring me to argue with her.
Our winery hasn’t been open very long, but hosting a wedding like the Whitmore’s could be a major financial boost for us and the town of Temptation Ridge. The mountain view alone is enough to make the outdoor wedding a success. My dancing, on the other hand, might have the opposite effect.
“Sorry, Lana. I only came up to snake the drain in the kitchen for Rosie.” Even though the vineyard is where I spend most of my time, I’m also the handyman at the winery.
“That’s the perfect opening line for the bachelorettes,” Lyra’s eyes flash with mischief. “Hello, ladies. Did someone call a plumber? I’m here to snake your drain.” Both Lyra and Liv burst out laughing.
“Don’t mind them.” Lana glares at Lyra and Liv, making them laugh even harder, then turns back to me. “It’s only for one song, and you don’t have to take everything off—just some of it. Besides, with your dark hair, that five o'clock shadow on your jaw, and your muscular body, the women will be happy if you take off only your shirt.” Liv and Lyra alternate between giggling and gagging. “Not helping.” Lana glares at them again, finally silencing them.
“Sorry.” Liv apologizes. “But he’s our brother, I don’t want to think about his muscles.” Both Liv and Lyra scrunch up their faces as their bodies do an exaggerated shiver.
“What are you, three or twenty-three?” Always the mother hen, Lana puts Liv and Lyra in their place.
“Sorry.” They say in unison.
With all three of my sisters distracted, I slip toward the exit to make my escape, just as someone rushes around the corner and crashes into me. I wrap my arms around them to steady us both, only to come into contact with lush curves—the kind a man could get lost in for days, attached to blonde wild curls.
“Excuse me.” The woman in my arms lifts her head, her wild curls cascading like a waterfall down her back, making me want to bury my hands in them and pull her closer, something I’venever wanted to do with anyone else. Her green eyes lock onto mine, and for the life of me, I can’t let her go. “Are you the male stripper?” My arms tighten around her at the thought of her being the bride and already taken. She must sense the desperation in my touch as she steps back out of my arms. “The bride is getting restless waiting for the male stripper. She’ll kill me if he doesn’t show up.”
I breathe a sigh of relief, knowing she isn’t the bride. “Yes. I’m Lex. I’m the dancer,” I say, surprising myself and my sisters. “If you’ll give me a few more minutes, I’ll be right in.” Unable to resist, I brush a lock of her wild curls back behind her ear and watch her eyes flare with interest. She nods and heads back the way she came.
I turn around to find all three of my sisters smiling at me, “How am I going to pull this off?” My shoulders drop in defeat.
“Have you ever heard of the Thunder Down Under?” Liv hands me her phone, and a video shows a half-naked man thrusting his hips to a screaming crowd of women, and I realize how totally screwed I really am.
two
Talia
If Cinderella thought shehad it rough with her two evil stepsisters, she wouldn’t stand a chance against my evil stepsister. Rachel is the evilest of all the evil stepsisters. She made my childhood a living hell, always taking what was mine. My father was so enamored with Rachel’s mother that I was the one who always had to give in—from my favorite doll to the prom dress I picked out, I had to give them all to Rachel and choose something else. It’s gotten so bad that I can’t let Rachel know whether I like something or not, because if she thinks I like it, she’ll steal it from me.
Rachel’s been glaring daggers at me since the bachelorette party began. When she said she wanted a male stripper for her bachelorette party, I thought she was joking. She might be my stepsister, but she’s been in the Whitmore family long enough to know they don’t take part in such scandalous things. Even her fiancé’s widower father wouldn’t stand for a display like this. But whatever Rachel wants, Rachel gets, no matter how tacky.
Not that I would call tonight's male dancer tacky, given his rugged good looks and muscular body—he’s what every woman fantasizes about when she reads a romance novel about a mountain-man hero.
Luckily, the winery owners promised me a male stripper on such short notice. But after meeting him, I wish they hadn’t. His touch felt like a brand against my body when he caught me before I fell flat on my face. I definitely felt some chemistry between us, unless it was just my imagination.
It doesn’t matter anyway. Rachel’s comment about wanting to have one last fling with the male stripper before she gets married tomorrow plays on a loop in my head. That, along with knowingthat whatever Rachel wants, Rachel gets, has me tied in knots after meeting Lex.
I shouldn’t be surprised—she has stolen every guy I’ve ever been interested in. Even her groom was supposed to be mine, but she went to my father and begged him to amend the marriage contract, naming her as the bride instead of me.
Truth be told, I should be grateful she stole Marx from me. I’m still holding out for my Prince Charming to sweep me off my feet. In my dreams, I never pictured him as a mountain man, but after meeting Lex, I can definitely see the appeal of a mountain man over a city guy.
“Ladies, I’d like to introduce you to the main event.” One of the twin owners of the winery steps onto the small stage in the front of the room and speaks into the microphone. “He’s good with his hands and is an expert at snaking drains, if you know what I mean.” She wiggles her eyebrows. “The one, the only, Big Flex Lex.”
The Pony song from the movie Magic Mike plays over the speakers as Lex stomps onto the stage, glaring at either Liv or Lyra. I met the twins and Lana yesterday when I first arrived, but for the life of me, I can’t tell the twins apart.
