Page 5 of Billionaire Bad Boy Auction

She had spent all her time outside. Her hair always pulled back in a messy ponytail. Back then, she’d been a real tomboy. She certainly grew out of that.

She could have been a super model, all soft and pretty. Her hair sleek and perfectly styled. She looked gorgeous.

Damn. She had grown right the hell up.

I knew her story, of course. Everyone in Larkspur Lake knew Portia. She was the girl who’d left town with big dreams and even bigger ambitions. The girl who’d crashed and burned in the city and came crawling back with her tail between her legs. Or at least, that was what the gossip said. I didn’t pay much attention to town chatter, but even I’d heard the whispers.

What I hadn’t expected was to see her here, at this ridiculous event.

Portia’s eyes widened suddenly, and she leaned forward slightly, her hand flying to her face. She sneezed—a sharp, unexpected sound that cut through the noise of the auction. It was cute, honestly, the way her nose scrunched up and she quickly covered her mouth with her hand, her cheeks turning red.

The auctioneer seized the moment before anyone else could react. He slammed his gavel down dramatically. “Sold! To the lovely lady in front!”

The room erupted into laughter and applause. Portia’s eyes went wide with shock, her hands freezing in place in front of her face. She looked at me, then back at the auctioneer. I could see the panic.

“Wait, no—I didn’t—” she started, but the auctioneer was already moving on, gesturing grandly for her to come up on stage.

Portia Watson just won a date with me.

Alexis was laughing while Portia looked around like she’d just woken up in a bad dream. One of the volunteers at the event brought her on stage to stand beside me. She stiffened as she was smooshed against me for the obligatory photos. She glanced up at me with shock still in her gaze. I stared down at her, noticing the wild amount of freckles across the bridge of her nose. They were the same as they’d been when we were kids. The makeup she was wearing was light enough to let those sexy little freckles shine through. Muted but still there.

A sudden flash from a camera caught my attention. Someone from the local press had snapped a picture of the moment. That was going to be one hell of a picture. Portia and me, locked in a tense gaze, caught in a situation neither of us wanted. But I doubted that was what people would see. They would make up stories about the two of us. I knew how this town loved to eat this kind of thing up.

I barely resisted the urge to groan.