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“What’s your big plan?” he asked Brandon.
Brandon shot another look at Ashley, one she didn’t at all care for. Not when her brother’s scheming brain seemed to be working overtime.
Finally, he explained, “The key is that you won’t leave the building alone. Instead, you and Ashley will walk out of the hotel as a couple, looking like a husband and wife who have come to Vienna for the European vacation of their dreams.”
“No.” Ashley was the first to respond, the single word clipped and overly loud as it left her lips. “There’s no way you’re roping me into this.” She glared at her brother, wondering how he could be so deluded as to think his idea would actually work. “No one would ever believe Nash and I are married, no matter how good our disguises are.”
“I don’t see why not,” Nash said.
She turned to stare at him in shock. Was he actually considering Brandon’s crazy idea? “Everything about you screams star,” she said to Nash. “Whereas everything about me screams normal. Disguise or not, neither of those things is going to change.” She had no idea why she had to explain something so obvious to Nash and Brandon. “Which is why I am going to leave now to let the two of you find another way to work this out.”
She was halfway to the door when Nash said, “You playing the part of my wife would really help me out, Ashley.”
Trying to ignore the way her name on his lips sent warmth running through her, she slowly turned around to try, one more time, to make both men see reason. “Of course I wish you all the best in getting out of here in one piece, Nash. And I’m also truly sorry that you have to deal with stuff like this, because it can’t possibly be fun. But the fact remains that I am not the woman for you.”
Before Nash could speak again, Brandon moved to put his arm around her shoulders, looking at her in an imploring way. “Don’t you see, Ash? That’s exactly why you’re perfect for this. Since no one would ever think the two of you are an item, if you’re with a disguised Nash, that means he can’t possibly be who he is.”
Ashley wasn’t insulted by her brother’s logic. Brandon didn’t mean any harm. He was simply agreeing that she checked the normal box, as opposed to the superstar girlfriend box.
“You’re wrong, Brandon,” Nash said. “Dead wrong.” He gazed into her eyes, holding her momentarily spellbound with an extra helping of smolder. “You’re gorgeous, Ashley. Any guy you agreed to be with would be lucky as hell.”
Brandon’s growl came from deep in his chest as he rounded on his VIP guest. “Don’t even think about looking at my sister as another one of your conquests.”
Truthfully, Ashley didn’t know how to react. Not to any of this. She had come here to check tourist destinations off her life list, not to spar with her brother and a larger-than-life musician.
How had her first day in Vienna gone so quickly off the rails?
Granted, when this was all over, she would never forget that giddy feeling in her stomach at being called gorgeous by Nash Hardwin.
She was surprised to find Nash still staring at her, rather than turning to deal with Brandon’s threatening comment. The smolder was still there, but again, she got the sense that he wasn’t putting it on to try to sway her decision. His breathtaking sex appeal was simply a natural part of him, like how she had hazel eyes and brown hair.
“I’d really appreciate your help,” he said again, having to speak quite loudly to be heard over the women screaming his name outside. “If there’s anything I can do for you in the future, I promise to pay it forward.”
While being a single mom had done an awful lot to toughen Ashley up over the years, she still found it impossible to turn her back on someone who genuinely needed help. And given that the noise out on the streets below kept increasing, Nash clearly needed help.
“Okay.” She let out an audible sigh. “I’ll help. But if it all goes sideways—”
“It won’t.” Nash held her gaze a moment longer before finally turning to speak to Brandon. “Will you be able to source clothes, hats, glasses, and shoes for both of us?”
Though he nodded, Brandon still didn’t look happy as he took another threatening step closer to Nash. “I meant it when I said you’d better keep your hands off my sister. She’s helping us out today. So don’t get any ideas. Or else.”
Fed up with her brother’s behavior—especially on the heels of Brandon having previously told her how much he liked Nash despite his past—Ashley got between the men and moved Brandon away from Nash, using the flat of her hands on his chest. She could only imagine what a disaster it would be if they started brawling in the hotel. It was one thing for Brandon to grapple with her other brothers. It would be another for him to start something with his VIP guest all because he seemed to think she hadn’t moved beyond being his vulnerable little sister.
