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Yet as she stood in the small kitchen of his townhome with him, a powerful wave of lusty need swept over her and Jillian began plotting against her best friend…in the best way possible.
Certainly their two-decade-old relationship would be strong enough to survive adding sex to their fake marriage bargain. And it was most definitely a benefit Dean deserved for giving up his freedom for her.
Chapter Eighteen
Dean
Ten Years Earlier
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Dean slung the beach towel around his neck and shifted on his feet. A slither of discomfort snaked its way down his spine. When had discussing girlfriends and dating with Jillian become so uncomfortable? Hell, when had anything become uncomfortable with Jillian?
She was the one person, even more so than his brothers, that he could relax with. Hanging out with Jillian was probably the calmest he ever was.
Even though he did his best to come off almost as cocky as Wyatt and nearly as confident as Tanner, he couldn’t help but wrestle with an invisible weight of expectation. One that had never really been spoken, but one that lay heavily on his shoulders.
Tanner had practically been born in a three-piece suit and seamlessly stepped into his role at Carlisle International straight out of college.
For as long as Dean could remember, Wyatt ate, drank, and breathed the rodeo…to the extent that his parents had built a barn and stocked it with two horses and damn near every riding accessory needed to help Wyatt train to realize his dream.
And Connor was the epitome of ridiculous. An annoying combination of artistic talent and brains meant his brother could do damn near anything. It was only made worse by the fact that Connor was the most sensitive of all the boys and Dean’s ally against the two oldest who made torturing Connor and Dean their life’s mission sometimes.
But Dean…he didn’t really know his purpose. Most of the time he didn’t care, but he had an occasional twinge of jealousy at all three of his brothers’ focused paths in life. None of them wavered or doubted, just pursued the goals they’d long ago made.
He’d entertained everything from becoming a lawyer to an accountant to a veterinarian and practically everything in between. Nothing felt right, but nothing really felt wrong either. He could probably live with nearly any job, but he didn’t feel the pull or passion that he saw in his siblings.
But none of that mattered when he was with Jillian. He could kick back and just be Dean and that was enough for her.
Until now.
Which was annoying as hell.
She planted her fists on her hips and gave him an irritated glare. “Exactly what’s wrong with a double date?” She lightly punched his bicep. “Ashamed to introduce your girlfriend to your best friend?”
He rolled his eyes and climbed in the bed of Wyatt’s old truck that his brother had left behind when he moved out of town in search of the rodeo fame he’d always dreamt of. He laid the towel on the bed liner and stretched himself out, the early September sun beating down on him, drying his damp skin. “You ought to know that girls get weird about stuff like that.”
Jillian flicked the edge of the terrycloth she’d hastily wiped over her freckled shoulders spreading it out beside him. “That’s just dumb.” She rotated her head and lifted her sunglasses. Before he even met her penetrating stare, he knew she was definitely ready to lay down the law according to Jillian. “If she doesn’t like me then clearly she isn’t good enough for you.”
He smirked at her, squinting against the bright sunlight. “Got your bossy pants on there, Jillybean?”
She grinned in response and slid her sunglasses back in place. “Never leave home without them, Sparky.”
Dean shifted slightly on the towel. “Fine, fine, we’ll do this double date crap.”
“Good.” She lifted her head far enough to hold her mass of hair on top of her head before laying back down and letting the wet tendrils fan out around her. “I’ll take care of all the arrangements.”
He groaned. “Sounding like the Ice Queen there, Jillybean. We don’t need to be going all fancy here. My pinky doesn’t stick up when I drink. Biologically impossible.” A smile tugged at his lips. “Ya know, being ‘new money’ and all.”
His comment was rewarded with a sharp elbow to his ribs and then a second jab when he chuckled in response to the first.
“Dinner and movies casual enough for you, Casanova-wannabe?”
A wave of gratitude washed over him that the fleeting moment of discomfort had passed and they had easily fallen back into just being them. “That works for me. Just make sure your little preppy boyfriend knows how to wear something other than button down shirts and sweater vests.”
“Sure thing, Sparky, as long as you tell your girlfriend to ditch the halter tops and Daisy Dukes.”
Her quick retort brought out an immediate bark of laughter.
He held up three fingers, his thumb and pinkie touching near his palm. “I will make sure she is on her best behavior. Scout’s honor.”
