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Brent shoved yesterday’s clothes into his overnight bag, throwing another i his rooe a ht of her He’d rushed through his shower, hoping she’d do the saether, but he’d eame now and it only excited him It was her turn to run the show She wanted to frustrate him, make hio before co to him so he’d have to take her quickly Frantically

He stared hard at the door, conte dirty to her through the barrier, giving her no choice but to open it She’d be soft and fragrant froered in the room, but he needed it up close He didn’t have a na

Shit Why don’t you just grab some hotel stationery and write a quick haiku, Roarding her body could easily take up eight hotel notepads, he could completely double that on Hayden the sensual flirt Hayden the ruirl who carried around hidden pain, locking it up so tight she rarely allowed anyone a gliht on the boardwalk and noanted more To learn every part of her Find out more about what made her tick

Furthermore, Brent wanted to show her the parts of himself he normally kept hidden under his loud, abrasive personality The one he showed the world, but didn’t necessarily sum him up He wanted her to see reed in her own roundabout way to give hireeht fair? He and Hayden did things their own unusual way and he wouldn’t change it for anything They’d have bu out where this relationship would go, but da up? He got hard just thinking about it

His cell phone rang beside him on the bed His sister Lucy’s picture popped up on the screen and he shivered in horror at having a hard-on at the sary yet turned-on Hayden fro? You need bail ain?"

"Funny You should take your act on the road" He couldn’t help but smile at her sarcastic response His sister looked and acted like a sorority girl, but she was hell on wheels Yet underneath her strawberry curls, so like their ence motivated him to work twice as e when his little sister e the world so on herI didn’t know bonfires weren’t allowed on cans"

"That say what? ‘Use your co to let you get aith that one I’m too happy with you today to take issue with your stuffy tone"

He glanced back at the connecting door What the hell was taking Hayden so long? "Happy with me?"

"Of course! How corants? I would have helped fill out paperwork Who kneas even eligible for one?"

Brent felt a sense of foreboding settle in his stoear This was somehow bad news He just knew it "Okay, let’s start fro about? Who told you the tuition had been paid?"

"The bursar called me They received funds for the remainder of my tuition fro in the background "The Winstead Foundation"

His hand tightened on the phone until he heard the plastic creak in his fist When he spoke, the words felt like they were being strangled fro else?"

"Nope Just that I’d been personally selected by the head of the foundation Some rich person named Hayden Winstead I’m not even sure if that’s a man or a woh clenched teeth "She’s a wo pause "O-kay You seeo, Luce" He hung up on her concerned response For long et his anger under control Then he realized he didn’t want to get it under control In his life, he couldn’t re this way He didn’t have a na in his chest Just knew that in one fell swoop, Hayden hadhe’d worked so hard to accoot up and busted his ass to provide for his loved ones It’s how he defined himself How he looked at himself in the mirror What the hell had been the point if someone who didn’t understand the concept of e away fro door opened and Hayden walked in looking so goddah she hadn’t just turned his world upside down by passing on her American Express number to pay for his sister’s education As if she hadn’t just stripped hi he had His pride

"Story called They want to check out and grab brunch soood? Daniel said he’ll shohen he’s ready, whatever that lide in his direction faltered "What’s wrong?"

"When did you do it?" he said quietly, voice echoing in his own ears "Did you even consider consulting "

He pushed off the bed, scoffing as he passed her "My sister just called me If your plan was to play stupid, you should have rant anonyht as well be talking in Swahili I gather you’re upset, but I assure you I’ht, Hayden Just keep up the act and maybe the idiot mechanic will eventually buy it" He shoved his wallet and keys into the front pocket of his jeans "My sister just called The Winstead Foundation paid for her college tuition Selected personally by Miss Hayden Winstead herself"

Her face drained completely of color She opened her ed "I don’t…but that h his veins, the sight of her in distress felt like a hard kick in the stoive her, just so she’d sround

"I guess I shouldn’t be surprised You tried to pay ether" His pronouncenored the iret over his choice of words There was no rooret in addition to his resentment "I didn’t accept your money last tiodda for a piece of the Winstead fortune"