His pleased expression fell. “I’m sorry. Didn’t mean to step on your toes, but we both know you weren’t on your A-game just now, and I didn’t want them thinking we weren’t ready.”
I wrenched my jaw. “Yeah, probably because I walked straight into that after getting my ass handed to me by my father for doing this.”
Joseph grimaced. “Again? Who knew Mount had that much steam in his engine?”
“Yes, again. Mount’s engine is a blackhole.”
“You’ve got to get past that, Beau. This is a business. An empire. If you want a place like Cavendish to take you seriously, you have to let them know you believe in this wholeheartedly. Not like you’re waiting for permission from Daddy to want it.”
I turned away, sucking my teeth. I knew he was right, but that didn’t make hearing it any easier. And Joseph was never one to shy away from hard truths.
I did a double-take, and that’s when I saw her. Claire. She was watching us, and there was no telling how long she’d been there. By the look of that pissy scowl on her face and the way herarms were crossed over her chest, I’d say long enough to know those Cavendish suits liked us. Or liked Joseph, but she didn’t need to know that.
I knew what she thought of me, that I was in way over my head. But if she was as mad as she looked, then that meant she felt threatened. Good. I wanted her rattled.
That was all the fuel I needed to get my head on right and keep going.
My lips curled into a grin, and her scowl deepened. I gave a low, dramatic bow like the clowns at the rodeo, and when I straightened, she looked like she was about to explode.
“Andthat’show it’s done!” I yelled. I could barely make out her rolling her eyes, but I was sure she scoffed in disgust before turning on her heels and walking off. And somehow, that was enough to make today not feel like a colossal failure on my part.
Joseph chuckled next to me. “You’re a fucking child.”
I shrugged, smirking. “What can I say? Making her mad is prime entertainment.” If I had known sooner, I would’ve started years ago.
“Before we got together, I loved making Anna mad,” he said with a tone that implied far more than he was saying. “It was like foreplay.”
“One, that’s disgusting, that’s my sister you’re talkin’ about. And two, that’s not happening, ‘specially not with her.” Claire was as off-limits to me as a lit match near the haystack. I would not look at her as anything more than competition, because that was what she was. Competition.
“Then why are you staring at her ass?”
“I’m not.” But now I was. And it was…fuck me, it was spectacular. Had it always looked that good?
Joseph scoffed, going back to the golf cart. “Right. Well, I gotta go, but I’ll call you later about the presentation next week.”
Some of my satisfaction was lost with the reminder. “Sounds good. See ya.”
My attention shifted back to Claire. I watched her fill buckets with feed, a distracted, far-off look on her face. Somehow, I knew she was thinking about me, about what she just saw. And when her eyes met mine, she froze before straightening slowly.
I refused to look away first. Not when the eye contact became intense enough that I wanted to squirm. Not when it felt like she was looking in my mind, rifling through every insecurity I had. Not when my heart began to quicken, and heat simmered in my blood.
Because if there was one thing about me where Claire Hayes was concerned, it was that I wouldneverbreak first.
And when she looked away and stormed off into the stables, I knew if I could win that small battle of wills, then I could win the war for this partnership.
7
Claire
“What do you mean youcan’t come?” I growled into the phone, pacing along the length of my house. I probably needed to stop, given how hot it was outside; the last thing I needed was pit stains when the Cavendish representatives showed up, but I had all this restless energy I didn’t know what to do with. I still hadn’t come up with something to set me apart from Circle M—something positive. I needed something. Anything.
“I’m so sorry, bear,” Delilah said. Her car broke down two towns over at a hookup’s house. She didn’t have the guy’s name or number to call him for a ride, and the tow wouldn’t be there for another hour.
Just my fucking luck. I leaned against the house, taking deep breaths before I puked.
“I can stay on the phone and talk you through it? Ooh, that sounded kinky. Have you ever had phone sex before?”
“Delilah,” I groaned. “Now isn’t the time.” Delilah’s brain was like a pinball machine of chaos sometimes. Okay, most of the time.
