Bought By The Billionaire Brothers(21)
Author: Alexx Andria

She stilled. How did Dillon know the terms of her contract? She regarded him coolly. “I wasn’t aware my business was common knowledge.”

“It’s not. Don’t worry your sordid little secret is safe with me.”

“Really? Because when I’m around you I don’t feel particularly safe,” she replied with complete honesty. Dillon was dangerous to her peace of mind, her sanity, but most importantly, her loyalty. When she was around him…her mind went to places best left untraveled.

“I would never hurt you,” Dillon said. “I cannot say the same for my brothers.”

“That’s what they say about you.” She looked to him, wondering if Dillon would answer her questions truthfully or if he would be evasive like the twins. “Why is there such bad blood between you and your brothers?”=

“Do you really want to know?”

“I wouldn’t have asked if I felt otherwise.”

“Some truths are hard to accept; they screw with your perception of a person’s character.”

“I’d prefer honesty to lies.”

He chuckled as if he didn’t believe her, which only served to irritate her. She turned on her heel to trudge back to the house when he stopped her with a firm hand on her arm. “Wait.” She stopped and stared, waiting. His smile faded and he rubbed the pad of his thumb against the fabric of her blouse. Although the cloth buffered his touch, it was as if they were, in fact, skin-to-skin. She hitched a sharp breath but left her arm in his grasp. “I propose a deal,” he said, his voice sliding along her nerve endings like a caress. “For every honest answer I give you, I get a kiss.”

“I can’t agree to that deal,” she said. “My loyalty is not for sale.”

“Everything is for sale at the right price.”

Hadn’t Vince and Nolan expressed the very same sentiment when they’d proposed purchasing her for their pleasure? Her cheeks pinked just slightly as she raised her chin a notch. She would not be a hypocrite. “One kiss,” she countered.

His mouth twisted in a sardonic smile. “One kiss?”

“One,” she affirmed firmly. “And no tongue.”

“No tongue? That’s not a kiss,” he scoffed. “No. If I’m going to share dirty family secrets, my compensation should be equal to the value of the information.”

She considered his statement. She supposed one kiss — even one with tongue — wasn’t too much to ask. “All right,” she agreed warily. “But the information better be solid. I’m risking a lot.”

“Ah yes, the morality clause. Ironic, don’t you think, given the nature of the agreement?”

“Not at all,” she disagreed, trying not to focus on his touch. “I found it a reasonable request.”

“They’ve asked you to be faithful during the term of the agreement and yet…did you wrangle the same agreement from either of them?”

“Of course.”

“Did you get it in writing?”

She faltered. “Well, no. Are you saying that your brothers aren’t good to their word?”

His gaze narrowed and he released her arm. “I am not the right person to ask that question. My opinion might be somewhat biased.”

“Fair enough,” she said.

“Back to the question at hand.”

“Which question was that?” She feigned confusion when she knew exactly where their conversation had left off.

“The kiss.”

“I thought we’d agreed: one real kiss in exchange for answers.”

“Oh little dove,” he said, chuckling. “The negotiations have only just begun. For example, we didn’t specify what kind of kiss and where.”

Her mouth dropped open and her cheeks flushed as that damnably sexy mouth of his turned up in a carnal grin. She swallowed and said in a voice she hoped was strong and not the least bit wobbly, “You’re impossible. One kiss — on the lips of my mouth. Got it? Negotiations closed. Take it or leave it.”

To that he simply laughed, the sound rich and deep and delightful to her senses. Why was he so handsome? Damn him. “We’ll see,” he quipped as he walked past her with a confident grin. “You might find the information I have to share worth the risk.”

Of that she had no doubt but she wasn’t about to start adding the entire Buchanan family tree to her list of conquests any time soon. One kiss, she told herself sternly. Besides, Vince and Nolan were more than everything she needed. They satisfied her sexually and financially, even if emotionally they were a little distant. It was Dillon’s fault things had changed between them. She just had to keep sight of that fact.

She followed Dillon into the house and closed the French doors, instantly dulling the roar of the ocean and squawk of seabirds. The house was decorated in a seaside motif with white furniture and blue accents that she adored. In fact, the moment she saw the house, she’d fallen in love. Dillon moved around as if he were quite familiar with the layout, which told her the house had probably been in his family for years.

“Why are you and your brothers at odds with one another?” she asked, sinking into the soft over-stuffed sofa while Dillon rummaged in the kitchen. He paused and graced her with a look that said, “hold your horses,” and she rested her chin on her hand while her elbow propped up her head from the pillow cushion while he finished what he was doing and joined her with two glasses of dark, red wine. She accepted the glass and took a sip, although her better judgment was warning her to steer clear of anything that might lower her inhibitions. “Where are you staying tonight, by the way?” she asked after savoring the flavor of the wine.

“Should we start with silly questions to which you already know the answers?”

Penny smiled. Such a smart ass. “You can’t stay here,” she warned.

“Why not?”

“Now who’s asking silly questions?” she mocked.

Dillon laughed and sipped his wine. “What if I promised to be a perfect gentleman?”

“I’d say you wouldn’t know how to be a gentleman even if you were raised by nuns.”

“Ouch. Such a tarnished opinion of me,” he tsked. “There are three bedrooms in this house. I will take whichever one you’re not occupying. Sound chivalrous enough?”

“Only if you promise to stay in your bed and out of mine.”

He lifted his wine glass to his full, sensual lips as he toyed with a knowing grin. “Of course. But I should add that I wouldn’t mind a bit if you were to come to your senses and climb into my bed tonight.”