Page 59 of Billionaire Bad Boy Auction

“But you’re going to anyway.”

I flashed a grin. “Okay, it was amazing.”

“And does that mean you guys are a thing now?”

“No. I don’t know. It’s Dean. It’s just one of those things that’s been building. Now that we scratched the itch, I don’t know if we need to do it again.”

“Bullshit.”

I laughed. “Okay, I said we didn’t need to do it again, but that doesn’t mean we may not want to.”

“Well, as far as the town is concerned, you guys are a hot couple.”

“What?”

Alexis handed me her phone. “Have you seen the latest article?”

My stomach dropped. “Article?” The word came out a bit high-pitched.

“Read,” she said and gestured at her phone.

A photo of me and Dean under the fireworks. We were locked in each other’s arms. It was just before the kiss. The picture made it look like we were together. Like a couple really into each other. The headline made me want to crawl under the table.

“Local Hero or Local Heartthrob? Dean Jackson Stuns in Fireworks Rescue—But Who Really Stole the Show?”

I groaned. “You have got to be kidding me.”

Alexis laughed. “Oh, it gets worse. Keep reading. They go on about how ‘sparks were flying in more ways than one’ and speculate on whether you two have been secretly involved since you got back.”

I dropped my head onto the table.

“They’re even calling him the ‘Reluctant Romeo.’” Alexis grinned. “I personally think that’s hilarious.”

I did not. Because if there was one person who was going to hate this more than I did—it was Dean.

I groaned as I scrolled through the article on Alexis’s phone, my stomach churning with every overdramatic word. “Who even writes this stuff?” I muttered, my voice muffled as my forehead rested against the table.

“Lila,” Alexis said simply, as if that explained everything. And honestly, it kind of did.

Lila was the self-proclaimed “voice of Larkspur Lake,” though most of us just called her the town’s most persistent gossip. Lila had a knack for taking the smallest details, like someone sneezing at the farmers’ market and spinning it into a full-blown conspiracy. She was relentless, always lurking with her camera and a notepad, ready to pounce on anyone who might make for a juicy story.

She was the one who’d been writing about me since I got back. The woman clearly had a real thing for me.

“What is her problem?” I asked. “Why does she keep coming after me?”

“New blood.” Alexis shrugged.

I sat up straighter, pushing Alexis’s phone back toward her. “She’s ridiculous. Does she even have a life? Or does she just spend her days stalking people and making up nonsense?”

Alexis chuckled. “Oh, come on. You know how she is. This is her version of entertainment. Besides, you can’t deny it’s kind of entertaining.”

“Not when it’s a pile of lies,” I grumbled.

The waitress returned with our orders. I snatched a piece of bacon and chewed absently.

“I think Lila sleeps with Seth, but she wants the big dog,” Alexis said.

“Dean?”