Secretly Hers (Sterling Canyon)(53)
He clutched his stomach when it lurched. What the hell had he been thinking letting her go off with some stranger without getting the details? She might not be safe with this dude. Worse, what if the guy wouldn’t take no for an answer?
In fact, maybe Trip should go stake out her house to make sure she was okay. Even if she weren’t in danger, he’d be doing her a giant favor, actually, by making her stick to his tips. Yeah, a giant favor.
He wasn’t interested in seeing who this guy was, that’s for sure. Nope. That other guy didn’t matter, ’cause she couldn’t even like him, whoever he was. What did matter was making sure she listened to him so he’d win back his hat. Dammit, she still had his hat. Why had he let her hold on to it?
Didn’t matter. He needed to stop her from doing something stupid. So what if she got a little mad tonight? She’d thank him tomorrow. Thank him, yessir. No doubt about it.
Yeah, the more he considered the idea, the better it sounded. Really, he couldn’t think of a single good reason not to go.
He tossed twenty bucks on the bar and waved good-bye to the bartender before sliding off the stool.
Whoa. He braced one hand against the bar to steady himself, then shook his head and blinked twice before crossing the bar. After staggering through the door, he straightened his Stetson and zipped up his fleece.
When he finally looked up, the entire sidewalk seemed to rise and fall beneath him as he watched Mason and Kelsey, arm in arm, crossing the street.
He stopped, swaying slightly, and squeezed his eyes shut in confusion. But they popped open as soon as he heard Kelsey giggle and he realized he wasn’t just having a nightmare.
“Get the hell away from her!” Trip’s voice exploded from his throat. Then outrage tore through his veins like barbed wire when he noticed the tight dress she’d worn for her date.
Kelsey stumbled in shock, or from yet another pair of sky-high shoes. But Mason merely cocked an amused eyebrow.
“I’m sorry, Mason.” Kelsey glared at Trip and snapped, “Go home, cowboy, before you cause a scene.”
Trip shook his head, his gaze locked on Mason’s mocking stare. “Trust me, Kelsey. He’s using you to get to me.”
“This may be hard for a man whose ego spans the entire galaxy to comprehend, but everything that happens isn’t about you.” She tugged at Mason’s arm to proceed, but Trip stepped in front of her.
“Maybe not, but this,” he gestured between Mason and her, “is definitely about me.” Trip nodded at Mason, the weight of his own head tipping him off balance. “Tell her.”
“You’re wasted!” Kelsey poked his chest. “Go sleep it off before you embarrass yourself further.”
“Kelsey, my brother is using you to fuck with me.” The streetlights swirled in Trip’s peripheral vision, the sidewalk shook like skis cutting through crud. He blinked and focused on Kelsey’s face.
“Your brother? You’ve lost your mind.” Kelsey shook her head while Mason remained silent. “He’s not a Lexington. This is Mason Cutler.”
“I’m not so drunk I can’t ID my own brother. I’m a Cutler even if I kept my mom’s name.”
“Don’t remind me,” Mason finally chimed in, his tone cold enough to cause frostbite.
“Wait, it’s true?” Kelsey released Mason’s arm and pressed her fingertips against her temple. “You’re brothers?”
“Aren’t you listening?” Trip thrust his arms outward and let them fall against his sides. What he really wanted was to toss her over his shoulder and run. “The fact he asked you out is no coincidence. He’s doing this to get to me. I knew when he arrived here weeks ago something like this would happen. Kelsey, he’s been doing this to me my whole damn life.”
“But how could he have known about us?” Kelsey’s confused gaze drifted back and forth between the brothers. “We’ve been discreet.”
“Tell her the truth, Mason,” Trip demanded.
“What truth, Gunner?” Mason crossed his arms, feigning ignorance and innocence at the same time. Alarms went off, but in his altered state, Trip couldn’t work fast enough to shut down the conversation. “By the way, it’s quite an insult to assume my interest in Kelsey has to do with you instead of the fact she’s a beautiful, kind woman.”
“Did you know about Trip and me?” Kelsey’s eyes widened; her voice turned thready.