****
Brooke slathered some sunscreen onto her back and laid down to stretch beside the pool. Tyler had been trapped in a series of business meetings since morning and he had wanted to know what she was doing. He sent someone to find her and then sent the person three more times to check on her. It was very flattering and she couldn’t stop the blush that stole up her cheeks as she sunned herself by the pool.
She had made love with Tyler every night for a week now and she was due to leave in just two days. So far, he seemed to have let down his guard with her; he was freer, always joking and laughing. He loved teasing her, and in the week since they had first made love, he had displayed a voracious appetite and a boyish good humor that had endeared her to him. She had fallen in love with him, she admitted to herself. She loved him as she had never loved anyone and sometimes, when he stared at her, she could almost imagine that he loved her, too.
A small sound beside her made her turn her head to look up; someone was standing over her, but the glare of the sun entered her eyes, making it hard for her to see the person’s face.
“Ty?” she said, grinning as she sat up.
“Guess again,” Max said coldly.
“Oh. What do you want?” she asked, sitting up. She had never cared much for Max. She had caught him several times staring at her ass, but she couldn’t even complain about it to Tyler because they hadn’t defined who they were; they hadn’t defined their relationship.
“I was just wondering how long you planned to be here.”
“What?”
“You came to interview Tyler. I assume you're not doing that while he’s fucking you, and frankly, you've been disturbing my family’s sleep with your incessant moaning. When do you plan to get on the first flight back home?”
Hot color flooded her cheeks as embarrassment surged through her. He knew they were sleeping together? Did everyone know? They had been so careful.
She looked at him, her eyes astonished.
“Yes, Brooke, I know he’s fucking you. I mean it was my idea and all, but even I'm surprised it’s taken him so long to divert you.”
Color drained from Brooke’s face. Sleeping with her was Max’s idea? How? Why? And to divert her from what?
Max chuckled cruelly, “I can practically see the wheels turning in your brain. I assure you, watching you prance around has been fun to watch, but it’s getting old.”
“You’re lying,” Brooke said shakily, tears welling in her eyes. “Tyler would never discuss something like that with you.”
“Something like what?”
“He would never seduce me because you told him to.”
Max looked chagrined, “I never meant to say that, Brooke; it just slipped out. Forget you heard it,” he added as he rose to his feet and slowly strolled away, leaving her feeling as though her heart was splintering into a million pieces in her chest.
Brooke rushed into the house, shrugging into her bathrobe to cover her bikini as she raced towards Tyler’s library, her flip-flops slapping against the tiles noisily.
She walked into the room without knocking, her eyes wild and frightened as she spotted him sitting behind the desk. Two men in suits sat before him; their faces turned towards her in curiosity.
“Brooke?” Tyler said, coming smoothly to his feet.
“I need to speak with you,” she announced baldly.
"I’m in a meet—" he began.
“Now!” she cut in. “I need to speak with you now!”
He stared around at the men sitting before his desk, then his measuring gaze returned to her tear-streaked, pale face. With a nod at the men, he dismissed them.
The moment the door shut behind the men, Brooke exploded, “Is it true?”
“I don’t understand.”
“Did you decide with your family that you were going to seduce me?”
“Where did you hear a crazy story like that?” he asked.
Brooke couldn’t help but notice that he didn’t deny it.
“I'm not sure what you’re talking about,” he added.
“You decided to seduce me so I wouldn’t ask questions you didn’t want to answer, right?”
“What the hell?”
“Don’t lie to me. Did you decide to seduce me to get me to stop asking questions?”
“Do you honestly think that poorly of me?” he asked quietly, his gaze trained on her face.
“What I think is that there can be only two answers to the question: yes or no. You’re being very cagey, Tyler, which means you did seduce me for kicks. What, so you and Max could laugh?”
“Max? Is he the one who told you that?” he asked, his gaze sharpening.
“Like it matters,” she spat bitterly, before turning on her heels to exit the room.
“Don’t. I love you,” he said grabbing her arm.
Brooke glared balefully at him, wrenched her arm from his grasp and slapped him as hard as she could.
“That’s too damn bad because I hate you!”
She ran out of his library and into her bedroom, slamming the door shut after her. She could hear him calling her name even through the shut door but she ignored him. She flung herself onto the bed and cried for all she was worth.
Minutes later, she dragged herself out of bed and started throwing her belongings into her suitcase; she was done here, she thought. She felt empty and drained; Tyler had taken everything she had and flung it right back in her face.
It was time to go. She had never liked Montana anyway; too many skeletons.