The Playboy Bachelor (The Bachelors of Arizona #2)

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The Playboy Bachelor (The Bachelors of Arizona #2) Page 26

by Rachel Van Dyken


  Charles was quiet and then nodded. “Do your worst.”

  “Oh, I plan to.” Her lips curved into a greedy smile. “I plan to.”

  Brant Wellington tells everyone that he’s single, rich, and happy. Instead, he’s running from a past he can’t forget. But all it takes is one unforgettably hot night with his ex to turn Brant’s past into one complicated—and tempting—present . . .

  A preview of The Bachelor Contract follows.

  Prologue

  Colorless shapes moved in rapid succession as the roar of the crowd grew louder by the minute. Nikki clutched the auction paddle with a sweaty hand while making sure to keep her wineglass secure in her left.

  She wasn’t sure what was louder.

  The people.

  Or her heart as it pounded against her chest.

  At least she didn’t have to see him.

  Then again, she’d never had to see him to feel his magnetic presence. Brant Wellington was and always would be a larger-than-life figure to her, a person who didn’t just live up to the hype—but out-hyped the hype.

  He’d been her hero.

  And then he’d fallen.

  And stayed down.

  That was the worst part.

  When people fell, they got up—it was simple logic. You fall down, and you fight to stand again, you fight with everything you have to make sure you can find solid ground.

  Not Brant Wellington.

  He’d fallen down.

  And he’d been on the ground ever since.

  “The next item for auction!” the loud voice boomed. It was happening. It was actually happening.

  Nadine Titus had given her strict instructions. And because she was out of her mind—she’d said yes.

  “Brant Wellington!” the voice announced as a hush fell over the crowd.

  And then the bidding began.

  Heart in her throat, Nikki waited for paddles to lift—though she couldn’t exactly see them, she supposed the announcer, Charles Wellington, would keep everyone up to date with how much was being bid.

  A cough sounded to her right.

  And then a second loud cough.

  That was her cue.

  Hand still shaking, she raised her paddle into the air and spoke in a reserved voice. “Twenty-five thousand dollars.”

  “Going once,” the voice boomed. “Twice.” Her pulse soared into dangerous territory while her mouth went completely dry. “Sold! To, sorry, what is your paddle number?”

  “Zero-zero-five.” She’d memorized it the minute Cole, her companion, had let her know the number.

  She stood and forced a smile she didn’t feel. A practiced smile. One that would convey her excitement at winning one of the most notorious bachelors in the country.

  But she knew the truth behind that smile.

  The hurt that still remained. The rejection that haunted her day and night, and still, she couldn’t shake the feel of his hands on her body, or his hot kisses and how they always managed to make her melt into a helpless puddle at his feet.

  Maybe it was better that she was legally blind.

  Because when she stood, she didn’t have to see the look on his face.

  The look that would solidify how horrible an idea this had been.

  Because she was pretty certain that look was almost identical to the one he’d worn the day he had walked out of her life.

  And never come back.

  Chapter One

  Present Day

  Get the hell out!” Brant roared as he threw a vase across the tiled floor. It landed with a crash as it exploded into hundreds of blue glass shards.

  Bentley stared at the mess then stepped over the shattered pieces, and still, he made his way over to Brant. “A vase, man? Have you turned into a chick? Is this our first fight? You might as well have thrown a bra. Oh, also”—he walked around the couch while Brant retreated backward—“you missed.”

  “I’m drunk.”

  Bentley’s clear blue eyes flashed. “You’re always drunk.”

  Brant’s ass collided with the wall. Trapped. He was completely trapped.

  In his own apartment.

  With the most annoying man on the planet.

  Who just so happened to look exactly like Brant minus a few key muscles and a very unsavory personality flaw.

  “Just go.” Brant wiped his hands across his scruffy face. “I’m fine. I just need to sober up.”

  Bentley snorted. “And if I had a dollar for every time that phrase came out of your mouth.”

  Pain—raw, familiar, all-encompassing—wrapped itself around Brant’s throat until he felt like he was going to choke. “Why are you here?”

  Bentley slowly turned his head and looked around the apartment. Brant knew what his twin saw. Empty pizza boxes. Empty beer bottles littered across every flat surface. A few empty fifths of whiskey. Clothes strewn across the couch, and white powder on the coffee table.

  “It’s not mine,” he said quickly. Guilt stabbed him in the chest at his brother’s disappointed look. “I swear.”

  “Would it matter anyway?” Bentley asked in a quiet voice. He slowly walked over to the table and grabbed one of the small plastic packets, then disappeared down the hall.

  A toilet flushed.

  When he returned, a tense silence crackled through the air as Brant waited for the yelling, the accusations, more pain.

  Because if there was anything he knew without a shadow of a doubt, there would always be more. A human’s capacity for pain was limitless.

  He would know.

  Damn it, he wasn’t drunk enough if he could still feel the pain, if he could conjure up images of her jet-black hair and red-lipped pout.

  If the air still smelled like her skin, no matter how many times he told himself it was a trick of the imagination.

  God, he hated her.

  But not as much as he hated himself.

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  About the Author

  Rachel Van Dyken is the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today bestselling author of Regency and contemporary romances. When she’s not writing, you can find her drinking coffee at Starbucks and plotting her next book while watching The Bachelor.

  She keeps her home in Idaho with her husband, adorable son, and two snoring boxers! She loves to hear from readers!

  Want to be kept up-to-date on new releases? Text MAFIA to 66866!

  Praise for The Bet Series

  THE WAGER

  “Rachel Van Dyken is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors and I cannot wait to see what she has in store for us in the future. The Wager is a must-read for those who love romance and humor. It will leave a lasting impression and a huge smile on your face.”

  —LiteratiBookReviews.com

  THE BET

  “I haven’t laughed this hard while reading a book in a while. The Bet [is] an experience—a heartwarming, sometimes hilarious, experience…I’ve actually read this book twice.”

  —RecommendedRomance.com

  “If you need a funny, light read…I promise you this is a superb choice!”

  —MustReadBooksOrDie.com

  “Friends-to-lovers stories…Is there anything better? And when told in a fun, light manner, with a potential love triangle with lovable characters; well, how can you not enjoy it?”

  —TotallyBookedBlog.com

  Acclaim for the Eagle Elite Series

  ELECT

  “Secrets, sacrifices, blood, angst, loyalties…This book has everything I love!…Rachel Van Dyken is a fabulous author!”

  —GirlBookLove.com

  “Takes you on a roller coaster of emotion…centers around the most amazing of love stories…Nixon has definitely made it to my best-book-boyfriend list.”

  —SoManyReads.com
r />   ELITE

  “This is by far the best book I have read from this talented author.”

  —Book-Whisperer.blogspot.com

  “Four enthusiastic stars! This is just so fresh and different and crazy and fun…I can’t wait for the next book, Elect…Judging by [Elite], this entire series is going to be fantastic.”

  —NewAdultAddiction.com

  Also by Rachel Van Dyken

  The Bachelors of Arizona series

  The Bachelor Auction

  The Bet series

  The Bet

  The Wager

  Eagle Elite series

  Elite

  Elect

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  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  Acknowledgments

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Chapter Thirty

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Chapter Thirty-Six

  Chapter Thirty-Seven

  Chapter Thirty-Eight

  Chapter Thirty-Nine

  Chapter Forty

  Chapter Forty-One

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Chapter Forty-Five

  A Preview of The Bachelor Contract

  Sign up for Rachel’s newsletter

  About the Author

  Praise for The Bet and The Eagle Elite series

  Also by Rachel Van Dyken

  Newsletters

  Copyright

  This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

  Copyright © 2017 by Rachel Van Dyken

  Excerpt from The Bachelor Contract copyright © 2017 by Rachel Van Dyken

  Cover design by Elizabeth Turner

  Cover copyright © 2017 by Hachette Book Group, Inc.

  Hachette Book Group supports the right to free expression and the value of copyright. The purpose of copyright is to encourage writers and artists to produce the creative works that enrich our culture.

  The scanning, uploading, and distribution of this book without permission is a theft of the author’s intellectual property. If you would like permission to use material from the book (other than for review purposes), please contact [email protected]. Thank you for your support of the author’s rights.

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  First ebook edition: April 2017

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  ISBN 978-1-4555-9873-1 (mass market edition)

  ISBN 978-1-4555-9874-8 (ebook edition)

 

 

 


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