He turned away from the lovebirds and met the baby blues of the horrible driver. Her expression was grim.
Luke decided to be the bigger person. “Sorry about earlier. I'm not much of a morning person.”
She crossed to him. “I noticed,” she said with an unexpected smile that made him instantly wary.
“So you two know each other?” Bentley asked.
Luke started to shake his head no when the short blonde said, “Yes.”
And then she went up on tiptoe and kissed him. Her warm lips brushed over his and a jolt of raw lust gripped him. Her flowery scent washed over him as she whispered in his ear, “I'm Ken.” He stiffened. She pulled back, and her lips curved into a sweet smile. “Love you.”
Luke was rendered mute; a strange, foreign experience for him. He prided himself on being a smooth talker. Love? Ken was a woman? She kissed him. He wasn't sure which of those things was more of a mind fuck. Actually the kiss was pretty-
“Honey, don't be shy,” Ken said, smiling up at him from her five foot and change of devious woman height. “You can tell Bentley.”
Luke slowly blinked. “Tell him what?”
She looped her arm through his. “That we're engaged.” She beamed. “The jeweler is resizing my ring. That's why I'm not wearing it right now.”
His brain finally kicked into gear, and he sucked in a breath to correct that hideous lie, but something went down the wrong pipe, and he ended up choking like crazy while Ken helpfully pounded his back.
“Wonderful!” Bentley exclaimed with a huge smile. “I hadn't heard. Luke, I know you work in the city and, Ken, you're in Connecticut. How'd you meet?”
Luke hesitated just long enough for Ken to reply quite convincingly, “Through mutual friends.”
Bentley beamed. “Now our little competition will have a happy ending no matter what.”
“What competition?” Ken asked.
“Best score today gets my business.” Bentley beamed like his announcement was the best part of everyone's day. “But now it will all stay in the family. Awesomesauce as Candy says!”
Candy smiled. “I do say that.”
Wait, he had to win the game? He was okay at golf, not great. He glanced at Ken. She smirked.
“You can't be serious,” Luke managed.
“I look forward to it,” Ken said.
Bentley beamed. “Don't worry, Luke. Once you're married, you share the money. Right, Candy?”
“That's right!” Candy sang.
“Thank you,” Ken said graciously. “You won't be disappointed. I've been studying your company and your current investments, and have so many-”
“Let's not talk business now,” Bentley said with a dismissive wave. “Let's go hit the course.”
He and Candy led the way outside. Luke grabbed Ken's arm and pulled her back out of earshot. He got in her face and spoke in a harsh whisper. “What the hell do you think you're doing?”
“I'm making sure he likes us,” she said, matching his harsh whisper.
“By lying?”
“You saw him with Candy,” she hissed. “He loves being married.”
“Couldn't you just pretend to be engaged to someone other than me?”
She slowly shook her head. “That probably would've been better. I blame your sexy smolder.”
He stepped back. “My what?”
“You were smoldering at me, like maybe you liked what you saw.” She shrugged. “Too late now.”
“I was not…” He trailed off as he realized he must've been too obvious in his once-over. Dammit! He jabbed a hand in his hair. He had to nail down this business and losing it in front of Bentley wasn't going to help. Still, this was crazy. Where the hell did she get off? Running him off the road, calling him Grandpa, announcing they were getting married for crying out loud!
He glared at her, and she glared right back. He couldn't afford to damage his reputation. In the wealth management business, results and an honest reputation were critical. And the wealthy elite were a small circle where word got around fast. They'd be lucky to have a job at all if Bentley thought they were screwing with him.
He kept his voice low. “And what happens when Bentley finds out the truth?”
Her chin lifted. “I plan on breaking off the engagement next week.”
He stared at her defiant little chin, which was a mistake because his gaze caught on her slender throat exposed by the lifted chin. A very unwanted desire pissed him off even more.
“You're a horrible driver,” he snapped. “You ran me off the road.”
“I did not. I passed you.”
“And nearly clipped my car.”
She tsked. “Please. I'm an excellent driver.”
He gritted his teeth. “Ken is a man's name.”
“It's short for Kennedy.”
“I'm sure you get that all the time. Why do you abbreviate it? You should go by Kennedy if you don't want any confusion.”
Her blue eyes flashed, and he ignored the jolt it gave him. “I should go by what I want people to call me.”
“Try tailgater.”
“You were the one driving like an old man.”
“I was tired.”
She smirked. “So are old men.”
He straightened to his full six foot. “It wasn't fully light! That road had dangerous curves-” He clamped his mouth shut when he realized he'd gotten loud.
“So do I!” Candy piped up, which made Bentley throw back his head and laugh. The happy couple were by the door, waiting for him and Ken to catch up.
“You're a riot, honey!” Bentley said. He turned to Luke and Ken. “Isn't she?”
“You're a lucky man,” Luke said.
“Mmm-hmm,” Ken said.
Bentley beamed again. “I'm thrilled you're getting married! I've talked to a number of financial planners, but none of them had that special something I was looking for on a personal level. So I narrowed it down to you two. Luke because of his reputation and Ken because of her incredible record. But I just couldn't decide, so-” he lifted his palms “-I'm letting the game decide.”
Luke's brows shot up in surprise. Kennedy's record? She couldn't be past twenty-five. How much experience could she possibly have?
They followed Bentley outside to the golf course that had another party of four on it. Luke had thought for sure they'd be the only ones crazy enough to take on a Monday morning seven a.m. tee time. Luke puzzled over the fact that Bentley had already narrowed it down to him and Ken as Bentley took a few practice shots on the putting green. Clearly Luke had more experience, so that should automatically give him the advantage. He took a few practice shots and stepped back to let Ken take a turn. She had a flawless, controlled swing. Dammit.
“Ready to go?” Bentley asked when they'd finished warming up.
“Ready,” Luke and Ken said in unison.
Bentley signaled for a couple of caddies to join them. The young men checked out Candy surreptitiously, who preened under the attention. Bentley remained oblivious.
“Ladies first,” Candy said, gesturing for Ken to take the first shot. “I'm just going to watch.”
“I'll go last,” Bentley announced.
Ken lined up with the ball, her hips wiggling as she adjusted her stance. Luke tried valiantly not to notice her heart-shaped ass in those snug white shorts and gave one of the leering caddies a good glare for doing the same. The ball arced beautifully in the air with an impressive drive, landing with what would surely be an easy approach to the green. Luke broke out in a sweat over the game that he had a sinking feeling he was not going to win. Why would Bentley put his financial future in the hands of a game? Was he really as crazy as people said?
Bentley and Candy started sucking face.
Ken raised a brow at him. He bristled and lined up his shot, closing his eyes for a moment as he tried to visualize the end result.
“Don't fall asleep,” Ken teased.
His eyes flew open. He swung hard in a drive that
hooked left, landing in the small sand pit just off the green.
“Too bad, Grandpa,” Ken whispered as she brushed by, her flowery scent temporarily distracting him.
“Why are you here?” he whispered, snagging her by the elbow. “You look like you just graduated college.”
She leaned into him and smiled, probably for Bentley's benefit, though Bentley was still busy stuffing his tongue down Candy's throat. Not an easy task given that Bentley was a good five inches shorter. “I graduated two years ago. I'm the hungriest at the firm, and my boss knows it. I'll do anything to nail this account.”
“Even me?” he asked in a husky voice meant to scare her off.
She lifted her chin defiantly, and he stared at the pulse point in her throat beating rapidly. “Whatever it takes,” she whispered.
He stroked one finger over the wildly thumping pulse of her throat and felt himself go hard. Fuck. This could not be happening. He was getting sucked in by her intriguing vulnerability coupled with the ballsiness. She didn't flinch at his touch or pull away, instead she held his gaze steadily. He had the strangest Neanderthal urge to toss her over his shoulder and bring her back to his place. This was insanity. He was not a Neanderthal kind of guy. He was smooth, sophisticated, cultured. He'd worked damn hard to be.
“Don't play with me,” he warned.
“I play to win,” she growled.
Yes, growled. He'd never been so turned on. What was wrong with him?
“My turn, lovebirds!” Bentley called before teeing off with a gorgeous swing that had his ball even closer to the hole than Ken's.
Ken leaned against his side, one arm wrapped around his waist, and the way she fit perfectly made him actually imagine for one bizarre moment that they were a couple.
“When I win,” she said out of the corner of her mouth in a low voice meant only for his ears, “we'll both be happy about the shared business. And then you'll quietly walk away.”
“Like hell.”
“Thanks, sweetheart!” She pulled away and gestured toward the green. “Your turn.” She smirked. “Furthest away goes next.”
It hit him as he stalked toward the rough that Ken was exactly like him-fiercely ambitious, calculating, and driven.
He mentally rubbed his hands together. Let the games begin.
Preorder An Ambitious Engagement now!
Other Books by Kylie Gilmore
The Clover Park Series
THE OPPOSITE OF WILD (Book 1)
DAISY DOES IT ALL (Book 2)
BAD TASTE IN MEN (Book 3)
KISSING SANTA (Book 4)
RESTLESS HARMONY (Book 5)
NOT MY ROMEO (Book 6)
REV ME UP (Book 7)
AN AMBITIOUS ENGAGEMENT (Book 8)
The Clover Park STUDS Series
ALMOST IN LOVE (Book 1)
ALMOST MARRIED (Book 2)
ALMOST OVER IT (Book 3)
All Kylie Gilmore Books
Acknowledgments
Thank you to my family for listening to me plot with a yes, and, which is how all the best improv happens. Thanks, as always, to Tessa, Pauline, Mimi, Shannon, Kim, Maura, and Jenn for all you do. Thanks to my readers group, the Gilmore Goddesses, for cheering me on! (Join us, all reader goddesses are welcome!) And big hugs and thanks to all of my readers, you mean the world to me!
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, brands, media, and incidents are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. The author acknowledges the trademarked status and trademark owners of various products referenced in this work of fiction, which have been used without permission. The publication/use of these trademarks are not authorized, associated with, or sponsored by the trademark owners. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.
Rev Me Up: © 2015 by Kylie Gilmore
Excerpt from An Ambitious Engagement © 2015 by Kylie Gilmore
Digital Edition 1.2
Cover design by The Killion Group
Published by: Extra Fancy Books
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the writer, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
ISBN-10: 194223810X
ISBN-13: 978-1-942238-10-2
About the Author
Kylie Gilmore is the USA Today bestselling author of the Clover Park series and the Clover Park STUDS series. She writes quirky, tender romance with a solid dose of humor.
Kylie lives in New York with her family, two cats, and a nutso dog. When she’s not writing, wrangling kids, or dutifully taking notes at writing conferences, you can find her flexing her muscles all the way to the high cabinet for her secret chocolate stash.
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