“Yes!” Cassidy and Tessie answered in unison.
It was tempting, but that would only make matters worse. “The press would get pictures and then do big blow-up articles about you punching out Kellan’s lights because you’re jealous of him and me. That could lead to speculations about the jealousy, and some nosy reporter could even make the connection that you’re Tessie’s father.”
Cassidy groaned. “And then the Granger Ranch would get sucked into this cesspool of news. Tessie would, too. She doesn’t need any more publicity right now with her expulsion under review.”
Until Cassidy had added that last part, both Tessie and Lawson both looked as if they might still lobby for Kellan to get a good butt-kicking. Thankfully, that seemed to make them grasp just how ugly this could get if not handled properly.
Eve grabbed her purse. “I’ll go find Kellan and quietly talk this out with him—away from reporters and the press. I’ll keep it all very low-key.”
That sounded civilized enough, and Kellan was going to agree to it—even if she had to threaten him with the butt-whipping. Of course, a low-key chat was just the beginning. Eventually, they’d have to work out what Kellan would say to the press about Tessie. Maybe the best way to go was to say nothing about Kellan’s lie. Then Lawson and the Grangers wouldn’t get dragged into this.
“I’ll go with you,” Lawson offered.
Eve didn’t even have to think about it. She shook her head. “Low-key,” she repeated. “I’ll call you after I’ve talked to him.”
She brushed a quick kiss on Tessie’s and Aiden’s cheeks and wanted to do the same to Lawson, but the timing was bad for that. Later though, maybe she could work in some kisses or at least a good hug when she told him they’d dodged a bullet with the defective condom.
As she got into her car, Eve tried to call Kellan again, but when it went to voice mail, she hung up rather than waiting for his greeting or leaving another message. She drove out of the ranch, frustrated when she saw a fresh pile of horns, a Swaron and a photographer.
Good grief.
Since they weren’t actually on the ranch, they weren’t trespassing, but they had no right to be there. She opened the gate and got out to demand that they leave. However, the moment she opened her car door, three more Swarons came rushing out from behind the bushes. And they didn’t just rush. They yodeled that Swaron battle cry just as the actors had done on Demon High.
Even though she knew these were hornies, her body geared up for an attack. “Get back!” she yelled in the best Ulyana voice she could manage. But it didn’t work. The three of them latched on to her, one on each arm and the third one catching onto her waist.
Eve kicked the center one in the nuts. He cursed, howled, caught onto his family jewels and dropped to his knees. “My nuts!” he yelled.
She was about to pivot and do the same to the other two when she heard something else she didn’t want to hear.
Applause.
Then laughter, followed by more clapping.
“I told you she hadn’t lost any of her form,” someone said.
Kellan.
And he was the clapping fool who stepped out of the bushes along with two photographers who were snapping pictures of her. A third guy was making a video of this debacle. The guy on the ground was gasping for air, holding his groin and yelling “My nuts.”
“Well, maybe she lost a little step,” Kellan went on—clearly oblivious to the scalpel-sharp glare she was giving him. And the yelling Swaron. “But that’ll all come back with some training.”
He went to her, still oblivious, and he hooked his arm around her. “Stavros and Ulyana back together again,” he announced to more applause and pictures.
“No. We’re. Not,” Eve managed to say through clenched teeth, which Kellan didn’t seem to notice, either.
“Play along, Baby-Cakes,” he whispered when he brushed a kiss next to her ear. “This is the start of something big. When the studio sees this, they’ll jump to get us back.”
Eve untangled herself from him so he could see her angry face when she spoke. “I don’t want the studio to jump at us because I’m not doing another episode of Demon High.”
The standing Swarons gasped. The one on the ground started another round of yelling about his nuts. The photographers kept clicking and filming.
“Play along,” Kellan warned her again. “This is a good deal for both of us.”
In that moment, Kellan had never been a bigger ass. “No, it’s not a good deal for me.”
He ignored her, gave a fake Hollywood laugh and kissed her scowling, tight lips. “Don’t screw this up for me, Baby-Cakes. I didn’t put up a fuss when you were knocked up with Tessie on the set and when you had Aiden. So, you more or less owe me.”
Eve had thought the old saying “seeing red” was just a cliché. Not something literal. But she saw red. Bright, angry, mean, bad-tempered red. That’s why it wasn’t a good idea when Kellan took hold of her shoulders to keep her from getting back in her car.
Kellan held on. Eve brought up her hands to shove him away. He turned. She turned. And somehow her hip ended up ramming him in the groin. It was apparently just as effective as a kneeing because Kellan howled, grabbed his crotch and went down like the Swaron.
Eve reached for Kellan, not that he deserved to be helped to his feet, but she hadn’t intended to hurt him. Ditto for the Swaron. But as she was reaching for Kellan, the photographers started running. They were heading back to their vehicles, which were parked just up the road.
Getting away.
And Eve knew exactly where they were going. Within an hour, maybe less, the picture of her hitting Stavros in his privates would be front-page news on the tabloids.
*
LAWSON KNEW THAT people had different definitions of what low-key meant, but he seriously doubted this picture was on any part of anyone’s low-key scale. Especially Eve’s.
It was the latest photo of the encounter she’d had with Kellan two days earlier, and it was making the rounds on the internet and TV gossip shows. Making the rounds on his phone, too, since people kept sending it to him. In this case, Lucian was the messenger. He’d texted Lawson a copy at 2:00 a.m. Not that Lawson had been asleep. No. A nightmare about Brett had seen to that, and he’d been pacing in his living room in his boxers, glancing at the whiskey bottle, when his phone had dinged. Because of the hour, he had known it wouldn’t be good news.
And it wasn’t.
This photo was not only a different angle of the actual balls-bump that had sent Kellan to his knees. It also included the Heavenly Pastures name on the gate. Lucian hadn’t included a message with the photo, but Lawson knew there was only one thing his brother would want to say.
Fix this.