“Enjoying the festival?” Vaughn eventually asked Cooper.

“Got a beautiful day for it. I was going to grab a beer. Do you want one?”

Vaughn’s eyes flickered to Emery and me. “Maybe later. Miss Saunders, Miss Hartwell.” He looked at Rex, and his expression blanked. “I don’t believe we’ve met.” He stuck out his hand. “Vaughn Tremaine.”

For a moment I thought Rex wasn’t going to accept the offer. I let go of the breath I was holding when he reached out to take Vaughn’s hand. Even I could see Rex’s grip was too tight, and mortification swept over me. “Rex McFarlane. I’m a friend of Bailey’s.”

That dark smirk crept over Vaughn’s lips, his gaze piercing. Whatever Rex was trying to do didn’t work and I saw a flicker of frustration on his face as he let go of Vaughn’s hand.

As for Vaughn he quirked an eyebrow at me as if to say, This guy? Really?

If looks could kill, mine would have sliced and diced him. “Getting involved, Tremaine?”

He shrugged, his stare too focused on me, too searing. “Just removing that stick from my ass.”

No one else got it but I did, and I couldn’t help the smile that played around my lips despite myself. “I think I still see a few splinters.”

Amusement danced in his eyes and it thrilled me. I didn’t want it to thrill me, obviously. But thrill me it did.

“Why Hartwell?”

We all looked at Rex upon his abrupt question. Directed at Vaughn.

“Excuse me?”

“Why choose Hartwell to settle down in? Don’t you own hotels all over the world?”

Vaughn nodded, his focus still on me. Holding my gaze, giving me that smoldering, I’ve seen you naked look again. “A self-made man can choose his view. I guess I just like the view here.”

I felt a familiar tingling between my legs, a tightening in my breasts, and my blood burned.

There was definitely subtext, right?

Oh, my God!

Stop, Bailey! Stop caring!

It was so much easier to tell myself that than to make myself stop caring. He was messing with my head. Warning Vanessa not to cause me trouble, looking at me like no man had ever looked at me before. There was this longing mixed in with that fiery, lusty storm in his pale gaze and, dear heaven, it tugged on all my mushy heartstrings, and teased all my erogenous zones.

A killer combination.

A throat cleared next to me.

Rex.

The sound broke through our staring contest and I looked around to see everyone shifting, not meeting my eyes, and definitely trying to hide their smiles.

My newest friend wasn’t impressed, however. “Self-made? Really? Isn’t your father wealthy?”

The group seemed to inhale simultaneously at the passive-aggressive comment.

But Vaughn didn’t even flinch. “Yes.” That was it. He didn’t take time to explain himself to Rex, how he did everything off his own back, and not through his father’s success.

Just like always.

Because Vaughn never explained himself to someone he didn’t feel deserved an explanation. I realized then that I admired that quality in him. I respected that he couldn’t give a shit what some stranger thought of him.

But at the same time . . . he never explained himself to me, either. And that was what hurt about his rejection, because I didn’t want to be some stranger to him. I wanted him to think I was important enough to be owed an explanation.

He looked from Rex to me, and whatever he saw in my expression made him frown and glance away. “I should get going.”

“No, stay,” Jess tried to insist.

“Yeah.” Joey surprised me. “I’m trying to talk Mom and Uncle Coop into taking me to the fun park. The lines won’t be nearly so long as usual because everyone is here.”

“I thought you were playing today,” I said.

“Yeah, later. I want to go to the fun park first.” He looked at Vaughn. “You should come.”

Vaughn looked just as stunned by the invitation and also uncomfortable. “Oh, I’m not sure about that. I should probably stay here.”

And that’s when the little imp in me just couldn’t hold her tongue. “Why? Don’t you like the fun park?”

“I wouldn’t know.”

“You’ve never been to the fun park?”

Vaughn sighed and it was an irritated sound. “No, I have not.”

“You’ve never been?” Joey repeated my question. “You should so totally come with us.”

“Yeah, Vaughn. I think I’m starting to see a quarter inch of stick growing back out of your ass,” I teased.

He glowered at me but I could see his heart wasn’t really in it.

This was fun, I realized. Teasing him was fun. And I should stop. But I couldn’t seem to help myself.

“Fine. Only if Miss Hartwell joins us.”

Oh, shit.

Well I walked into that one.

“Please, Bailey, please,” Joey begged. “If you say yes, Mom will say yes.”

I looked at Cat and saw the evil glint in her eyes. “Yeah, if you say yes, Mom will say yes.”

They were all against me.

I looked up at Rex, who was the only one not amused by my predicament. “How would you like to go to the fun park?”

“That’s fine, I guess.” He shrugged.

Clearly it was not fine.

Sighing, I avoided Vaughn’s smug gaze and looked at Joey.