Then again, Elijah Lockwood was stinking rich. Combine that with his decent—okay, fantastic—looks, and he probably got away with everything. That wasn’t the way Aria operated. Money and power did nothing to improve her opinion of men. If anything, she was warier of powerful men. They could do more damage. She reminded herself of how she knew that first-hand. She couldn’t allow herself to think about Elijah’s sexy hands, so big and strong when they’d held her own. She had to ignore the flash of attraction and the thousand butterflies that had set up camp in her stomach. Nothing good could come of Mr. Lockwood and his propensity for touching her.

The last time her name had been connected with a powerful man’s, she’d been tossed out of her fabulous job, scorned by her colleagues, and labelled a woman who used sexual favors for career advancement. No matter how untrue it was. After a year and two hundred kilometers of distance, she was beginning to restore her reputation and leave the bitterness behind. Now, if only she could earn this promotion, she could prove to everyone that she’d deserved it the first time around. And finally, she’d have her pride back.

“Wait until I tell Justin about this,” Sophie teased, drawing Aria out of her thoughts.

“You wouldn’t dare.”

Justin was Aria’s oldest brother. He and Cooper, her other brother, were fiercely protective. Justin, because he’d had his own heart broken, and Cooper, because he was afraid that a man like himself—a playboy of the first order—might misuse his baby sister.

Her brothers were one of the reasons Aria rarely dated. The other reason was, she couldn’t bring herself to trust a man. Not yet. She hadn’t slept with Wilson Jones, but his unwanted advances and the horrific consequences had tainted her view of men. Since then, she hadn’t met anyone for whom it seemed worth risking her heart and braving her brothers’ interference. Dating had been much easier before Wilson Jones and before she’d moved home. Everyone in Itirangi watched her so closely. They did it out of love, but it was exhausting. Aria adored her brothers. She did. But they could be a goddamn nuisance.

“Really, Soph,” she said. “A man looks at me sideways, and you’re ready to run to my brothers? This is how rumors start.” The words came out harsh when she meant to be teasing, but she couldn’t help it. Men were a touchy subject. Sophie winced, avoiding eye contact in the way Aria had become used to when someone was uncomfortable around her.

“Calm down, Ri,” Avery said. “Sophie didn’t mean it that way.”

Sophie nodded, obviously hurt. “You know I think you should get back on the horse. I’d never start a rumor or mess with your love life.”