Flames of Love

by Melissa Foster

  “I didn’t have a bachelor party,” Treat added. “I think for guys it’s different than for women. Maybe if we were twenty-three and felt like our lives were over with the old ball and chain.” He stepped away from Max as she swatted a hand toward him. “But we’re old. To us, or at least for me, our wedding was the day I never realized I’d been waiting for, and the celebration was hearing Max say I do.”

  Siena sighed. “I love that.” Cash squeezed her hand, and she knew she had that.

  “That’s Jack, too. You should go up the mountain and get lost in the woods or something. He’ll love that. It’s more than enough.” Savannah looked at Cash. “Thanks for saving the day. I thought that after the way Treat helped save our cousin Blake’s wedding, he would have had this one planned to a T.”

  “Excuse me. Blame Rex, not me.”

  Rex glared at him. “Kiss my—”

  Cash cut him off. “Okay, then. Give me one of your numbers and I’ll text you after I get there and run it by Gage, but I’m sure it’s fine.” Cash kissed Siena’s cheek. “I better run. Oh, that mountain can be a bear at night. You have four-wheel drive?”

  “No mountain’s ever gotten the better of me.” Rex crossed his arms, and Jade rolled her eyes.

  Treat and Cash exchanged phone numbers, and Siena walked him to the door after he said goodbye to everyone else.

  “That was really nice of you, but don’t feel pressured to join them. If you want time alone with your brother, they’d totally understand.”

  He gazed into her eyes with an unfamiliar expression. “To be honest, I could use the distraction. I love my brother, but a night of just the two of us is not nearly as fun as a bunch of guys playing poker.”

  He pressed a sweet, loving kiss to her lips that wouldn’t come close to holding her over for the next two nights. After watching him leave, she turned and practically ran into Savannah, Max, and Jade, who had formed a wall of concerned faces behind her.

  Savannah took Siena by the arm. Jade took her other arm, and as they led her into the living room, the narrow look in Savannah’s green eyes had her wishing she’d walked right out the door with Cash.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  CASH DROVE UP the mountain to Gage’s house with the radio blaring, hoping his brother would have a cold beer ready for him. Maneuvering around deep ruts and potholes, he made a mental note to tell Treat and Rex about the sorry shape of the steep mountain road. He knew his brother wouldn’t care if he invited them up, and he wasn’t lying when he said he needed the distraction. He and Siena were a great couple, but he knew why she hadn’t checked the text that came in when they were in Hal’s driveway. She’d been hesitant to check her messages the last few days, and with each one, he’d watched her hold her breath. Cash had made up his mind. He wouldn’t make her choose between him and the contract if it came through and held the stipulation that she continue to see Gunner or some other athlete. The only problem was, as right as he knew it was to let her take the opportunity when it came up—and he was pretty certain it was going to—he loved her too much to just walk away, and he knew himself too well to think he’d be okay with it.

  Siena was the hottest model out there, and Track Sports would be lucky to have her. He even understood their goddamn desire to have her dating someone in the industry, even if he didn’t agree with it. But he knew himself too well, and there wasn’t a chance in hell he’d be okay with his girlfriend’s lips on some other man for all the world to see. Just the thought of it made him want to kill someone. But the issue went deeper than that. Even though he knew it wasn’t a fair thing to expect—and he never realized he believed so strongly in love until he met Siena—in his heart he believed that if she really loved him, she wouldn’t consider the opportunity beyond a passing wonder. But then again, he’d never held the opportunity of a lifetime in the palm of his hand. Oh wait. Yes, he had, only his opportunity had to do with love, not money. Siena.

  Gage lived on five wooded acres in a rustic, four-bedroom stone-and-wood home, which looked like it emerged out of the landscape instead of being built on top of it. The front of the house boasted deep-set windows, thick stone walls with chocolate brown trim, and an arched wooden door with heavy, black hardware that looked like it came straight out of a fairy tale.

  He knocked twice before walking in.

  “Gage?” Cash called into the large open great room.

  The wide-planked floors were scuffed and worn and covered with a few strategically placed rugs with Aztec designs. The kitchen, off to his left with no real separation from the great room besides a massive wooden table, was lined with green cabinets with earth-tone marble tops. To his right was his favorite part of the house, a stone fireplace that took up about three-quarters of the far wall. There was a fire going, and Cash kicked off his boots, grabbed a cold beer from the fridge—he could always count on Gage—and sank into one of the leather recliners in front of the fire.

  Just beyond the wall with the fireplace were two bedrooms and a narrow stairwell that led upstairs to two more bedrooms and a loft. Cash listened for Gage, but the house was silent, save for the crackling fire. He looked up through the open-beamed ceiling at the loft and saw no sign of him there, either. Just as well. Cash needed a moment to decompress. He sucked down his beer and let out a long, needed sigh. As he leaned his head back, he caught sight of a photo tucked into a nook on the side of the fireplace. Cash smiled as he dragged himself from the chair and retrieved it. He and his brothers Gage and Duke were in the middle of a basketball game, shirtless. Gage was dribbling, Duke had his arms up in front of him, and Cash was below the basket. Blue and Jake stood off to the side, hands on their hips, while their sister, Trish, whom he hadn’t seen in what felt like forever, sat on the grass beside the court in her bathing suit with oversized sunglasses on her face and a large glass of something beside her. He missed the days when they’d all hang out and annoy one another.

  He heard the door open and set the frame back on the mantel, inhaling the woodsy smell of the fire, which made him wish Siena were with him. She’d love cuddling in front of the fire. He pushed the thought away. He might have to get used to trying not to think about her soon enough.

  “Cash. Sorry, man. I was just out back getting wood.”

  Cash opened his arms and embraced his older brother. All the Ryder men were six three or six four, athletically built, and competitive as hell. “You need to go outside to get wood? I usually do that best in the bedroom.”

  “Yeah, well, I’m not as limited as you are.” He flashed a boyish grin. His dirty-blond hair fell over his blue eyes as it had for as long as Cash could remember. “Besides, I can’t seem to take things to the next level with Sally.” Gage knocked the snow from his boots and coat and left them by the door. Then he grabbed a bundle of wood from the porch and crossed the room, setting it beside the fireplace.

  “You still haven’t made your move?” Cash asked.

  “Well, I wouldn’t say that. We’re great friends.”

  “Christ. What is it with you and Tommy? I feel like you’ve both been playing this friendship game for years.”

  “It’s not a game, and I have.” He took a long pull of his beer and drew his thick, cable-knit sweater over his head, tossing it on the couch. “I don’t want to talk about Sally. Tell me about you. Duke said you were risking your life or some shit like that.”

  Cash shifted his eyes away from Gage. Goddamn Duke and his big mouth.

  Gage shook his head. “Cash, you gotta pull yourself together. Life or death, man.”

  Cash ran his hand through his hair. “I’m done with that shit, so don’t worry. I pulled it together. It just took a little time, and believe me, I know just how stupid it was. I’m not proud of the shit I pulled.” He rubbed the tattoo on his forearm, thinking of Tooler and Samuel.

  “Yeah, well, if you ever need help again with something like that, you know Danica Carter, the woman who owns No Limitz, where I work, right?”

  �
�Sure, you’ve mentioned her. What about her?” Please don’t try to set me up. I’ve got Siena and she’s more than I could ever want.

  “She used to be a therapist. I can’t tell you how many people she’s helped at the youth center, and she’s not even a therapist anymore. She can help if you ever get in that situation again.”

  Cash stood and paced. “Can we stop the self-help lesson now? Jesus, I came here to visit for a few days, not to be told how to fix the errors of my ways.”

  “Hey, whatever, man. I just want to help.” Gage tossed a log onto the fire. “What’s wrong with you? You’re all pissy, like you haven’t been laid in months. I thought you were here with your girlfriend. Siena, right? She holding out on you?”

  Cash slid him a look, and Gage raised his hands in surrender. “Just asking.”

  “No, she’s not holding out on me. I’ve just got a lot of shit on my mind that I haven’t wanted to think about, and now that she’s not with me, it’s all I can think about.”

  “Grab another beer and we’ll see if we can weed through whatever it is.”

  Cash headed to the fridge and brought back two beers. “Hey, before I forget, do you mind if a few guys come up for a guys’ night out tomorrow? Siena’s brother Jack is getting married to Savannah Braden. Her father lives in Weston, and the girls are having their bridal shower at her father’s house, so the guys need a place to hang out for the night.”

  Gage shrugged. “It’s cool with me if they can handle getting here.”

  “Great.” Cash handed him a beer and relaxed into the recliner again. He texted Treat the address and directions; then he shoved his phone in his pocket and blew out a breath.

  “So spill your guts, little brother. Let’s see if we can get some of that piss and vinegar out of you.”

  Cash wasn’t in the mood to talk. He was in the mood to fight. “You still chop your own wood?”

  “If you’re not talking sexually, yeah.”

  Cash set down the beer and headed for the door. “Get your coat. I need to borrow your ax.”

  Cash tossed his parka to the ground after a few strong swings of the ax. “Nothing like splitting wood.” His breath met the frigid air and bloomed into white puffs of smoke.

  Gage leaned against the side of the house, arms crossed, eyeing Cash in the big-brother way he had. “Want to spill the beans now?”

  Cash stopped in mid-backswing. He kept his eyes trained on the wood. “I love her, man.”

  Gage nodded, face still serious. “And?”

  The ax came down on the wood and split it down the center with a loud crack. Cash tossed the wood to the ground and stood another slab on the wide tree stump. He dug his boots into the snow and brought the ax back again. Through gritted teeth, he said, “And her job has some weird shit that goes along with it.” The ax came down hard, driven by his frustration, and split the sucker in two. The wood toppled off the stump, and he set another piece up to be split. He breathed hard. His lungs burned from the cold, but his body was hot with anger as he laid it all out for Gage—from the way he and Siena had met, to the dates with Gunner and the photos that followed, and the possibility of her dating Gunner, or some other athlete, while they were supposedly in an exclusive relationship.

  He watched Gage closely, his eyes narrowing, his arms tightening across his chest. “So why date her?”

  Cash set the ax down and leaned on the end of it. “Did I not just tell you that I love her?” He shook his head. Dumbass.

  “Sure, but, dude. Look at yourself. And how much can she love you if she’s gonna go out with some other guy? For work or not, that alone tells me a great deal about her.”

  Cash gritted his teeth. “Careful.”

  “I’m just sayin’. Sure, the first two dates. Whatever. You knew about that when you went out with her. But now? You’re all but living together and she’s talking about maybe going out with another guy?”

  “Not out on a date like that. It’s for work.”

  “Right. And how would she feel if you did the same thing?”

  Gage came to his side and locked a serious stare on him. The stare he’d used when Cash was a teenager, about to do something stupid, like jump off the edge of a rock to a lake twenty feet below without first checking the depth of the water. Cash drew in a deep breath.

  “I never would.” Fuck. He needed to be told what he already knew like he needed a fucking hole in his head.

  “Exactly my point. Wake the fuck up.”

  “Ten million, Gage.” He watched Gage’s eyes narrow. “That’s probably what they’ll offer her, and who am I to stand in her way?”

  “Fuck.”

  “My thoughts exactly.”

  Gage took the ax from him and set it inside the shed. Then he grabbed Cash’s jacket from the ground and put his arm over his shoulder. “You don’t need this ax. You need to get completely blitzed so you can’t think about it.”

  “Now you’re seeing my side of things.”

  “You know you can’t influence her decision, right?”

  “No shit.” It was all he could think about.

  “No wonder you’re acting like your dick hasn’t been drained in months.”

  Inside the house, Gage poured them each a glass of whiskey. “All you can do is wait this shit out.” He handed Cash a glass of whiskey and held his up in a toast. “To being fucked by love.”

  “She could still make the decision that we’re worth walking away from the deal.”

  Gage nodded. “As I said, to being fucked by love.”

  Chapter Thirty

  SIENA WAS THANKFUL Saturday had flown by in a flurry of guests arriving and preparation for the shower. She hadn’t slept a wink after Savannah, Max, and Jade drilled her about everything and anything Cash related. She didn’t have sisters, and she loved the way they shared so openly, but talking about Cash all day and into the night had made the text from Jewel—Track Sports proposed! Call me!—and the ensuing phone call—Nine point five million. Five years. There are a few stipulations, and I know your first question is about Gunner. The answer is yes. You need to continue a high-profile athletic association for the first two months of the contract and maintain a public alliance, which could be a friendship, not a romance, during the contract. But if you have issues with Gunner, we have a few others to consider—even more painful. She’d tried to negotiate with Jewel, but Jewel had been in the industry long enough to know what was negotiable and what wasn’t. Apparently, swapping Gunner for Cash wasn’t a viable option.

  She hadn’t told Cash about the offer, and she didn’t plan to until she saw him again in person. And now, as she stood beside Brianna, one of Savannah’s sisters-in-law, watching the sun set along the mountains beyond the Braden ranch, and her mother put her hand on her shoulder, she wished once again that she could cry. But apparently, only her brothers could make tears come from Siena’s eyes.

  “You okay, honey? You’ve been so quiet all day.” Her mother wore her hair loose, and as Lacy, Savannah’s brother Dane’s girlfriend, approached, she dropped her hand from Siena’s shoulder.

  “I’m fine, Mom. This is so beautiful. I was just taking it in.”

  “You girls okay?” Lacy’s blond corkscrew curls framed her tanned face. She and Dane lived on a boat off the coast of Florida. He owned the Brave Foundation and worked as a marine researcher and shark tagger, and Lacy worked remotely for World Geographic, developing and managing marketing programs for nonprofit organizations.

  “Yeah, perfect,” Siena said. “What can we help with?”

  “We were just admiring the view. Of course, this side of the yard is my favorite, because that’s where we said our vows,” Brianna said with a smile.

  “A night we’ll never forget.” Lacy put her arm around Brianna. “So, Hugh’s at home with Layla?”

  “Yeah. He’s got a whole weekend of father-daughter time planned. Layla’s excited.” Hugh had adopted Layla, Brianna’s six-year-old daughter, when they married. “I’m
sorry he missed Jack’s quasi bachelor party, but he refused to let me hire a sitter, and my mom was booked. He’s really particular about who watches Layla.”

  “Jack doesn’t mind. He’s like Treat. Family comes first, and Layla is family. You probably should have just brought her,” Savannah said.

  “As much as she would have loved it, I kinda wanted some girl time with you guys.” Brianna shrugged.

  “I don’t blame you, dear.” Siena’s mother patted Brianna on the back.

  Ellie, Kate, and Riley, Savannah’s brother Josh’s girlfriend, who was a fashion designer like Josh and lived in Manhattan not far from Savannah, carried big boxes into the living room and set them down on the table.

  “We’ve got goodies!” Riley’s brown hair was pulled back in a ponytail, and she placed her hands on her hips with a sigh, looking great in her skinny jeans and sweater. Riley was a curvy, beautiful woman, and Siena admired how comfortable she was in her own skin.

  “Fun bridal shower games,” Ellie added.

  Siena loved that Savannah had invited Ellie and Kate, and she loved knowing that Savannah’s brothers and Jack would be with Cash tonight. Somehow that made him feel even more a part of the family.

  The front door opened and closed. Treat helped Max take off her coat and boots. Then they came into the living room hand in hand in their stockinged feet. He hugged Savannah, then greeted Siena’s mom. Even in his stockinged feet, Levi’s, and rugged leather coat, Treat looked regal.

  “I can’t believe you drove her over,” Savannah chided him. “Max is a capable woman and Rex plowed the road between your driveway and Dad’s perfectly.”

  “You don’t take chances with the people you love,” Treat said.

  Siena’s heart melted a little. She remembered how each of Savannah’s brothers had fawned over their significant others at Hugh’s wedding. That’s what she wanted, to be loved like that. That’s what I have with Cash.

  Treat leaned against the wall with his long legs crossed in front of him. “I still can’t believe my baby sister’s getting married.”