Bring Me Back Here

by A. M. Guilliams

  Wow.

  I knew my dad loved him like one of his own sons, but I never expected him to have that kind of reaction. Especially toward the son of the family we were supposed to despise.

  My great-grandparents started the feud when they bought this property. The Parkhurst’s, Gentry’s grandparents, wanted to expand, but the sale went through before they could even try. All this hatred over six hundred acres of land. Gentry and I both grew up knowing about the other family and how we should feel toward the other, but we didn’t care. As small children, we would sneak out and find each other, running across the fields, playing games. As we grew older, we fell in love with each other almost as soon as our interest in the opposite sex started. We’d been inseparable ever since. Until the day I’d up and left.

  “I’m sorry they treated you that way. What did they say that was so horrible?” I was almost too afraid to ask.

  “You’re not ready to hear that just yet. One day, when you are, I’ll confess every dirty word. Until then, just know, I stood my ground with them. I cut them out of my life. For good.”

  That was just sad. He literally had no one now. I was sure his two brothers hadn’t spoken to him since either, which hurt my heart for him. I couldn’t imagine never speaking to mine again. Even if they were pains in my ass more often than not.

  One lone tear drop fell down my cheek. His thumb caught the wetness and wiped it away just before it could fall off my chin.

  “Don’t cry for me, darlin’. I’m okay. It was for the best anyway. Someday soon you’ll understand that.”

  His eyes told me that he was speaking the truth. There was no sadness in them. Only happiness. I wished mine could express the same emotion. Only, I wasn’t quite there just yet. Maybe someday I would be. Only time could tell.

  “What’ve you been up to today? Aside from landing in horse shit,” he asked, trying to lighten the heavy mood that surrounded us.

  “I’ve been texting Dylan and Aspen. I got their flight schedule for tomorrow, so I would know when someone would need to go get them.”

  He didn’t need to know that I’d video chatted with them to come up with a plan. Operation Divert Gentry would be into full affect come tomorrow. I didn’t even know what that meant. All I had to say was I needed a way to get Gentry to give me some space, and they said they’d take care of it. Whatever the hell that meant. I was scared to even ask. But that was Dylan and Aspen. They were both quick and thinking on their feet. I was sure their plan would cause chaos, but I missed them. It’d only been a day, but we’d been inseparable since our freshman year. I’d grown used to being around them all the time. We’d all even gotten a place together at the start of our sophomore year. It would suck when they had to leave and go their separate ways. Especially since I knew I’d be remaining in Colorado. It would hurt. It would cause me more pain than I could bear, but when I saw my future, these Colorado mountains were all I saw.

  We sat there in peace and quiet, my head resting on his chest, while we watched the sun setting off in the distance.

  After it fell behind the mountains, he finally spoke.

  “You ready to head in, darlin’? It can be quite dangerous out here after dark,” he asked without moving from behind me.

  He was right. We should go in. But I didn’t want to ruin the bubble we’d created out here.

  Reluctantly, I stood. His hands went to my waist to make sure I didn’t fall as he stood behind me. His strong fingers gripped me from behind, causing my libido to speed up more than it had in four years. Why did this man still have this effect on me? Especially when I needed to steer clear of him.

  He didn’t remove his hand from my waist as we walked toward the house.

  I didn’t have the heart to ask him to after he made that confession at the tree.

  We stopped in front of the barn that he called home when we returned.

  “You coming to my room tonight?”

  I shouldn’t.

  I really shouldn’t.

  But I couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping in that room.

  “I need to shower first.”

  “Bring everything out here. You can shower in my room. I won’t bite.” He smirked.

  Sure he wouldn’t.

  “Fine. I’ll see you in a few then.”

  Boy, this was going to be all that my parents talked about. Especially when they would see me with a bag. Damn this man for making me tempt myself. After last night, I couldn’t imagine sleeping anywhere other than in his arms. I felt safe. I felt free. I felt everything that I shouldn’t have.

  Surprisingly, my parents were nowhere to be found when I entered, then quickly I left after I grabbed what I needed for tonight and tomorrow morning.

  I rushed out the door just to make sure they didn’t see me and walked quickly toward the barn.

  I made my way up the stairs to find the bedroom door opened yet again. Gentry was sprawled out on the bed in his boxers. When he seen me enter, he rolled over to his side and rested his head on his hand.

  “I figured you could shower first. Just don’t use all my hot water, woman,” he joked.

  “How kind of you. I’ll see what I can do,” I replied as I walked over to the bathroom and shut the door behind me.

  Gentry shouted from the room that he’d put clean towels on the counter for me.

  So damn thoughtful.

  Quickly, I showered and washed the day’s sweat and grit off me. I shut the water off after I had finished. Stepping out of the shower, I wrapped the towel tightly around me and pinned the cloth so it would stay up. I wiped my hand across the mirror to clear the film from the steam of the water, when I felt him come up behind me. His breath hitched when he saw what I had hidden for so long. The black ink that I’d etched into my skin the second I arrived in Virginia.

  “It’s so realistic and beautiful,” he said on a shaky breath as his hand began tracing the outline of my tattoo.

  “I wanted a piece of her always with me. Her hand on my shoulder makes me feel like she’s always there, guiding me down the right path,” I confessed. I’d never told another soul the reasoning behind the tattoo. Not even the designer, who’d perfectly replicated her handprint. No one other than the artist and myself had seen it since I had it placed there. And I was glad he was the first.

  He rested his head on my shoulder, and I felt his tears hit the skin on my back where her handprint was. He broke down behind me as he pulled me toward him and held onto me for dear life. It was my turn to comfort him.

  Turning around, I pulled him into me so I could hold him through his tears. Together we cried. Together we grieved for the person we lost almost four years ago.

  Pulling away from him, I had placed my fingers on either side of his face and wiped his tears away.

  “I’m sorry you had to see that. I’ll go take that shower now,” he said as he moved around me to gain access to the shower.

  I hated that he didn’t say anything else.

  But it was my own fault.

  I’d pushed him to this.

  I’d made him suffer alone.

  I’d made him grieve a loss we should’ve grieved together.

  He should hate me.

  Because right now, in this moment, I hated myself for what I’d done to him.

  CHAPTER 10

  Gentry

  L ast night, she shouldn’t have seen me so emotional. So raw. But I couldn’t help it. Seeing her tattoo gutted me. It showed me that she, in fact, hadn’t forgotten. I knew she never would, but that handprint was so realistic. So well done that my emotions got the better of me.

  Ainsleigh gutted me even more when I got out of the shower and she was laying in the bed waiting for me. Like she always should’ve been. Her return was for the best, but it was fucking with my head. My plan wouldn’t remain intact if she kept surprising me at every turn. Like she had when I crawled in beside her. Instead of turning her back to me, she moved my arm and placed her hand over my heart. Her finger tou
ched my chin causing me to turn and look at her. She touched her nose with mine and moved it back and forth just like we used to do. I couldn’t not return the gesture. So simply. So sweet. So in tune to the way we used to be. I almost forgot in that simple instance that we were Ainsleigh and Gentry, together and in love. She placed a light kiss to the tip of my nose before she rested her head on my shoulder. Her arm was thrown across my abs, and I talked myself down from reacting to the closeness of her body.

  “Sweet dreams, Gentry,” she whispered with a yawn.

  The horse making a sound brought me to the here and now.

  Her friends would be arriving in a few hours. I wanted to ask about her and Dylan. I wanted to know about their “friendship,” but in a sense, I didn’t want to ask. If she told me they were more than just friends, I’d lose it. My plan would be thrown out the window, and I’d have to play my cards earlier than I thought.

  She asked me this morning if there were any barn parties tonight that I knew of. I’d have loved to spend the night with her in my arms again. I’d have loved to have lied. But I knew she’d just ask her brothers and they’d confess. Instead, I told her of the only one I knew of a few miles down the road. It looked like I wasn’t getting my relaxing Friday night in. There was no way in hell I’d allow her to go there alone so the hounds could descend. I had to go and protect my girl.

  Her brothers roped her into helping them with the next tour, so she didn’t get to go pick up her friends from the airport. Her mother assured her that she’d get them, which I could tell frustrated her, but getting on her horse would help her more than she realized. While she was gone, Sparkle wouldn’t let anyone ride her except for me. When anyone tried, she wouldn’t let them even come close. Somehow, someway, I’d convinced her to allow me to ride her. I knew that Ainsleigh and that horse would help each other and when her brothers told me of their plan, I’d helped them succeed in getting her there.

  Just when I was washing up for the afternoon, I’d heard her laughter come around the corner of the barn.

  “Whoa there, pretty girl,” Ainsleigh said to the horse as she pulled on her reins to get her to slow down.

  Once the horse came to a halt, she patted her on the side and hopped off her.

  Damn if she didn’t look amazing in the tight jeans and boots she wore. The tank top that she had on did little to hide the cleavage beneath.

  Calm down, Gentry.

  I repeated that mantra before I embarrassed myself.

  “Are they here yet?” she asked in excitement.

  “Your mother should be here in a few minutes depending on traffic. She should be arriving just as you get her brushed down and put up for the night. Make sure she’s got plenty of water. I’m sure you rode her hard today,” I told her. Only wishing she’d be the one riding me hard later.

  “Sir, yes sir,” she said, saluting me and leading the horse inside the stable.

  I pulled the towel off my shoulder that I’d just used to dry off my hands and rolled it up before I swung it at her, hitting her on her perfectly shaped ass.

  “Ouch, you asshole. You’re lucky I’m in a hurry, or I’d come after your ass.”

  “Sure you would, darlin’. Just remember, I’m not scared of you.”

  I did a few things around the stable waiting for her to exit.

  Within minutes, she came skipping out the door, pulling it shut behind her.

  “Someone’s chipper today,” I said as we walked toward the house.

  “I sure am. I can’t wait to see Dylan and Aspen.”

  I couldn’t wait to see them either. I needed to size Dylan up and at some point, pull him to the side so we could have a chat. Man to man.

  We walked through the door just as I heard car doors shut outside. She moved faster than I’d ever seen her move toward the front door. Quickly, I followed behind her.

  I walked into the living room just in time to see her jump into the arms of another man. He held onto her tight, spinning her around. I hadn’t missed that his hands held her underneath her ass to keep her from falling. A low growl escaped my lips as I leaned against the wall for support. I hated seeing how excited she was to see him. Especially when she hadn't had that reaction to seeing me.

  “I’m so glad you guys are here,” she said as she pulled away from hugging Dylan. Her arms were still wrapped around his neck as she took in the sight of him. She’d just seen him two days ago. They couldn’t have missed each other that much. Or could they?

  He placed her on the floor, letting Aspen come up to give her a hug of her own.

  “I love you and all, Leigh, but you smell like a horse,” Dylan said.

  He loved her.

  Taking a deep breath, I controlled the rage building inside of me.

  Not on my watch.

  He wasn’t taking my girl from me.

  Not ever.

  “I just came in from giving a riding tour. I was just about to shower. Let me show you to your rooms and I’ll get the stench off me,” she replied as she pulled them toward the stairs after they picked up the bags they’d dropped on the floor.

  “I’m glad to see her so happy. You need to calm down, son. I’m sure it’s not what it seems. She’s never let on that they were more than just friends.”

  “I don’t have a clue what you’re referring to. This is me. Calm and all.”

  Lying to her wasn’t the best choice I could’ve made, but it was all I could come up with at the time.

  “Sure you are. Let her explain before you jump the gun,” her mother warned.

  I wasn’t sure I could do that.

  Not seeing her reaction to him.

  Not seeing the way he touched her just now. However innocent it may have been. No man needed to have their hands on Ainsleigh’s ass. And what was up with him calling her Leigh?

  I shook my head as I walked through the kitchen and out the backdoor so I could get a shower of my own. Tonight was fend for yourself night in the Courtright house, so I’d just make myself a sandwich later before we headed out.

  A couple of hours later, I was relaxing in the den with her father drinking a beer when I heard her and her friends come down the stairs.

  She led the way with her friends following closely behind her.

  I took in the sight of her and immediately went on alert.

  Hell to the motherfucking no.

  She had on a tank top that was skin tight and covered with jewels at the top and shorts so short the pocket hung out beneath the bottom. Paired with her cowboy boots she looked like pure sin. Pure perfection.

  “You’re not wearing that. No way. No how,” I said as I stood and stalked over to where she stood behind the couch.

  “You’re not the boss of me, Gentry. I’m a grown ass woman and can wear what I want. Tell him, Daddy,” she shouted as she stomped her foot for dramatic affect.

  “I’m not in this argument. I’m going to find your mother so we can spend some time cuddling together outside by the fire pit. You two can work this out amongst yourselves,” Sawyer said as he stood and finished off his bottle of beer.

  Smart man.

  Apparently, I needed to take a page or two out of his book in learning how to handle women.

  “Hey, man. I’m Dylan, and this is Aspen. We didn’t get a chance to introduce ourselves earlier,” Dylan spoke with an outstretched hand.

  I shook his hand with a firmer grip than I needed to, but he didn’t even flinch.

  “Are y’all ready to go? I need a drink,” Ainsleigh spoke as she turned on her heel to walk away from the room and from me.

  I grabbed her by the elbow to stop her from moving. Coming up closely behind her, I moved her hair away from her ear, leaned down, and said softly so the others couldn’t hear, “Stay close to me tonight. I don’t need to get in a fight since you’re hellbent on looking the way you do.”

  Again, I was playing with fire, but I didn’t care.

  “I don’t need your protection, Gentry. I’m a big girl. I
can take care of myself,” she said as she pulled her arm from my grasp and walked away.

  She jumped into her Jeep with her friends following suit.

  I got in my truck and pulled out in front of her so she could follow me to the party.

  A few minutes later, we pulled down the dirt road that led to the barn. It was off the beaten path. The kid whose parents owned the property built the space so he and his friends could have a safe place to go and have fun. There were beds inside upstairs if anyone needed to crash so they didn’t have to drink and drive. I had the one and only beer I was having for the night with her father. There were bottles of water that I’d stashed in the floorboard earlier tonight that I could drink to stay hydrated.

  The sound of music filled the night sky as we parked and exited our vehicles. Ainsleigh grabbed her friends, one on each side of her, and didn’t wait for me to follow.

  If she wanted to play it that way, fine. I’d give her the moment to be mad. But not much longer than that.

  Entering the barn, she walked over to the table where they were handing out Jello shots, grabbed two for her friends and two for herself. She hadn't been a big drinker before she left, only trying it out once and deciding that she didn’t like the way she felt afterward. That changed while she was gone. She used her tongue with expert precision to get the Jello out of the cup before she downed the contents. And damn if it wasn’t the sexiest thing I’d ever seen. So sexy that I had to adjust myself from the sight.

  People were scattered throughout the space. Some I knew. Most I didn’t.

  The ones that I did know noticed Ainsleigh the moment she walked in. They all flocked to her, giving her hugs to welcome her home. Her parents asked for my help in inviting people that she knew from school to her graduation party. Those that were hugging her were some amongst the list of invites that were sent out.

  A couple of hours had gone by, and she threw back more drinks than I could count. Currently she walked toward the makeshift dancefloor in the middle of the room with Dylan following behind her.