Unbridled Pursuit (Novak Springs Book 2)

by Dawn Brower

  “I’m sure you will balance it out somehow. No matter what, I’ll be honored to be a part of this baby’s life.”

  “I’m so excited, Tori. Everything is going so well, and I’ve never been happier, but I also feel like it’s almost too good to be true. I’m afraid something or someone will rip it all apart, or worse, I’ll wake up and find it’s only a dream.”

  “You have nothing to be afraid of. Dallas loves you, and while I’m sure there may be some hard times—life doesn’t always run along easy street—I have faith no matter what, you two will come out of it stronger than ever.” She flashed her friend a smile. “Plus you have me on your side, what more could you ask for?”

  Ginnifer wiped a tear from her eye. “Thanks, I needed my best friend. It all happened so fast it’s been surreal.”

  “It’s what I’m here for.” Vitoria waved her hand. “Now I’m going to go drag my suitcase into the lovely room you are loaning me while I’m here. I need a nap. For some reason I didn’t sleep well last night.”

  “Go, get some rest. I’ll wake you up in a few hours. I need to get some work done anyway.”

  Vitoria smiled and turned her back to Ginnifer, walking out of the kitchen. Once there was some distance between them, she let it fade away. Her unhappiness didn’t need to slide into her friend’s wonderful life. She’d do anything to protect Ginnifer, including shielding her from Vitoria’s own pain and misery.

  Grabbing her suitcase, she went into the guest bedroom and shut the door. She lay down on the bed and let the tears she’d been holding back fall down her cheeks. No matter what, all of her issues would be set aside, including Wes’s beliefs. After she managed to accomplish that particular goal, she’d be able to erase the unwanted feelings she’d begun to develop for him. Only then would she find some remnant of peace.

  Chapter Nineteen

  It was her last night on the ranch. Vitoria wanted to soak up the peace she found in the land surrounding her. Spending time on the ranch, walking along the fence rows, and gazing out into the wide-open fields—all of it spoke to her in ways Vitoria never thought it could or would. Back when Ginnifer mentioned going on a vacation to do cowgirl yoga, Vitoria thought she’d been crazy.

  Why would they do something so incredibly dull?

  She knew if they visited Novak Springs, they’d be bored silly the entire time, but Ginny wanted to do it, and Vitoria followed. Her friend’s happiness always a top priority for her, she’d altered her plans to accommodate her. Now as she stared up at the sky blinking with millions of stars, she knew coming to the ranch was one of the best decisions they’d ever made.

  Happiness and all that came with it found her best friend on their trip to do cowgirl yoga in the little town of Dillon, Washington. Ginnifer’s wedding was a mere two weeks away, and now a baby was on the way. Vitoria couldn’t wait to spoil him or her. Her own life appeared to be in utter chaos, but one thing would always remain constant. If she needed her, Ginny would be at her side and vice versa.

  “What are you doing out here?”

  Vitoria startled, turned to see Wes coming toward her along the fence line. In his hand, a bottle cradled by its long neck. “I’m enjoying the night, but since you’re here, I will go back to the house and retire for the night.”

  He took a swig from the bottle. “Don’t leave on my account.”

  “You’re drunk.”

  He lifted the bottle and stared at it. Moonlight streamed down illuminating the bottle enough so Vitoria could make it out. A fifth of whiskey whittled down to a third of a bottle.

  Had he drunk the entire thing on his own?

  It would be the icing on a cake already on the brink of topping over—a piss-poor drunk Wes Novak mixed with unrelenting anger.

  “Sweetheart, I’m not nearly drunk enough.”

  Vitoria looked at him, distaste beginning to fill her at the sight of him leaning haphazardly against a fence post. “From where I’m standing, you look about ready to topple over. Don’t let me prevent you from hitting the ground. I’m sure you will be quite comfy in the grass for the evening.”

  Vitoria started to leave and let him wallow in his own misery. She didn’t owe him a damned thing. He ran away from her—believed the worst without letting her explain anything.

  Why should she care if he falls face first into the nearest pile of shit?

  At the rate he was going, it would be soon. A part of her hoped he did because it would be some well-deserved karmic justice. If not for him, she wouldn’t have a clue how nasty manure actually was. She’d thrown away some of her favorite clothes because she deemed them unsalvageable after that little mishap.

  “Running away so soon? I thought we could have a chat,” Wes called after her.

  She should ignore him, but found it impossible to do so. Vitoria grated her teeth together and looked over her shoulder at him. He’d followed her, making it far enough to lean on a fence post directly behind her—grinning wickedly as he took another swig of whiskey from the near empty bottle.

  “I don’t have time for your nonsense tonight. Why don’t you go sleep it off?” An evil grin formed on her face. “I’m sure the killer headache you wake up with will have been worth drinking whole bottle of whiskey too.”

  “You want to know what I think?”

  Vitoria sighed and turned around to face Wes. “Not particularly, but I have a feeling you’re about to tell me.”

  “You’re afraid.”

  Her afraid? As if…

  Apparently drinking almost an entire bottle of mind numbing liquor had also damaged his brain cells beyond comprehension.

  “And you’re a delusional jackass.”

  “Maybe you’re right, because I can’t get you out of my head.” He started to move toward her, Vitoria took a step back. “I want you so much, every second of every day—no matter how many times I tell myself you’re a selfish bitch.”

  Wes continued to stalk forward eliminating the distance between him. He stopped in front of her and let the bottle of whiskey fall to the ground. Lifting his hand he caressed her cheek with feather-light strokes. “So fucking beautiful…why can’t you be what I need you to be?”

  Vitoria began to shake. She didn’t want to need or desire him. They were both on a path of mutual destruction—craving what they could give each other. Getting further involved with Wes was a bad idea.

  So incredibly stupid she should turn and run as far away from him as humanly possible.

  Yet she couldn’t move, so transfixed with what his eyes were begging from her.

  “Wes…”

  “Why does it have to be you?”

  He wrapped his arms around her as his lips claimed hers. He tasted of spice and the whiskey he’d been drowning himself in. Vitoria fell into it—a willing victim of the desire only he could ignite within her.

  A slow burn traveled down her body and pooled into a searing need deep within.

  Only Wes could make her feel this unending hunger. Her hands wrapped around his head as her fingers dug into his skull. She ranked her nails through his long silky hair and yanked at the ends. A moan of pleasure filled the air—Vitoria wasn’t sure if it came from her or Wes, perhaps both of them. Wes pulled back and stared down at her with lust-filled eyes.

  “We should stop.” He shook his head and took a step back. “This is wrong.”

  Vitoria could feel her heart begin to shatter again. Why did she keep doing this to herself?

  Wes only wanted her as long as he could forget he blamed her for something she didn’t do. Damn him for making her yearn for him when he’d only turn around and stomp on her fragile ego. Yes, she could probably find someone to have sex with, but she wanted more than that.

  Wes made her think it could happen with him, if only he’d open his eyes and see what stood right in front of him. She couldn’t keep doing this with him—hoping he would see past his own judgmental belief and realize how much they could be for each other.

  “You’re rig
ht.” Disgust filled her voice. “This is wrong. In fact do me a favor and never touch me again.”

  Anger spread through her, a wildfire burning out of control. Not at Wes, but directed where it really belonged. At the fool she allowed herself to become. Vitoria Miene didn’t settle for scraps someone unwillingly threw at her.

  All or nothing—and it looked like she needed to accept she’d only get crumbs of indecision from Wes.

  If he wouldn’t give himself fully to her, she’d accept zilch. Really, it was for the best. Decision made, she began the slow process of putting distance between them. One foot in front of the other, she made painstakingly small steps away from him. It hurt, but it needed to be done.

  “Vitoria wait…”

  She ignored him and continued on the path back to the ranch. At least it was her last night at the ranch. Her time at Novak Springs had flown by rather quickly. The time spent with Ginnifer had been soothing. She’d needed the time with her best friend, but it’d come at a high price. Tori had to get away from Wes.

  In the early morning, she’d be heading back to Seattle. She expected a delivery at her office, and she needed to prepare for her meeting with Colt. Keeping in mind she didn’t want to see Miguel—knowing who and what he was—she’d made reservations at a different hotel. All of her personal belongings from her apartment in New York were scheduled to arrive in a few days and she’d be able to move into her new condo. At least she’d be able to avoid Wes fully when she had her own place.

  Vitoria could hear Wes’s heavy footsteps stomping behind her. She wished he would let things go and leave her be. Apparently, he was going to continue to be hard headed. Vitoria spun around to face him—only to have him plow into her and knock her to the ground. He fell on top of her, crushing her beneath his large frame. “Ouch, you drunken idiot. Get off me.”

  “I kind of like this position.”

  Of course he did, Wes had her completely at his mercy. Vitoria squirmed in an attempt to get out from underneath him. In the process, her breasts rubbed against his well-defined chest. Her nipples pebbled as desire burned once again within her. She had to get away from him before she begged him to fuck her. Wanton thy name is Vitoria. She desperately wanted the odious man pinning her to the ground. If she gave in to Wes, she’d regret it.

  “Please let me go,” Vitoria pleaded.

  “No, maybe we will be able to finish a conversation now.”

  “Only if you can manage to keep your hands—and other body parts to yourself,” Vitoria scoffed.

  “Oh, I can manage.” His eyes seared through her, lust clouding over his eyes. “At least long enough to get some answers.”

  Vitoria bucked upward in one final attempt to break free from his hold. He’d managed to pin her arms in place underneath his firm grasp, his body too heavy for her to push off her.

  “Fine, what do you want to talk about, so I can go back to my room—alone.” Vitoria made sure to emphasize the last word so he would understand he wouldn’t be continuing this interrogation back at the house.

  “Tell me about your twin.”

  Really? Now he wanted to know about Vivian? “What do you want to know?”

  “If she’s real.”

  Vitoria glared at him. “Of course she’s real. People don’t make up siblings, let alone identical twins.”

  “Where is she?”

  “I saw her last a few days ago, in Seattle.”

  Shock filled his gaze, and he eased back, rolling off her. He rocked to his knees and reached his hand across to help her up. “What’s her name?” he asked.

  “Vivian.”

  “Where can I find her?”

  Vitoria shrugged. “I’m not sure where she calls home, but I ran into her at an art gallery. I think she runs the place.”

  “You don’t keep in contact with her?” Wes’s expression was riddled with confusion as he stared at her. “Why not?”

  “We don’t have…” Vitoria bit her lip. How could she put it in a way Wes might understand? “A relationship like you have with Dallas and Emma. We’ve always been estranged—even when we lived in the same house.”

  “I don’t get it.”

  “It’s how we were raised. It is what it is, and we accepted it a long time ago.”

  “No, what that is, all it can be, is tragic.”

  Wes didn’t know how right he was. They should have been close, but their parents made sure they never could be. “I can’t change it now and don’t see any reason why I should.”

  “You really don’t know Eric?” he asked.

  “I only know Eric or who he is because Ginny asked Dallas—which prompted me to do a little digging on my own. I’m sorry, Wes, I never met him. I understand he was—is important to you, but I had nothing to do with his death.”

  Wes sighed and scrubbed his hand over his face. “You think Vivian might though.”

  Vitoria raised both hands in the air and shrugged. “Maybe, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask her.”

  “How do you explain your little date with Miguel Santiago?”

  “A very ironic twist of fate. I met him by accident at the realtor’s office. He seemed charming and harmless.” Vitoria got to her feet and stared down at him. “If I hadn’t been distracted, maybe I’d have seen past the exterior and noticed he was far from innocuous. I had a lot on my mind though and didn’t see it until I was already out with him.”

  “So you are not going to be seeing him again?”

  No, she’d be doing all she could to actively avoid Miguel. If she’d known who and what he was, she’d never had gone out with him. Wes and dealing with him blinded her to everything around her. She wouldn’t be making a similar mistake again. “No, I have no desire to spend time with a criminal.”

  “Good.”

  “Gee, I’m glad you approve,” Vitoria said sarcastically. “I didn’t make the decision to give you any kind of pleasure. It was made solely based on my own well-being. Now if you don’t mind, I have a lot to do tomorrow to get my new office set up. I’m going to go to bed and enjoy the fact I won’t have to see you again for two weeks. After the wedding, let’s decide to avoid each other whenever possible.”

  Vitoria left Wes sitting on the ground. As she made her way back to the house, she did her best to not give him a second thought. A difficult task—but she could do it. Wes Novak did not deserve her, and she needed to pound it into her brain, as well as her stubborn heart.

  Chapter Twenty

  Wes fumbled forward, rolled over on his back, and lay his head against the cool grass. As he stared at the black velvet sky dotted with sparkling dots shining down on him it occurred to him he’d messed up—again.

  He’d managed to drink damn near a whole bottle of whiskey.

  The worst part of it all was he also found himself kissing Vitoria again. At least he did get some information out of her about her twin sister. If only he’d also managed to get an actual location of the gallery Vivian worked at. Damned alcohol induced state of mind didn’t help in aiding a beneficial and conducive interrogation. What he came out of it with was a story riddled with holes of missing information and a hard on for a woman he shouldn’t want so much.

  Staring up at the night sky didn’t help much either.

  He needed to get off the ground and go inside the house. Maybe sober up and track Vitoria down again. She’d said something about leaving in the morning. If she was no longer on the ranch it would be much more difficult to grill her. If Vitoria didn’t know Eric and she really had a twin named Vivian—he needed to find her and have a conversation with her. A part of him hoped it was all true.

  Because if it was…

  The possibilities were endless.

  Wes’s growing desire for Vitoria could be explored without the raging guilt building up inside of him.

  Wes rolled to his side and pushed himself up into a standing position. He swayed a little bit as he regained his equilibrium. He really should quit drinking so much. It wasn’t a
good decision when he had so many different threads of thought trailing through his mind.

  Stumbling forward he put one foot in front of the other, slowly gaining headway to the house. The trek taking a little bit longer than usual, he finally arrived at the front steps. Wes lifted his foot on the first step, lost his balance, and fell forward. His head smacked one of the steps, and he could feel something trickle down his forehead.

  “What the hell are you doing?”

  Wes looked up at his brother. Dallas stood at the stop of the stairs with his arms crossed against his chest. He glared down at Wes and shook his head. Wonderful, just what he needed, his judgmental brother glowering over him as he crawled his way inside.

  “Oh—I thought I might lay down here for a little while.” Wes waved his hands over the steps. “It’s so comfy here.”

  “Don’t be an ass.” Dallas reached his hand to help him up. “You’re bleeding all over the place. Let’s go inside, so we can get you cleaned up.”

  Wes ran his hand across his forehead and could feel a sticky wetness at the edge of his hairline. Great, he’d managed to mangle his head. He hoped it wasn’t something bad because he had no desire to visit an emergency room.

  Dallas didn’t seem too concerned. He grabbed his brother’s hand and pulled himself off the steps.

  “Yeah, probably a good idea, I’d hate to bleed all over the place.”

  “Why the hell are you drinking so damned much?”

  “It seemed like a good idea at the time.”

  Dallas shook his head, disgust filling his eyes. “Do I need to tell you again drinking doesn’t solve anything?”

  “No. It’s going to be a while before I can stomach any kind of alcoholic beverage. I’m not feeling so hot.”

  A rumble of queasiness took root in the bottom of his stomach. Wes had to hold back the incredible urge to vomit. If he lost the contents of his belly, Dallas would never let him live it down. It was bad enough he managed to crack his head open on the front steps.

  Dallas sighed. “Follow me. I’ll get the first aid kit.”