“Yeah, life is confusing. It’s not our fault. I blame the rest of the world. All those people who have it all figured out. All those people who are so completely put together. They’re the weirdoes.”
“Or,” she said. “They’re the liars. At least we’re open about our confusion.”
When our wine arrived, we both lifted up our glasses.
“To being weird.”
“To being confused.”
When the waiter returned to see what we wanted to order we were both still laughing. Neither one of us had even opened our menus. There was so much to choose from that I felt overwhelmed. I’d never been good at making decisions, and I didn’t go out to restaurants often enough to know what I should or shouldn’t eat.
“Do you recommend anything?” I asked the waiter.
“Well, we’re known for our pizzas. We have a special Wyo pizza that comes with locally sourced bacon and cheese. It’s also topped with a special sweet chili sauce that’s made by my wife. It’s really something.”
“Sounds amazing. I’ll take one of those,” I said. Then I looked at Sloan and waited for her to order a salad.
She surprised me by closing the menu, and smiling at the waitress. “I’ll take one, too. Sounds incredible. And honestly, I don’t feel like choosing. Everything sounds so nice.”
She took a sip of wine and then looked at me. “Why are you staring at me like that? Is there something on my face?” Her hand immediately flew to her face.
I laughed. “Yeah, something on your chin,” I said.
She felt her chin. “Is it gone?”
“It’s on your cheek now?”
“What? What is it?” she said and touched her cheek. Then she glared at me. “You’re making this up.”
I chuckled. “Sorry, I couldn’t help myself. No, there’s nothing on your face.”
“So, why were you looking at me like that?”
“Well, you can’t blame me for being surprised. You just ordered a pizza.”
“Yeah? What’s wrong with that? You heard the waiter. He said it was delicious. And that menu was way too big for me to choose from.”
“I agree with you. But I still didn’t expect you to choose the pizza. I thought you were going to go for the salad or something. Not so long ago I had to convince you eat a tiny piece of bread. What happened?”
She shrugged. “I don’t know. Wyoming happened, I guess.”
“Well, I’m glad to hear it. Anyway, you’re doing so much work out here, and so much riding, that you can afford to eat a pizza a day and probably not even notice it. Trust me; I am one of the biggest eaters you’ll ever meet. I’ll eat this large pizza and still wonder what’s for dessert. I just don’t worry because I work hard. Also, I don’t really care too much what other people think about me. If they’re going to judge me for what I eat, then I don’t really want to be friends with them in the first place.”
“I like the way you think,” she said. “I even had a croissant yesterday for breakfast. The waiter was just as surprised as you were. I normally eat an apple for breakfast. Sometimes, half an apple.”
I chuckled. “Living life on the edge, eh,” I teased.
“Hey, don’t mock me. I know it sounds crazy to someone like you, but it’s a whole different world out there. This really is life on the edge for someone like me. I know you can’t understand it. But when you’re an actress, you basically have the whole world watching your every move. It’s not always easy when you’re constantly being judged. And yeah, I know, it’s a life I chose, but still, it’s not as easy as you think it is. It’s hard, Brady.”
I was taken aback by her words and wondered what or who had made her so angry at the world. I wondered why she was an actress when the lifestyle didn’t seem to suit her at all.
“I’m sure it’s not easy,” I said. “And I’m not judging you, Sloan. Trust me; I’m not judging you at all. I was honestly just teasing you. I’m a man who lives by himself and who barely talks to anyone at all. I couldn’t imagine having people on my back all the time. I know it comes with the territory, like you say, but it can’t be easy. And I’m sure you just want some privacy at times.”
“Ah,” she said and shrugged it off. “I shouldn’t complain. In a lot of ways, it’s a very easy life.”
“Do you have any siblings?” I asked. I suddenly realized that I knew very little about her life.
But just like I sometimes did with her, she shrugged off the question. “Nah. I couldn’t imagine growing up with four brothers like you did. Do you see any of them other than the one that lives next door?”
“Actually, my brother Ryan called. He’s the MMA fighter.”
“Wait, let me guess . . . Knuckles!” she said.
I laughed. “Yeah! Hey, he’s coming to visit soon. If you’re still around, you have to call him that! He’ll be so surprised.”
She laughed. “I’ll try to remember. So he’s coming to visit? That’s cool. You get along well?”
“Yeah, he’s a nice guy. He’s my younger brother, so it’s fun to mess around with him. We have that sort of joking relationship with one another. We always have. He’s a very funny guy.”
“You mess around with an MMA fighter? That’s brave.”
I laughed. “No matter what, he’s still my younger brother. MMA fighter or not.”
“Well, it definitely sounds like you get along well with him. I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
“Yeah, we’re very close. I’ve gotten close to Grant over the years, he’s the one that lives next door, but it’s different with Ryan. There’s something between the two of us that I don’t have with the rest of my brothers. I think Ryan just always felt sorry for me, you know . . .” Then I trailed off. I had never spoken to anyone about my family before, and I had no idea why I had almost felt the need to share it with Sloan. I quickly shook my head. “Never mind; enough family talk. Here comes our pizza.”
Sloan, thankfully, didn’t ask me any more questions. Either she hadn’t realized that I was about to share something personal with her, or she did realize but saw that I didn’t want to talk about it. Either way, I was glad that our attention had turned back to the pizza.
“Okay, this is incredible. How am I going to go back to eating salads all day after food like this?”
“Well, you could take up horse riding there too? Or, you know, you could just eat pizza and not give a damn about anyone. That’s always an option.”
“If only,” she sighed.
“You should try it.”
“You know,” she said as she picked up another slice of pizza. “I might just do that.”
The rest of the date went by well. We steered clear of any conversation that was too serious and spent most of the time laughing and teasing one another. Sloan was very easy to talk to, and nothing like the person I thought she was going to be. Either she hid a lot of her personality away, or I had just misjudged her too quickly. Or maybe, just maybe, she was just an amazing actress who was simply practicing for her role at all times. I hoped it wasn’t the latter.
After the pizza and another glass of wine, we made our way back to the hotel. I wasn’t used to going out and the evening had turned out a lot better than I had expected. Grant was going to have a field day when he found out that I actually left the house for an evening out. I parked the car and insisted that I walked her back to the hotel room.
“You really don’t have to,” she said.
“Yeah, but I’m going to,” I said.
We walked up to the room, and as she opened the door, she turned around.
“Thank you for a wonderful evening,” she said. “I should win horse races more often.”
I smiled down at her. Without her heels on, she was at least a head shorter than me.
“Thank you, too. So, I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Or, you know, you can see me now,” she said.
I was just about to ask what she meant when she pulled me inside and clo
sed the door behind her. She switched the light off and walked over the little bedside lamp and turned it on. Then, while I was watching her, she slowly started to strip off her clothes.
“What are you waiting for?” she said.
I gulped. Hot damn, she is sexy.
Chapter Sixteen
Sloan
I wasn’t sure what it was about Brady that made me so confident around him. I still had no idea how he really felt about me, or who he really was, but there was something about him that drew me to him. Maybe it was the very idea that he was closed off to most people, and yet he’d somehow let me in. He hadn’t shown me everything there was about him, but I got the sense that he had shown me more than he did with most people. It also didn’t harm that he was incredibly good looking.
“What are you waiting for?” I said again as I stood completely naked in front of him.
I’d switched off the main lights and put on the bedside table lamp. It would’ve been nice to have had candles, but I figured it was better than nothing. I liked the way he had stopped moving. The way he was standing there just staring at me. I liked that I could do that to him. I liked that I didn’t feel the need to be an actress when I was around him. I could just be unapologetically me. Then he took off his clothes and walked up to me. His tanned skin, from hours in the sun, looked even darker against mine. He pulled me in and kissed me, and the more we kissed, the harder he was against me. He leaned down, pushed my hair away, and kissed my neck. He sucked on it slowly and gently, and then moved down so that my breasts were in his mouth. He moved down even more until he was down on his knees, and opened me up with his tongue. I put my hands on his head and held on as he licked me. When he pulled away, I moaned, and he picked me up and placed me on the bed. He lay over me and eased inside me. I was wet and ready for him, and within seconds I had to urge myself not to come too quickly. But it wasn’t easy. The more he moved over me, the more I could feel him from within, the more I wanted to let go completely.
“Wait, stop,” I said.
“What’s wrong?”
I grinned. “Nothing. I’m just so close already, and I . . . I don’t want this to be over.”
He smiled down at me, and at that moment I wondered what had caused his sadness. Because even though he didn’t talk to me about it, I knew that something or someone had hurt him. But now, at this moment, I only saw happiness. And I liked that I had done that for him.
“I’m sorry, Miss Hill,” he whispered. “But I simply cannot stop,” he said and moved ever so slightly.
I groaned. “You have to.”
“But I can’t,” he said and moved again.
I wrapped my legs around him in an attempt to stop him, but it only made him thrust deeper inside me.
“Okay,” I whispered. “Don’t stop.”
“I won’t,” he said.
Then he leaned down and bit me gently on the neck. I moved my legs higher up, and he pushed harder against me.
“Don’t stop, don’t stop, don’t stop,” I whispered as my body began to tremble in response to him.
This time I felt him coming inside me first. But it was only a matter of seconds before I followed suit.
“I’m sorry,” he said afterward as he kissed me on the forehead. “I honestly couldn’t stop.”
I chuckled. “You’re pretty good at this, you know that?”
“I am? That’s good to know. So are you. Also, I’m rather impressed with your flexibility.”
“Years of yoga will do that to you.”
He smiled. “Well, by all means, never stop doing yoga.”
I chuckled. “Yeah, it’s certainly coming in handy. And if you stick around, I’ll show you plenty more moves.”
But the moment I said that, I regretted it. I didn’t want him to think that I wanted this to be a relationship or anything. I knew that it wasn’t like that for him. We both knew that this wasn’t something serious. I only had two more weeks to go in his hometown. Thankfully, Brady didn’t seem to realize what I had said.
“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, and I smiled back at him.
I wondered briefly when he was last in a relationship. From what he had told me, he seemed to like living alone, and so far he hadn’t mentioned anyone. But then again, neither had I. This thing between us was strange. In some ways, we were so open with each other, and in other ways, we didn’t open up at all.
“Well, I better get going. You see, aren’t you glad I made sure you were safe and sound now?” he said.
I chuckled. “I’m very glad. Thanks for a lovely evening, Brady. I hope you don’t mind, but I’m going to stay in bed. I’m feeling pretty comfortable here.”
He leaned over and kissed my forehead. “You see, you’re even starting to like this tiny bed now,” he said, and we both laughed.
Chapter Seventeen
Brady
I was fast asleep when I was woken up by a knock at the door. I looked at the time and saw that it was four in the morning. Who the hell would come here at this time? Not even Grant would come over this early. I got out bed, threw a shirt on, and made my way slowly downstairs. At the last minute, I decided to grab the shotgun. I probably didn’t need it, but it was better to be safe than sorry in this case. I pointed the gun to the door and opened.
“Dude! What the hell?”
I lowered the gun when I saw Ryan standing in front of me.
“No wonder they called you Shotgun.”
I chuckled. “I did the same thing to Grant once, and he said the exact same thing. But why the hell are you knocking at my door at four in the damn morning?”
“Oh, come on! You should be happy to see me at any time of the day. I decided to get an early start. Beat the traffic and all that. I was aiming for five, but I got here way earlier. Aren’t you going to let me in?”
“Come in,” I said and then closed the door behind us. I looked at my brother. “You’ve gotten taller.”
“Nah, you’ve gotten shorter,” Ryan said.
“And you’ve gotten more tattoos.”
He grinned. “Probably. And I assume you’ve still got none.”
“I haven’t. But Grant has.”
“What? Grant has a tattoo? Since when?”
“Since he fell in love with Emily.”
“That’s your neighbor, huh? Wow, she has a tattoo?”
“According to Grant, she has one on her ribs and one on her back. She convinced him to get one, too.”
“I like the sound of her already. I thought all the girls around here were prudes.”
I raised my eyebrows. “Oh, that’s one thing they’re definitely not.”
“Wow, maybe I should consider moving here too, then. So, what does a brother have to do to get some coffee around here?”
“You’re very lucky I want some so badly myself. Come on, sit down, I’ll get us a cup.”
I made my way to the kitchen while Brady mocked me for being such a perfectionist when it came to the coffee. He saw me measuring the beans and grinding them, and he laughed.
“You’re such a hipster.”
“A what?”
He rolled his eyes. “Don’t you know what a hipster is?”
“No. I’m assuming someone that likes coffee.”
“Well, sort of. But many other things too. You don’t have a bicycle hanging on your wall do you?”
“What on earth are you talking about?”
He laughed. “Nothing. Sorry, I forget that you’re in your own little world now. I mean, you don’t even go on the internet.”
“Are you going to sit there and mock me all morning or are you going to be nice? Because I’m close to pouring your coffee down the drain and drinking mine in front of you.”
“Have I told you lately how much I love you? And how good you are looking?” he said and grinned at me.
I shook my head. “You’re a pain. You know that. I’m going to need more than one cup to get going this morning.”
“I thought you
were an early riser.”
“I am. But four is pushing it a little.”
“So, what time do you usually wake up?”
“About quarter to.”
“Six?”
“Five.”
“So I only woke you up forty-five minutes early, and you’re complaining?”
“Hey, I’ll have you know that those forty-five minutes are important to me. You’re lucky I’m happy to see you.”
He chuckled. “I knew you would be.”
“I still can’t believe my little brother is an MMA fighter.”
“Not so little anymore,” he said, and he flexed his muscles.
I groaned. “Please don’t tell me you use that line on women.”
“I don’t have to use lines on women. And it’s not like I’m that much younger than you, anyway. But yeah, I know what you mean. Who would’ve though I would’ve done this with my life? Remember how scrawny I used to be?”
I chuckled. “You and me both.”
“Man, I must say, despite how I busted your chops, this coffee is damn good.”
“Thank you.”
“So, how’s life on the farm? Tell me everything about this movie. Are they still shooting? Do you get involved at all? Are you in the movies too?”
I laughed. “So many questions. Well, it’s going well. They came for just over a month, so we still have a little bit of time left. I was so annoyed at first. I mean, you know what I’m like with that place. It’s like my sanctuary. And all of a sudden there are all these people in suits and dresses who do not look like they belong at all, and they’re in my space.”
Ryan snickered. “I can so picture you getting annoyed with something like that.”
“Yeah, it was super annoying. But I guess I’ve just gotten used to it now. It’s not that bad. And it’s interesting to see how it’s all put together. I mean, I thought they filmed a movie exactly the way it’s going to play on screen. But they do little bits and pieces all over the place and then put it together at the end. It’s interesting.”
“And what are the cast like?”
“Oh, I’m not sure if you’ve heard of Patrick Restler?”
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