Renegade: A Werebear Paranormal Romance (Lone Star Cowbears Book 2)

by Liv Brywood

  He rolled off to the side and pulled her into a spooning embrace. His huge body enveloped her. Next to him she felt so tiny and delicate. He really was her perfect mate.

  As his breath evened out, she slipped out of his arms to use the restroom. On the way back, she spotted a blinking light on her phone. She checked her email. An urgent message from Brad caught her eye. Now what?

  As she read through the message, tension reclaimed her body. As much as she wanted to stay with Aaron, she couldn’t. Not yet. Not until after the IPO. And even then, it would be a huge change. Something she needed to consider when she wasn’t caught up in post-orgasmic bliss.

  She padded back into the room and stood over him for several minutes. She wanted nothing more than to crawl back into bed with him, but they needed her at work. She sat on the edge of the bed and gently shook him awake.

  “I need to talk to you,” she said.

  “Mmm… come back to bed.”

  “I got an email from work. They need me back.”

  He groaned and buried his face in a pillow. His knuckles went white.

  “You’ll never leave that place, will you?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. But I have to get back.”

  “Tell me one thing,” he said as he turned to face her.

  “What?”

  “Did you mean it when you said you love me?”

  “I did,” she whispered. “But sometimes love isn’t enough. Sometimes the rest of your life gets in the way and there’s nothing you can do to change things.”

  “You can change everything if you want to. But you have to want to,” he said.

  “I need time.”

  “You’ve got it. I’ve already waited ten years. I’d wait a hundred if it meant I could marry you one day.”

  “Marry…” Her voice caught in her throat. He wanted to marry her?

  “Maybe one day. But not until you’re ready to be with me. Really be with me. None of this cross-country crap. I love you, Violet, and I love our baby. I want us to be a family. But if you don’t want that, there’s not a damn thing I can do to change your mind.”

  He rolled over and pulled a blanket across his hips. All of the energy drained from her body. She’d spent the most magical few days in Lost Hills, but that hadn’t changed the reality of her situation. She had a life in San Francisco. Something she’d worked hard to achieve. Was their love strong enough to make her walk away from it all?

  Chapter 15

  One month later, Violet stood on the balcony overlooking the New York Stock Exchange. Today was the day everything she’d worked for would come to fruition. So why did she feel so hollow inside?

  “Can you believe it’s finally happening?” Brad asked.

  “It’s a bit surreal.”

  “You’re about to ring the opening bell on IPO day. If you’re not floating on air, there’s something wrong with you,” he joked.

  She looked around at the group of executives from her company. They were surrounded by their families. Smiling kids and glowing wives and husbands congratulated their partners.

  She stood alone. No family. No friends. No one to share this with.

  Although she could call her family afterward, it wasn’t the same. She should have flown her parents out. Or maybe Aaron. They’d stayed in touch over the last few weeks, but every conversation seemed strained to the point of breaking. She couldn’t help but feel like she’d ruined everything by leaving Lost Hills.

  When the countdown clock appeared, everyone clapped and hollered. As the numbers ticked down, a hollow sensation filled her heart. She pressed her hand over her belly. The bump had started to show, but she hadn’t disclosed her pregnancy yet. Every time she sensed the flutter of life, it made her think of her family. She missed them more than she could express in their brief phone calls. And now that the company was IPOing, she could take time off to be with them. But would they be happy to see her?

  Although things remained strained between her and her parents, they’d finally seemed to accept her chosen occupation. Aaron, on the other hand, wished her well, but there was no truth behind his tone. He was still furious she’d chosen her job over him.

  Five…

  Four…

  Three…

  Two…

  One…

  She pressed the button to ring the opening bell. The shrill ring plucked at her nerves. Maybe she should have stayed in Lost Hills and worked remotely. Would that have changed anything? Would it even have been possible with everything going on at work?

  “Congratulations,” Brad said. “We worked a long time on this. Without your vision, it never would have happened.”

  “Thank you.”

  “You look like somebody died,” he said dryly. “A bunch of us are going out to celebrate. You should come.”

  “I can’t. In fact, I need to talk to you. Alone.”

  She threaded her way through a throng of well-wishers and into the hall. Brad followed her into a small conference room. She closed the door.

  “I need to take some time off,” she said.

  “You could take the rest of the year off with the way things are going. You turned this place into a well-oiled machine.”

  “Thanks.”

  “What’s going on?” he asked. “You haven’t sounded like yourself in months. I know you went through a lot with your sister being shot, but this seems like something else.”

  “Well…” She searched for a professional way to explain what was going on without going into too much detail.

  “I don’t involve myself in office gossip, so anything you tell me will stay confidential.”

  “I’m pregnant,” she blurted.

  “I didn’t know you were seeing someone.”

  “I wasn’t.”

  “Oh.” He paused. “Is this a good thing or a bad thing?”

  “Good. No matter what happens, I’m going to be a good mom,” she said, more to assure herself than anything.

  “Of course you will. And… the father?”

  “He’s my old high school boyfriend. I’ve known him my whole life.”

  “You had one heck of a productive trip the last time you went out there,” he said with a chuckle.

  Although she’d conceived during the first trip, she didn’t correct him. Semantics didn’t matter at this point.

  “So what are you going to do?” he asked.

  “I don’t know. But I need time to figure it out. I need to go home.”

  “To Texas?”

  “Yes.” When had she started thinking about Lost Hills as home?

  “Take all the time you need. I can run things while you’re on vacation,” he said with confidence.

  “I might… I might need to step down,” she said.

  “Permanently?”

  “Maybe. I don’t know.”

  “Look, I know you’re going through a lot. The last few months have been filled with stress, but before you make any decisions, you should think things through.”

  “I know,” she said. “But… I need you to start looking for a new CEO.”

  “Let’s not get ahead of ourselves.”

  “We’d have to find a suitable replacement,” she said.

  “We just IPO’d. The stock price will plunge if you leave now.”

  “We need to keep this a secret.”

  “I’d rather wait until we know for sure if you’re leaving,” he said. “It’s a waste of time to look unless you’re sure you want to give up your position.”

  She hesitated, reluctant to admit to another person what had been building in her heart for weeks. San Francisco wasn’t her home. Lost Hills was. Although she was proud of everything she’d accomplished, she missed the slow pace of small-town life. She missed her parents and her sister, but most of all, she missed Aaron.

  “I need to do it,” she said softly. “I’m stepping down. We’ll keep it quiet for now while we find a replacement. I need to go home.”

  “If you’re sur
e, I’m happy to do whatever it takes to support you. I’ve been behind you all the way,” he said. “And I’ll continue to support you whatever decision you make.”

  “Maybe you should apply for the job,” she said.

  “And take on that kind of stress?” He laughed. “No thanks. I’m pretty happy being the CFO and don’t have any plans to take over the world.”

  “Thank you for understanding,” she said.

  “If you change your mind, let me know right away and we’ll call off the search,” he said.

  “I don’t think I’ll change my mind.”

  “Have a safe trip home.” He gave her a quick hug. “Remember to call me if you change your mind.”

  “I will,” she said. A second later she added, “But I won’t.”

  He nodded and smiled.

  “You always did know what you wanted,” he said as he left the room.

  Maybe. Or maybe it had taken a series of crazy events to make her realize that her heart belonged to a hot cowboy from Texas.

  Violet stood on the front porch of her parents’ home. She hadn’t called ahead because she’d had to scramble to get to the airport. She’d caught the last seat on the next flight to Houston. She could have called from the Houston airport after she’d landed, but her confidence had waned.

  The front door swung open and her mom yelped and jumped back a step.

  “Violet! Honey, what are you doing here? You scared me half to death.”

  “Hi, Mom.”

  “Oh honey,” she opened her arms and Violet gave her a huge hug.

  “I’m home, Mom.”

  “What?”

  “I’m coming home.”

  Her mom’s eyes widened as she stepped back.

  “Don’t play with me,” she said.

  “I’m not.”

  “What’s going on out there?” her dad called from the living room.

  “Our baby’s home,” she said through tears.

  “Oh, Mom.”

  Her dad rushed to meet them. When he spotted her, he placed his hand over his heart.

  “I’ve been hoping and praying you’d come home,” he said. “And here you are.”

  “We watched you ring the bell today,” her mom said. “How on earth did you get here so fast?”

  “Airplane.”

  “You and your smart mouth,” her mom said. The edges of her eyes crinkled with amusement. “Well, come on in. Have you eaten?”

  “Not yet. I’m starving.”

  They went into the kitchen where her mom reheated a slab of lasagna. When she set it in front of Violet, her stomach rumbled. She was famished.

  “Now what’s this you said about coming back?” her dad asked.

  “I’d like to move home,” she said. “If you have room, of course.”

  “Oh honey, I don’t want you giving up your dreams because of us,” she said. “I know I’ve been hard on you, but I’m proud of everything you’ve accomplished.”

  “I miss you guys. I miss home,” she said.

  “And?” Her mom arched a brow. She always could sniff out the truth. “What else?”

  “I’m moving back because…I’m…I love Aaron,” she said. It didn’t feel right to tell them about the baby yet. Not until she’d talked to Aaron first.

  “Oh boy,” her mom said.

  “What?”

  “He hasn’t been in the best mood recently,” her dad said.

  “Do you know why?” she asked carefully. Maybe he’d already told them about the baby.

  “I don’t know, but that boy’s got a hornet under his bonnet,” her mom said. “So you’d better be ready to sweet talk him.”

  Violet swallowed and looked out the kitchen window at the Grant ranch. She’d taken a huge leap of faith coming here without any real plan. What if she’d made a colossal mistake?

  Aaron maneuvered the forklift through a tight fence into the back pasture. The scorching summer sun pounded him with relentless rays, but he welcomed the burn. Anything to make him feel alive. The day Violet had left, he’d turned into a dead man walking. Nothing gave him pleasure anymore. Not the baaing of baby sheep or the whinny of a filly. Not even sipping a cold beer at the end of a sweltering day.

  He found the perfect place to deposit a pile of new fence posts. He’d been meaning to shore up this pasture for months but hadn’t had time. Now he had all the time in the world because he didn’t have a damn thing to do but work around the ranch.

  After setting the posts down, he put the forklift in reverse and backed up. A woman screamed. He hit the brake and whipped around to find Violet running around the side of the machine.

  “Good God, woman! What in hell are you doing back there?” he yelled.

  Forget the fact that she shouldn’t be here at all. He’d almost killed her.

  “I was—I’m back.”

  “I can see that,” he snapped.

  “Aren’t you happy to see me?” she asked softly.

  The tension in her voice tore at his heart, but he wasn’t going to play her games anymore. She thought she could appear and disappear at will without thinking about how it hurt him each time. Well not anymore. He wasn’t going to stand for it.

  “What are you doing here?” he asked.

  “I’m…I’m back. I’m staying with my parents.”

  “When are you planning on leaving?” he asked.

  “I’m not.”

  “What?”

  He pulled his work gloves off and swiped his hand across the back of his sweaty forehead. He caught her gaze drinking in his glistening flesh.

  “You can’t keep doing this,” he said.

  “What? Looking at you half-naked?” Her full lips quirked into a grin.

  “Violet,” he said in a tone of warning. He turned off the forklift and jumped down. “You know what I mean. You can’t keep showing up here expecting me to fall at your feet when I know you’re going to run away. I’ve been weak before because dammit, I love you. But not anymore. If you’re not back for good, I don’t want to talk to you right now.”

  “I am back for good.”

  “You quit your job?” He arched a brow.

  “Yes. Kind of. I mean, we have to find a new CEO first and we can’t make an announcement for at least six months or the stock price might plummet.”

  “Did you quit or not?”

  “Yes. I did. For all intents and purposes at least,” she said.

  His heart beat faster. This had to be a dream.

  “I’m back for good this time,” she whispered. “And I’m not leaving… unless… unless you ask me to leave.”

  “You can’t be half in this,” he said, his voice cracking. “You’re either all in or—”

  “I love you,” she blurted. “I think I’ve always loved you. But I was so caught up in work that I wasn’t willing to acknowledge it.”

  His heart soared. She loved him.

  “What changed your mind?” he asked softly.

  “When I was ringing the bell today at the stock exchange, I realized how much I missed you. I miss my family and in a way, I miss small-town life. Family and love are much more important than money or fame.”

  “Damn straight,” he said.

  Her smile captured his heart and wouldn’t let go.

  “I might die of boredom,” she chuckled. “But at least I’ll be with you.”

  He tossed his gloves to the ground and swung her into his arms.

  “I swear… if you change your mind again…”

  “I won’t. I’m not leaving. Not tomorrow. Not next week. Never.”

  “Let’s build a life together,” he murmured.

  “I’d like that.”

  He scooped her up and carried her through the pasture, past whinnying horses and fields of billowing hay. And he didn’t set her down until they were inside their special cottage.

  This time he touched her with reverence. She was the mother of his child and he’d do everything in his power to make her love life i
n Lost Hills.

  “We’ll have to tell my parents,” she said.

  “We will. But not yet. Tomorrow.”

  “I told them I was coming over here.”

  “Then they shouldn’t expect you back until morning,” he said with a wicked grin.

  “Oh Lord, I’ll get into all kinds of trouble,” she said.

  “But it’ll be worth it.”

  When she bit the edge of her lip, a spark of desire shot straight to his cock. As he slowly undressed her, his fingers trailed across her skin. Silky smooth and flawless, he wanted to kiss every inch of her and make her his.

  He pressed his lips to hers before nibbling lower. Her neck belonged to him and every sweet word she uttered would be his for the rest of their lives. As he nuzzled the dusky rose of her nipples and kissed her voluptuous breasts, he imagined the family they’d have. The family he’d always wanted.

  The soft swell of her belly filled him with pride. He hoped to God he’d be able to make love to her every day for the rest of their lives. Well, not counting those weeks at the end of her pregnancy. Those would be off-limits.

  He chuckled.

  “What’s so funny?” she asked.

  “I was just thinking that I’m going to be cut off at some point before you have the baby.”

  “Parts of me might be off-limits, but not my hands or my mouth.”

  His cock jumped. Could she be any more perfect?

  “I’m going to hold you to that,” he said with a grin.

  “Less talking. More kissing.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He managed to undress while caressing the insides of her trembling thighs with his lips. Nothing stood between them. Not his clothes. Not her job. From here on out, they could be together as much as they wanted. And right now he wanted to be inside her.

  Violet’s gaze swept across his toned body. Every inch of him screamed sexy cowboy. She didn’t even care that he was still a little dirty. She’d drag him into the shower later. Much later. And not until she’d touched every inch of him.

  As he backed her toward the bed, she shivered in anticipation. Slick with need and ready to be ravished, she wanted to skip all pretense and let him dive right in. But his meandering fingers had other ideas. He parted her thighs and settled into the space between them. When his hot breath met her center, she quivered. A throbbing rush of desire pooled in her sex. As his lips met her pussy, she groaned.