by V. F. Mason
I nodded and then murmured, “Go to him.”
She looked stunned then nodded and disappeared in the direction of where Ren went. She couldn’t help but love him, and I prayed to God he wouldn’t hurt her much, because then I would have to kill him. She was my sister, and that made her mine, too. Her pain was my responsibility.
As I leaned over to wash my hands in the sink, I felt the soft touch of gentle hands, closed my eyes, and groaned. “Serena.”
She turned me around, inspected my face, and gently touched my abdomen. I couldn’t help but wince. Nothing was broken, we weren’t that stupid, but it was sore, and all I wanted to do was lie down.
Preferably with her by my side. But, shit, wasn’t she pissed at me? I wanted to say something, but she put her hand on my mouth.
“Shhhhh.”
She took my hand and led me upstairs to my room. Somehow, she ended up with a first aid kit in her hand and brought towels and hot water from the bathroom. As she lifted my shirt, I winced and looked down, and, well, everything was starting to bruise. She just shook her head and opened the kit to clean one open wound that stung and applied some cream. Then she moved to my face, treating everything delicately there as well.
“Didn’t know you were a nurse.” I tried to joke, because I couldn’t handle her silence and I needed to hear her voice.
“My mom used to do that a lot, volunteer work. She taught me some.” That was the first time she’d ever spoken about her family.
“So your mom helps those in need? My mom did shit like that too, and it was hard work, no matter what people thought.” It was a rare gift when people could give their time, attention, and care for a stranger and not expect anything in return.
“She used to.”
I frowned in confusion. “She doesn’t anymore?”
“She died three years ago,” she replied quietly.
“I’m sorry.” What else was there to say? I knew like no one else what it was like to lose your parents, even though I didn’t remember my mom that much—just that she smelled like cookies, loved to laugh, and hugged me a lot. Serena closed off, and I didn’t want to dig because it was painful, and I’d hurt her enough.
“It’s okay.” She finished and closed the kit then went to the bathroom to put away the towels and washbowl and to clean her hands. She came back and sat next to me on the bed. “What happened?”
“It was something long overdue.” My mouth lifted in a half smile, but it lacked any real amusement or humor.
“Was it because of me?” she asked quietly.
“No, it started about you, because I didn’t appreciate what he said at breakfast, but then it came down to Miranda, as it always does.”
“You told him the truth, didn’t you?”
I nodded, and she rested her head on my shoulder. As we sat in silence, I found peace. Maybe some people were right, and, indeed, silence could be comfortable with someone you could relax with.
“Who is Beatrice?” she whispered.
I sighed and put my arm around her, thanking God she let me. But her body was tense, so she wasn’t as calm as she wanted me to believe. “She’s a waitress at the bar.”
“You slept with her every night before yesterday?” She sounded hurt but not accusing. And I felt like shit.
“No, I haven’t slept with anyone since that almost-sex with Miranda.” I heard a gasp of surprise. “First, I was disgusted with the whole Miranda thing. Then there was no time with ranch work, and at some point, I wasn’t interested. When you showed up, I wanted you.” I swallowed, because here came the part she wouldn’t like. “She made a move on me a few days ago, and I told her I wasn’t not interested. The only reason I even remember her name is because of her name tag.”
She blinked a few times at my explanation, although the pain was gone from her eyes and thank fuck for that. Still she folded her arms “Can I just sort it all out?”
“Are you asking for time?”
“Yeah.”
“Babe, nothing even happened.” I found her behavior highly unreasonable.
“It has nothing to do with you. It’s me,” she murmured and left the room.
Fucking fantastic. And I thought I had a beautiful morning.
Bull-fucking-shit.
As much as my body hurt everywhere, I had the desire at that moment to go and deliver more blows to Ren for ruining things for me.
Serena
Keeping myself busy with cleaning and preparing meals allowed me to avoid Shane for the next day, even though it was silly.
Maggie was another issue. She was quiet and I saw she was hurt, but she was closed off. I knew digging would be a bad idea, so I didn’t ask questions.
At night, I just went to my room, did my drawings, and willed myself to sleep.
Ren’s words kept coming back to me, and I couldn’t shake them. Deep down, I knew the whole waitress issue wasn’t why I was upset. I knew our night was special for me, and some part of me feared it wasn’t for him. The whole talk sounded a lot like scratching an itch, and even though I knew there was an expiration date on our relationship, I didn’t want to be viewed as a convenient fuck.
As I said, I was stupid.
By the end of the day, I decided to forget all my issues from past insecurities and make amends with him. I knocked on his door, but he didn’t answer, and after some time I realized he just wasn’t there. I went downstairs and looked around for Shane, but he was nowhere to be seen. Where could he possibly go? Not the bar—I tried to ignore the thought. He wouldn’t do it. I mean, sure, I hurt him, and I knew it. I acted like a bitch, but there was no reason to leave for the bar, was there? I saw Carter on his way to his poker buddy’s cabin. Out of all the people here, he seemed to be friends with Shane, so for sure the old guy would know where he went.
“Hey, Carter?”
“Yep?”
“I’m looking for Shane. Do you by any chance know where he is?”
“At Henry’s.” He went to the freaking bar! Since I was silent, Carter felt like he needed to explain. “It’s a bar at the end of the city road. Night, Serena.” He was unaware of what reaction his words would cause and resumed his walk. After several minutes, he was nowhere in sight.
“Goodnight.” My whisper was barely audible. Shane had every right. It was just one night, and I shut him out. I didn’t want to talk—he had the right.
Suddenly, anger and rage like I’d never felt before went through me, and I wasn’t able to control it. My jaw hurt from how tight I clenched it. And my nails were digging into my palms. He had no right! One day without me, and he couldn’t keep it in his pants? I wasn’t some one-night stand. Plus, he knew what his trip would cause. I may have acted unreasonably, but a girl can allow herself to be confused after her first sexual encounter. He clearly did it to get a reaction from me, testing me. Sneaky son of a bitch!
He wanted a show? I’d give him one!
Shane
The bar, like last week, was busy and had a lot of opportunities for its main purpose—getting laid. Several girls approached me, but I wasn’t interested. I didn’t come here for that and, honestly, I’d made an ass of myself again, but I couldn’t return home, not yet. Ren sat several feet away on a barstool, some blonde wrapped around him while he seemed out of it. We hadn’t talked after the fight; neither of us were in the mood, so we went back to ignoring each other. The only time we had to shake hands was in Hawk’s office, where he warned that should that happen on the ranch again he’d kick both of our asses at once. No one doubted he could do it.
I went to the bar, where Grady greeted me with a nod and gave me a beer without asking me a thing. Good. I didn’t need conversation from anybody, let alone him. It wasn’t that I didn’t like the guy, but he was a wise fucker who loved to put his two cents in.
Slowly drinking my beer, my eyes roaming around, I wondered what the hell I found exciting in the past. I mean, sure, the sex was easy and uncomplicated, because no one expected commitment, bu
t on the overall scale, there was nothing good about it. Not after last night, when I discovered what amazing sex felt like.
Feelings change a lot of stuff apparently.
Feelings?
Shit. But I didn’t have time to process it, as the most beautiful girl I have ever seen entered the bar.
My girl.
She had her hair loose, cascading in fiery locks to her breasts. She sported skinny jeans, blue high heels with an open toe, and a tight, black shirt, which emphasized her curvy body.
Fuck, she was perfect. The need to fuck her right then was so strong it surprised me I could hold still. She needed to have my mark on her so everyone knew who she belonged to. A big hickey on the neck sounded like a good idea.
“Damn!” I heard Grady’s loud whistle of appreciation, and I knew he did it to piss me off. He only had eyes for Maggie and wasn’t interested in anyone else in town. I glared at him and he just cracked a smile, clearly enjoying it. The guy was fucking weird.
The men in the bar noticed her too; after all, she was a breath of fresh air among all the women there. She scanned the bar, obviously looking for someone, and then her gaze fixed on me.
Holy crap, there was fire in her eyes. She was royally pissed. Right there, I got the reaction I’d wanted from her for a day and a half; my girl didn’t like me at the bar. I didn’t come here because I wanted to. I just wanted to see what she would do. Judging by her coming here, she didn’t like it at fucking all. I decided to rein in my caveman tendencies, as long as no one touched her, and see what she would do.
With her sensual walk, she came closer to me. I smiled, anticipating her attention when all the guys wanted her, but she completely surprised me when she passed by, leaning on the bar so her ass came into direct view for me and every other fucking male in the room.
“Hey, Grady. Can I have something to drink?” Her voice was soft, a little husky, and she tilted her head a bit to the side. All that created one sexy view, making me angrier by the minute.
Grady looked fucking pleased and amused as hell.
“Sure thing, doll. On the house.” He winked and she smiled at him. Within a minute, he placed some purple drink in front of her with a straw, which she sucked on with her full, dark red lips. From the corner of my eye, I saw Hardy approaching her. Oh, fuck no, not Hardy.
Hardy’s ranch was several miles from ours and they exported cattle, so there was no competition between us. However, Ren and I always had a problem with Hardy, who, for some reason, couldn’t stand us. I knew he and Ren had lots of fights when they were in school. He loved horses though, that much I knew, and he constantly had problems with his father because he wanted to expand the ranch, but his old man wouldn’t allow it. Generally, he was considered a great guy with a bad-boy attitude to boot. Unlike Ren, Hardy started whoring around at fifteen, and as far as I knew, he never stopped. Girls sure loved to swoon over him. I really didn’t give a fuck about his private life, as long as my girl wasn’t part of it.
“Hey, beautiful. Never seen you here before.” Hardy put his hand on the bar and leaned closer to Serena with his charming smile on.
“Maybe you just didn’t notice.” She had the nerve to flirt back as she tilted her head to the side with a slight smile. “I was here once.” She winked, clearly enjoying the attention.
The blood in my veins boiled, my fists clenched, and I barely restrained myself from punching the dude.
“I doubt I would have missed you, honey.” He leaned closer and touched her hair to push a lock from her face behind her ear. As she leaned forward to suck on the straw, I saw how his attention was fully on her mouth.
By that point, I’d fucking had enough of the bullshit. “Stay away from her, Hardy.”
He stiffened and finally noticed me. His eyes instantly turned cold. “I don’t take fucking orders from you, Shane.”
“She’s mine.”
Serena looked between us. She didn’t expect us to know each other, which was laughable, because the town was the size of a small fruit; practically everyone knew each other in one way or another.
“Really? Then why is she here alone and available?”
Serena gasped and turned to Hardy. “I’m available? I was just having a drink.”
Hardy smirked. “Honey, you in the bar?”
“Yes.”
“You came alone?”
“Yes.” I saw her confusion at his interrogation, but I knew where he was leading.
“You ordered a drink and leaned on the bar?”
“Yeah, so? That doesn’t give you the right to—” she started, but he didn’t let her finish.
“Then you’re available to flirt, and, yeah, it gave me every right.” His gaze moved to me, and he backed off. I didn’t expect that. I was ready to put up a fight, because he never gave up on anything and we practically never agreed. But then I remembered he never tried to make a move on Miranda or Maggie. He had the reputation of staying clear of women in relationships; at least he had respect for something.
Serena threw her head back and started laughing, and if I didn’t want her before, the amazing sound she made when she was having fun would have done it for me.
And every other fucking guy.
“You ever get tired of him, doll, find me, and I’ll show you an amazing time.” He winked at her and left in the other direction. I noticed everyone was staring. I probably gave them the show of a lifetime. They clearly expected a fight and were disappointed at not getting it.
Shame, really.
Before she could open her mouth, I grabbed her hand and dragged her outside, but on my way out, I bumped into someone and instantly apologized. It was a girl, and when she looked at me, I mentally cursed.
It was Beatrice of all people. Serena stopped struggling and watched with interest, but the blonde’s next action made her stiffen at my side.
“Oh, you guys together? I didn’t notice. I thought he was alone, like the last time.” Then she shifted her focus to me. “When you get bored, feel free to come back here, handsome.” She turned and disappeared in the crowded bar.
Serena made her way into the parking lot, where the pickup she’d arrived in stood. I came by bike, something I rarely did on the rocky roads. But with our whole argument, I’d needed to clear my head.
“Serena.” She ignored me, so I called again. “Serena!”
Still no reaction. She just kept walking, her heels clacking on the road in the silence of the night. I didn’t want to grab her, because I did it too often. When she finally made it to the truck and tried to open the door, I spun her around and pressed her against it.
“Let go of me!” She was pissed and didn’t want me.
What the fuck else was new?
“We need to talk.”
“No, we don’t.”
“Why did you come here, then?”
She raised her chin in challenge. “To have fun.”
“Right.”
“Why, can’t I have fun? If it wasn’t for you declaring me unavailable, I would have been pretty occupied with the hot dude in there.”
Did she just call Hardy hot? I growled and pushed my body harder into hers and heard her hiss. “Don’t give me that bullshit. This whole show was for me.”
“Even if it was, whatever it was, I changed my mind. Go get your Beatrice.” She wanted to turn around, but I didn’t let her.
Fucking hell! I couldn’t believe we were still fighting over it!
“Cut the shit.” Her eyes narrowed.
“I was ready to stop this shit today. I even went to your room to apologize to you.” She did? “But you weren’t there, were you? You came fucking here!” she shouted, and I saw several people who’d exited take a step back from us.
Several things came to me. First, she’d come to apologize, which meant she wanted the stupid shit to be over with and to go back to how it used to be. Which was good. Second, I fucked up by coming here, because it put us back to square one, and she’d seen the girl we we
re fighting about. Which was bad.
Third, my girl, for the first time, had cursed and shown her possessive side, and it fucking turned me on so much that I wanted to have her right at that moment on the hood of the truck.
Which was fucking amazing and fucked-up at the same time. I decided there was only one way out of the mess.
I needed to kiss my girl.
Serena
I couldn’t freaking believe he kissed me after the scene at the bar! The girl made a pass at him again. That pissed me off, and I felt a surge of jealousy and possessiveness like I had never felt before. I didn’t like her touching him. I didn’t like her knowing smile, and I didn’t like how she thought he would take her up on her offer, as though no one would ever refuse her.
Generally, I just didn’t freaking like her, and all I wanted to do was grab her hair, drag her from the bar, and beat the shit out of her so she would know he was mine and no one else’s.
I couldn’t do any of those things, because I was me. I didn’t need to prove to anyone that I was worth the attention, or worse, fight over a guy in a bar while he stood there like some freaking prize.
And here he was, pressing my back against the truck while his lips were on mine and his tongue tried to get inside my mouth. What was worse was the fact I wanted it as much as I wanted to smack him for putting me through that shit in the first place. Since kissing him brought me more pleasure, I decided to take the first option and gave in to it. Pulling back, he moved lower to kiss and suck on my neck.
“I don’t like her!” I was truly crazy.
Or in love. I didn’t know which one was worse.
“Forget about her, baby.” He came back to my lips, where he roamed inside my mouth and had me moaning with pleasure. He picked me up and I circled his waist with my legs. “Why did you have to wear jeans?” Good question. Unfortunately, for the life of me, I couldn’t remember the answer. “If it wasn’t for them, I’d be inside you by now.” He sounded angry. He let me slowly slide down his body and put some distance between us.
We were breathing heavily, and my lips burned. I bet they were red and swollen from all the kissing. We just stood there, staring at each other for several seconds. I wanted him; I wanted him so much. I needed to feel his body against mine, to be touched by him, and to touch him in return. I didn’t have the chance to play with his body and discover it as he did with mine in the barn during our first time.