Whisper My Name

by Renee Wynn

  “More than my horses.”

  She chuckled.

  It was their running joke. She knew of his love for horses and how they came first with him. He always told her horses were loyal, people not so much.

  “Promise.” Her slim arms held him close.

  “I have always kept my promises to you.” He stepped back but kept his arms around her. “What we talked about tonight is between us, okay?”

  “But—”

  “No buts, Sally.” He held her gaze. “I don’t want mom and dad upset.”

  “Alright. It’s your story to tell.” Sally sighed. “What about Danielle?”

  He stiffened. “What about her?”

  “You got to make it right, Brody.”

  “I know that she’s one of your best friends but Danielle was the—”

  “The best thing that ever happened to you?”

  He released her, rubbed the corners of his eyes and stepped back, creating space between them. “Have you spoken to her?”

  “She won’t answer my calls but she did call Nicole. I’m the outsider right now.”

  “Because you’re my sister?” His sigh was filled with regret.

  “At the moment, yes. She doesn’t want me giving you any info about her. As if I would,” she declared.

  Sally did have a small tendency to talk too much. Sometimes, things slipped that shouldn’t have.

  “I won’t lose my best friend over this.”

  “You won’t—”

  The chime of the doorbell rang throughout the penthouse. Brody groaned but didn’t move to open the door. The chime rang again…this time with impatience.

  He cursed under his breath. He had already informed the doorman that he was expecting a guest so it eliminated the need for him to buzz the person in. On the other hand, his parents, his sister and Ashton had the codes to the penthouse floor and didn’t need to be announced.

  He walked to the door and roughly flung it open.

  “Hello, baby.” Tricia Garvey threw her arms around his neck, planted her red painted lips on his and gave him a long, deep kiss. He felt nothing but irritation at the gesture. She held him in a tight hold; her perfume overpowering him and causing him to untangle her arms from around his neck. He stepped back, creating some much needed room between them. He barely suppressed his black mood at her forwardness.

  “Hmm, you taste delicious,” she purred, licking her lips, and reached to kiss him again.

  He thwarted her arms, bringing them to her side. She pouted but didn’t say anything. Dressed in a short strapless black dress, that barely covered her thighs, she teetered on four-inch strapless heels, adding height to her 5’5 slim frame and emphasis to her long legs. Thick, straight blond hair fell in layers against her shoulders and her baby blue eyes were bright, hungry, and most of all curious.

  A few years younger than him, she was a successful interior designer, fun and great in bed. He’d met her in Montana two years ago, where she had a very successful interior design business. Their no strings relationship had been casual and free whenever he was in town.

  Then about a year and half ago she’d opened a new store in Dallas. They had reconnected at a fundraiser and he had ended up in her bed that same night. Although he hadn’t seen her in over six months, there was never any pressure for more when they got together, which weren’t often.

  He had called her an hour ago and here she was standing in front of him, but all he wanted right now was for her to leave.

  Tricia stared at Sally with a hard glint.

  He frowned. What the hell was her problem?

  “Really? Brody. You still doing this mess?” Sally glared at him with a sneer attached to her mouth.

  “Oh, I didn’t know you had company,” Tricia said nonchalantly, but with an added bite of undercurrent.

  His sister walked toward her. “I didn’t know he had company coming either. Who are you?”

  Anger etched Tricia’s raised eyebrows although she tried to hide it. “A friend,” she said. “A very good friend, Tricia Garvey.”

  “Well, hi very good friend. I’m a very good and intimate friend.” Sally stretched her hand toward her in greeting. The woman ignored it.

  “What the hell is this, Brody? I know you do some kinky shit, but I don’t do threesomes.”

  Sally’s brows lifted in a smirk. “Kinky? Well, do tell?”

  “I’m warning you, Sally.”

  “Oh, does it come with a spanking? How about handcuffs?”

  The woman threw her a hated look. “He won’t be sleeping with the both of us tonight. That is for sure.”

  “I don’t plan to sleep,” Sally said with a grin.

  “Sally—”

  She threw back her head and laughed, tears forming in her eyes. She put out her hand again, “I’m Sally, Brody’s sister. He hates when I tease. But I love to see my normally unflappable brother get riled. It doesn’t happen often.”

  Immediately the look on Tricia’s face changed from anger to delight. A fact Brody didn’t miss and didn’t appreciate.

  “I’m glad to meet you.” Tricia shook her hand. “I read somewhere he had a sister, but I never thought I would get the chance to meet any of Brody’s family.”

  Brody felt his features stiffen. “Why would I introduce you to them?”

  Her eyes widened with embarrassment and a red tinge stained her pale cheeks but her forced smile remained in place.

  Sally cleared her throat. “I better get going.” She leaned in and gave him her usual kiss and hug. “Thanks, Brody.”

  It warmed him. Everything felt right again with them.

  “For what?”

  “Talking. We have never done that. Well, I usually do the talking and you listen but tonight was different. I appreciated it” She gave him another tight hug and let go. “We will talk again soon?”

  He only offered an awkward nod.

  “Love you.”

  “Ditto, Sally.”

  Sally laughed. He felt heat warm his face. She knew how hard it was for him to say the love word. However, he usually did when they were alone but never in front of other people.

  She turned to Tricia. “Huh. You two enjoy yourselves.” She opened the door, walked through, closing it behind her.

  Brody looked at the woman who sashayed toward the center of his living room with a seductive sway to her hips. She turned to him, threw back her hair and licked her lips in slow motion. Watching him, she toed off the heels, unzipped her dress and dropped it to the floor She wore no bra. No panties.

  She kicked the garment free from her ankles and now stood with her legs parted and completely naked.

  Damn.

  Chapter Fourteen

  The chartered plane came to a skid on the runway, causing Danielle to come awake with a jolt. She yawned, stretched and rubbed her eyes. She slid the shade up, squinting at the darkness. The runway lights blinked in the far distance. Rain was falling gently against the window. She glanced at her watch and realized they had arrived an hour past schedule.

  The flight from overseas had been long. These last few weeks were rough. She tried to hold back another yawn. Back to back shoots in Miami and then runway shows in Paris and Milan had taken most of her energy. Now landing in Wyoming, she had to mentally prepare for the Adore Cosmetics and Vogue shoot. She was exhausted and would love to sleep for an entire day but knew that wasn’t a luxury afforded to her. The most she could hope for was a couple of hours. As the plane taxied to the gate, she gathered her purse, jacket and carry-on bag and headed toward the door to descend. She stopped to thank the flight attendant when someone bumped into her, causing her to stumble. She turned around.

  “Watch where you’re going. You almost knocked me over, Lee.”

  She righted herself and headed toward the steps.

  “Danielle.” He yawned and then pinched his cheeks. “I’m tired as shit.”

  She started down the steps. Lee followed close behind, stepping on the heels of he
r shoes.

  “Lee!”

  “Sorry. Damn. It’s raining,” he yelled as he ran past her. “I don’t want to get my hair wet.”

  “Lee, if you had knocked me over, trouble would be your name. Get in the car.”

  “You were moving too slowly,” he said and jumped in the car.

  She shook her head at his antics. Only Lee could make a little rain a big deal.

  ###

  “Come on, Danielle.” Lee placed his hands on his hips, throwing her a perturbed look as he stood in the doorway of her bedroom. “You’re going to make us late.” He walked away.

  “I’m coming,” she said and pulled her hair in a high ponytail, grabbed her jean jacket off the bed and slipped it on over her red top. It was made of very fine lace and her bra could be seen but it was descent. She gave herself a last minute glance in the long mirror to make sure everything was in its appropriate place.

  She’d lost a few pounds, which made her look taller, but it was also noticeable in the clothing she modeled. The wardrobe mistress had commented on it at the morning shoot. It was good for a model to keep their weight down but not when it affected how the clothes fit their body.

  It was stress—Brody.

  No. She wouldn’t let that man occupy another one of her thoughts.

  Using a thin brush, she ran a very light film of powder over her face, which only added a little color to her cheeks. She dabbed at the excess with a sponge and threw it in her purse. She walked into the sitting room of the hotel room.

  “I’m ready.”

  Lee peered at her closely but didn’t move. “Where’s your make-up?”

  She rolled her eyes. “I have it on.”

  “You need more,”

  “No, I don’t.” She walked to the door and opened it.

  “What’s wrong with you? After all these years, haven’t you learned anything from me?”

  “Lee, this is Montana. You don’t see people walking around with heavy make-up.”

  “We’re going to a club. There will be dancing, men, lights, men, drinks, men and fun. ”

  “It’s a bar, Lee.”

  “Yeah. A place where you can meet a man! You may get lucky, girl and find your prince charming and live happily ever after.”

  “I’m all about having fun and enjoying life. I don’t want or need a prince to make that happen.”

  Lee squinted. “Since when? You are Danielle “Calculated” Evans. You never do anything spontaneous.”

  “Well, I have changed. If I find a man who excites me physically and we connect sexually, I will go to bed with him. No commitment required.”

  “You have lost you ever loving mind. Where in the hell did my uptight Danielle go?”

  “Life is too short to put in a box.”

  “Silenator really did a number on you, didn’t he?”

  “No. He just opened my eyes. From now on, I have released myself to do what I want without the complications of feelings. If I want to sleep with a man without getting to know him or even go on date, I will and I won’t feel guilty about it.”

  “You ain’t geared to be a love’em and leave’em kind of girl. I don’t care what you say. I know your ass. You have commitment, love, kids and a white picket fence written across your forehead.”

  She laughed. “Not anymore. I learned my lesson. There is no ideal life. It’s all what you make of it.”

  Confusion and concern crossed Lee’s face.

  “Don’t worry about me; I know what I’m doing.” She sighed. “Hey, I still don’t know how you could have gotten Wyoming mixed up with Montana anyway.”

  What difference does it make? Wyoming, Montana it’s all the same. Ranches, horses, and stinky cows. The only good thing—there are cowboys. It’s cold as shit here. I’m so glad today was the end for the shoot. New York here I come.”

  They had been in Montana for over a week and this was their first venture into Missoula’s nightlife. It was a cozy town with character and a laid back attitude. She liked it. It was full of historic sites that she wanted to explore. It didn’t hurt that Billings was near enough to visit. The people were cordial, but curious. They didn’t seem to be too upset that New York fashion had come to their town. There were over fifty people on the shoot, and they had taken over the Grey Goose Resort, which was a small portion of Flying Dove Ranch.

  It was a beautiful place. A billionaire rancher owned the ranch. He had given his permission and access to a portion of the land for the shoot. She was curious, but they weren’t allowed to venture too far from where they were shooting, which only made her wonder more about the mysterious owner.

  She was glad Lee followed her lead and flowed with the change in conversation. He was one of her best friends and probably knew her better than most people in the modeling world. But she was determined to not let another man hurt her. Rio, Brian, and now Brody. Although, she wouldn’t admit it out loud, Brody’s rejection hurt the worst. Catching her fiancé in bed with another woman almost destroyed her confidence but her feelings for Brody overpowered and surprised her.

  Three men. Three strikes. She was out. No more would she put feelings into a relationship. She would be the mistress of control. She vowed that nothing would ever touch her heart again.

  Reeling her thoughts in, she said, “New York is in your blood, Lee. You can’t appreciate other places until you stop comparing them to New York. I like the ranch. The décor or rather what I saw of it was interesting.”

  “It could use a major overall. Too rustic for my taste.” He shuddered. “It needs some pow-pow.” He clapped his hands. “Orange, red, yellows with big sunflowers—”

  “Your taste is all over the place, Lee.”

  “I’m avant-garde, honey.” He snapped his fingers and poised. “The originator of taste.”

  “Has anyone ever told you that you are crazy?”

  “I have embraced it.”

  She followed him out of the door. “Only you would think it was a compliment.”

  “Yeah, but you love me.” He threw over his shoulder.

  ###

  Danielle was here.

  Brody leaned against a wall in the shadows of the room, away from the crowd but near enough to observe. He narrowed his gaze. Just the knowledge that the woman he wanted, needed was finally within his reached caused him to stumble in his breathing. A single chance to make it right was all he desired. He could feel the taste of victory and the impatience that simmered through his blood.

  And then he heard that distinct laughter. It floated around the crowded bar. Strange, that with all the noise in the room, he recognized the richness of her laugh. His large body hummed with tension as he fixed his eyes on her. He couldn’t contain his desire to be with her and found himself leaving the wall he was resting against heading toward Danielle.

  He needed to be near her—to touch her—to hear her voice close up. She looked the same but if possible, she was more beautiful. Dressed in tight jeans, that nuzzled her perfectly round ass, a sexy lace red top and black stiletto boots made her shine in an otherwise crowded and dull atmosphere.

  The jacket, she wore when she arrived, had been discarded after numerous twirls on the dance floor. Her party consisted of about ten people, evenly proportioned. The men of Missoula, most of whom he knew, watched her like a hawk. Granted there were other women with her, but she stood out. Her fine-boned face had an exotic look, which wasn’t a staple in the small town. So she was noticeable with her shiny dark hair pulled high on top of her head.

  For days he’d watched her from afar without her knowing as she posed for pictures that came alive with her smile, her poise and her energy. Sometimes she would burst out with laughter and the crew and he would be mesmerized by the sound. Intrigued, he would hang around the photo area until they were finished or until they packed up the equipment and moved to another area on the ranch. He’d felt like a stalker but he couldn’t stop. Seeing her in her element gave him insight into Danielle, the supermodel, which
was totally different from the woman he knew. He was determined to get to know her better. This time he would make it right.

  He ambled over to the bar, crossed his arms and leaned his hip against it. She was attempting to do the two-step, a country dance, with a man who housed a muscular body, a tall frame and dark eyes that seemed to be devouring her at every turn. He knew him. A neighbor, who owned a large spread next to his: they’d quarreled about property lines. John “Brick” Horne didn’t care for him. The feeling was mutual.

  One issue was that Brody only visited his Montana ranch a few times a year so that automatically made him an outsider in Horne’s eyes. Brody’s spread wasn’t as large as Horne’s but it was as prosperous. Another problem, Brody’s ranch was a horse ranch and Brick raised cows. In his neighbor’s eyes the two didn’t mix.

  Brick wasn’t a transplant and made Brody aware of that fact each time they had a run in. He had let him know in brash terms that he would make it his priority to run Brody out of Missoula, buy his ranch and incorporate it into his own, which was called Sprawling Trees. Brody felt it was a stupid name for a ranch especially since most of the property was lacking in trees.

  Brody gritted his teeth when Brick whispered in her ear and she threw back her head and laughed—without reservation. Whatever he said made her move closer, decreasing the space between them. He pulled her closer and she placed her hands on his shoulders, smiling brightly.

  He didn’t like it.

  Brick was a ladies’ man, tall, broad shouldered, rugged and handsome. Rather, that is what the women whispered around town anyway. He went through women like a bull-dozer, fast and without stopping. The words prickled his conscience. To top it off, he was as rich as Brody. He would be damned if Danielle would become the next woman in Brick’s bed. Not now. Not ever.

  Brody strolled toward them and tapped the man’s shoulder. “Excuse me.”

  Brick didn’t acknowledge him but Danielle whirled around, piercing him with her big brown eyes. Shock was evident across her lovely face and her mouth gaped open, but no sound or words escaped. She stumbled, momentarily, advancing a step into the solid male figure that generously held her by the waist.