COWBOY ROMANCE: Devon (Western Contemporary Alpha Male Bride Romance) (The Steele Brothers Book 2)

by Amanda Boone

  10.

  “Amanda! What are you doing?”

  I looked back at Devon and shrugged. “Thinking of a way to blow myself up. No big deal.”

  He grabbed me around the waist and pulled my head out of my oven. “Let’s not do that. I take it all that water and coffee sobered you up.”

  I shut the oven door and tossed myself down on the couch. The oven hadn’t even been on. I wasn’t that sad. I groaned when Devon picked my feet up and sat under them. “I told Justin about the stupid video. God! I was going to tell everyone! What the hell is wrong with me?”

  He picked up my right foot and started massaging it. “It seemed like you were just really focused on getting into my pants.”

  I pulled a pillow over my face and screamed. “Justin is going to tell Sara. He’s going to tell her that I was in that porn. She’s never going to look at me the same.”

  Devon picked up my other foot and started to rub it. His fingers were strong and dug into the tense muscles in my arch. “First of all, she loves you. She’s not going to judge you. Second of all, Justin won’t say anything until one of us tells him it’s okay. He wouldn’t normally keep a secret from her, but he knows that you didn’t mean to blurt that out. Thirdly, tell me more about you not knowing that video was happening.”

  I sighed when his fingers moved up to my calf. “I might as well tell you. It’s not like knowing the dirty details is any worse than knowing that the thing exists. Max recorded me without my knowledge. When I broke up with him, he got pissed and posted it on a revenge site. I had no clue until someone called me and told me that I was basically trending in the porn world.”

  His fingers tightened painfully. “That fucking prick.”

  “Ouch, Devon. You’re hurting.”

  He immediately loosened his fingers. “Sorry. Jesus. I’m sorry. I feel like such a son of a bitch.”

  I sat up and moved back until my back was against the arm rest and I could face him head on. “For throwing it in my face after we had sex?”

  Devon frowned. “If I could explain?”

  I nodded and tucked my feet under my butt. They were feeling too good after his fingers had been on them, and I needed to get away from the temptation that he presented. I had sobered up with all the coffee he’d forced on me, but I was still tipsy enough to try to ignore the problems.

  “I didn’t mean to say what I said. I… fuck, this is going to sound so lame. I hardly ever find someone I actually want to spend the night with. That, plus a lot of time on the road… you get the picture?”

  I blushed. I actually blushed. “I get it. You watch a lot of porn.”

  He sighed. “Not a lot. I don’t have an issue with it. Shit. Just randomly. I found the video of you some time two years ago. Discovered I have a thing for redheads, apparently.”

  My face couldn’t have gotten any redder. I covered it with both hands and groaned. “This is so embarrassing.”

  He snorted. “You think? This isn’t exactly painting me in a flattering light. Point is, I saw you and I liked your fire. When I met you last year, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven. Not only were you even more pretty in person, but we had chemistry. Out of this world chemistry. I can get hard just by looking at you, Amanda. And it has nothing to do with that fucking video.

  “After we finished that night…I was on another planet. I just opened my mouth and words came out. I didn’t mean for it to sound the way it did. I especially wouldn’t have brought it up if I knew what I know now.”

  I looked up at him and frowned. “No one else knows. You have this power to destroy what I have here and I don’t like it.”

  “Amanda, I’ve known about this secret of yours for a long time now. I’ve never even considered telling anyone. I don’t even talk to anyone. If I did, though, it would still be locked away. I don’t want to hurt you.”

  I wanted desperately to believe him. I couldn’t, though. I couldn’t chance it coming out. More important than that was the fear I felt in my chest. I could see my mother as clear as day, ignoring me while she called her lover over and over, hitting me with the phone when he finally answered because she couldn’t hear him over my crying.

  I closed my eyes and shut out the memory. She hadn’t hit me very often, but when she did it was because of her obsession. I would never lose myself to a man. I couldn’t chance being around Devon more than I already had been, because I saw potential in him. There was potential for me to want more and more until he had nothing left to give me. Then where would I be? Demanding more while he backed away with both hands in the air. I’d be just like my mother.

  “I can’t do this, Devon.”

  He sat up. “Do I get a reason?”

  “I… I just don’t think it’s a very good idea.”

  He stood up and walked over to the door. “I would normally never be pushy about something like this. It’s not in me to beg, Amanda. But if you don’t give me a real reason as to why this won’t work, I’m going to keep coming around. I haven’t slept with anyone since you, and I’m a little worried no one else is ever going to measure up to how good it was with us, so if you can’t tell me right now why you won’t give me a chance, I’m going to be in your hair constantly.”

  I stood up and put my hands on my hips. “You can’t do that. If I say no, that’s all that counts. You have to respect that.”

  His smirk was infuriatingly sexy. “I respect that you won’t sleep with me again, even when you want to. I’m not staying away, though. You can’t avoid me anymore, either.”

  He left with a wink and a little finger wave that had dirty images flaring in my head.

  11.

  I hung up the phone and stretched my legs. Except Moo-Key was laying across the bottom of my bed, so I could only stretch so far. Instead, I stood up and stretched that way. “Come on, Moo-Key. We have a playdate at Sara’s. You want to see Mable?”

  He jumped out of bed and raced toward the front door. An excited bark sounded at the front door.

  “Not yet, silly dog!”

  It’d been two days since the drunken fiasco. I hadn’t seen anyone and I was definitely in hideout mode. I was terrified to run into Justin and see how he looked at me. He’d wanted to set me up with his brother before. Would he still want that? Or would he want his kind brother to run from me as fast as he could?

  I was about to find out, it seemed. Sara had called me and begged me to come over for a playdate. It was also a planning lunch. She said Justin would be there, so I was a little worried.

  I got dressed in a sundress and pulled my hair up into a high ponytail. I was afraid of how I’d look to Justin, so I tried to tone down my looks. The dress had a higher neckline and came down almost to my knees.

  By the time I was ready to leave, Moo-Key was pacing the length of the house. He knew what playdate meant, and he was so excited he didn’t even want the treat I tried to give him.

  Mrs. Wilkens was on the front porch of her house with her new boyfriend when I got into my car. I waved and then quickly looked away when I realized that her robe was coming open.

  Sara lived on the other side of town, in a neighborhood that had managed to retain its history. It was beautiful, and I always felt so at peace in her house. I hoped it was that way even when I was facing Justin.

  Moo-Key raced from my car as soon as I opened his door. Sara was there, opening the fence door for him.

  “You’re right on time! I just got the cupcakes out of the oven. You can help me ice them.”

  I gave her a quick side hug and then followed her into the house. Moo-Key and Mable would spend the entire day racing around the backyard, so we had nothing to worry about with them.

  Justin was sitting at the island when I walked in. Our eyes met and I looked away quickly. “Hey, Amanda. How are you?”

  I had to clear my throat before I could speak. “I’m good. How are you?”

  “Good.”

  Sara looked between the both of us and rolled her eyes. “I
know something is going on here. I’m not an idiot. Justin’s been acting strange since the party, and you can’t even look at him, Amanda. Did something happen with Devon?”

  I finally looked up at Justin and found him smiling at me. He didn’t look like he was judging me, and it sent a wave of relief over me. “You didn’t tell her.”

  “Nope.”

  “And you don’t hate me?”

  He smiled bigger. “Not at all.”

  I chewed on my lower lip. “Do you still want to push me and Devon together?”

  He laughed. “Yeah, I do. Now, are you going to tell your best friend what happened?”

  I looked at Sara and nodded. I didn’t want to ruin our friendship, but it seemed like I was going to ruin it if I didn’t just come out and tell her. Secrets weren’t meant to be kept from best friends.

  She sat down and frowned. “I’m annoyed that Justin knows whatever it is before me.”

  I blew out a puff of air that inflated my cheeks. “Trust me when I say that I didn’t mean for him to know. I didn’t mean for anyone to know.”

  My heart pounded against my ribcage painfully. “Remember that guy Max I was dating?”

  She nodded. “The slick guy from Dallas. I never liked him for you.”

  “Well, you were right. He filmed us having sex without me knowing it. When I dumped him, he got pissed and gave the tape to a porn site. I found out about it, but by the time I did it was too late. All of my friends and clients in Dallas had already heard about it. I lost my job and my life there. I couldn’t even afford a lawyer to sue the website so they’d remove the tape.

  “All I could do was come back here with my tail between my legs and hope no one ever found out.”

  Sara’s mouth was hanging open and tears pooled in her eyes. “Where is this Max guy now?”

  I shrugged. “Probably still in Dallas. He got high fives and a lot of street credit for the video. All of his guy friends thought he was a fucking hero.”

  She stood up and stormed around the kitchen. “He’ll be easy to find then. What’s his last name? I have time while the cupcakes cool to do an internet search and send a few emails to his boss.”

  “Don’t bother. It’s too late now. The tape is out there. I emailed the site about a million times, begging them to take it down, and they never would. They said that it was a tape of two consenting, legal-aged adults, and I couldn’t prove that I wasn’t aware of the tape. Then one guy from the website complimented my skills.”

  Her face turned dark red and she slammed her hands down on the countertop. “No. This is not happening to you.”

  “It already did. Three years ago.”

  “I’m going to kill that little asshole. I need to do some research about what I can and can’t get away with.”

  I held up my hands and squeezed my eyes shut. “Stop, Sara Jane. Thank you for wanting to fight for me, but I don’t want to deal with it at this point. The damage is done. I just want to forget that it ever happened.”

  She got quiet and then walked out of the room. I looked at Justin, and he seemed to be grinding his teeth.

  “She’s not wrong in wanting to murder the little fucker who did that to you. If I know my brother, he’s not going to be far behind Sara in that conviction.”

  I sighed. There was nothing else I could do.

  “I’m going to go calm down my future wife before she gets a pitchfork-wielding hate group together.”

  12.

  Justin disappeared to go find Sara, and then Devon appeared in his spot. “What’s going on? You look upset.”

  I blinked. “Where did you come from?”

  “Outside? The door was unlocked so I let myself in.” He took my face in his hands and tilted my head up so he could inspect me. “Why do you look so devastated?”

  I had to fight the urge to rub my cheek against his palm. The skin was rough but so warm. “I just told Sara about the video.”

  His fingers stroked down my ears and neck before he cupped the back of my neck and pulled me forward, into his chest. “How’d she take it?”

  I breathed in his scent and let my arms dangle at my sides. I wanted to wrap them around his waist, but I knew I couldn’t. I wasn’t strong enough at that moment to reject his comfort, though. “I’m pretty sure she’s in the office, preparing a war against Max.”

  He laughed, and the sound vibrated against my face. “Maybe I’ll go join her. Although, I’ve already set my own plan into action.”

  My eyes went wide and I pulled away from him. “What do you mean?”

  At the same time I asked my question, Sara came back into the room and smiled. “There you are, Devon! What’s a wedding planning lunch without the best man, after all?”

  I held up my hand to her. “What’s your plan, Devon?”

  He let go of me and grinned. “Don’t worry about it. So, Sara. What’s for lunch?”

  I pursed my lips and did my best to ignore him. It wasn’t working, though. A few minutes of me sitting in silence and Devon and Sara talking about sandwiches and cupcakes and I was ready to blow.

  I jerked in Devon’s direction and slapped his arm. “Tell me, you big idiot. Just spit it out.”

  His laugh was contagious for Sara and Justin, who’d shown back up. “It’s a secret.”

  I crossed my arms over my chest. “Tell me.”

  Sara giggled and leaned into Justin. “Amanda was famous for her tantrums when she was little. She can throw a fit with the best of them.”

  I glared at her. “You’re two seconds from getting neon tablecloths and fake poinsettias for your flowers.”

  She made a motion like she was zipping her lips. “Just one more thing, though. You two are so cute together.”

  I tossed my head back and groaned. “I hate you. And I hate you, Devon. Justin, you’re neutral right now.”

  “Then I’d hate to say something crazy, like I think you two should be in charge of planning our stag and doe party, together.”

  Sara threw her arms around his neck and laughed. “Yes! That’s a great idea. I didn’t know you wanted one.”

  He kissed her hard and fast before pulling back and smirking at Devon. “Steeles never miss a chance to party. Ever. When Uncle Jay died two years ago, the wake was the drunkest I’ve ever been.”

  Devon slapped his knee. “Oh, man. That was a hell of a party. I was hungover for days. You tried to jump over the casket!”

  Sara and I exchanged horrified looks. She leaned away from Justin and frowned. “You tried to leapfrog over your dead uncle’s casket?!”

  He tried to contain his laughter, but one snort from Devon and he lost it. “That’s nothing compared to Devon. He decided that was the night he was going to try bull riding again. I found him in the barn, sitting on the back of a cow, telling it to buck.”

  I slapped a hand over my mouth and tried to hide my laughter. I looked away from Devon, afraid I’d lose it if I saw his face.

  “It wasn’t my best moment. Whoever brought out the moonshine should’ve known better.”

  “Of course, it helped that Uncle Jay was the meanest asshole this side of the Mississippi. He was an awful racist and always slapped the shit out of the back of my head when I walked by.”

  I gave up trying to stay calm and laughed so hard I thought I’d pee myself. “I don’t know if I can plan a stag and doe wild enough for your family, Justin.”

  Devon slung an arm around my shoulder and smiled down at me. “That’s why you’re going to have me.”

  Sara poured me a glass of tea and batted her eyelashes like she was innocent. “I think it’ll be nice. You know what I like and Devon knows what Justin likes. It’ll be perfect. You can work on it at the ranch. I know Devon’s got a busy schedule this week, so it would work out best that way.”

  I sighed. It looked like no matter how I went about my life, I was going to be shoved together with Devon. I turned my head and looked at him. From the top of his messy dark hair to the bottom of his boots, h
e was good looking. I definitely could’ve been forced to work with someone less pleasing to the eye.

  Devon leaned close so only I could hear him. “If you keep looking at me like that, I’ll be tempted to throw you over my shoulder and run out of here.”

  For the second time in a week, I blushed again and had to look away. Before that week, I couldn’t remember the last time I’d blushed. It was awful.

  “We’ll work something out. When do you want the party to be?”

  Sara winced and sent me an apologetic look. “Next weekend. We want the wedding to be the weekend that school ends so we can have the whole summer to honeymoon.”

  I stood up and immediately flew into work mode. “Next weekend?! Good god! I won’t have time to use the same vendors I usually do. They take a little longer. I’ll have to find someone who does immediate delivery. We’ll need to go ahead and decide on everything for the wedding, too. I’d like to stay with the same vendors for that because I know their products so well. They’ll just have time to do everything.”

  Devon looked at Justin and Sara with panic on his face. “This is what I’m going to be dealing with this week?”

  “This has barely gotten started. There’s so much work to do!”

  He frowned and sagged against his seat. “This is definitely going to get

  in the way of my plan.”

  13.

  I showed up at the Steele family ranch bright and early Monday morning. I’d told Devon I’d be there early, but I didn’t know if he understood what early meant for me. I wanted to be there pretty much as soon as the sun came up. The earlier the better.

  I felt like the later it got in the day, the sexier it would be. It was a crazy thought process, but I’d always considered mornings the least sexy time. I needed all the extra mojo I could get going into any time I spent with Devon. My body couldn’t help remembering what he’d done to it, and my mind wasn’t too far behind.

  I needed all the help I could get.

  When I stepped out of my car it was barely after seven. I bent over to retie my shoestring and groaned. Maybe it was too early.