by Force, Marie
“Froggie is going to be so jealous when I bring these guys home,” Maggie said, struggling under the weight of her prizes.
After a couple of hours of games and way too much cotton candy, Jill came up to them, carrying stuffed animals under each arm. “Are you guys about ready to head home?”
“One more game.” Brayden directed Maggie toward the ring toss. “I’m really good at this one.”
“You’re good at all of them!”
“You ain’t seen nothing yet, baby. Check me out here. My gramps taught me how to rope when I was six, and I never miss.”
Maggie watched as he deftly put eight rings around eight bottles, impressing even the weary-looking guy running the game.
“You can pick any prize from the top shelf,” he said to Brayden.
“I want the jewelry.”
The man took down a gaudy set of gold costume jewelry with huge pink stones and handed it over to him. “Nice job. No one ever gets them all.”
“Thanks.” Brayden ripped the various pieces off the cardboard one by one and put them on Maggie: crown, dangling earrings, necklace, bracelet and ring, which he slid onto the third finger of her left hand before kissing the back of her hand.
She was rendered breathless by the intensity he applied to his task.
Then he looked her dead in the eye and kissed her before whispering, “You are my queen.”
Maggie nearly swooned as she dropped the stuffed animals, wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him square on the lips, right in the middle of the fairway full of people. She couldn’t care less who saw them. Who had time for such concerns when the man she loved had adorned her in jewels and called her his queen?
“Um, guys,” Ashton said, clearing his throat. “Hello?”
“We may need to call the paramedics to bring the jaws of life to pry them apart,” Jill said.
Maggie heard them, but didn’t want to end the best kiss of her life. Not yet.
Brayden smiled against her lips and pulled back slowly, seeming as dazzled as Maggie felt.
“Nice bling,” Jill said.
“You want me to win you some, sweetie?” Ashton asked.
Brayden scoffed. “Um, no offense, lawyer boy, but you couldn’t win that prize.”
“Wanna make a bet?”
“Absolutely.”
Jill rolled her eyes at Maggie as they stepped back to let the guys have their testosterone-fueled moment.
Brayden went first and once again hooked all eight rings.
Maggie clapped for him. “Well done, babe!”
“The bar is set pretty high, love,” Jill said to Ashton. “Don’t let me down.”
“Give me a kiss for luck,” Ashton said.
Jill laid a long one on him. “Go get ’em, tiger.”
Ashton got the first seven while Jill acted like a varsity cheerleader at homecoming. He held the last ring and eyed the bottles shrewdly before releasing the ring and just missing.
Brayden let out a triumphant shout and fist-pumped the air. “We’ll take another set of the jewelry for my girlfriend’s sister, please.”
While Maggie processed Brayden referring to her as his “girlfriend,” Jill consoled Ashton.
“You were so close, baby.”
“I want a do-over,” Ashton said.
“Next year,” Brayden replied with a cocky smile. “Take the time you need to practice.”
Ashton flashed a good-natured grin. “Fuck you.”
Brayden laughed so hard, he had tears in his eyes, and Maggie soaked it all in—the fun, the teasing, the love, the friendship and the bone-deep happiness unlike anything she’d ever known. He collected her discarded animals, tucked one under each of his arms and handed the other to her, winking at her as they followed Jill and Ashton to the exit where Buddy and Taylor were holding court.
“Thank you for such a great night.” Jill hugged them both. “Best fundraiser ever.”
“Glad y’all enjoyed it,” Taylor said. “Your sister sponsors the carnival, but she does it behind the scenes. That part was her idea a couple of years ago, and it’s been a huge success.”
Maggie recalled the carnival that had come to Newport’s First Beach every spring and how much Kate had looked forward to it. She loved that Kate had brought that beloved childhood memory to Buddy and Taylor’s fundraiser, and that she’d done it anonymously.
“Thanks so much for having us.” Maggie hugged Buddy and Taylor. “We had a total blast.”
“So glad you could come,” Buddy said. “Kate is so, so happy to have her sisters with her. If she’s happy, we’re happy.”
Ashton shook hands with Buddy. “You need to take another look at the ring toss game. I think it’s rigged.”
Brayden let out a loud guffaw. “Rigged, my ass. Go get another manicure. It might help your aim.”
Buddy busted up laughing. “I love him. You want to join our monthly poker game?”
Brayden seemed flabbergasted by the offer. “Oh, um, sure. That’d be fun.”
“I’ll bet he cheats at that, too,” Ashton said.
Brayden gave him a shove that had them all heading for the door.
Maggie loved the way he and Ashton bickered all the way to the car, like two friends who’d known each other forever. She’d always accepted that she could never have a serious relationship with a man her parents and sisters didn’t like, but she was also realizing how important it would be that Reid and Ashton liked her partner, too, since she spent so much time with them.
Ashton liked Brayden, or he wouldn’t be giving him shit, and vice versa.
They filled the back of Reid’s SUV with huge stuffed animals and headed out of town.
The minute they were in the car, Brayden had reached for Maggie and brought her close enough to kiss.
“Are they getting busy in my dad’s car?” Ashton asked Jill.
“Looks that way to me.”
“Keep it in your pants back there.”
“F off,” Brayden muttered. “And drive the car. I need to get home. Quickly.”
Maggie giggled and curled her hand around his neck to bring him back for more. Kissing him had become her favorite thing to do.
“Break it up, kids,” Jill said quite some time later. “We’re home.”
Maggie pulled away from Brayden, surprised to see they were back at Kate’s. “Thanks for driving, Ashton.”
“I’d say it was my pleasure, but I think it was probably more yours.”
“For sure. See you!”
Brayden got Maggie’s animals out of the back of the SUV and put them in the backseat of his truck. “We’ll get your car tomorrow.” With his hands on her hips, he lifted her into the passenger seat and stole another heated kiss before buckling her in and shutting the door.
Best night ever. She touched her fingers to the thick chain around her neck and was struck with a fun idea as she waited for him to get in the truck.
As he drove them home, he kept a tight grip on her hand. “Tonight was so awesome. I had the best time. Thanks for asking me to go.”
“It was a blast.”
“I can’t believe Buddy Longstreet asked me to join his poker game.”
“He likes you. They all do.”
“As long as you do, I’m good.”
“I like you, Brayden.” I love you, Brayden. I love you so much, I feel dizzy from trying to contain my overwhelming love for you.
At home, they went into the main house, and Maggie set the alarm before leading Brayden to her apartment, where they spent every night together. Since everyone they worked with seemed thrilled to see them together, Maggie had decided to take one of her mother’s best pieces of advice—to build a bridge and get over the fact that she was dating a man who technically worked for her.
She had faith that he was every bit the professional she was, and had walked across the bridge into the land of “I don’t give a fuck what anyone else thinks.” The thought made her giggle.
“What�
�s so funny?”
“How far I’ve fallen from caring that the others might know we’re sleeping together. I’ve crossed the bridge into the land of ‘I don’t give a fuck.’”
Smiling, he put his hands on her hips and kissed her. “I love it there. It’s the best land ever. It’s like Oz.”
“Yes, only better because it’s real.”
His hands slid down to cup her ass and pull her in tight against his erection. “Mmm, so real and so good.”
“Hold that thought for just a second, will you?”
“As long as it’s only one second.”
“You gotta let me go.”
“Don’t wanna.” He kissed her neck and lips before letting her go. “Be very, very quick before I suffer a hard-on-induced stroke.”
Maggie laughed as she turned her back to him, pointing to the zipper. “That is not a thing.”
He unzipped her and kissed his way down her back, taking a gentle bite of the top of her left cheek. “It’s gonna be a thing if you don’t give me some relief soon. It’s not healthy to be this hard for this long.”
She flashed a grin over her shoulder as she walked away from him. “Hold on to your horses, cowboy.”
“I’m holding on by a thread.”
Maggie went into her bedroom, closed the door and removed everything except for her new jewelry. After a quick trip to the bathroom to brush her teeth, she lit two candles on her bedside table and stretched out across the bed in a provocative pose. “Come on in.”
The door opened so fast, he must’ve been standing on the other side of it waiting for the green light. He’d stripped down to only his pants, which were unbuttoned.
“Oh yes,” he said, eyes glittering with appreciation. “Yes, yes, yes.”
“I believe that’s my line.”
“You’re so cute and so funny and so sexy, and I lo—”
Maggie held her breath.
He crawled onto the bed. “I love being with you so much.”
She started breathing again and held out her arms to him. “I love being with you, too.”
He held her close, burying his face in her hair. “I’ve never loved being with anyone the way I love being with you.”
Maggie released a deep sigh of relief. He loved her, too, but he probably felt the same way she did about saying the words so soon. “Same goes, cowboy. You’re one in a million.”
After that, there were no more words, only deep kisses, soft caresses, fiery passion and love. So much love.
And in the morning, they woke to Brayden’s worst nightmare come true.
Brayden came awake slowly, luxuriating for a few extra minutes in the soft sweetness of Maggie’s body snuggled up to him. After years of touch-and-go encounters with women, he’d fallen into the habit of collecting his boots and going home after sex, preferring to sleep by himself. But like everything else, that’d changed since he’d met Maggie. After only a couple of weeks with her, the idea of sleeping alone had become inconceivable.
She was still sound asleep, so he kissed her shoulder and got out of bed.
As he picked up his pants off the floor and dress shirt off the coffee table, he thought about last night and how perfect it had been. Walking into the bedroom to find her naked except for the gaudy jewelry he’d won for her had been one of the best moments of his life. It’d been so great, he’d nearly told her he loved her.
Which he did. Hell yes, he loved her. How could he not?
But it was too soon to be throwing big words like that around, or so he thought. How was he supposed to know when the time was right to say those words? He’d never been in love before. Not like this. This… Everything about it, about her, was different. When she smiled at him, the unrest he’d lived with inside him for so long settled, and a feeling of peace and contentment came over him that he wanted to hold on to with everything he had.
When he was dressed, he ventured into the kitchen for some of Mitch’s coffee. He should’ve brought some clothes to Maggie’s apartment so he wouldn’t have to do the walk of shame in last night’s tuxedo. Oh well. It was only Mitch, and he loved that Brayden and Maggie were together.
Mitch worked seven days a week, even though Maggie told him he should take a day off. He said he didn’t want to, that he got bored sitting around at home and that work was fun for him. He’d confided in Brayden that he and his wife had been unable to have kids of their own, and he loved being around the kids at the house.
“Morning,” Brayden said when he walked into the kitchen, which was quieter than usual since it was Sunday.
“Morning.”
Brayden made a straight line to the coffeemaker.
“How was the thing last night?”
“Really fun. We had a great time.”
“That’s good.”
Brayden filled a mug, stirred in cream and took the first life-affirming sip before turning toward Mitch.
The other man was looking at him with dread etched into his normally stoic expression.
“What?”
“There’s some shit online.”
Four words that conveyed a world of angst, and before he even understood what Mitch was talking about, Brayden somehow knew this news would change everything for him—again. “What kind of shit?”
“One of the entertainment sites posted a picture of the four of you, and how Maggie and her sister Jill were representing Kate at Buddy and Taylor’s annual shindig.”
“Okay…”
“Someone commented on it that they knew you from juvie, that you nearly beat a guy to death, and now you’re hanging out with Kate Harrington’s sister. He gave an interview—”
Brayden held up his hand. He’d heard enough. He put down the coffee cup and walked out of the house, crossing to the stables with an increasingly fast stride. He had to get out of there, but he couldn’t leave without Sunday. So he saddled her quickly, efficiently, and led her outside.
Fuck, he couldn’t ride without boots.
He put her back in cross ties and ran upstairs, changing into jeans, a work shirt and boots as fast as he possibly could and was racing back down the stairs a second later.
Derek came out of his apartment. “Brayden? What’s the matter?”
“Nothing. Nothing is the matter.” He felt dead inside. All the love he’d felt for Maggie when he woke had dried up and died along with every hope and dream he’d ever had for himself. People would know what he did, and they wouldn’t let their kids anywhere near him. His career and livelihood were ruined along with the reputation he’d worked so hard to establish. Maggie’s family would rightfully freak out when they found out what he’d done and wouldn’t want her to see him again.
He had to go, and he had to go right now.
Brayden mounted Sunday and pointed her toward the path that led to the back road off the Matthews property, urging her on to get him out of there as fast as possible. He’d worry about sending for his truck, trailer and other belongings later. For now, being gone was his only priority.
As he left the yard, he heard Mitch calling him, but he didn’t stop and didn’t look back at the place where he’d been so happy.
There was nothing left there for him but memories he’d carry with him forever.
Chapter 28
Maggie woke to Mitch screaming Brayden’s name. She shook off the cobwebs and sat up, trying to get her bearings. Something was wrong. Mitch didn’t yell like that. She went into the bathroom to get washed and dressed as fast as she could and went out into the kitchen to find Mitch and Derek there, both looking grim.
“What’s wrong?” Part of her didn’t want to know. She didn’t want anything to dim the light that burned so brightly inside her after a magnificent evening with the man she loved.
“Brayden is gone.”
“Gone where?” she asked, confused.
The two men exchanged glances that took Maggie’s nerves to the breaking point. “Will one of you please tell me what the hell is going on?”
> “There was stuff online,” Mitch said haltingly, seeming pained by every word. “Someone he was in juvie with recognized him in a photo—”
In two seconds, Maggie put the pieces together. “Where’d he go?”
“Took off on Sunday about ten minutes ago.”
“Derek, help me get Thunder ready. Hurry.” While he headed for the door, Maggie ran back to her apartment and shoved her feet into riding boots, jammed her phone into her back pocket and was running through the kitchen thirty seconds later.
“Be careful, Maggie,” Mitch called after her.
She waved to indicate she’d heard him. Derek, bless him, had Thunder waiting for her in the driveway. He held the reins while she swung up into the saddle.
“He went that way,” Derek said, pointing to the trail behind the stables. “Probably headed for the back road off the property.”
“Thank you.” She directed Thunder and gave him his head, hoping the old guy still had gas in his tank, because they were going to need all the gas they could get, not to mention all the love in the world to get Brayden through this. And she would get him through it, because there was no way she was going to lose him.
No way in hell.
She rode like her life depended on it, because it did. Life without Brayden was unimaginable after the blissful weeks they’d spent together.
Thunder gave her everything he had and more than she would’ve imagined possible, and within fifteen minutes, she caught sight of Brayden ahead of her, heading toward the property line, where a gate stood between him and freedom.
Thankfully, he had to dismount to open the gate, which gave her the chance to catch up to him. “Brayden, stop.”
He didn’t look at her or in any way acknowledge that she was there or had spoken.
Maggie leaned over and grabbed Sunday’s reins, a risky move that nearly unseated her. She managed to barely escape a bad fall by a matter of inches but held on tight to Brayden’s horse, knowing he’d never leave without Sunday.
An hour ago, she would’ve bet her life he wouldn’t leave without her, either. She would’ve been wrong about that.
“Let her go, Maggie.”
“Not until you talk to me.”
