Devoted to Love

by Shayla Black

  Cursing, Josiah made to walk around Sawyer, but the foreman snagged his arm in a surprising grip. “You’re just the new guy, you know. The flavor of the month. The fresh meat.”

  His sneer crawled up Josiah’s back, but he refused to rise to the bait. “Whatever.”

  “I know because I was the flavor of the month, too. While Maggie was engaged to Davis, she was getting it from me. Right under his nose.”

  That sent Josiah’s gaze zipping around in shock. Maggie had made it sound like Sawyer was the mistake she’d made after her engagement, not during.

  “Didn’t know that, huh?” Sawyer nodded. “Yeah, I was her favorite toy to help her forget about her boring fiancé.”

  Josiah tried not to let it matter. But he knew a thing or two about cheating brides-to-be. Sawyer’s accusation did not sit well with him.

  “And it was so hot between us, I was sure she’d let me keep fucking her after the wedding.”

  Josiah raised a brow. “And that was okay with you?”

  “If Davis couldn’t hold on to her, either before or after their vows, that wasn’t my problem.”

  So adultery was irrelevant. Nice guy. “Well, apparently she changed her mind.”

  “No. Their engagement simply ended.”

  “Because Davis found out about you two?”

  “I think he already knew, just like he knew he couldn’t handle Maggie.”

  “And you can?”

  Sawyer shrugged, but his smile was smug. “Oh, yeah. I know how to make her come.”

  Why are you patting yourself on the back for giving the girl an orgasm? It’s not that tough, pal . . . Josiah swallowed down his quip. “Good for you.”

  “You couldn’t get it done, I’ll bet.”

  I did. Nine times. But who’s counting? “Since you’re so good at giving her pleasure, how many times has she let you touch her since her engagement ended?”

  Sawyer puffed up. “Like I said, she’s confused, and you’re not helping. You need to go and leave her to me.”

  So the answer was a big zero. That made Josiah way happier than it should.

  “Who Maggie spends her time with is her choice, and I’m not having this conversation with you. Get out of my way.”

  “Davis couldn’t make her come,” Sawyer blurted as if he hadn’t spoken. “She confided that to me once. His inability to get her off was probably one reason she broke off their engagement.”

  Bullshit. Josiah didn’t know Maggie well, but he knew she was more complicated than that. If all she wanted out of life was orgasms, he’d still be in bed with her, sharing more good times and tingles.

  “So you shouldn’t expect to last long,” the other guy went on. “You’ll look like a sap if you try. Davis did, especially when she gave him the heave-ho the morning of their wedding.”

  Josiah froze. The other man’s words painted a vivid picture of an unsuspecting groom standing at the altar, ready to make the woman he loved his wife in front of God, family, and friends . . . and the bride never showing up. He didn’t know Davis and hadn’t liked anything he’d heard last night, but suddenly, he felt sorry for the sucker. And pissed at Maggie.

  Just as well he was leaving.

  “So you didn’t know that, either?” Sawyer said acidly, obviously enjoying spilling Maggie’s secrets.

  “Why are you stirring shit, douchebag?” Honestly, Josiah would have beaten the hell out of Sawyer to shut him up if he weren’t the kind of bitch who’d twist even a handshake into an assault charge. “You act like any of this matters to me. I never wanted to take your girl away, just borrow her for the night.”

  Finally, Sawyer shut up long enough for Josiah to shoulder his way past and dash to his truck.

  “You’re an asshole,” the ranch hand called to his back.

  Yeah, it wasn’t the first time someone had hurled that accusation his way. It wouldn’t be the last, either. He held up a hand and waved as he walked back to the house with his duffel. Why give the guy any more attention?

  After a quick change of clothes, he headed to the kitchen for coffee. Maggie was there, brewing tea, wearing a pair of yoga pants and a too-tight T-shirt with her hair in a bun and buds shoved in her ears. She should not look so good to him. He should not still want her so badly that coming within five feet of her made him hard as hell. He should not get a single whiff of her sweet peaches scent and feel so goddamn desperate.

  As if sensing him behind her, she turned. Pink flared across her cheeks. She plucked out her earbuds. “Breakfast? I’m making myself some if you’re hungry.”

  It was probably dumb. He should get in his truck and head down to Enlightenment Fields to have that chat. But just like last night, Maggie’s lure proved strong. Besides, he had to eat.

  “I’d appreciate that. Mind if I make coffee?” He gestured to the single-cup coffeemaker.

  “Help yourself. What do you want to eat?”

  Josiah began to brew coffee. “What were you going to fix?”

  “My sister says I have the palate of a five-year-old most mornings, so I was going to start my day as usual, with a bowl of Lucky Charms.”

  Josiah laughed—until he remembered that he was annoyed with her. She’d cheated on her fiancé and broken their engagement on their wedding day. At least according to Sawyer, who, admittedly, had reasons to lie. Then again, the truth didn’t matter. He refused to get in any deeper with her.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever had a bowl of it,” he found himself saying instead.

  “What?” She blinked incredulously. “You’ve been deprived. We have to fix that right now.”

  “We do?” He cocked his head. “I thought we’d parted ways.”

  “That was before I knew your cereal education was so deficient. And clearly, I can’t rely on anyone currently in your life to fix the catastrophe or they would have already done it.”

  This seemed like serious business to her. Against his will, Josiah was charmed.

  He rubbed at the back of his neck, a smile lurking on his lips. “My last roommate was a personal trainer. His habit of eating a half-dozen egg whites for breakfast rubbed off on me.”

  “Which is why you have amazing abs . . . but that sounds like a protein bomb that would sit in your stomach like a boulder—after it bored the hell out of your taste buds on the way down.”

  “That hasn’t been a problem for me.” He took a sip of his blessedly hot black coffee.

  “Only because you don’t know any better. Wouldn’t you rather start your day with fun marshmallow surprises? I mean, c’mon. Sit down and say nothing else until you’ve tasted the wonder that is Lucky Charms. And if you say anything crazy, like advocate kale as a side dish, I’m afraid we can’t be civil anymore.”

  Who was this Maggie? Less than an hour ago, she’d been refusing to discuss the ways she’d held herself apart from him as a lover. She’d been rejecting any hint of the closeness they’d shared last night, along with any suggestion she might have enjoyed his Dominance. Now, she was playful, borderline flirting again.

  Was her humor brought on by nerves? A glib distraction to put more distance between them?

  Despite all the reasons it was stupid and impractical, Josiah refused to allow that.

  “All right. I’ll try some of your teeth-rotting, carb-heavy cereal if you agree to try some egg whites, too.”

  Maggie wrinkled her nose and bit her lip. “They sound repulsively healthy.”

  “Hey, I’m not the one who brought up kale.”

  “Okay, I’ll give you that.” She sighed. “I’ll try the egg whites. Do I get bacon, too?”

  “You think fried pork is a good sidekick to one of nature’s most perfect foods?”

  “Hell, yeah. It’s tastier.”

  He laughed again. Damn, he didn’t want to find her adorable. A cheating, dodgi
ng liar shouldn’t be.

  “How about a banana instead?” He spotted a bunch hanging from a fruit basket on the counter. It was higher in sugar than he usually indulged in, but clearly for Maggie that would be a step in the healthy direction.

  She cocked her head as if his question required deep consideration. “Are you insinuating I need to lose weight?”

  “No.” She might be on the curvaceous side, but he liked women that way. And he liked Maggie’s form more than most. Obviously, he must. He couldn’t seem to stay away.

  Maybe he was intrigued because this felt like a negotiation. No, getting her to try egg whites wasn’t like coaxing her into a spanking or cuffs. But she was obviously enjoying their banter, their chemistry. And she might say she didn’t want his Dominance, but last night she’d loved it every time he’d ordered her to perform some act or get into a position designed to ramp up her pleasure.

  Who cared? He lived six and a half hours away. He wasn’t in the market for a girlfriend, much less one who’d dumped her fiancé on their wedding day. Speculating about her natural submission was a stupid train of thought. He should jump off now, get down the road, and get on with his life.

  But that meant he’d have to leave Maggie. He’d have to stop staring at her fine ass in those tight, stretchy pants. Walk away before he figured out why she’d seemed intent on rejecting him when he had only wanted to help her. Get closer.

  Nope.

  It would be smarter to walk away . . . but apparently his dick had eradicated his common sense.

  “If I don’t need to lose weight, why bring up the egg whites?” she challenged.

  “I thought if I tried something you like, maybe you’d be willing to try something I enjoy.” Yes, he was fishing for her reaction.

  Maggie’s smile fell. “You’re not talking about food anymore, are you?”

  “Smart woman.”

  “We’ve had this conversation.” She grabbed a couple of bowls from the cabinet and a bright cardboard box from the pantry before swinging by the fridge for milk. She set everything on the table, not looking his way. “We decided that was a bad idea.”

  “No. You did that. I disagreed, if you recall.”

  She waved a hand in the air. “Semantics. I’m right.”

  Something inside Josiah demanded that he prove to Maggie just how wrong she was.

  How? You can’t force her to accept you or your Dominance in her life.

  The voice of reason in his head needed to shut the fuck up.

  “Eat your cereal,” he commanded her with a low, stern tone usually reserved for the dungeon or the bedroom.

  “Don’t go all caveman. I’m going to.”

  Maggie bristled while she poured herself a bowl of processed corn and sugar . . . but her nipples hardened, too. Josiah couldn’t flatten the smug smile curling his lips. She liked the fact he was a caveman. “Excellent.”

  “Aren’t you going to try them? You promised.”

  He grabbed the box and shook some cereal into his dish, following up with a splash of milk.

  As he watched the processed shit bob and float, she laughed. “Bon appétit.”

  Nothing about this looked like a culinary experience, but he always kept his promises, come hell or high water.

  Josiah dipped his spoon into the cereal, shoveled it into his mouth, and chewed.

  “Well?” she prodded between her own ravenous bites.

  “It’s . . .” He looked for a polite way to tell her it tasted like too-sweet cardboard. “Different than what I’m used to.”

  Maggie burst out laughing. “Oh, my gosh, you should see your face.”

  “That obvious?”

  “That you hate it? Um, yeah.”

  “Sorry. If I’m going to indulge in something not-so-healthy, I’m a salt guy.”

  She rolled her eyes. “I should have guessed you’re defective. If you don’t like a good pie . . .”

  “Now, I didn’t say that.” He shot her a simmering stare across the table.

  It only took her a moment to grasp his unspoken meaning. Then she kicked him none too gently. “We’re eating breakfast, perv!”

  “I’d rather be eating your pussy.” Why lie?

  “You already did that last night.”

  Her embarrassed whisper and rosy blush amused him.

  “I haven’t heard a good reason not to do it again.”

  She shook her head. “I still think that’s a bad idea.”

  “I still disagree.” He tried another bite of the cereal but grimaced when he bit down on a marshmallow so sweet it hurt his teeth. After choking the spoonful down, he pushed the bowl away and rose.

  “That’s it? You’re done?”

  “Yep.” He rustled around the kitchen until he found some nonstick cooking spray and a pan, then retrieved the eggs from the fridge.

  Maggie just watched. “You only took two bites.”

  “That was one bite more than I needed to make up my mind. Now it’s my turn. You promised to try my egg whites.”

  She sighed. “All right. But I’m eating the rest of your cereal first. I can’t let all these delicious marshmallows go to waste.”

  Josiah started cracking shells against the edge of the pan, then separating the whites from the yolks. “Whatever you can swallow down in the next three minutes. Then I’m going to feed you real food.”

  That made Maggie dive for her processed treat even faster. She’d just about managed to consume his whole bowl when he slid steaming egg whites onto clean plates and grabbed a banana from the bunch.

  He set both plates down in front of him. “Come here, Maggie.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “Why?”

  If he had any intention of staying with her, the first thing Josiah would do was earn her trust so she wouldn’t feel the need to question him. But he wasn’t and he couldn’t expect miracles overnight—even if he wanted them.

  “I’m going to feed you.” He sat and patted his thigh.

  “And . . . you want me to sit on your lap for this?”

  “Yes.”

  “We covered the fact I don’t follow orders.”

  “So you said. I just don’t think you understand how good it will feel to take them from me.” He leaned in, got ruthless. “You promised to try the eggs. They’re right here, getting cold. All you have to do is sit on my thigh and let me feed you.”

  “You’re serious, aren’t you?”

  “Have I given you any reason to think I’m not?”

  “No, but you didn’t say I had to sit on your lap and take the fork from your hand when I agreed to this.”

  “You didn’t ask.”

  She scowled. “That’s underhanded.”

  He shrugged. “If you want to think that, go for it. That doesn’t change the promise you made.”

  “Why are you pushing me?”

  Good question. Because some stupid part of him wasn’t ready to walk away. Because being with her felt so natural.

  “I just want to talk to you.”

  With a sigh, she rose, circled the table, then plopped in his lap. “If my grandparents walk in, you get to explain this was all your doing and I’m simply your helpless victim.”

  Josiah doubted Maggie had been helpless for more than ten minutes put together in her whole life. But then he couldn’t think about much else, not when she wriggled her lush ass against him, ostensibly to get comfortable.

  “Sure. And in case that shimmying all over my lap is to verify I’m hard, I’ll save you the trouble and me the agony, and I’ll admit I am now. Bite?” He lifted his fork.

  With a little flush, she stopped moving over his erection and opened her mouth. There was something decidedly sexual about setting the eggs on Maggie’s tongue and watching her eat from his hand.

  After she chewed and
swallowed, he studied her for a reaction. “Well?”

  “I’m sure it’s very healthy.”

  “It is,” he said, amused. “Is that your way of saying it’s bland?”

  “Pretty much.”

  When she tried to hop off his lap, he curled an arm around her and held tight, then reached for two shakers in the middle of the table. “Try salt and pepper. Did you cheat on Davis with Sawyer?”

  That brought her stare whipping around to him. Maggie blinked like she was searching for an answer, but he already had it. She looked too guilty to be innocent and was obviously trying to avoid admitting the truth.

  “Who told you that?” As soon as the words were out, she shook her head. “Sawyer did. Always stirring the pot . . .”

  “Why did you do it?”

  She shrugged. “Like I said, I didn’t love Davis. I felt trapped. I think some part of me hoped Davis would find out and end things.”

  “Why not end it yourself?”

  “And disappoint my grandmother who’s sacrificed everything to make me happy? She’d handpicked him for me. One of her sorority sisters’ grandson. Harvard Law. Wealthy family. Bright future.” She shrugged, suddenly not meeting his gaze. “I couldn’t do it.”

  When he looked at it from that perspective, he could see why she would feel as if her allegiance wasn’t to the man who’d swept into her life a few months prior but to the woman who had raised her. But that didn’t answer one question. “Why didn’t you tell him how you felt instead of fucking around behind his back?”

  “Why do you care?”

  He sighed and admitted the unavoidable. “Because I want to understand you.”

  “It’s not that hard.”

  Josiah sent her a censuring glance. “Don’t lie and tell me you’re not complicated.”

  “Okay, you’re right. Shealyn pointed out a long time ago that I totally am.”

  At least they didn’t have to argue about that. “So answer the question.”

  She bristled. “I don’t owe you an explanation.”

  “You don’t. But there’s no reason we can’t talk, be friends.”

  Maggie cocked her head. “You want to know why I didn’t blurt out how I felt? I tried. It wouldn’t have done any good. He was as trapped as I was. His mom and dad died when he was a baby, so, like me, his grandparents raised him. They held the purse strings to his trust fund, too. They wanted him married. Personally, I suspected he was gay and knew they wouldn’t approve. He tried to be different for them, but . . .”