by Piper Rayne
His phone beeped. Another voice mail from his manager, reminding him that time was money and the studio had him reserved for recording along with his band. Or maybe it was his sister, who had called him several times a day since he left Granite Junction. He’d call her back when he didn’t feel like there was a raw, gaping wound where his heart used to be.
He closed his eyes and rested his head against the cushion on the top of the rocking chair and listened to the birds singing in the trees.
“So this is where you’ve been hiding. It’s very pretty up here, but kind of a hike to find. I thought I was in better shape than this. Had to leave the rental car at the bottom of the drive.”
For a minute, he thought he imagined the voice. He’d been hearing it for days, usually when he fell asleep. Then he awakened alone. He almost didn’t open his eyes, didn’t want it to be another mind trick. But hope, that fickle bitch, made him pry open his heavy lids and there she stood. He could only see her head, since there was a bit of a drop-off and she was on the ground in front of the deck.
He almost lunged for her, to touch her to see if she was real, only he wasn’t convinced so he stayed where he was. “Are you real or a figment of my imagination?”
She laughed, the throaty, sexy sound going straight to his cock. “It’s me, though I look a bit worse for wear. I took the red-eye from Montana, then it was kind of like Planes, Trains and Automobiles to get here. You did not make it easy to find you.”
“I didn’t think you cared.”
She winced. “That’s fair. Just, not exactly true. I was scared, Colt. Scared of my feelings. I tried not to love you, tried to keep our relationship to the physical so I wouldn’t get hurt.”
He scoffed. “How did that work for you?”
“Pretty shitty. Seems like it didn’t go so well for you, either.”
“Except I never denied that I was falling for you.”
She sighed. “Can I please come up?”
“You have to come in through the house. I’ll open the door.”
He pushed to his feet and strode through the cabin to unlock the front door. When he opened it, she stood on the other side, looking as gorgeous as when he’d first met her. God, she took his breath away. He reached for her, running his fingers over the tears on her cheek.
“You look beautiful.”
She sucked in a watery breath. “I’ve been traveling all night and day, and I haven’t slept much for a week. I look like something trampled by a herd of cattle.” She trailed her hands over several days’ growth of his beard. “I like your new look. You going to keep it?”
He shrugged. “Couldn’t be bothered to shave. No one to see me.”
He turned and walked back into the cabin, not even waiting to see if she would follow. What he really wanted was to grab her and pull her into his arms, kiss her senseless, beg her to stay, and never let her go. That wouldn’t solve any of their problems. They were explosive in bed, but he wanted so much more. He wanted it all.
She followed him onto the deck and sat in the other chair across from him. “I missed you.”
He stared at her, not giving an inch. She huffed out a breath. “You’re not going to make this any easier on me, are you?”
“What do you want me to say, Sierra? That you own me? That you have my heart if you want it? Then you do. What more do you want?”
She blinked, clearly stunned at his words. Her mouth opened and closed a couple of times. “I didn’t expect you to say that. I thought you might say that you want to date a while longer.”
He laughed, a raw, bitter sound. “Fuck dating. I’ve dated and I know I’ve found what I want. You’re the one I want. I want everything. And I will give you everything.”
She blinked back tears, stunned by the fierceness of his words. “I had no idea you felt that way.”
“How would you? You were so determined to keep me at arm’s length, to keep us on a physical level. I was hoping to convince you to give us a chance for something more. But you walked away anyway.”
“And I was wrong. But I’m here now, if it’s not too late.” A hint of panic touched her voice.
He finally turned and looked at her, pain still twisting his insides. But there was something else. Hope. “How do I know you won’t run again?”
“You don’t. You have to trust me.” She stood and took his hand, kneeling next to him, firm determination in her expression. “I’m scared but I love you, Colt. I’ve been absolutely miserable without you. I always thought home was a place, somewhere to put down roots, but I was wrong. It’s about the people you love and who love you. Granite Junction is a place only it’s not where I want to be if I can’t be with you. I love you, Colt Raines. I’d follow you anywhere you go.”
He stood, pulling her up with him. “I’d never ask you to give up your business or Granite Junction. That’s where you belong. Nashville is a place where I do business, but the reality is, I’ve never been there long enough to actually make it a home. We traveled a lot when I was a kid. First, between my parents’ and my grandmother’s, then school, then on the road. I never really put down roots either. I teased Piper about settling down with Ty away from the center of the music business. Now I understand.”
Hope flared in her eyes and he tilted her chin up. “I’ve been on the road touring a lot, probably more than I need to. I’m ready to cut back. My parents do it because they love it. I’ve found something I love more. You, Sierra. It won’t be easy. I’ll still have to tour and record. We’ll make it work.”
A smile spread across her face, true happiness filling her. “I can hire people to work for me so I can join you sometimes if you want.”
He drew her against his body. “I definitely want you with me whenever you want. I love you so much. I thought I’d find someone for a night at The Rock. Instead I found someone for forever.”
She laid her head against his chest. “I only expected to find someone to help me forget my troubles for a night. I never thought I’d find a cowboy to remember.”
His arms settled around her and he held her close, his chin on her head. In the quiet of the early morning, he had finally found the peace he had been searching for his whole life, the love he had wanted forever, and a place to belong.
He was home.
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About Megan Ryder
Ever since Megan Ryder discovered Jude Deveraux and Judith McNaught while sneaking around the “forbidden” romance section of the library one day after school, she has been voraciously devouring romance novels of all types. Now a romance author in her own right, Megan pens sexy contemporary novels all about family and hot lovin’ with the boy next door. She’s also a master procrastinator–if only her cocker spaniel, Bentley, would let her focus on writing instead of playing ball all day!
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Also by Megan Ryder
THE KNIGHTS OF PASSION
Going All The Way (Knights of Passion 1)
Love From Left Field (Knights of Passion 2)
The Game Changer (Knights of Passion 3)
Learn more about the series here.
LONE STAR MATCH SERIES
Something Old (Lone Star Match 1)
Something Borrowed (Lone Star Match 2)
Something New (Lone Star Match 3)
Learn more about the series here.
REDEMPTION RANCH
A Cowboy’s Salvation (Redemption Ranch 1)
Coming Home to the Cowb
oy (Redemption Ranch 2)
A Cowboy’s Promise (Redemption Ranch 2.5 Novella)
A Cowboy’s Song (Redemption Ranch 3)
Learn more about the series here.
GRANITE JUNCTION SERIES
The Wrong Cowboy (Granite Junction 1)
The Restless Cowboy (Granite Junction 2)
A Cowboy to Remember (Granite Junction 2.5) - Available in the Summer Love Anthology
The Right Cowboy (Granite Junction 3) - Coming in 2021
The Rebellious Cowboy (Granite Junction 4) - Coming in 2021
Learn more about the series here.
LOVE, ME
Erika Kelly
Copyright 2021 EK Publishing, LLC
All rights reserved. This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are used fictitiously or are a product of the author’s imagination and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.
Editing by Kristy DeBoer
About Love, Me
Quinn Ellison thought the worst day of her life was when her husband asked for a divorce. She was wrong.
It’s the day she crashes into her ex after a long day at her soul-stealing job... and discovers the real reason he left: his mistress is pregnant. But before she can get away, a strong arm wraps around her shoulders and pulls her in close. She looks up—and up—to find her ex’s biggest client, and the highest paid defensive end in the NFL, pretending to be her boyfriend.
Matteo Candella fell for his agent’s wife the moment he met her. Smart, creative, beautiful…she’s his. She just is. All these years he’s kept his distance so, when he witnesses the humiliating moment, he can’t help himself from stepping in to save her. And then he does the most ridiculous thing he’s ever done. He tells her about the legacy ranch he bought in her hometown of Calamity Falls. And hires her to be his interior designer.
Now, he’s got to go buy one. Fast.
As wonderful as Matteo is, Quinn’s convinced her ex ruined her for love. But Matteo knows better. They’re meant to be together. And being one of the most competitive men on the planet…
Well, challenge accepted.
Chapter One
Quinn Ellison entered the revolving door, eager to get home and finish the book she’d started last night. She’d pour herself a cold glass of wine, put on her soft bunny slippers…she smiled when she thought of her roommate’s dog making off with one of them. One look at the plush white fur, and he went nuts. She’d just have to distract him with his favorite treats. He gobbled those things up. So cute.
The minute the door tossed her out onto Fifty-Second Street, she breathed in the cool, fresh June air. Okay, it was New York City. There was nothing fresh about it, but after ten hours in an office, this former mountain girl welcomed being outside.
I need my bus card. Digging into the side pocket of her purse, she slammed into a wall of heat and heard, “Watch it.”
That voice—it was as familiar to her as her own. Her stomach wrenched into a knot.
“Quinn.” Bradley Whitfield III sounded almost horrified.
Though they worked in the same skyscraper office building, she hadn’t bumped into her ex-husband even once since they’d divorced a few months ago. They’d only spoken through attorneys.
Tan, fit, he reeked of success in his two-thousand-dollar suit and thirty-five-thousand-dollar watch.
Dashing. That’s the only word to describe him.
The word, Hello, formed in her throat, but she got a whiff of Chanel No. 5 and froze. Her brain seized. She stood like a fish gasping on a dock.
Because her ex’s mistress had her arm linked through his, her other hand clutching her swollen belly.
She’s pregnant.
He got her pregnant.
That’s why he divorced me. Blood thumped in her ears, and her hands shook so badly she had to lower them to her side and grab fistfuls of her cheap summer dress.
The sidewalk seemed to bob like a dinghy on the ocean, making her seasick.
“It’s nice to see you, Quinn.” In spite of his efforts to sound haughty—a trait handed down by every Whitfield ever—his voice quavered a little.
In an echo chamber somewhere inside her brain, a voice called out for her to speak, to act normal, but the motor neurons weren’t responding.
“How are you?” the mistress asked, her tone drenched in pity.
And that was all it took for Quinn to snap out of it— ugliness from the woman who’d stolen her life. “I’m barely making ends meet, I’m working a job that’s slowly dissolving my soul, and I’m sharing a six-hundred-square-foot apartment with a woman who thinks showers are optional, but I’m not fucking someone else’s husband, and I’m living life on my own terms, so I call that a win.” Done with them, she started for the bus stop.
But a strong arm wrapped around her, tugging her close to a hard, powerful body. “Hey, babe. You look beautiful.”
Enveloped in the scents of clean clothes and expensive shaving cream, Quinn gazed up—and up—to take in Matteo Candella, her ex-husband’s most important client, and the highest paid defensive end in the NFL.
The sexy athlete kissed her cheek, and no one would question the affection in his eyes. Holding her close, he gave a curt nod to her ex. “Brad.”
In that surreal moment, Quinn noticed two things. Matteo didn’t shake his agent’s hand, and he didn’t acknowledge the mistress. A rush of warmth pierced the bubble of shock, and gratitude flooded her.
She’d been achingly alone these past several months. Her life had flipped upside down—she’d gone from being married and having a very active social life to living with a stranger and working an entry level job in a new and unbearably boring field.
“Matteo, man. You’re right on time.” Bradley looked between them, as though trying to make sense of his ex-wife dating his number one client without his knowledge. “Walk with me to the office.”
Good. Now, she could flee. Bus card in hand, she moved to get away, but Matteo tightened his hold.
“Yeah, sorry, man. Change of plans. Me and my girl have a thing tonight. I’m going to have to reschedule.” In a slow, sensual move, he lifted the hair off her shoulder and gently smoothed it down her back.
And when he pressed his warm lips to the curve of her neck, goosebumps skittered down her arms.
It felt so obscenely good, Quinn shuddered. She hadn’t been touched like that in years.
And she craved it.
“You sure?” Underlying his confident tone, Bradley radiated an anxious energy. “Contracts are on my desk, ready to sign.”
Matteo gave him a hard look. “Positive.”
“There’s a lot of money on the table.” A shadow of fear crossed her ex’s features. “Aren’t you heading to Wyoming for the summer?”
“I leave in the morning.”
Bradley stuttered out an uncomfortable laugh. “Sounds like we need to get those babies signed.”
“I’ll be in touch.” With a curt nod, Matteo led her to his silver Mercedes AMG parked right at the curb.
When he opened the passenger door for her, she whispered, “You don’t have to do this. I have no shame about my life. I’m totally okay taking the bus.”
“And we’re going to talk about that. Get in. They’re watching.”
She didn’t want to argue with him in front of her lying, cheating ex, so she slid into the spotlessly clean car that smelled of leather and potent masculinity. Against the gray floor mat, the scuffs on her black flats became glaringly noticeable. She would bet his other passengers had red-soled pumps and enviably long legs. With their sleek, shiny hair, they’d probably worn short skirts and red lipstick.
Quinn had never fit into Bradley’s world—hadn’t wanted to. Born and raised in Calamity, Wyoming, she’d never developed the taste for high fashion or fussy hair and make-up routines.
It just wasn’t in her DNA.
Moments later, Matteo was behind the wheel, his strong, impossibly fit body taking up all the space as he pulled into traffic. “Why aren’t you taking money from him?”
“Hello, Matteo. It’s been a while. How’ve you been?”
He sighed. “You know me better than that. I say it like it is, and I want to know why you’re taking the bus, when he just bought a place in the Hamptons.”
The stake he drove into her heart brought a sting of tears to her eyes. Not because of the house—she’d never wanted it. Bradley thought he needed it to entertain clients, but she knew it was just another step closer toward becoming his parents.
No, it hurt because he’d moved on so seamlessly. Where she’d been knocked flat on her ass, he looked better than ever.
And he’s having a baby.
Dammit. A single tear trickled down her cheek, carving a path of humiliation. She didn’t want to cry for the bastard who’d betrayed her. “How do you know I didn’t get a big fat divorce settlement?” No way would Bradley tell anyone she hadn’t wanted a single dime from him. “Maybe I’m sitting on a pile of cash, squirreling it away so I can start my own business one day.”
“If you had a pile, you’d be back in Calamity right now.”
The honking, the rush of traffic…it all disappeared, and the world went silent. She was touched that he knew something so important about her. Maybe because she was so alone now, thrust into a world of strangers, but the fact that this man had paid attention…
