Branded

by Candace Havens

  I fucking hated him for being such a stubborn asshole. Even if he was right. Okay. I didn’t hate him. I admired him for being so strong. I wasn’t.

  And then an idea struck.

  It was brilliant.

  But would Cole go for it?

  Chapter Nine

  Several hours later, I checked the television to make sure Cole was in the barn. Grabbing my iPad, I snuck out of the house and took one of the golf carts down to the barn. No easy task, since another front had passed through, leaving behind three inches of water that hadn’t drained off the hard-packed ground. I threw some rain boots on over my sneakers.

  By the time I pulled up, he wasn’t in the barn with the horses. I checked the office and found him bent over some financial spreadsheets.

  “I’m pretty sure Gramps gave you the day off.”

  “I’m working to keep my mind off other things.” He didn’t bother to look up.

  “Well, I think I found a solution to our problem.”

  Still, he ignored me.

  I pushed the iPad in front of him.

  Only then did he glance up. “What is this?”

  “It’s a confidentiality agreement. It says that from this day forward, anything that happens between you and me is just between you and me. That no matter what, we can’t tell anyone outside the two of us what is going on.”

  “That might be the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”

  Pissed, I pointed to the document. “One of my classes second semester was contract law. Most boring class ever, but I did learn the easiest way to write one up. It will stand up in court. If I tell anyone about our relationship, I have to give you two million dollars.”

  “I don’t want your fucking money, Callie.”

  “I know that. It isn’t about money. This has to stop, Cole. God, I can’t take it anymore. My mind is filled with you. I told you that I have no expectations. I don’t care about your past. You don’t care about mine. You want me, and I want you. Why can’t it be that simple?”

  “I’ve told you over and over again. It’s not just about me. I have two other people I have to take care of right now. I won’t let them down. My dad does that kind of shit, but I don’t. He only cared about what he wanted, whether that was drinking or gambling away the house payment. I won’t be the selfish asshole he was. I won’t be that man.”

  His words knifed through my heart and twisted. The world lay on his shoulders. I thought I had troubles, but he was right. I was a princess with first-world problems. But I understood more than he thought.

  “You’re right. I’m being really selfish. I’m sorry.” My voice broke, and the last part came out like a croaking frog. “But it’s just sex. I’d be discreet. You’d be discreet. No one would ever know.”

  He chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Just sex? You think you could do that, Princess? You care way too much about everyone around you and what people think to ever have just sex. I’m your opposite. I don’t have anything else to give. I’m tapped out. I don’t do relationships. Not with lovers.”

  I chewed on my lip for a few seconds. To hell with this, I was going after this one thing.

  “Yes. You think you know me, but you don’t. The last thing I need or want right now is a relationship. I’ve got more going on than you can ever imagine. I’m emotionally tapped out. I need a release. I need fun. I need you.”

  He shook his head.

  I’m not sure why I expected him to say yes, but I pressed my case. “I can handle it. Can you? I go off to Europe in a month to see some friends. We can have some fun and then go our separate ways. I even put an end date on the contract. After July 8th, this—whatever it is between us—ends. I go to Europe and then off to school, and you continue on as if nothing ever happened. Easy.”

  “Nothing with you is easy. I figured that out the moment I met you. And discreet? So I’m to be your dirty little secret?”

  “You aren’t listening. You’re the one who doesn’t want anyone to know. I’m your dirty little secret. We’ll have to be careful. I get that. But you have to stop looking at me like you want to devour me every time we’re with my family. Someone’s going to pick up on it. If we take our frustrations out on each other, we’ll be less likely to slip up in front of my family or your sister.”

  “You know that isn’t logical, Princess. It’s ridiculous.” But he picked up the stylus and the iPad and signed the contract. Then he handed it to me.

  I bit down on my lip to keep from grinning.

  He grabbed my hand and pulled me toward him. His lips found mine, and I was lost. Only the whinny of a horse brought me back to my senses. “Not here,” I whispered against his lips. “Too many cameras, thanks to you.”

  He picked up his laptop and pushed a few buttons. “No more cameras. No more waiting.”

  I snorted as I backed out of the office. “Here?”

  “Afraid to get a little dirty, Princess? Get used to it. I have five weeks to fuck your brains out, and I’m going to take advantage of every second.”

  After those words, heat flooded the lower part of my body. Like, holy hell of hot.

  “Right. Okay then.”

  He narrowed his eyes, and I understood how a tiger’s prey must feel. I continued to back up. He reached for me, and then he turned me around so that I was against his chest and my ass bumped against his hard-on.

  “This is what you do to me—twenty-four-seven.”

  God, it was hot.

  He slipped his hand under my sweatshirt and felt his way up to my breasts. I hadn’t bothered with a bra or a thong. My nipples were so hard they hurt. He pinched one gently as he nibbled my ear, dragging me into one of the empty stalls. “I don’t think I can wait another second,” he growled.

  He pushed my jeans down to my knees with his other hand. I kicked off my boots and sneakers and pushed the jeans off. He slid his fingers down my belly and into my heat.

  I gasped, and every muscle in my body tightened at once. It was too much. My brain couldn’t process that many sensations—I could only give in to them.

  The only reason I stayed standing was because he held me up.

  “I—I, oh, hell.” What was it I wanted to say? He hushed me, yanking my hair back and attacking my mouth with his. It was nothing short of an assault, his tongue darting in and out in the same motion of his fingers. I’d been ready for him since before I even walked into the barn. His fingers hit the back wall of my pelvic bone, and my orgasm came hot and fast. I groaned into his mouth as muscles tensed and quivered around his fingers.

  “More,” I begged without really knowing what I was asking for, and at the same time praying he would give me everything.

  “Put your hands up on the stall door and spread your legs for me, baby.” I heard a zipper and then a foil package. At least one of us was thinking. I couldn’t. The world was upside down in anticipation.

  He pushed my legs apart and the tip of his cock teased my opening. He was wide. There was a moment of fear before need consumed me. I couldn’t think too much or I’d flinch. No way was I going to mention that one little thing at this point.

  “Fuck me, please,” I pleaded. “No more teasing.”

  He shoved his length into me.

  Oh hell, it hurt. Like a motherfucker. I thought I would collapse.

  “What the hell, Callie?” He stopped moving. “You weren’t—oh, shit. Are you a fucking virgin?”

  The way he said it, like I had some kind of disease, just made me giggle. “No. I just haven’t…done it much. You gonna just stand there or are you going to fuck me?” My body adjusted to his size.

  “Shit. I could have made it so much easier for you. I thought you were experienced. I would have given you more time to adjust. Fuck. You’re so tight, I don’t think I can hold on. This is going to be fast. We’ll take it slow later, but I’ve needed to fuck you since you fell out of that plane and into my arms.”

  God, he didn’t hate me. He wanted me just as much as I di
d him.

  He picked up the pace, slow at first and then, when I pushed my ass toward him, begging for it faster, he complied. There was nothing but him and his cock pounding the fuck out of me. Never in my life had anything felt so good. My body was weak and trembling. My hands slipped from the door, but he pulled me to his chest, never missing a thrust.

  “So fucking beautiful,” he said. “Come with me, Callie.” The sound of my name on his lips sent me into orbit. Every cell vibrated and muscles spasmed. I was limp in his arms, and he backed up against the wall, no easy task with his jeans around his knees.

  He pulled out of me but held on so that I didn’t tumble into the hay.

  “I wish you’d told me. That was rough for you.”

  “I thought it was kind of awesome.” Lame, but he’d fucked the brains from my head.

  He chuckled. “Later, we’ll take our time. I promise.”

  I couldn’t wait.

  Chapter Ten

  After the barn, Cole and I ended up in my room. He left around three in the morning to get ready for his day. We hadn’t slept, and I hoped he didn’t have anything too dangerous to do on the ranch. I shuffled to the bathroom and turned on the shower as hot as I could stand it. Muscles screaming, I let the water ease the tension.

  There wasn’t an inch of my body Cole hadn’t touched or kissed. I had no idea sex could be so… I didn’t even know how to describe it. All consuming. Nothing existed but Cole and me and this strange connection. It was if we’d let go and allowed our bodies to take control. That’s not even right. It was more of an out-of-body experience. For such a tough guy, there were times when he was so tender. Then there were moments when our eyes met and the intensity there scared the crap out of me. It was as if he were giving me something, part of his soul—and, oh my God, that sounded so fucking corny.

  Intense. Too intense. So much more than I was expecting.

  Ten minutes after he left, I wanted more. I craved it.

  I craved him.

  The scars on his back were horrendous. I’d touched them lightly, and he’d stiffened, so I’d let go, sliding my hands down and away.

  But they’d been deep and long, as if he’d been whipped. What kind of life had he and Addy had before they’d come here?

  I couldn’t imagine suffering that kind of physical pain. The mental images were too much for me. His skin must have been broken and bloody to heal the way it had.

  Blowing out a breath, I leaned my hands on the wall of the shower and let the heat warm my muscles. Had it been his dad? Would I ever know anything about Cole’s past? He wasn’t the kind of guy who opened up. And we’d both agreed to keep things casual.

  But that had been before the mind-fuck the sex had been.

  Just sex.

  Yeah, um. Hell. I was in trouble.

  You can do this.

  No. No, I didn’t think I could.

  This was too dangerous. He was too dangerous. And for his sake, and mine, I had to call it off.

  Be strong.

  …

  Scrubbing my face with my hand, I tried to make sense of the numbers in front of me. But Callie’s moans filled my ears, and I could only see that come-with-me look in her eyes as she reached for me that last time.

  Fucking A. I was an idiot. More. I wanted more of her. There was no way in hell I’d ever get enough. She’d gotten so noisy I’d put my hand over her mouth, and she’d smiled.

  Fucking smiled. She’d liked it.

  And that body of hers. All curves and hollows. And so sweet. God. She tasted of honey and vanilla. My own fucking cookie I could have eaten all night.

  Shoving the chair back, I stood and stretched. I could still smell her on me—didn’t want to take a shower to wash her off, even though I needed one.

  Oh, hell no. I wasn’t going there.

  Work. I needed something physical. I had to get her out of my head. She was a hot lay. End of story. We were keeping things easy.

  After checking the horses, I threw some bales of hay in the truck and drove out to the south pasture. The herd of cows hadn’t moved an inch during the storm. Lazy fuckers.

  I tossed out some of the hay and whistled. Funny how they always moved for food.

  One of the calves wasn’t moving, and they almost always followed the mothers. I jumped out of the back to check on him. Even as I walked closer, he didn’t move. Then I heard it.

  Rattler.

  I hated snakes. I wasn’t afraid of them. They were a part of life on a ranch in West Texas. Didn’t mean I had to like them.

  Cows didn’t usually pay attention to them, but this was a baby. Then I saw his leg. It had been bitten.

  Son of a bitch.

  I really fucking hated snakes.

  We kept a hoe in the back of the truck for cases just like this. After I grabbed it and dealt with the snake, I scooped up the babe and walked the fifty or so feet back to the truck. He still wasn’t moving. Usually, they were kicking the shit out of you, trying to get away.

  I put him down on his side in the bed of the pickup. He was breathing, but he definitely wasn’t moving. Something was wrong. Then I saw another bite on his belly, swollen bigger than a grapefruit. One bite might not be bad on a calf, but two? I tried to remember what I’d read about bites. The larger animals could sometimes heal on their own, but I wasn’t taking a chance with this little guy.

  I pulled out my phone to call the doc, but there wasn’t any service out here away from the ranch.

  Dammit.

  I made sure the calf was secured and then drove back to the barn. Once I was there and was finally able to get a call through, Doc picked right up.

  “I’ll be up that way in a couple of hours. Keep it calm and quiet.”

  Didn’t think that would be a problem since the thing still hadn’t moved. Maybe he was in shock. I squatted down and rubbed him behind the ears.

  “You’re going to be okay, little guy. But next time you hear that rattling sound, be very still.”

  “What’s wrong with him?” Callie’s voice drifted over the stall door.

  I couldn’t look at her. Just her voice made me hard as rock.

  “Snakebite. Two bites actually.”

  She sucked in a breath. “Poor baby. What do we need to do?”

  Kneeling beside me, she put her hand next to mine on the calf’s head.

  “Need to keep him quiet until the doc gets here.”

  “Poor baby,” she said again as she stroked the animal. “Snakes are stupid.” Then she sat down on the stall floor, crossed her legs, and put the cow’s head in her lap.

  Lucky fucking cow.

  I cleared my throat. “I’m gonna get the trailer and pick up the mom. He’ll need to feed at some point. I think he’s in shock. Can you just stay here till I get back?”

  She reached up and took my hand. “Sure. Um. But I need to talk to you.” Her brows drew together. That couldn’t be good.

  “About what?”

  She chewed on her lip. “It can wait. I’ll stay here until Doc comes. You get this little dude’s mom set up.”

  Was she having second thoughts? Couldn’t blame her. Last night was intense. I’d probably scared the hell out of her that first time, fucking her like I was a sex-starved prisoner his first day out. But she did something to me. Made me lose control in a way I never had before.

  She probably wanted to delete the contract. Good idea. This might turn into something neither one of us wanted.

  Yep. Best fucking one-night stand ever. It’d have to do. Back to cold showers and praying July eighth came fast.

  …

  For a little guy, the calf weighed a ton. About fifteen minutes after Cole left, I scooted my legs out from under the calf’s head, but I stayed close, rubbing his ears to keep him calm. I didn’t want to wake him up, but my legs were falling asleep.

  Where is Cole?

  That look in Cole’s eyes had killed me. It was almost as if he expected bad news. What, did he think I was goin
g to come down after one night and break the contract?

  Okay, I’d thought about it. I mean, he was going to break my heart. There wasn’t any if about it. I was going to be in shreds. I wasn’t in love. It would be incredibly lame to fall for a guy I had sex with after only one night. And we had a frigging contract that had a time limit, so there would be no falling.

  Nope. Not going to happen.

  I sighed.

  I was in big trouble.

  The truck and trailer rumbled up outside. “Come on, you dumb-ass cow. I’m not going to hurt you.” I bit my lip to keep from laughing. There was whinnying from the stalls around me. The horses were happy Cole was back. I rolled my eyes. I guess I wasn’t the only one who had a thing for him.

  Maybe I could convince him to read to me at night to put me to sleep.

  “How’s he doing?” he said in a loud whisper.

  “Still sleeping.”

  “Okay. I’m going to put her in one of the other stalls until the doc gets here. Hold on just a sec.”

  The cow mooed, and the calf’s eyes popped open.

  “That woke him up,” I said.

  “All right, Doc just called and said he’s about a mile away. First he’d said it would be a couple of hours, but when I told him the calf wasn’t moving, he decided to come on out.” There was relief in his voice.

  Cole might be tough, but he truly was worried about this little guy. That was the thing about Cole. While he might give me hell, he was so kind to his little sister. And even though he might be new to the ranch thing, he had a real affinity with the animals. I remembered his uncle had been known as an animal whisperer. Maybe Cole had some of those genes.

  The greeting from the horses was proof he had an effect on them, in any case.

  “They’re back here,” he said.

  After a few minutes of examination, the doc was frowning.

  “He’s a sick little guy,” Doc said.

  Cole came out of the stall and took his gloves off. He was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans and those muscles in his arms were panty-drenching hot.

  Be strong.

  “There’s a bit more going on than the snakebites,” said the vet, following Cole out of the stall. “Looks like it was suffering from a bacterial infection. Could have picked it up anywhere. That, along with the snakebites is a bit more than he could shake off. I’ve given him his first dose of antibiotics and some anti-venom. You’ll need to give him one shot of the antibiotics each day.