by V. F. Mason
“Yeah, Miranda. I—I just felt like shit after everything went down. Before coming here, booze and women were always my thing.” I couldn’t help it, I winced, and he must have felt it, because he hugged me tighter and whispered, “I’m sorry, babe, but my past is my past. I can’t change that.” I didn’t want him to change it, but still, no girl ever wanted to hear about her boyfriend’s past. “She was at the bar and made a play for me. I looked at her and thought she would do for the night. She didn’t act shy or as though picking up a guy in a bar was new for her. We went to the motel room. Almost nothing happened beside a few touches here and there. Next thing I know, the door opened and Ren appeared. I knew their story. They were high school sweethearts, she was his one and only, and they were supposed to get married, but I didn’t realize who she was until that moment. He threw the lamp closest to him against the wall, and without another word left the room, slamming the door loudly. Miranda sat on the bed and sobbed, murmuring something, but I was too angry to listen. Then the next thing I knew, she ran away.”
He grew silent as he rubbed his hand up and down my arm, and I pressed closer to him. It was awful, everything he was saying. I couldn’t imagine how Ren had felt at that moment. He’d probably thought all his dreams were crushed and he had nothing left.
“Ren changed after that, as you saw. He used to love the ranch. It was his thing, especially the horses. He’s a true whisperer. Animals love him, and he even helped manage the business side of things. I have a feeling Hawk planned to leave everything to him. Not to mention, he has a trust fund from his folks he wanted to use for the wedding and expanding the ranch. The whole ranch life was his fucking dream. But he stopped caring. Miranda came to the ranch many times to explain herself before she left for college, but then she came back. I have a feeling she wants him back, but he doesn’t want her.”
“Maggie?” I was too afraid to ask her, because she was so shy and maybe some of the memories might hurt her.
“As far as I see it, she’s had a crush on him her whole life, but he never saw her. Until last Christmas. Something happened between them. I saw them on the porch talking under the mistletoe, and God knows what they did. After that, their relationship became what it is now.” What a complex situation, like the whole family was bruised, but they had no idea how to heal themselves.
It was the perfect time to tell him the truth, to let him know why I was there. He was opening up to me and I owed him the same in return. But I couldn’t do it. I was afraid it would change everything; being a Devlin always did.
I wanted to know one more thing, because I was completely lost.
“Your aunt… you said you don’t keep in touch. Why?”
“She lied to me. All this time, she lied. I can’t get past that, no matter how much I want to.”
His voice was harsh and cold, and I knew it wasn’t up for discussion.
Closing my eyes, I swallowed and tried to bury myself in him. I knew the minute he discovered the real me I would lose him. So although I would tell him the truth soon, because lying seemed almost impossible after the intimacy we had shared, I preferred to have a few days of peace before he pushed me away.
Shane
The blare of Serena’s alarm clock startled me awake, and I jumped to switch it off. It was already 5:00 a.m. and she needed to wake up to prepare breakfast. Last night, we came to her room after we showered in mine. After taking care of her and cleaning her up, I stashed an additional box of condoms in her room, but I didn’t want to hurt her more, so we just slept together as I held her in my arms.
I leaned down, slowly kissing a trail from her back all the way to her neck, and she moaned. Serena made those soft noises while we made love, and I couldn’t wait to hear them again.
Making love?
We weren’t making love; it was just sex—granted, amazing sex, the best sex I ever had. I was surprised she was a virgin and a bit pissed. I would have been gentle if I’d known. It would have for sure happened in a comfortable bed, with some good music and hours of foreplay. The first time was special, especially for girls.
Before the whole fiasco with Miranda, I used to have a healthy sex life. It was never something important. It was just about physical release, and I never promised more. And I sure as hell had never had a virgin before.
But it was different with Serena; everything about her was. I never felt gentleness toward another girl, never put their pleasure before mine, and never felt so connected to anyone.
There was part of me, a primal part that thrilled in the knowledge I was the only one who knew what it was like to be inside her. That she saved it for me. I would forever be a part of a unique memory for her, one she could remember for the rest of her life while she had relationships with other guys. My fist clenched in the sheets. The thought of another guy having her didn’t bring up the best feelings in me.
“Serena,” I whispered in her ear before sucking her earlobe into my mouth. When she turned her head to me, I leaned down and kissed her full on the lips with tongue, and she groaned.
God, I loved kissing her—the taste of her, the response she had to me, and the way my body responded to hers. Serena let me forget all the bad shit in my life; nothing existed but her.
Her fingers ran through my hair, and I shifted back. Her face was flushed and she was breathing deeply, but she had fire in her eyes, which I knew only I could soothe.
Because she was mine, if only for the summer.
“Good morning.” Her voice was soft and lazy. She smiled and brushed back her hair. After our rendezvous at the lake, she’d become relaxed and open with her affections, calling me honey and baby and shit like that, which I usually couldn’t stand but found adorable with her. I didn’t mind that side of her, as long as I was the only one who she showed it to.
“Good morning.” She wanted to continue kissing, but I stopped her. “As much as I would love to spend the whole day in bed with you, we need to get up.”
“You are such a tease.” She pouted, and I decided to fuck it all, unable to resist another kiss before we spent a whole day with different shit ahead of us.
Suddenly, she gasped, pushed me aside, and stood up, which resulted in the perfect view of her in all her naked glory. She blushed and tried to cover herself.
“Don’t bother on my account, babe.” She probably felt a bit shy, given the fact I was her first morning after. Damn but I loved the thought of it.
“Very funny. Turn around.”
“Why? It’s not like I didn’t touch, see, and taste all of you.”
The blush spread through her body, as her breath hitched and eyes darkened. My mind was seconds away from cursing and going after her, when she shook her head and took a step back. “Please, Shane, I'm already late. Don’t stare at me!”
I obliged and turned around. When I heard her bathroom door close, a chuckle spilled from my mouth. I would have to work harder on ridding her of her modesty. She’d love giving me her body in the morning light.
The night before, I’d brought clothes from my room to wear the next morning. As I pulled up my jeans, I noticed drawings on the table. Curious, I took a closer look at them and was surprised to find they were mostly of me—looking at the horses, then me at the lake. A few were of nature, different areas around the ranch, and Moonlight Rose during a busy day. They were beautiful drawings and showcased the vivid life of the ranch.
I had never seen her draw, so she must have created these from inside her room. They were all done with charcoal and some colored pencils, but some of them would have shone with paint or pastels.
An idea formed in my head, but I put down the drawings as I heard her come out and picked up my shirt. I didn’t want her to know I’d discovered her hidden talent.
She was wearing shorts again and a pink top that went well with her pink sneakers. Overall, she looked like a doll and I wanted to play with her.
Man, how fucking sick and lame was that comparison?
She glanced at me and smiled, th
en came to me, encircling me in her arms, and kissed me. A kiss filled with passion and longing. She let go, winking at me naughtily.
“Have a nice day, cowboy.” And with that, she disappeared from her room. I heard her quick steps on the stairs, and smiled in the mirror.
Life was good.
Serena
I was in an amazing mood that morning and quickly put on breakfast. I cooked some eggs and toast, and made coffee, and had just started to put out the dishes when Maggie came into the kitchen.
She looked much better than yesterday. The dark circles were gone, though she was still a bit pale. She was wearing jean shorts, which clearly used to be jeans, but they were cut in such a way they didn’t flatter the design or her body, and she had on an oversized shirt that covered most of her. The thick glasses were back, and her beautiful hair was put up yet again in the messy bun. Maggie didn’t think she was beautiful, and while trying to make herself invisible, she hid all her assets.
“Hey!” I said, and she smiled, even though it was a bit forced.
“Hey. I thought I would help you, but I overslept again.” She pulled at her hair and shifted her stance. She looked guilty, and for the life of me, I didn’t get why.
“Maggie, it’s all right. It’s my job, the one I'm getting money for.” Well, that was a lie. I knew for a fact Dad didn’t take money from Hawk for my services. For him, it was helping a pal.
“Yeah, but still… you need help sometimes.”
“I did, and you spent almost a month teaching me. I know almost everything there is to do, although I doubt I can do it.” We shared a laugh at that and continued to put food on the table.
We were setting the table as the men came inside. Ren surprised the hell of me when he showed up for breakfast. I glanced at Maggie from the corner of my eye and saw she blushed a bit. He didn’t make any snarky remark toward her or anyone else, which was progress in itself. Shane’s brows rose in surprise, but then he shrugged, sending me a grin, which spread warmth through me, almost making me moan. I wanted to kiss him so badly, run my hands…. My train of thought stopped when I noticed his eyes darkening, as though he read my mind.
Slowly, the men left the table until it was only me, Carter, Shane, Ren, Maggie, and Hawk.
“Stop with the eye fucking already.”
Well, the peace couldn’t last forever.
“Ren.” Hawk’s voice held warning. Shane’s jaw tightened, and everyone tried to ignore Ren.
“Although, I gotta say, I'm fucking happy you guys finally did it.” He touched his heart in a mocking gesture. “It was pathetic watching Shane go to the bar every day and spending time with Beatrice, of all people.” He looked at me and his mouth lifted in a half smile. “Good of you to finally decide to put out.” With that parting jab, he left.
Who the hell was Beatrice? I refused to show any reaction, as I was aware everyone was staring at me.
Carter and Hawk seemed unsure as to what I would do. Maggie bit her lip and waited for my reaction worriedly, while there was no doubt Shane was pissed as he tried to decipher my expression. I had a desire to throw away my plate and smack him for what he did with Beatrice, whatever that was.
In that moment, though, I remembered I wasn’t a housekeeper at the ranch. I was Serena Devlin. And I didn’t lose control because of some guy. I smiled and pretended to not have a care in the world, while acting nice toward everyone. Because no one was interested in real feelings. So that’s what I gave them. I did everything I knew to do to protect myself from the pain and humiliation of Ren’s words.
Standing calmly, I placed my dishes in the sink and turned to them with a perfectly fake smile on my face.
“I’m done. Once you’re all finished, could you tell me? I need to make a call, if that’s all right.” I focused my eyes only on Hawk, totally ignoring Shane, so I didn’t know what kind of reaction my behavior was causing him.
The older man just smiled; for some reason, he was amused with the whole situation. At least someone was having fun. “Sure.”
I didn’t look back as I heard Shane in the background making excuses for himself too before following me. I ran and almost succeeded in closing my door, when his foot stopped me. He pushed himself inside and locked the door.
Fantastic!
“I want to be alone.” At least my voice was calm, which was good.
“You’re angry.”
“No, I'm not.”
“Ren… what he said—”
I raised my hand. “Spare me the details, okay?” I didn’t want to know what he did and how frequently. Especially not after last night. I mean, it was one thing to know he was a slut in the past. It was another to hear about it at breakfast in front of people.
His eyes narrowed. “Just like that?”
“Yep. Look, I came here to sort out my thoughts. Why don’t you let me? It’s not like I should care about it anyway. This whole thing is temporary.” I didn’t like admitting it, but wasn’t that the truth? Even though we had agreed to see where it led, chances of it flourishing into more were very low. And yay for me for acting confident and shit while I felt anything but.
“Right.” With that one word, he left the room and I was alone, standing there feeling like an idiot.
Shane
I was fucking livid. The morning started great. I had a girl, we had an amazing night, and then some nice family breakfast where even Ren showed up, which made Maggie fucking happy.
But then he had to make a comment about me going to the bar, and I saw how her face changed. She tried to hide it with that brilliant, beautiful fake smile of hers, but I knew her real smile and could tell the difference. His words hurt her, and I didn’t know what to do to make it better. I didn’t try to sleep with anyone after Miranda. I didn’t touch other women here.
Storming back to the kitchen, I found Ren had come back inside to pick up a bottle of water.
All my rage came back and, finally, I had someone on whom I could unleash it.
“What the fuck was that?”
Ren just raised his eyebrows, that fucker. “Whatever do you mean?”
“Why did you have to bring up the bar thing? Or Beatrice, for that matter?”
“Why? Your girl can’t handle the truth?” He smirked.
“There is no truth to handle. I didn’t cheat on her.”
“Right. Well then, I don't see how my comment made such a problem.”
I pointed a finger at him. “This isn’t about Serena and you know it. Your problem is with me.”
“Oh, no shit?”
His sarcastic tone pissed me off even more. I was sick and tired of this shit with Ren, the constant innuendo and hints, and always inflicted at the most inappropriate times. “Cut this bullshit, Ren. Maybe instead of assuming things, we can get to the bottom of what really happened that night.”
His eyes narrowed as he picked up his hat. “Spare me the details.” He made his way to the back door.
“I didn’t go looking for her. She was already there looking for company.”
He didn’t turn, but I saw him tense as he grabbed the door handle. “Shut up!”
Oh fuck no. I wouldn’t play the guilty party anymore. I’d had enough. “She made a pass at me, and since I didn’t care who I fucked, she seemed like a nice choice.”
“I said shut up!”
I didn’t give a shit about the warning and coldness his voice held. He needed to fucking grow up and stop hurting people just because he felt like it. “So if you couldn’t keep your woman satisfied, don’t fucking blame me for it.”
Ren turned, his fist swinging. I did the same, and my fist connected with his stomach. Before I knew it, we were on the floor in a full-on brawl. I was glad to have it all out in the fucking open, and neither one of us held anything back in our punches either. Ren had quite the hit, and he knew where to connect to bring the most pain, I would give him that.
“She was my fiancée!” he shouted, landing a kick to my leg.
&n
bsp; “I didn’t fucking know! She was willing, and I was horny! Almost nothing happened between us!” I sputtered the words and delivered a blow to his jaw. Through the haze of the fight, I heard a female scream, which sounded a lot like Maggie’s, and then footsteps running toward the kitchen, and the next minute, we were separated.
Carter held me while Hawk did the same with Ren. Figures, he would choose him over me. He raised him after all.
We were both breathing heavily, staring at each other, and I noticed Ren’s left eye was swollen. By the painful throbbing in my right eye, I probably had the same. Not to mention the pain I felt in my ribs, jaw, and hands. Ren was wincing while holding his right arm. I must have hit him hard there. I was fucking glad; the fucker deserved it. The scene would have been funny if it wasn’t so serious.
“What the hell are you both doing?” Hawk was apparently livid too. I didn’t give a fuck. It was something that needed to be done between us. Because at the end of the day, our rage was on the surface, begging to come out. “You guys finally done with this?”
We looked at each other, and I knew we were far from done. Ren and I might have had a fight, but he still carried fury inside him that needed to be unleashed. Unfortunately, the fight with me didn’t do it, because deep down, he wasn’t furious with me and he knew it. He was bitter, because he couldn’t forgive his fiancée or himself for not seeing she was unhappy with him and the life he offered. It was easier to blame me, but I wouldn’t take the blame anymore.
Fuck that.
“After dinner, I want to see you both in my office, and I fucking mean it.” Hawk’s voice was harsh and dominant, which meant he was not in a mood for arguments, and there would be hell to pay if we disobeyed.
We were both silent. They finally let us go, and without another word, Ren disappeared from the kitchen, limping on his right leg, where I vaguely remembered kicking him. Maggie touched my shoulder, which hurt the most from the fall.
“Are you okay?” She bit her lip as her eyes watered. She was such an angel, but then I knew her worry wasn’t much for me. She wanted to go but couldn’t without making sure I was okay first.
