by V. F. Mason
“Baby, stop looking at me like that. I can barely control myself as it is.” His voice was hoarse and aroused.
“I can’t help it.”
He moaned. “We’ll go home and head straight to my room, where you’ll stay all fucking night. We have to make up for last night, too. Fuck that, for all the nights you’ve been here and not in my bed where I could reach you.” I nodded and made a move to touch him, but he stopped me. “No, don’t touch me. I’ll lose it if you do. Move.”
I hopped in the truck and gave him the keys. “What about your bike?”
“I’ll give Grady a call and ask him to keep it here until I can come and pick it up.”
“But—”
“Serena, baby, please shut up.”
I decided to do just that.
Slowly, feeling the breeze on my face from the open window, I calmed down a little bit and smiled. My behavior was so unlike me it was funny. I mean, I loved to party with Becky, but I stayed calm. I was bold and I loved it. Shane opened up new things in me, and I was so grateful for it. In those things, I found me. Reaching over, I put my hand in his. Without looking at me, he squeezed it and held it for the rest of the ride.
As we entered the ranch, anticipation tingled through me. “Close, baby,” he whispered and gently ran his thumb around my hand. He parked the truck, helped me get out, and took me into his arms. I squealed. Then he tickled me a bit, and I started laughing. Gazing down at me, he smiled and resumed walking. I put my face to his neck, inhaling his smell, and closed my eyes. I loved it, him, and us. When we came to the door, I felt his body tense and looked up to see what bothered him.
My eyes went wide and I struggled in his arms without speaking, and he finally put me down.
“Hey, honey,” said a melodic voice that I usually loved to hear, but not in that moment.
My night with Shane didn’t turn out like I imagined after all.
Serena
Becky stood on the porch looking as stunning as ever. She was wearing high heels—she never wore flats, said they bored her—blue skinny jeans that emphasized her long, amazing legs, and a white T-shirt that hugged her breasts. Her blue eyes held amusement and naughtiness, as usual, and her sleek blonde hair was pulled into a ponytail, which displayed her swan-like neck.
I was used to her looks, but somehow they seemed out of place here and, therefore, for me.
How odd.
No matter what, I was still happy to see her, so I ran toward her and she to me, and we giggled. We hugged and stood there for several seconds. She was something familiar, but at the same time, not. Her perfume washed over me, and I leaned back.
“What are you doing here?”
“Babe, summer isn’t the same without you, so I thought why not visit my favorite girl?” She finally looked behind me, and her eyes widened then lit up with interest. The same possessive urge I’d had at the bar came back to me. I didn’t like her looking at Shane like that, even though I knew he was hot. And I knew my friend, she would never do something like that, but still. I glanced back and found Shane studying us with interest, but at the same time, he looked slightly annoyed. If not for Becky, we would have already been in bed having fun.
Or the shower.
Or the floor.
Thoughts like that made me hot, so I quickly snapped out of it. His grin when he winked at me told me he clearly guessed my thoughts.
Cocky bastard.
“Um, Serena?” Becky indicated with her head to Shane, and I blushed.
“Becky, this is Shane, my—my boyfriend.” I ignored her surprise and turned to Shane.
“Shane, babe, this is Becky, my best friend since I can remember.”
He shook her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
“You too, cowboy, you too.” She said with amusement.
Out of the blue, the front door opened, and Hawk and Maggie came out. “What’s going on?” He didn’t sound pleased. Shit, all the laughing and shouting probably woke him up.
“Sorry, Hawk.” He just raised his eyebrows. “My friend came to visit me, and I was wondering if she could stay here.” I had no clue what plans she had, but the inn in town just wouldn’t do for her, and she would bitch about it. Plus, it didn’t feel as safe as the ranch, where I knew no one would want to hurt us.
“A word, in the office, Serena.” He disappeared into the house.
Okay then.
Before I went, Shane grabbed my hand and kissed me in front of the girls, with tongue and all. It was over quickly, and I leaned back, dazed. “I’ll stay here with them until we can go to bed,” he murmured in my ear, just for me to hear, and I didn’t know what to do but nod.
All the way to the office, I had a stupid smile on my face, but I couldn’t help it. I would be getting Shane tonight; any normal girl would be happy.
I knocked on the office door, and I when heard a gruff “Come in,” I stepped inside.
Hawk was sitting in his chair having a cigar, which caused flashbacks of my dad doing exactly that when he was displeased with something I did.
“Serena, can I ask you a question?” His tone was low but indifferent. He wasn’t giving anything away.
“Sure.”
“Do you know what you’re doing here?” My brows furrowed in confusion at his words. “I mean you and Shane.”
Shit, it was about him?
“Yes.” My voice shook slightly.
“Does he know the truth of why you’re here?”
“Do you?”’
“I know enough. This relationship of yours—”
“Is temporary, and it was something he wanted.” I didn’t know why I had to explain myself all the time, why everyone acted as though I was making a mistake. Especially to those people who didn’t have exactly the best record either. We were old enough to decide for ourselves.
“Uh huh. Is it something you want?” he asked gently, and I focused on him. His eyes were always kind, but at that moment concern was there, and I understood what it was about. He wasn’t worried about Shane, because he knew his son. He knew he would never forgive me once he knew the truth about me. He was worried about how I would handle our breakup. He didn’t trust me in that department, that I wouldn’t have my heart broken in the process, and some part of me agreed with that wholeheartedly.
But I couldn’t admit to that or acknowledge it, because everything would end too soon. I had one more month to live in freedom. One more month of being me, not the fake image I projected. I didn’t want it to end.
“Yes,” I replied. He said nothing, so I decided to talk about what I really came here for, not for that weird talk with my boyfriend’s biological father. “Can Becky stay?”
“Yes, as long as she pitches in on the ranch.”
I just stared at him and wondered if he’d seen her. I mean, sure, I wasn’t into all this either, but I had no choice. “I’m not sure about that.’’
He raised his eyebrow, something he did a lot and, usually, it freaking meant he wasn’t impressed. “Ain’t nobody hanging around my ranch doing nothing. Either she works, or she’s out.”
Well, looked like Becky would have a lesson in Housekeeping 101.
Shane
The evening didn’t turn out as I expected.
I nearly lost my damned mind there in the parking lot, and if she were wearing a skirt, I wouldn’t have waited to be inside her. But those skinny jeans made it impossible; plus, I wasn’t so sure, after our first time, she was ready for sex outside. I didn’t want to push her, even if she was willing. Next time though, next time I would stop at nothing.
I smiled and I heard a feminine sigh. I glanced to the table in the kitchen from where I was having a drink near the refrigerator.
“Eh, that damned smile of yours is sexy as hell.” She had a beautiful voice, and she was gorgeous. Not as gorgeous as my girl, at least not to me, but she sure was a looker. And she looked like pure class, which meant Serena had some rich friends. Which was odd, considering she must barel
y be making ends meet if she took the job here.
That reminded me I had yet to give her the present I had ready for her. I bought it when she refused to speak to me and I had nothing else to do.
“Thanks, I guess.” I was never shy, but didn’t really know if it was a come-on or something, and I so didn’t need to encourage that shit.
She stared at me for several seconds and then started laughing. “I’m sorry. It’s just you should have seen your face.” She wiped the tears from her eyes and took several breaths. “Like you didn’t know how to proceed.” Her face became serious. “No worries, I talk with everyone like that. I would never make a play on her guy.”
Well, good to know.
I heard soft footsteps, and my girl—and didn’t I just love saying that?—entered the doorway and didn’t look happy. Well, I could relate. Talking with Hawk was never much fun, and judging by her face, it didn’t go as planned.
“Everything okay?”
She sat down near Becky and sighed. “Hawk said you can stay at the ranch.” Becky squealed in delight, and then Serena continued. “Only if you work here too. ‘Ain’t nobody staying on the ranch and doing nothing,’ he said.” She tried to do an imitation of his voice but failed miserably and sighed again in frustration.
Becky looked horrified, and I had to smirk. Yeah, she probably didn’t know what to do. That thought brought something else to my mind. Serena hadn’t known what to do either and had also had freshly done nails.
The sound of the door shutting distracted me from my train of thought, and I decided to come back to it later. After a minute, Ren entered the kitchen, as usual all messy and sporting several hickeys on his neck. For the life of me, I didn’t know why he let them do that every night. At the rate he was going, I was surprised he still had someone new to fuck every day or at least someone who didn’t need more from him.
His eyes took in the scene, and then they zeroed in on Becky, who choked on her drink when she noticed him. Serena watched the exchange and then raised her panicked eyes to Ren, who studied her as though for the first time.
“Well, I’ll be damned,” he drawled in a Texan accent. “Princess, is that you?” Becky seemed to want to look anywhere but at him, and I understood there was history there. Oh, the shit was getting more complicated by the minute, because if they’d slept with each other, her staying here was impossible for sure.
Then I noticed Maggie stood in the doorway behind Ren and witnessed it all too. Pain flashed through her eyes, but she quickly covered it with indifference. She probably wasn’t happy to see someone from his past, especially someone the exact opposite of her.
“Hey, cowboy,” Becky murmured, and Ren sat down opposite her and propped his feet up on the table.
“What brings you here?”
Her eyes narrowed on him before she gifted him with a brilliant smile. “Well, you know, decided to roam around the world.”
Ren raised his brow. “Here of all places?”
I gotta admit, he had a point. If I wanted to see the world, I wouldn’t have come to the place where there wasn’t much to do.
“Yeah, why not?” she challenged, and Ren said nothing. For the first time since Miranda, I saw Ren’s playful side. He was usually an ass.
I cleared my throat. “So you guys know each other?”
Ren’s eyes shifted to me, and the amusement vanished from his eyes. “We met last year.” Well, at least he answered; that was something.
“Yeah, I was in Chicago, and he was there too. We kind of had seats on the plane next to each other,” Becky murmured, and I was sure nothing happened between them, because I knew who was in Chicago.
Miranda. Which meant he went looking for her, possibly wanting to bring her back.
“I just wanted to say goodnight and ask if Serena would need help preparing a room for Becky.” Maggie’s quiet voice interrupted, but the conversation was probably too much for her. She never liked Miranda, as far as I knew, because the girl pretty much took her place in Ren’s life.
Serena shook her head. “Thanks, hon, but no, we’re good.” Her voice was gentle, and I could hear the concern for my sister, too.
“It’s so sweet of you, thanks.” Becky’s smile was friendly, and Maggie relaxed a bit. She wasn’t used to that kind of behavior from girls like Becky—that much I knew for sure. The whole deal with popular versus geeky.
“No problem.” And with that, she went upstairs.
“Anyway, I’m heading to sleep as well. Tired.” Why Ren felt the need to explain, I didn’t know, especially that loudly.
“I bet you are, given how hard a job you have,” Becky said sweetly.
I raised my eyebrows, because none of the girls talked back to him like that, and the look on Ren’s face was priceless.
“Well, princess, is that judgment I’m hearing? Of all people, I didn’t expect it from you.” He acted as though he was hurt, and she snorted.
“Oh, no judgment at all, cowboy. Just pity. You sell yourself cheap.” The tension was escalating, but all Serena and I did was stare at them.
“Decide to come to me, princess, and I’ll sell myself expensively and exclusively to you.”
With those words, he left the kitchen, but not before she shouted, “I don’t invest in something that won’t bring me results!”
Ren just chuckled as Becky narrowed her eyes while raising her brow. These two, if given the chance, could make sparks fly. I had never seen anyone who matched his temper and didn’t put up with his attitude.
“So, will you work on the ranch or should we get you a room at the inn?” I almost felt sorry for her, because as nice as the inn was, it was run by Mel, who had all kinds of sanitary rules, and she made everyone wake up at seven in the morning. The majority of her people were old folks who needed company and felt lonely. No one young stayed there, and it was too far from the ranch to make it all the way here every day.
“I don’t know what I could possibly do here”—she grinned—“but I’d better stay. I came to see my best friend after all. And I didn’t miss the way you both said inn as though it was hell on earth.”
I chuckled and shrugged, then pushed back from the counter and kissed Serena on the cheek.
“So I’ll go take a shower and go to bed. You guys can catch up.” She giggled and I saw the heat in her eyes as I mentioned showering, and hell yeah, I liked it. What guy wouldn’t? “Though not too long, tomorrow you have a lot of work to do.” She nodded. “Night, Becky.”
“Night, handsome.”
Serena
“Well, girl, I got to say, all I want to do when I'm in his presence is fan myself. Damn, but he’s fiiiine.”
I ignored all the talk about Shane, because her opinion was the last thing I wanted to discuss. “Cut the shit, babe. What the hell are you doing here?” She must have known I wouldn’t buy the whole “I missed you” thing. Yeah, we were best friends, and I loved her to pieces, but no way would she come here to spend some time when she could have the sun of Ibiza.
“I'm hurt you don’t believe me!” I just glared at her, and she sighed. Gone was all the laughter and pretense, and she became serious. “Okay, okay. Not that I don’t love you, but I had other reasons to come.”
She said nothing else and I grew impatient. “Such as?”
“The press.” Shit, the press? What did she do if she had to hide from them?
“There is a hot new story and, imagine, it involves me.” I dreaded her answer, if her depressing tone was anything to go by.
“What did you do?”
She watched her cup while her finger made circles on the table. Finally, she looked up, and I saw the despair, regret, and pain. “They caught me leaving Matt’s house in the morning.”
Of all the things I expected to hear, that wasn’t it. I decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
“Are their…are their accusations true?” I had to know before I said anything else, and I prayed to God she didn’t do it. She cast her
eyes down again and nodded. I stood up and started pacing the kitchen. “What the hell were you thinking?” I didn’t even try to hide my anger. How could she do that?
“Honestly? I wasn’t thinking at all.”
“That’s your excuse?” I couldn’t believe it!
“What do you want me to say?” Her tone was defensive yet tired.
“I want you to explain to me how you could sleep with a man who is engaged and not to just any girl, but Emma!” She winced at my scream, clenching her fists tighter on the table.
Emma and Matt and Matt and Emma. That’s what we called them, because they’d been together since kindergarten. People used to say they looked at each other on the playground and a connection was formed. For me, it sounded like bullshit. I mean, who in their right mind meets their soul mate when he or she is five years old? But for them, it worked. They were the golden couple of the Upper East Side. He was the son of the CEO of MidLogNet Enterprises, and she was the daughter of politicians. They brought a lot of attention, but unlike Becky’s or mine, it was good. They went everywhere together, and their wedding was supposed to take place in September. I had already ordered the dress for it. Emma was a nice girl, and the fact Becky could hurt her like that, I just couldn’t wrap my mind around it.
“Well, I have no explanation for what I did.” It was as much as she was going to give, and I knew there was no point in pushing her.
And didn’t that just piss me off?
“Of course you don’t.”
“I didn’t come here for your judgment. I have plenty of that back in the real world.”
Was she kidding? I wondered what kind of reaction she’d expected. “Then why did you? You knew how I'd react.”
“Yeah, but you are my best friend.’’
With those words, the fight left me, because she was right. As much as I knew she was wrong, and as much as I liked Emma, I wouldn’t push Becky away. That just wasn’t what we did, and I couldn’t help but feel there was something there, something more. I sat down next to her, wrapped my arms around her, and she sighed heavily. That was what we usually did when one of us screwed up really badly, and we needed a plan to fix it.
