by L. P. Dover
Brielle and I didn’t get serious until after she returned from college. For the four years she was gone, we both grew. She traveled during breaks or interned at ranches in Europe and when she finally came home after graduation, I took one look at her and knew I wanted to be with her. The problem—she’s considered horse racing royalty—and I’m nothing more than a trainer. And that message was driven as hard as a nail into a board when men started flocking to the house to court Brielle. They all had the right pedigree, as if they were dogs, to marry into the Armstrong family. Yet, each night, Brielle snuck into my room, asked me to meet her in the stables or invited me into her bedroom when her parents were out of town.
It was then that I came up with the plan to take my savings and invest in a horse, something Mr. Armstrong and I could see eye-to-eye on. I thought if he saw me as someone working to be his equal, I’d be good enough for his daughter. I was wrong.
My mom steps out of the shadows and rushes toward me. We hug tightly and I can feel her sobbing. “I’m sorry,” I tell her. I am, but I’m happy where I am and don’t plan to come back to Armstrong. Not that I’d be accepted back, but still.
“Are you happy?” she asks as she places her hands on my cheeks and looks into my eyes.
“I am. I love what I do and the people I work with.”
She nods and tears start to form in her eyes. “I wish you were here.”
“Me too, Mom.” Although, I’m not being entirely honest with her. Baker Kelly respects me.
Mom and I talk for a few minutes before she tells me she has to head back to the party. I’m not sure her absence would be noticed, but I respect her wishes or more so, my father’s request. There isn’t a doubt in my mind he told her she had ten minutes at most, before she had to return. That was how much of a dick he could be. Growing up, I don’t remember him being that way.
As much as I’d love to stay and visit the horses I’ve helped raise, I can’t. It’s not safe for me, for Lucky Seven Ranch, or Maximus. Butch Armstrong is a ruthless businessman who would do whatever he could to make sure Maximus couldn’t race in the Derby.
I step out of the stable and head back toward the house, only it’s not where I want to be. The valets are out front, waiting for the party to wind down and stand as I approach. “If you tell me where my truck is, I can go get it,” I tell them. The faster I can get away, the better.
The four of them look at each other, likely wondering if they’ll lose their job for not fetching my vehicle.
I hold up my hands. “Don’t worry, no one will know. I don’t want to get you in trouble.”
“You can go ahead,” the sing song voice of Brielle washes over us. Clenching my teeth, I curse myself for not getting out sooner. The five of us turn slightly to watch her grand entrance. The front of her dress is bunched in her hands as she descends the marble stairs of her childhood home. One of the valets is smart enough to go help her. Me, I stand here and watch until I feel the cool metal of my keys touching my palm.
Brielle stands in front of me, glaring. When she looks like that, there’s nothing I can say that’ll help. There was a time when I knew exactly what to do when she was angry, but rolling around in the hay isn’t going to work this time. That was a long time ago, back when she was mine. I stuff my hands in my pockets and start toward the driveway, which is lined with large cypress trees adorned with Spanish moss. Every non southerners dream. I stop and look over my shoulder, Brielle is following.
“Go on now,” she says to me. “Do what you do best.”
I scoff. “What’s that, Brielle?”
She waves her hands angrily in the air. “Walk away.”
She’s right. I walked away. “You know where to find me when you’re ready to talk. If not, I suppose I’ll see you at the next party, and the one after that. Hell, I may even force you to dance with me until you let me tell you why I did what I did,” I say all of this while stomping toward her. The valets are mingling, trying to look busy even though they have nothing to do.
“Ha,” she yells.
I’m in her face, desperate to kiss her. Everything I’ve done, was for her. “Someday, you’ll listen.”
“You have nothing I want to hear you say, Colby.”
I stare right into her emerald green eyes. “And yet, here you are, following me outside.”
“Just tryin’ to make sure you get off our property is all.”
I take a step back. Maybe, I’ve misread her, and she really is as callous and cold as her father. “When you come to your senses, you know where to find me.” I turn and walk briskly down the pavement and toward my truck, praying it’ll be easy to get out of the field used as a parking lot.
When I get behind the steering wheel, I pound my hands against it in frustration. I shouldn’t let her get to me, but she does.
Four
Brielle
I keep telling myself it gets easier to walk away from Colby, but who am I kidding? It hurts my heart every single time. Not only does it hurt, but it infuriates me to no end. Why do I hate him so much, but still love him at the same time? Watching him speed away makes me want to follow him and smack some sense into him. That would seriously feel good right about now.
Once back inside the house, I search for William which doesn’t take long. He’s in the corner talking to a group of women. By the way he’s motioning at their dresses and their smiles of delight, I have a feeling he’s roped them into his designs.
His eyes light up when he sees me, and the women step to the side so I can join him. “There you are,” he says, sliding his arm around my waist. He kisses my cheek, keeping up the façade that we’re together. He flourishes his other hand at the women, all of who I know. “These lovely ladies are interested in my designs.”
I plaster on a smile. “That’s fantastic. You won’t be disappointed,” I say to them. I lean in closer to William. “I need to get out of here.”
His eyes turn to mine with concern and he nods. He focuses back on the women and gives them his dashing smile. “Excuse us, ladies.” I smile at them again and pull William toward the back of the house where it’s quiet. “Did you talk to him?” he asks.
We walk through the kitchen to the study where there’s a hidden staircase that leads up to the top floors. The secret door is behind a bookshelf. When my father had the house built, he did all the fun stuff for me. As a kid, I used to love sneaking from room to room. It’s also the way I was able to sneak Colby in and out.
Once out of sight behind the door, I sigh and lean against the wall. William chuckles and his voice echoes against the stone walls. “This is amazing. You didn’t tell me you had secret passageways.”
I glance up at the circular staircase. “Yeah, my dad did it to keep me entertained. I used to love running around this house.”
“What happened with Colby, Brielle?”
Groaning, I close my eyes. “Everything. The man drives me insane.”
“But yet, you still love him.” The breath catches in my lungs and I can feel the burn behind my eyes. When I open them, William can see right through me. He cups my face in his hands. “You need to just tell him how you feel and get it over with. Keeping all this anger inside of you isn’t healthy.”
I scoff. “No, but it feels good to hate him. Makes him leaving not hurt as bad.”
He shakes his head. “That’s a lie and you know it. Where is he right now?”
There’s only one place I know he’ll be. “Probably at the stables.”
“Then go,” he says, nodding toward the door. “I’ll handle your father if he asks where you’re at.” He brushes off his shoulders. “He loves me.” Which is true, my father does like him and has told me plenty of times that he wants us together. William has a charisma about him that everyone seems to be attracted to. William pulls me over to the door. “Go. I got this.”
My heart beats uncontrollably and I know it’s now or never. “Thanks, Will. I love you for this.”
He winks. “I k
now. When you get back, I want to hear everything.”
There’s no way I can go to the stables in my dress, so I rush up the stairs while William sneaks back through the secret door. I quickly change into a pair of jeans, my boots, and a dark T-shirt. The last thing I want is someone recognizing me. There’s already a hat in my car I can use. Now all I have to do is get down to my car unnoticed. I sneak down the staircase and through the secret door. Once I’m out the back door of the kitchen, I sprint across the yard to my car.
Luckily, I get away without anyone seeing me. Over the years, I had to learn to be stealth, especially with keeping mine and Colby’s relationship a secret. It doesn’t take long to get to the stables, and when I pull into the parking lot, Colby’s truck is there. I knew it. I grab my baseball cap and slip it on.
It’s dark, but I can see the lights in the stables up ahead. My chest hurts from my heart pounding so achingly hard. Do I really want to confront him again? Yes and no. My goal was to make him think I didn’t give a shit that he left. I’m failing miserably. The more I keep things bottled up, the worse I feel. I can’t stand feeling like this anymore.
I storm into the stables and that’s when I see him with Maximus. He’s already changed out of his suit and into a pair of jeans and a snug T-shirt that hugs his perfectly sculpted biceps. I remember what it was like to be held in those arms. My gut clenches and I hide in one of the empty stalls. Colby rubs a hand down the midnight-colored stallion’s back with such tenderness. If only he knew how to treat women that way. I’m not a damsel in distress kind of woman, but dammit to hell, if he didn’t break my heart.
Groaning silently, I crouch down inside the stall. It was a mistake to come here. Now I only hope he didn’t see me. I peek through one of the cracks in the wood. Colby takes off his shirt and crams it into his back pocket.
“I know you’re there, Bri,” he calls out, running his hands down Maximus’ mane.
“Dammit,” I hiss, clenching my fists tight.
“Don’t you think it’s time we talked? You can’t hide from me forever.” His footsteps grow closer, and I freeze, hoping he’ll walk past. I slide down into the corner and hold my breath as he walks by. “I want to say I’m sorry. There’s so much I have to say.”
“Just drive the wedge in even harder, asshole,” I mumble to myself.
“I need you to come out and talk to me. I can make you if I have to, which might be kind of fun for me. You don’t want me to enjoy this, do you?” What I really want to do is smack him on the head. “Brielle?” His voice grows farther away until I hear his footsteps leave the stables. If I run out the other side, I might be able to get back to my car without him seeing me. Taking a deep breath, I slowly get to my feet and glance over the stall; the coast is clear.
The wooden door of the stall creaks and I freeze. Shit. I hold my breath and listen, but there are no footsteps approaching. As quietly as I can, I tiptoe my way to the back entrance of the stables and turn the corner, only to run right into him. He reaches for my hand, but I jerk away from him.
“You didn’t think you fooled me back there, did you?” He stares right into my eyes, but I refuse to give in.
“Screw you,” I hiss, turning on my heel. I march off but he follows close behind. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Well, too bad. I have a shit-ton to say to you. Now stop being a brat and give me one minute.”
Sucking in a breath, I freeze. Did he really just call me a brat? Gritting my teeth, I face him head on. I half expect him to smirk, but there’s nothing but seriousness in his stormy electric blue gaze.
“All right, this ends now,” I snap, pushing on his chest. He steps back, his jaw clenched tight. “Call me a brat if you want, but I’m pissed and embarrassed. How the hell am I supposed to feel after I gave you my heart and you left? No explanations … nothing. All my father said was that you were done working with us.” Tears fill my eyes, and I hate myself for letting him see my pain. “You didn’t even have the decency to tell me you didn’t want to be with me anymore.” Huffing, I turn and march out of the stables. “Now I just feel like an idiot. So, by all means, make me sit down and hear all the reasons why you don’t want to be with me. Go ahead and call me childish, a brat, or whatever you like. I don’t care anymore,” I say, waving my arms in the air. “At least I wasn’t afraid to let you in.”
My heart thunders in my chest. It felt good to scream out my feelings, but now they are no longer mine. Never have I ever let anyone see the vulnerable side of me.
Out of nowhere, a lasso is thrown around my body. I scream when the rope bites into my skin, burning as Colby tightens it. I struggled to break free, but it’s so tight, even my hands start to tingle. I try to stand my ground, but the harder he pulls, the tighter it gets.
“Dammit, Colby. Let me go! I can’t feel my hands.” I have no choice but to willingly move my feet. If I don’t, he’ll drag me across the ground through the dirt. My dignity is more important.
“You shouldn’t have walked away,” he growls, his voice by my ear. He jerks me around and pushes me into one of the empty stalls. I turn my face away, but he grabs my chin. “I don’t think so, princess. You’re going to look at me when I say this. Do you want me to tie your hands and feet together too?”
I have no doubt he’ll do it. “Fine,” I huff, lifting my glare to his. “What do you want?”
His lips close over mine, hard and raw as he forces his tongue inside. I try to fight him off, but it’s a half-ass attempt. Who am I kidding? I don’t want him to stop. Not to mention, I can’t move. I’m at his mercy, and I like it. He pushes me into the wall, rubbing his arousal against me. Moaning, I bite his lip and he pulls away.
“You,” he growls, leaning his forehead to mine. “I’ve always wanted you, even when I knew I shouldn’t. You made it hard not to fall in love with you.” He loosens the rope and pulls me into his arms, kissing me again.
My fingers tingle from the blood rushing to them. I run them through his hair and smile. It’s been so long since I’ve been this close to him. I’ve missed it. “Ditto,” I say.
Colby stares into my eyes as he clasps my face in his strong hands. I can still feel his arousal and it makes my body tighten in anticipation. I want him more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.
My breath comes out in rapid pants and I can see the hunger in his eyes. He looks down at my lips, all control slipping away. The air is electric all around us, pulling us closer together. I love the way it feels, and I don’t want it to stop.
Colby’s jaw clenches and he closes his eyes. “You’re killing me, Bri. There are so many things I want to do right now.”
He tries to step away, but I grab his arms. “And I’m not going to stop you. I want this, Colby. Don’t you dare walk away from me again.”
I can’t wait any longer. It’s been too long without him. I fumble with his jeans and get them unbuttoned. His cock jumps when I run my hand down it, massaging him.
Colby grasps my lip between his teeth and groans. “I’m sorry for what I said. You have to know the truth. I never meant—”
“Shut up,” I gasp. There will be time for words later. “Just shut up and help me out of my clothes.”
His eyes spark, then he lifts my shirt and unclasps my bra, freeing my aching breasts. I gasp when he closes his lips over my nipple, sucking it between his teeth. I grab onto his shoulders and everything inside of me tightens. I wrap my legs around his waist and work myself over his erection.
“Ah fuck,” Colby moans. He unlatches my legs and keeps his gaze on mine as he unbuttons my jeans and slides them to the ground. I step out of them and he slides his fingers between my legs. My eyes roll into the back of my head as he pushes one inside, then another.
He pulls them out and stares at me when he puts them in his mouth. The level of raw intensity in his gaze makes me tremble. I’ve never had anyone look at me like that before. Lifting me in his arms, I wrap my legs around his waist, and he walks us
over to a pile of hay bales and gently lays me down. My breaths come out quick, my heart thumping in my chest. The anticipation is torture.
Colby brushes the hair away from my face, his arousal aligning with my opening. When he pushes himself inside, I cry out and dig my nails into his back, relishing the feel of him stretching me wide. His thrusts grow hard and fast. I’m so close to the edge, I’m about to explode.
He trails his lips to my neck and bites down, his fingers digging into my hips. “You feel so fucking good.”
I rock my hips against his and cry out as my release explodes through every nerve in my body. Colby follows closely behind, grunting as his cock pulsates inside me. My whole body trembles and I ache for more.
Still connected, he rests on his elbows and gazes down at me. “You okay? At first, I thought maybe I hurt you.”
I shake my head. “It was a good hurt. I haven’t been with anyone since you.”
His brows lift. “What about that guy you were with at the gala?”
“His name’s William,” I say with a smile. “We’re just friends. I’m not exactly his type.”
A soft chuckle escapes his lips. “That’s good to hear.” Then he releases a heavy sigh and slowly pulls out of me. “Look, I’m sorry for everything. I didn’t think you wanted to see me again after I left. And when I did see you, you were so angry.”
I grasp his face and kiss him. “Why did you leave? If it wasn’t because of me, then what was it?”
