LOGIN“I’m not my cousins, Ree. You know that. I thought we were friends.”“I thought so too.” She tossed her head, trying to keep the wind from her face. “But you have enough friends these days. New friends.”“What?”“Don’t play that game. I know you’re sleeping with Ainsley Hamilton. I’ve seen her car at your place several times in the last few weeks. And isn’t it a coincidence the bank she runs wouldn’t lend me the money I needed to keep my land? But I’ll bet she was more than happy to loan money to you so you could buy it.”“So you’re what? Punishing me?”“This isn’t about you, McKay.”“I didn’t get you into the financial mess you’re in,” he retorted hotly, “and you don’t honestly believe I had dishonorable intentions when I offered to help bail you out of that situation.”Rielle shivered. “I didn’t know what to believe. That was the problem.”“Who’d you sell to?”It appeared she wouldn’t answer and then she said, “I sold it to Gavin.”Ben’s mouth nearly hit the porch slats. “Gavin? As
“Scheme is a little harsh,” Ben said.Colt whirled on him. “What about Quinn? Does he know?”“There’s nothin’ to know. Just something that Tell, Dalton and I discussed.”“Since you’ve been squawking about wanting an equal say in the operation, this is the type of thing that oughta be discussed by all of us,” Colt said.Pissed off, Ben shot back, “Like the acquisition of the Foster place was discussed by all of us? Or how about the acquisition of the Hackerly place? Or the acquisition of the Borden place? Or how about the separate section up north that Kade ran for a year? Were we part of that discussion, or did Carson and Cal decide to do that on their own? Oh, right, they didn’t even f**kin’ ask us.” His gesture included Tell, Dalton, and Brandt. “Any of us.”“Not the same and you know it, Ben.”“Bullshit. Alls I know is that it’s perfectly fine for your families to add to your sections whenever the f**k you feel like it and run it as a separate operation. But when we wanna do that?
“Colt ain’t goin’ nowhere until he gives us some f**kin’ answers.”Tell started to push into Colt’s face again, but Ben stepped between them. “Back off, Tell.”“No. Move outta the way.”“I said. Back. Off.”That tone caught Tell’s attention. Some of the rage in his eyes momentarily cleared.Ben pointed to Colt and Tell. “Now someone start talking.”“Yeah, Colt, you heard what Ben said. Start talking,” Dalton sneered.Colt’s arms were folded across his chest. “This would be easier for all of us if you’d just move aside and let me get what I came for.”“Where is he?”“Where is who?” Ben asked with total confusion.“Our dad,” Brandt said. “He’s been gone five days.”“Five days? Why’s this the first I’ve heard of it?” He looked at Kane.“Hey, it was the first I’ve heard of it too. How come no one told us he was gone?”“Don’t pretend you give a shit about Casper. None of you even bothered to come by and see him after Mom left,” Tell said.Ben disputed that statement. “Quinn came by about s
That startled him. “Guess my grandfather was a real bastard. Kinda sucks that I was named after him. Is your dad like that?”“No. Just set in his ways. Your mom is an interesting woman. We have a lot in common. I liked her. She asked me out to lunch.”Ben harrumphed. “She’s a meddling woman.”“Your mother was a lot warmer to me than Rielle.”“Jesus. Rielle was here too?”“Evidently she heard you were sick and brought over a basket of muffins to send you on the road to recovery.” An edge of jealousy crept into her tone despite her intent to curb it.“Huh. That’s weird.” He pointed to a colorful ball on the chair. “What’s that?”Why did he blatantly change the subject whenever Rielle was mentioned? “My knitting.”“Knitting. You knit?”“Yes. I had to have something productive to do while you were feverish and thrashing around.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why? Do you think it’s a lame hobby?” Not the right type of hobby for a sub? Are my hands supposed to busy tending to your n
Ben kicked off his boots and stretched out beside her. He wanted to fix her now. Scoop her up, race to the doctor and demand she be healed. He forced himself to calm down and watch her settle into sleep, reaching for her hand just as he began to drift off.Ainsley’s restlessness roused him. He glanced at the clock. Only an hour had passed.She started to push up.“Easy. Anything you need I’ll get.”“A drink.”Ben moved to the edge of the bed and held a glass to her lips. “Here.”She drank every drop.“Better?”“Yeah.”He switched out the skin-warmed washcloth for a cool one.Ainsley sighed when he placed it over her forehead. “Thanks, Ben. You don’t have to stay.”“I want to stay.”“Why? It’s not like I have any new loan information for you.”That sounded a little cross. “Thanks for the update.”“I’m surprised you’d be interested in hanging out with me, especially if we’re not having kinky sex,” she said snarkily.Ben’s voice was pure Dom. “The lack of kinky sex was your choice. And i
“Ainsley, I don’t know if I can be—”“That was not a request.” She kissed him again, then firmly shoved him out the door.Ben rang Ainsley’s doorbell again. He’d tried calling her cell several times and she hadn’t picked up.Maybe it was an excuse, showing up on her doorstep, but something felt…off. Something besides the bogus friendship she was trying to force on him.Jesus. He didn’t want to be her f**king friend. In the last two days he’d already seen her pulling away. Not only from him, but from her submissive side. Trying to remake him into the type of guy he wasn’t, denying her nature and attempting to change their relationship into something it never had been and never would be: normal.Ben was starting to lose her. That thought had driven him bat-shit crazy all day after she hadn’t returned any of his calls. Hopefully she hadn’t reverted to old habits, like that post-date game mind-fuck where the woman waited a certain amount of time before returning her date from the previous
Ava’s eyebrows drew together. “How?”“By using another name. My buddy Jet lent me his older brother’s birth certificate so I could register and get my PRCA pro card. Every weekend Jet and I raced to the closest event if I’d scraped up enough entry money.”“But doesn’t everyone around here know everyon
That forceful statement delivered in his masculine growl sent a curl of heat through her. Yes, she’d missed this sexual part of Chase because it was such an important part of who he was. “I wouldn’t dream of horning in on your territory.”They exited the plane and wended through the crowd at baggag
Her eyes focused on his cheek. “You’re bleeding.”“Where?”“Your face. Come inside with me and I’ll clean it up.”Brandt shook his head. “I’m sure it’s just a scratch.”“Made by a rusty nail. When was your last tetanus shot? Just let me take a quick look—”“No,” he practically bellowed. “Don’t you unders
“True. But I’ll climb on a back of a bull as long as I can.” He took another drink of beer. “And the injury is healin’ fine, if my nosy-assed brothers asked you to grill me about it.”“They didn’t.”“Good.” Chase shivered. “I forget how goddamn cold it is here.”“You’re spoiled competing in all those w







