He closes the door, and the cab immediately feels different, as if he took all the oxygen out of it with him.
I tell myself it’s better this way.That kissing him would further complicate things, and it would seeing as I’m not sure I’d have the willpower to leave it at just one kiss now that I know what it feels like to be ravaged by him.
He slides behind the wheel, and all I feel is regret and a deep sense of longing.
ChapterTwelve
Maddox
Sweat trickles down my spine as I lean my weight into the post driver, my arms vibrating with every strike.There are a million other things I should be doing, but fixing this fence affords me a break from all the heavy shit weighing on me.
Between figuring out how I’m going to tell my sister that I’m buying her out and obsessing over Amelia, I’m mentally drained.
I’ve tried to approach Della a few times, but every time I do, she shuts me down.I don’t put up much of a fight on that front because I still haven’t received an official offer from Lucifer.For all I know, the Fallen Demons took their vote and decided they want no part of the ranch.
If that’s the case, I’m fucked.
Then there’s Amelia.
Timing has never been our thing, but after the last few days, I can’t let it stand in the way either.Life is too short, and now that I’ve had her, I don’t want to go another day without her.Convincing her that I’m not the same guy I was thirteen years ago, will not be easy, especially with my life currently being a fucking shitstorm.
Things get hard.
Life gets messy.
I walked away from her once.I convinced myself it was the right thing to do.That she’d be better off.
I sent her into the arms of another man and broke both our fucking hearts.
But real men don’t run.They don’t give another man an opportunity to fail the woman they love.They figure their shit out, and they show up.
I might not have all the answers when it comes to Amelia, but I know how to show up.I do it every day.For the ranch and the people who work for me.
I can do it for her.
With that thought in the forefront of my mind, I drive the last post into the ground.Dust sticks to my boots and hands.It even finds its way to the back of my throat.I grab the wire and begin to string it when I hear the distinct rumble of an engine.I straighten slowly, squinting toward the dirt road that cuts through the property line when Shadow’s bike comes into view.He doesn’t slow as he hits the long stretch toward the barn.He just leans into it, letting the bike eat the ground until he slides to a stop twenty yards from me.Dust rolls past him in a thick wave as the engine cuts, and he removes his helmet.
I rest my aching arms against the fence as he dismounts and starts for me.
“You’re scaring the herd rolling in like that,” I call out.
He glances at the cattle.“I don’t know about that.They don’t look too spooked to me.If anything, they look bored.”
Leave it to him to say something like that.The guy doesn’t know the first thing about ranch life.I can’t imagine any of the members of his club know too much either.Going into business with them might make things more challenging.
I straighten to my full height and wipe my hands down the front of my shirt.
He walks over to me, testing the tension on the wire I just strung.“Need a hand?”
I laugh and straighten to my full height.“You lookin’ to get your hands dirty?”
“My hands get dirty every day, brother.”
Yeah, I bet they do.It’s just a different kind of filth that covers them.
Clearing my throat, I grab my hammer.“What brings you by?”
“A couple of things,” he says as he turns and leans against one of the posts.“For starters, you can tell me what’s going on between you and Amelia.”
