Without the promise of a sexy and quick hookup, this was awkward.But she was accustomed to not belonging yet carving out space for herself anyway.
“I wouldn’t want to claim him either,” she said, “and you’re probably not wrong that he wants money.He smells like a user.”
Actually, the man had smelled pretty good—outdoors, earthy with a light something that had appealed, and that was a totally icky thought.But yeah, manipulator and user might have been stamped all over him, but she didn’t think the man had been lying about the paternity.She had eyes and had immediately sussed out the disturbing similarities.So had Telford—likely why he was so exquisitely pissed and steeping in denial.
“Biology doesn’t mean much to me,” he growled and paced the open area.
“I think we make ourselves into what we want,” Ayana stated.“And I know you can take care of yourself, but what he said about the wedding and the bull rider”—probably a better b word to use than brother—“sounded like a threat.”
“What’s he going to do?”Telford turned on her, expression incredulous.“Reenact a scene fromHigh Noon?”
She could actually picture that.“It’s your call obviously, but I find that while it’s a lovely sentiment to hope for the best…”
“Prepare for the worst,” he finished and continued to prowl the light-filled space that had been set up like a sparsely furnished living room with a kitchen on one end.
“That’s the spirit.Coffee?”she asked spying the Keurig in the kitchen area but also a high-end espresso machine.
“Yeah.I need to clear my head, but you’re the guest.I’ll get it.”
That was a surprise.She was already halfway there, eyeing the La Spaziale Dream Espresso maker and wondering if she could talk him into that instead.She’d never pulled shots on such a high-end machine but imagined a YouTube tutorial would fix that sad situation.
“I can do latte art.”
“I just thought… you said you and your company had parted ways and…”
“That’s a polite way of saying I got fired for not letting a high roller stick his hand up my skirt when he felt like it, and that was just the beginning.”
Yeah, she was still pissed.
“Hope you broke his hand.”
Ayana laughed, imagining that.“Hmmmmnow I’m wishing I had been more violent.Next time.”There would definitely be a sometime, somewhere with someone.
He glared.“Next time some jerk puts a move on you that you don’t want, I’ll bloody him.”
That should not warm her.Not at all.First, she could take care of herself.Second, he wasn’t going to be around.And third… she had to admit her stomach went warm and gooey.No one had ever stood up for her before.Even if it wasn’t realistic.
But why let reality intrude?She could just savor this unexpected moment of having, ever so briefly, a champion.
“You want a latte?”he asked.
“If it’s not too much trouble.”She hadn’t eaten much of the lunch, and the champagne had given her a bit of a buzz, but now she wanted her full wits.She needed control.To be ready to run, though she’d definitely lost her edge after nearly three years of stability—well as stable as an employee of a river cruise ship company could be.
Don’t get comfortable here.
She didn’t want to get used to a lifestyle she didn’t control or that could be snatched away.
He steamed milk, pulled the shots and then plated grapes and gourmet biscotti and carried it over to the island of the kitchen.
“Cam,” he said by way of explanation for the Italian-style ceramic cups and saucers and biscotti.“He wanted a showpiece for us to entertain business contacts, but we rarely did here.He’d meet people on the golf course or at lunch or dinner or some sporting event.Sugar?”
“No.”She placed her phone between them.“I think this is the bull rider your… maybe bio dad is referring to.”
Telford frowned but sat down so he wasn’t looming.She pushed play on the first video and watched a man in bright red leather chaps and fringe and a blue shirt and black Kevlar vest burst out of a metal gate as a bull bucked and thrashed like it was an industrial washing machine.The commentator motor-mouthed a bunch of terms she’d never heard of and then there was a red light and a buzzer and a bull rider named Cash Hunter popped off, ran to the metal fence, clamored up like he was a western-themed Spider-Man, unstrapped his helmet, spit out a mouth guard and waved to the crowd with a shit-eating grin before popping over and dropping down to the other side.
“How?What?That’s like a baller challenge to physics.”She’d never seen anything like it.And while the cowboy’s coloring was eerily similar to Telford’s—along with his dark hair that was much longer—the smile could have powered the city of Denver.He also looked smaller compared to Telford’s rangy frame.
“A ninety-three-point-two ride.That’s astoundingly good,” Telford noted.
