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He looks down at me. "Do what?"

"Make me forget I'm still pissed at you."

The corner of his mouth tips. “Was it working?” He grabs my hips and pulls me closer until we’re flush against each other, his grip tightening with the promise of more. “I can’t stop thinking about how you looked last night, Addie. It’s driving me insane.” He’s almost breathless, the want and need radiating from him with a desperation that almost undoes me.

No. I will not cave that easily. I give him a look because, yes, obviously it’s working, you smug ass. It’s amazing how he can change personalities at the drop of a hat. Psychologists would have a field day studying this man.

Fine. If he doesn’t want to be real with me, doesn’t want to tell me the truth or show me who he really is underneath that cocky smile, then fine. I can keep playing this game. But this time, I make the rules.

I rise onto my tiptoes, bringing my mouth close to his ear. “You want more of this?” I whisper, letting the words come slowly as I teasingly rub myself against him. “Then tell me what you’re keeping from me, Walker.”

I drop back onto my heels and push against his chest, putting a much-needed two feet of distance between us. A brief flash of resignation crosses his face. For a second, I think he’s actually going to tell me. But then the moment passes as quickly as it came.

“It’s complicated,” he says, reaching up to rub the back of his neck.

"Then I guess we stay complicated." I close the distance between us again, stand on my tiptoes, and kiss his cheek. "And last night's all you get, Cowboy." Then I grab Dusty’s lead and walk toward the training pen.

Chapter nineteen

Chace

She’s lost her fucking mind. That’s really all there is to it, because why in the hell would she show up here wearing that while I have to sit beside her damn brother, pretending I don’t want to rip her clothes off and take her right here, right now? Consequences be damned.

She’s wearing a black tank top that hugs every curve of her breasts, tucked into the shortest brown suede skirt I’ve ever seen. The fringe hanging from the hem of her skirt sways against her thighs with every move. Lord save me, because I can’t help imagining running my hands over that thigh and seeing what I find up there. Then there are the boots. Worn-in boots hitting just below her knees, and a black hat sitting low over all that dark hair. The whole damn outfit looks like it was specifically designed to test the limits of my self-control, and judging by the little smirk she gives me when she catches me staring, she knows it.

The other night, watching her in that shower, I made a decision. I didn’t give a fuck what Eli would think about his little sister and me. I could handle whatever came from it. It would be worth it just to have this amazing woman, even once. Then reality kicked me straight in the balls when Eli showed up at our campsite like he fucking knew exactly what I’d been thinking about doing to her.

Son of a bitch. My luck sucks.

It’s not just that I want her physically. God knows I do. But there’s something different about Addie out here on the road. Or maybe she’s not different at all. Maybe I’m just seeing a side of her she wouldn't show to just anyone.

I’ve known this girl her whole life, but back home, Addie was always focused on one thing—her horse and riding. She’d roll her eyes at my bullshit, brush off every innuendo I threw her way, and go right back to whatever she was doing. Out here, though, she’s fierce and feisty and fucking fun. She rises to every challenge I throw at her, then turns around and gives it right back twice as hard. There's something incredibly alluring about that that has nothing to do with wanting to get between her legs.

Somewhere between hauling Dusty across state lines, shitty gas station coffee, arguing over music, and watching her chase this dream with everything she has, I got invested. Not just in whether she wins, either. In her. I want to see her succeed. I want to be there when she does. Hell, half the time I’m already thinking about what she needs before she asks for it.

At this point, I know she wants me as badly as I want her. Physically, anyway. I’ve felt her breath hitch and her body shudder beneath my touch. The fact that I know what Addie Dawson sounds like when she comes is enough to drive me fucking wild.

And make me feel guilty as fuck.

Because no matter how many times I try to justify a reality where I could have her without consequences, I keep coming back to Eli. To all the shit I’m keeping from the people I care about most.

Why the hell would Eli want his little sister mixed up with someone like me? I don’t have a real job outside of the opportunities he’s given me. I’m homeless. I’m drowning in debt trying to pay for Nana’s care. I have zero fucking direction in my life besides crawling into bed with the one man Eli hates most. And somehow, in the middle of that, I think I deserve Addie?

Addie is stronger than me. She turned down a lucrative sponsorship from Cole when I didn’t have the balls to do the same. Now I’m running his bulls and riding in sketchy jackpots for illegal betting. Yeah. Just the perfect guy for his sister.

Hell, I wouldn’t want Addie with a guy like me. Someone with no direction, nothing to offer her, and a growing list of secrets he can’t even explain. So I know damn well her brother wouldn’t either. It’s probably a good thing she shut me down the other day at the stables. If I told her the truth, she’d probably be disgusted with me. Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she sent me home.

But looking at her tonight, I can’t help wondering if there’s any part of the truth she would understand. Any version where she keeps looking at me the way she has been.

“Damn, she had one hell of a run today, didn’t she?” Eli’s voice pulls me out of my own head. He comes up beside me, two beers in hand, and holds one out.

We’re at a local bar celebrating Addie’s big win here in Cheyenne. She took the whole damn thing, putting down the fastest time of the day and making one hell of a jump in the standings. She’s got a real shot at breaking into the top fifteen and qualifying for the finals in Billings next month.

“Kinda sucks we can’t stick around longer after getting to Colorado Springs and make the event, but the ranch calls,” Eli continues, not waiting for my response.

Not only have the last couple of days been incredibly awkward with him and Hazel around, but now they’ve decided to follow us to Colorado. They’ll return their rental car there and fly back to Montana on Tuesday. Which really fucking sucks for me, because Monday night I’m supposed to haul the bulls in for an underground event happening, then ride. It was already going to be hard enough slipping away from Addie when she’s made it abundantly clear she knows I’m keeping something from her. Now I have to figure out how the hell I’m going to disappear without Eli asking questions too.

I should just tell them. Fuck, I should tell them everything. The bulls. The underground rides. The financial mess I’m in—all of it. Lay the whole ugly truth out there and be done with it.