“You sure you’re okay?”

Outside of the bar, I turn, sliding into Shepherd’s arms. The adrenaline is still thundering through me so hard my hands are practically shaking, but with him holding me, it’s like a calm comes over me.

“I am,” I whisper, smiling up into his face.

He raises a skeptical brow. “You sure?”

“Yeah,” lean up and kiss him softly. “I really am.”

And it’s true. I know should be in shock or totally freaking out about what just happened. I know I should be having this major crisis of self, having just almost shot someone — because really, I was going to. I hesitated, and that’s when Law took the shot instead of me. I know deep down that I was ready to shoot Billy-Ray.

I was ready to kill him.

But, I really am okay, and I’m not tearing myself apart inside over it. Because I know why I was ready to shoot him — to protect the man I love, and to protect what we’ve found with each other. For that?

Hell yeah I was going to shoot. Just the same, I’m also really glad Law took it before I could. Maybe there’ll be some stuff inside I have to deal with later for having come that close to taking a life. But I’m not worried about it. I can see it plain as day: he was about to hurt the man I loved, and I couldn’t let that happen.

Period.

“So,” Shepherd clears his throat as we lean against the front of his pickup truck. “When do you head to Belize?”

“Belize?” I turn into him, biting my lip as I look up into those fierce grey eyes. “Oh, yeah, I’m not going there anymore.”

“Oh yeah?” Shepherd grins, and I whimper as his strong hands suddenly pull me close.

“No, I heard the strawberry daiquiris were shit.”

He chuckles, leaning in to kiss me softly.

“Besides, I’m more of a whiskey girl anyways.”

He groans. “Keep talkin’ like that and you’re gonna get me all hot and bothered, darlin’.”

“I—” I take a deep breath as our eyes lock. “I thought I might stay here.”

His grin spreads across his face, that flash of heat teasing across his eyes.

“Here, huh? And what makes you think that?”

“Oh, there this cowboy I sort of screwed a couple of times. I was hoping he might let me stay with him.”

“Like a pity-fuck kinda thing he threw your way?”

I punch him playfully in the arm and he chuckles again as he draws me close. His lips brush my ear, and I gasp quietly as they send heat through me.

“I think if you ask him nice enough, that could be arranged.”

I groan. “You and saying please, jeez.”

“Manners, sweetheart,” he winks. “It’s how we do it down here.”

“Oh, just being polite, is that it? That's why you made me beg for your cock?” I purr. “Just being polite?”

“Gentleman I am,” he growls, his hand grabbing my ass. “Just so we’re clear, I’m basically broke now and I live in a shack.”

I grin. “Works for me.”

“Chastity…” He frowns. “I’m serious. With the way you were brought up, and everything you had—”

“The way I came up isn’t me,” I say quietly as our lips come together again.

Suddenly, Shepherd pulls away, his brow furrowing.

“What are you doing with that security camera recording, by the way?”

I grin widely. Yeah, the recordings. I don’t know where the thought came from, but the second I saw the camera mounted above the bar in there, the whole thing hit me like lightning. It’s nuts, and it very well might not work. But something tells me, it will.

“How much is that land you were looking at? The Wilson property.”

“Chastity—”

“How much?”

He squares his jaw. “Three million.”

“Okay.”

My heart races as I pull my phone out of my pocket. I’m about to end all of this. For good.

“What are you—”

I turn and press a finger to Shepherd’s very kissable lips as the line rings, until the man I called picks up.

“Hello Martin.”

“Chastity?”

The surprise in his voice tells me everything I already suspected — that he and Billy-Ray have been in touch, maybe even up to right before Billy-Ray stepped into Law’s bar to get the money and maybe even shoot me.

The thought makes my skin crawl and my fury rises like fire.

“Don’t talk, just listen,” I hiss quietly. My eyes lock on Shepherd — this man I never saw coming who’s changed everything for me. The man who’s touched something inside of me that I didn’t even know existed.

The one I want.

“Billy-Ray is dead. Which means your deal with him is done.” My voice drips acid as I hiss the words into the phone. “Here’s what comes next.”

“Now, you listen to me, you little—”

“No, Martin,” I growl. “You listen to me. I have a tape, and Martin? Well, it's pretty incriminating towards you.”

“I’m sure I don’t know what you—”

“It’s Billy-Ray, corroborating everything you two schemed up together and the business you were about to be a part of.”

The phone goes quiet, and I can almost feel the color draining from Martin’s face.

“So here's what we do.”

“Listen, Chastity—”

“A deal, Martin. We’re making a deal. I want nothing to do with you, and I know you don’t want anything to do with me, so here’s how this plays out. I’m going to give you the bank account number of my own private savings account, and you’re going to wire in three—” I bite my lip. “Five million dollars.”

Martin sputters. “You’re out of your goddamn mind!”

“Martin, with what’s on this tape, I’d say you’re looking at, what, forty years? Life maybe?”

“Bullshit.”

I smile coolly. “I’m going to go somewhere now and email a piece of it to you. But if I were you, I’d call my accountant and get that money ready.”

Martin goes silent.

“Oh and Martin? My mom. You let her go.”

He growls into the phone. “She’s not a prisoner, Chastity.”

“Yes she is, you prick,” I spit. “Tell her she’s free. That’s part of this deal. I’ll call you in an hour and send you the video.”

“Chastity, let’s think rationally—”

“Goodbye, Martin.”

I hang up, and when I look up into Shepherd’s face, he’s grinning wolfishly, nodding.

“I am so hard right now after listening to that.”

I giggle, falling into his arms before I gasp quietly.

“Oh, you really are,” I blush, feeling the heat bloom through me at the feel of his thickness pulsing against me through is jeans.

“I’m always hard with you, princess,” he growls, kissing me deeply before he pulls back and searches my eyes with his. “What’s your play here, darlin? With blackmailing your stepfather and all that.”

“To buy the Wilson land and have money left over to be basically set?”

He blinks. “Hang on, you’re going to do what now?”

I grin. “Oh, don’t worry, you can live there too if you want. Maybe there’s a corner up in the far acres where you can put up a new shack.”

He chuckles, pulling me close and kissing me fiercely.

“I should mention before you pull me into all this that I’m in love with you, Chastity.”

“Oh that's good,” I breathe, my heart racing as my whole body tingles with heat. “Because I’m in love with you too, you know.” I grin, kissing him back slowly as the world just sort of spins around us.

“Where’s the closest internet?”

“Colton’s place,” he grins. “But I think we need to take the long way.”

His lips crush to mine, his big, strong arms circle me and pull me tight, and everything else just fades away.

“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”