Two weeks later
Shane
Coming to the fucking bar had become a routine over the last two weeks, so much that the smoke in the air and the smells didn't annoy my nostrils anymore.
Concentrating on the bar, I passed by several people, hoping like hell my headache would go away at some point, when a woman bumped into my chest, smiling seductively.
She had long blonde hair, which was a bit oily, and a mini dress that hugged her like a second skin. The blonde licked her lips, making it clear what she wanted.
Fuck, another problem I didn't need tonight.
“Hey, handsome. You here alone?” she asked while raising her hand and touching my chest with her finger, but I quickly removed it, hating the contact.
If my Serena couldn't touch me, no one else was allowed either.
My Serena?
Ignoring the voice in my head, I answered her. “Not interested.”
She frowned, clearly not liking my words if the daggers she sent my way were anything to go by. “I could show you a good time.” She tried again.
“Thanks for the offer, but no.” As much as I didn't need her attention, I didn't want to be an asshole about it either. Unless she insisted, then all bets were off, because I simply had neither the time nor the desire to deal with her shit. She stood there for a second, blocking my way, but then shrugged and moved on to another guy.
Thank God for that.
“You’ve been here a lot lately,” Grady commented as he noticed me parked on the barstool. He immediately put a soda in front of me. As much as I frequented the place lately, drinking all the fucking time wasn't working well with my work ethic, so I changed to sodas. “Women problems?” he mused, while saluting some customers who were leaving the bar.
“Yeah.” What was the point of hiding it anyway?
Serena was driving me fucking crazy, and I didn't know how much longer I could take it without my resolve snapping.
Fantasies that played in my head of her sexy and delectable body didn't help either.
Meanwhile, I had Serena at home looking fucking edible in those tempting shorts. I was hard when I looked at her, when I smelled her perfume all over the house, even when I heard her bitching about her nails or some disgusting thing she found while cleaning. She seemed into her work, ignoring me completely besides a few conversations, and spent all her time with Maggie or talking with ranch hands.
I didn’t fucking like her paying them attention when she refused to give me any, and I had a deep desire to punch each one of them in the face. Sexual frustration made me act like an asshole to everyone around me. The only thing bearable about it was her lack of flirting with anyone and her constant blushing around me, which gave me a hint that she probably thought about that kiss just as much as I did.
Best fucking kiss of my life.
“Ain’t interested in you?” Grady asked, wiping away the table.
“She works for us.”
“Ah, conflict of interest. I see.”
Folding my arms, I studied his reaction. “You think it shouldn't stop me?”
“Dude, it’s your choice. I’m just saying if she’s into you, and you’re into her, what’s the point of denying it? Man up and claim her, instead of moping around here. Doesn't suit you.” Then he moved back behind the bar to make more drinks for people while his words played in my mind.
Really, what the fuck was I doing? Pushing away a perfect girl just because of some work ethic and the promise I’d given to Hawk? When it came down to it, she wasn't even working for me. We were on equal footing here, and instead of exploring our attraction, we had built more obstacles.
Not to mention overpowering guilt anytime I stepped into the bar, as if I was cheating on my girlfriend. All my body wanted to do was claim Serena, make her body burn with desire, and leave marks on her so every man close by would know she was taken.
“Thanks, man,” I mumbled, and Grady nodded.
“Hurry up. Or she might find someone else.”
My hands clenched into fists as the possessive beast inside me roared at the prospect of anyone having her but me. However, even with the fury, I hadn't missed a strange look in Grady’s eyes. “Speaking from experience?”
He met my question with hollow laughter. “I didn't have a chance from the very beginning.”
Fuck.
Maybe I should’ve been grateful for what I had and manned up quicker. Hastily putting a twenty on the table, I rushed back home, hoping like hell the frequent bar thing wouldn't bite me in the ass someday.
Serena
This is useless.
I tried everything, from counting sheep to listening to music, but nothing helped me fall asleep. Instead, my mind kept playing all the little snippets I had of Shane while giving me vivid images of the kiss we had shared. My obsession with his body and touches were driving me to an early grave. Every day, I had a pep talk with myself listing all the reasons why we couldn't do it, but that didn't help much.
Drawing the covers back, I got up frustrated and glanced at clock where the green digits showed 12:07 a.m. Only five hours left to sleep, and then another day with a lot of work would start. My muscles ached from all the labor associated with the time and effort it actually took to cook and clean up after so many men. But at the same time, I welcomed the experience, as odd as it sounded. Constantly being on the ranch annoyed me, though, as I preferred variety in my schedule. Maybe I could drag Maggie to town so she could show me around.
The sounds of horses whinnying, crickets buzzing, and dogs barking came through my open window along with a cooling breeze, which helped my damp skin.
The night was peaceful as I gazed at the beautiful stars in the sky. You wouldn't find such a sky in New York; that was for sure.
Giving up on sleep completely, I switched on the desk lamp and took out my drawing supplies. Somehow, capturing the view in front of me was important. For the first time in the last three years, I had an itch that needed to be scratched.
Moving my hand flawlessly across the paper, my exhausted-from-the-inner-dialogues mind enjoyed the pencil making quiet sounds in the silent room while my eyes focused on the view. It had to be as close to reality as possible. It would have been better with pastel colors, but I didn’t have them with me, because for designer drawings, I didn’t need them.
After an hour, I was done with it and blinked in surprise at the result. I thought I didn’t have it in me anymore, but that wasn’t true. A part of me was thrilled, because it was something I’d loved to do since I knew what a pencil was. My mom had encouraged me and had arranged special art classes with Ms. Richards, who’d said I had a great eye for detail and should go to art school.
I was planning to study gallery business, but after Mom died, I hated everything about painting, because it reminded me so much of her. Every time I took a brush or pencil in my hand, I remembered the two of us in my studio while she laughed as I tried to convince her I was the next Picasso. It felt wrong without her, and I didn’t have any creativity left in me. Instead, I enrolled in English Literature, because I had to choose something.
My hand tingled from the excitement of creating something; it was a feeling I thought I would never experience again. All I needed were the colors to make the drawing come alive. Part of me felt bad because the view deserved to be on a canvas instead of paper, but I couldn’t do anything about it. I stretched my arms and the familiar pain in my back felt somehow freeing, but I couldn’t understand why. As much as I liked what I’d done, I still had to start on my collection, because time was flying.
All the time spent drawing made me thirsty, so I went down to grab a bottle of water as quietly as possible. Carter had the ear of a wolf, no joke. Nothing passed by him.
My feet padded softly on the floor as I found the kitchen in the dark. I didn’t expect anyone, so I didn’t bother changing from my pajama shorts and tank top. Without turning on the light, I opened the refrigerator, grabbed the bottle, and turned around to close the door. Just then, a silhouette appeared in front of me. I would have screamed if one hand didn’t close over my mouth.
Finally, my eyes adjusted, recognizing the midnight stranger.
Shane was standing in front of me, shirtless, wearing only sweatpants as his gaze traveled my body. Droplets of water glistened on him, and he smelled of soap and light cologne. The familiarity of it hit me at once.
My body heated, which was an accomplishment given the fact my ass was freezing from standing in front of the open refrigerator.
He moved me away and closed it before removing his hand.
“You scared me,” I said a bit too loudly.
“Keep your voice down,” he whispered, reminding me it was the middle of the night. The last thing we needed was a repetition of the whole spider thing.
“You shouldn’t have snuck up on me like that.”
“I didn’t think anyone was awake.”
“Well, I am.” The whole conversation was pointless. We were like small kids fighting over nothing.
It didn’t escape my notice he was out every night for the last two weeks. He was hitting the bar, and I was angry with him about that. Which was completely unreasonable considering it was me who kept repeating, “We can’t do this.”
“Got thirsty,” I finally said. The silence between us grated on my nerves.
His gaze traveled down to my lips, and I couldn’t help but wet them with my tongue. His gaze moved to my collarbone, to the water droplets that had escaped the bottle when I jumped. With his thumb, he slowly wiped them away, the heat of his touch sending flames through my body. Our eyes locked in a heated stare, while all kinds of fantasies played in my mind.
Oh, God, those beautiful blue eyes were filled with arousal.
“Okay,” he replied, clearly amused.
Not liking it one bit, I fired right back at him. “What are you doing up?” It was a reasonable question, and given the fact he was standing there with me, I had the right to ask it, right?
Even if we didn't owe each other a thing.
“I just came home, wanted to have a drink as well.” Then my nose recognized something else, a faint smell. Roses along with something else… a woman’s perfume… but it wasn’t mine.
Which led to one conclusion. He was out with a woman and just came home from their romp. That’s why he’d taken a shower, but the perfume was so strong it still lingered.
And I let him touch me, while he still carried the scent of another woman.
Nausea hit me like a ton of bricks, and I wanted to get away from Shane. Just the thought of him with someone else was unbearable. My hands twitched to slap him.
“I see.” I made a move to leave, but he grabbed my hand.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” He sounded panicked.
“Nothing.” I wasn’t about to stand there and act like a fool. I had no right to be angry. Who cared who he slept with? After six more weeks, he would be a distant memory.
“All of a sudden, you want to get away?” His voice changed to harsh and worried.
“Well, it is my right, isn’t it? Plus, I think you’ve already had the company of a female tonight. You don’t really need mine now, do you?”
I saw the minute the recognition of what I was saying settled into him. Guilt slipped into his gaze, as he let go of me with a frustrated sigh.
Good to know he wasn't all cocky about it.
Turning around, I almost reached the stairs when he wrapped his arm around my waist and pushed his chest against my back, enveloping me in a hug.
“Let go,” I hissed. The nerve he had, touching me after having sex with someone else.
Shane ignored my words as his hand traveled up, closing on my neck while he palmed it, and he leaned forward so that his lips were right against my ear. He bit my earlobe, and it took all my willpower to stifle the moan coming from within me when he whispered, “Nothing happened. She propositioned. I refused. I don't want anyone touching you. You really think I’d go and fuck someone else, when I had you at home?” He inhaled my scent, rubbing his nose against the crook between my neck and shoulder. “No one will do but you, Serena.”
Licking my dry lips, my voice turned husky, as I said, “But we can’t.”
He growled, sending goose bumps all over my skin. “Yes, we can.” Then he placed a soft kiss on my cheek, lingering there for a moment. “But not today.” With that, he let go of me and pushed me upstairs.
Too stunned to talk, I rushed quickly to my room and locked the door behind me, breathing heavily.
What the hell was that supposed to mean?
The next morning started with the same routine.
Shane, however, was missing due to some emergency at a neighboring ranch where he was needed. Secretly, I exhaled in relief, because I didn't know how to handle him after last night.
Ren was MIA, which again wasn’t anything new.
After lunch, I noticed the food was running low and asked Maggie to take me out for groceries. Soon, we were riding into town in her truck.
Don’t get me wrong; Moonlight Rose was beautiful in its own way. The view was filled with several small houses, some buildings, the library—which I got to know was a personal favorite of Maggie’s—a cinema, school, and what I assumed was the sheriff’s office. I saw some interesting small restaurants with people passing the time. But it wasn’t New York. I missed the energy the big city gave me. I needed it badly, because in New York, it was easy to run away from yourself and your thoughts.
Here, all I saw was home, family, and friendship. Something I didn’t want to think about, yet it was full-on in my face. I loved my dad, I really did. But since my mom died, we weren’t a family anymore.
“The town is really small. Everyone knows everyone,” she grumbled.
I’d already suspected that. “Well, it’s nice in a way.”
Maggie grimaced. “Not when the whole town remembers how you messed up your line during the school play, which resulted in me stumbling against one of my classmates, who crashed into Ms. Perks, and she fell and broke her leg.”
My laughter couldn’t be helped, because when I imagined that, it was quite funny. “No way! What happened?”
She blushed a bit. “Nothing really. It wasn’t like it was intentional, but the whole town still likes to make jokes about it, and I don't like it. I personally don’t find it funny.”
Finally, we arrived at the store and picked up everything on the list.
Let me tell you, grocery shopping was far from fun. All those big aisles with different food from different companies, how was I supposed to know which one was good?
We finished rather quickly thanks to Maggie and headed out, when someone grabbed her. I groaned inwardly; those were the small-town perks. Always someone who wanted to know something and you needed to answer. Otherwise, you’d be considered rude as hell, and they would hold a grudge against you.
“Maggie! How are you?” Looking up, I saw a leggy brunette who wore skinny jeans, a blue T-shirt, and black ballerina flats. She had her hair loose and some silver earrings on. Her flawless makeup emphasized the beauty of her brown eyes.
Overall, the girl was a striking creature who made Maggie uncomfortable, if her silence and awkward shifting were anything to go by.
“Hey, Miranda.” Maggie’s soft voice was so quiet I wanted to smack her. Why didn’t she have more confidence? It wasn’t like someone was attacking her. “I’m good, and you?”
Were we old folks who met for a game of Monopoly? All those greetings sounded off to me.
“I’m good.” She shifted her focus to me. “Hi, I’m Miranda. I haven’t seen you here before. Have you moved in recently?” She seemed friendly enough to me.
“Hey, Serena. No, I’m just working as a housekeeper on their ranch for the summer.”
Somehow that information made her lose her smile for a second, but then she schooled her features. “That’s interesting. Hope you like it here.” She smiled softly, but then she cast her eyes down, and asked quietly, “How is Ren?”
Hold it… how the hell did Ren come into the conversation?
Maggie blushed redder, if it was possible, and put her hair behind her ear. “He’s fine, I guess. He doesn’t talk much.”
Again, an awkward silence for several moments, then the girl adjusted her bag on her shoulder and gave us a smile that seemed fake. Her eyes held deep sadness and guilt, and she gazed straight ahead. “Nice seeing you, girls. Maybe we can catch a movie or dinner some time?” Her voice was too cheery for my liking, but Maggie nodded. “Okay, then. I have to go. We have a family dinner. Bye, girls.” She waved and quickly disappeared inside the grocery store.
Silence stretched around us all the way to the car, but once our seatbelts were on, I couldn’t keep my mouth shut. “Awkward,” I tried to joke, but Maggie stiffened next to me.
“Miranda, she is, well… the mayor’s daughter. The princess of Moonlight Rose.”
Well, that would certainly explain her manners, clothes, and the aura of elegance around her. “She seemed nice.”
Maggie avoided my eyes and started the engine, and after few seconds, she replied, “She’s good. I think she studies interior design in Chicago.” Before I could ask any more questions, she continued. “She and Ren were in the same class in high school and had been dating since the seventh grade. They even got engaged.” My mouth opened in shock, and I felt like my jaw hit the floor.
Ren was engaged to Miranda of all people?
“What happened to them, then?” If the girl’s reaction was anything to go by, she still cared for him.
Maggie glanced at me worriedly as she chewed on her nail, and I raised my eyebrow. It was as if she was concerned about how I would react to her words, but why? Why would I care about a relationship they had? She took a deep breath and quickly finished her story.
“Shane came into town, and one thing led to another, and he and Miranda slept together. Ren caught them, and well, that was the end of it.” I just blinked and tried to absorb the information. Shane and her? That would explain the big tension that surrounded the guys every time they were in the same room.
And why did the idea of them together make me uneasy? We hadn’t even met back then!
“Okay. She and Ren aren’t together anymore?” I knew it was bad to ask her about that, because she clearly had a big thing for Ren, but I couldn’t help myself. I wanted clarity on all the drama in that freaking town.
“She wants him back, but he’s sleeping with everything that moves,” she whispered and grabbed the steering wheel harder, probably hurting her hand.
The whole thing got a lot more complicated in a matter of seconds. Maybe a night out was what we both needed to relax a little. “Maggie, do you want to go out?”
She glanced at me nervously, and adjusted her glasses better once we stopped for a traffic light. “I’m not sure—” she started, but my pleading interrupted her.
“Pretty please? I’d love to listen to some good music and drink a little. Maybe even dance. It’s summer, after all.” She didn't look convinced but nodded anyway.
Pushing away the guilt for practically making her do it, I wondered if all that would clear my head.
I sure as hell hoped so.