Chapter 9
Reese
T he two weeks that followed my first riding lesson were some of the happiest days I’d spent in Crystal Fork.
Spring was an unpredictable time in Montana, and we had some nice days mixed in with some cooler weather.
I’d fallen completely in love with Luna and riding, and I felt better now that I was getting regular exercise.
Devon’s gym had everything a commercial gym had to offer, so I used his treadmill, and he’d showed me how to do some strength training.
When he got home early enough to ride, he usually joined me in the gym and the pool afterward, and then we had dinner together.
The only problem with this whole arrangement was that, at some point, I’d started to really look forward to spending time with Devon.
At this point, I could actually say that he was…a friend.
Unfortunately, that was a little bit complicated for me because I was starting to become more and more attracted to my new friend.
How could I not be?
Not only was Devon ridiculously handsome, but he was crazy smart, charming, and we had a lot in common even though we’d lived completely different lives.
For some reason, the two of us had just…clicked.
Maybe because we were both a little quirky and different, so we understood one another perfectly.
There were times when I had to stop myself from reaching out to touch him like my instincts prompted me to do.
Devon Remington could never be anything more than a friend to me, and I had to check my attraction to him.
Honestly, he was getting to know me. I was honest with him as much as I could be, but could we really be friends without him knowing everything about me?
“I heard that you’re helping Mom get ready for the spring fundraiser,” Devon commented as he inhaled the soup and sandwiches I’d made for lunch today.
It was Saturday, and we’d ridden for hours today. We’d taken a break at the river on Kaleb’s property, which was one of my favorite spots on the trails.
The trail system was vast, but I was getting to know my way around the area.
I was completely comfortable on Luna now, and we’d gotten to the point where we could let the horses run to get some real exercise.
My sweet girl would never be able to keep pace with the much larger Thunder, but she was smooth, fast, and powerful.
I’d taken my first fall off Luna’s back during my training, and it hadn’t been pleasant, but it wasn’t Luna’s fault.
One moment of distraction while I was watching Devon’s ripped body on his horse was all it had taken for me to lose my balance and take a tumble.
I’d gotten my ass up and back on Luna as soon as Devon had decided I wasn’t injured.
I’d felt like an idiot, and I certainly hadn’t told Devon exactly why I’d lost my balance.
Lesson learned.
No matter how comfortable I was on Luna, getting distracted could get me hurt.
I couldn’t ogle the gorgeous man while I was on a horse.
That had happened a week ago and I hadn’t fallen since.
I nodded as I swallowed some of my soup at the breakfast bar. “I’ll be at her place again tomorrow to help her. It’s actually been a lot of fun.”
He shook his head. “It’s a pain in the ass, but the whole town looks forward to a good outdoor party after a long winter.”
Millie had explained to me that although the fundraiser did raise funds for the town, it was actually an annual event that brought the whole town together to gossip, eat, and catch up with each other.
It was more like an annual festival than a true fundraiser, and it was something the town loved to participate in every year.
There would be tons of booths to buy things, food booths, and an auction.
It sounded like fun to me.
“You’ll be helping, too,” I reminded him.
Devon, Kaleb, and Tanner would be doing a lot of the heavy lifting right before and during the event.
“We always do,” he told me. “Most of the guys in town are the unpaid laborers that lug stuff around.”
He didn’t sound unhappy with his role in the spring fundraiser, and I knew he really didn’t mind even though he liked to joke about it being a pain in the ass.
“I’ve got my eye on that beautiful silver and turquoise necklace the silversmith donated for the auction,” I shared with him. “It’s such intricate work, but I’m sure it’s going to be a popular item. It might be a little out of reach for me.”
I was living on the money I made from Glam Anywhere, and although my expenses were low, I wasn’t sure I had enough saved to buy the necklace.
Devon eyed me silently for a moment before he responded, “You’ll get it. Pete has been selling his stuff here and in Billings for decades. Most people around here already have a piece of his work. It will be popular, but I don’t think it will go sky high. Mom’s painting will probably be the most popular item. People come from all areas to bid sometimes.”
I snorted. “That one is definitely out of reach for me even though I’d love to own it. The price on her art is going up significantly every year.”
“It has been since she stopped painting,” Devon mused. “There’s a limited supply of her work on the market now.”
M. Remington paintings had always been pricey, but he was right. When the production stopped, an artist’s paintings were even more in demand.
I sighed. “You’re lucky to have a number of them hanging in this house.”
My heart tripped when he grinned at me mischievously. “And I didn’t have to pay for a single one of them. There are perks to being a popular artist’s son.”
“You’re horrible,” I said in a teasing voice.
He shrugged. “I never claimed to be nice. I’m a businessman.”
“I call bullshit,” I said adamantly. “Underneath that suave, professional exterior, you are a nice guy.”
He winked at me. “Don’t tell anyone. I’m known to be a badass in business.”
I’d never seen Devon in action when it came to Remington, but to get where he was today, he probably was a hard negotiator.
I crossed my heart as I promised, “The truth is safe with me.”
“Just like anything you ever want to tell me is safe with me,” he said in a more somber tone.
My belly tightened at his words. Devon had been hinting at the fact that he knew I was holding something back from him.
I wasn’t sure how he knew that because nobody else suspected it.
God, I wanted to spill everything to him so badly, but that just wasn’t possible.
I wanted to be honest with all of my friends here, and it killed me that I couldn’t completely be myself with them.
“I’ve told you some of my secrets,” I protested, forcing my tone to be upbeat.
He was silent as he scrutinized my face and then looked me directly in the eyes.
Dammit! He was silently asking for something that I just couldn’t give him right now.
That moment became so uncomfortable that I broke our eye contact.
“Not all of them,” he rumbled.
I wanted to ask him how he knew that, but then I’d be admitting that I wasn’t being entirely truthful.
It was an almost unbearable position to be in, and I had to stop myself from squirming in my chair.
It hurt that he couldn’t trust me the way I was coming to trust him, but he was incredibly intuitive, and I wasn’t about to compound the lies by saying I wasn’t hiding anything.
I wasn’t a good liar, and there had been enough falsehoods for me since I’d moved to Crystal Fork.
I hated dishonesty, so it was ironic that I’d been forced into this situation.
“Do you trust me, Reese?” Devon asked in a low baritone voice that was as intense as I’d ever heard it.
I nodded. “Yes.”
“Then why can’t you tell me what’s bothering you?”
My heart melted and I gave up trying to pretend that I was holding nothing back.
Somehow, Devon knew that I was withholding some information.
He wasn’t guessing or wondering.
He knew .
The two of us had some kind of weird chemistry between us, and we were starting to be able to read each other’s emotions.
I could sense it.
“There’s just some things I can’t talk about right now,” I confessed, stumbling a little over the words. “It’s not dangerous to anyone. It’s personal.”
He shook his head. “I think I’ve gotten to know you well enough to realize you’d never intentionally hurt anyone. But something is eating you alive, and if you want to talk about it, I’m here to listen.”
“Not now,” I said in a voice that was barely a whisper.
He could read me far too well, and I found that a little bit scary.
The whole situation was eating me alive, but there was nothing I could do about it.
“Look at me, Reese,” he insisted in a guttural voice.
His tone was so insistent that I locked eyes with him almost immediately.
“I can see the turmoil in those beautiful eyes of yours,” he rasped as he held my gaze. “Some fear. Some panic. And I fucking hate it. I can wait until you trust me completely. I don’t want you to ever feel that way when you’re with me.”
Tears started to swim in my eyes, and a single tear plopped onto my cheek.
Before I could protest, Devon rose from his chair, picked me up, and sat back down with my body sprawled over his lap.
He wrapped his powerful arms around me, and my whole world felt like it tilted. I wrapped my arms around his neck and started to uncontrollably sob on his shoulder.
I’d held so many emotions back for so long that it was a purging that burst from my heart and soul in an enormous flood of sobs that racked my body to its core.
Devon held me tightly as he soothed, “You’re safe with me, Reese. I promise you that.”
I believed him.
I felt safe.
I felt like I could be vulnerable with him without fear.
The way that he held me told me that he cared for me.
“I’m so sorry,” I said with a hiccup after my crying binge had subsided.
I felt almost listless as my head plopped onto his shoulder.
“Don’t be sorry,” he said huskily. “Just let me hold you for a minute.”
That was an easy request to grant.
It felt so good to finally be this close and this tight with his hard body that I could stay this way for the entire day.
His masculine scent and warm body were sensually enticing, but I tried to push away all of my carnal thoughts and just relax in his arms.
His grip was protective and reassuring, and that was something I’d needed for a long time.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed that way, locked together, with Devon stroking a soothing hand over my back.
I finally lifted my head to thank him.
Our eyes locked, and he spoke before I could get the words out. “Keep your secrets, Reese,” he said hoarsely. “But don’t feel like you have to lie to me. If you can’t talk about something, just tell me. And let me be there for you when you need me.”
I nodded my agreement and swallowed hard.
I wasn’t sure which one of us moved first, but Devon suddenly put his hand at the nape of my neck and my lips were on his before I could blink, much less speak.
It was an embrace that was unlike anything I’d ever experienced before, and I was swept away by a need and a desire that almost knocked me off his lap.
It was demanding and greedy.
Sensual and hungry.
And bordering on desperation.
He explored my mouth like he owned it, and I opened to his commanding tongue like it was something I’d needed forever.
Heat flooded between my thighs, and I wanted to straddle this man and give him anything he wanted.
I moaned against his lips and threaded my hands into his hair, savoring the feel of those thick locks between my fingers.
God, I wanted this man and all of the pleasure I knew he could give me.
Desperately.
Devon was the one who finally broke contact, his chest heaving. “Fuck! I shouldn’t have done that.”
My brain was scrambled as I panted. “You’re right. We can’t do this.”
Kissing him like that had been crazy, but I was having an extremely tough time convincing myself that something that had felt so damn good was so damn wrong.