Chapter 7
KATIE
I was on the front porch with Colt and Lainey when Bray came tearing down my drive. His truck skidded to a stop, kicking up a big cloud of dust.
He jumped out. As he approached, his eyes were on me. Not the broken window or his siblings. Me.
I swallowed and could feel my nipples tightening. Butterflies swirled in my stomach.
His gaze raked over my body, then held mine. I saw the intensity, the heat. The fury.
“You okay, kitten?” he asked after he hopped the three steps and onto my porch.
He stood close. So close that I had to tip my head back to meet his blue eyes. His rough-worn hand cupped my jaw.
I breathed in his familiar scent. Soap and something beneath that was exclusively Bray.
I nodded.
With him here and this close, I instantly felt better.
Safe.
The adrenaline from what happened made me shake. It was as if I knew things would be okay now that Bray showed up.
“Lainey, you okay, too?” he asked his sister, but not taking his eyes off me. I wasn’t even sure if he knew Colt was here.
“Yeah. But–”
“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked, cutting off his sister.
Call him?
I frowned up at him. “What? Why? This is my problem. What are you doing here? You’re not due to check on my horses until next week.
” I’d heard through Lainey how well his business was going and that he had more jobs than he could handle.
My clients paid Bray to come here and take care of their horses.
He was that skilled, but he was also a Wilder, a trusted family in the area.
His calloused finger swiped over my cheek. I felt it between my thighs and my nipples throbbed. “I’m here because only last night, after you climbed in my lap and ground that pussy all over my dick right in the middle of a bar, I told you to call me if you needed anything. You promised.”
Lainey gasped. “Oh my God, Katie. You did what?”
I could feel my cheeks heat with mortification.
I hadn’t told Lainey about what happened at the bar–at least the portion where I got Bray to help me–because it was so embarrassing.
I’d acted ridiculous. I was sure I’d looked ridiculous, too.
And doing it to my best friend’s brother?
I flicked my gaze at Colt. Out of all the siblings, Colt was the most serious.
Most like me. The only reaction he showed was his left eyebrow had winged up beneath his sheriff’s hat.
I wanted to run back inside and slam the door and hide, except the three of them could climb through my huge broken window.
I closed my eyes for a second instead. “I didn’t, I don’t–”
“Need anything?” Bray finally glanced at the broken window. “Someone did this. To your house while you were home and you didn’t think to call me?”
I swallowed, surprised by his anger. No, his frustration. A vein bulged at his temple. His blue eyes were dark and stormy. But I wasn’t scared of him. No, I felt safe, like whatever might happen would be okay now that he was here.
Silly though, because the window was still broken. Whoever did this was out there. I was in more money troubles now than ever. Bray being here didn’t solve anything. It only made it more confusing.
Why was he so concerned? I knew Colt just as well and he wasn’t all riled. Although, he probably went on more serious calls than this.
“I just… I didn’t think you meant it,” I told Bray. “It was pretend. I’m just a–”
“Don’t finish that sentence. Yes, I fucking meant it.” He whipped around to face Colt. “There was a fucker at the bar last night.”
Oh God. The creepy guy. My eyes widened. He did this?
“He was pretty pissed he didn’t get his hands on Katie.”
Colt set his hands on his hips. “Oh yeah?”
Bray nodded, then both men looked at me.
I nodded, too.
“Got a description?”
I was about to open my mouth and describe him, but Bray spoke first. “Five ten, brown hair. Weasly. Get Kyle to give you the security footage,” he told him. “It’ll be in there. You won’t miss me punching him in the face. Rewind back from there and you’ll get what you need.”
Kyle had said they had cameras all around the place. It was far from a high end establishment, so shady things seemed to happen often. I heard there’d been an all out brawl a week before I started and I was real glad I missed that.
Colt nodded. “Know of anyone else who might want to do this?” he asked.
I had few friends. While I was sure not everyone liked me, I didn’t think I’d angered anyone enough to shatter my window.
Even though I let Taylor go, she worked two other jobs and she wasn’t the type to hurl a rock because I couldn’t afford to pay her any longer.
Creditors weren’t thrilled with me, but annoying phone calls were their method of getting to me.
I shook my head. “No. I’m too busy to make new friends. Or enemies.” Either way, I sounded very dull.
“Kids, maybe?” Lainey asked. “Some prank or dare?”
Colt shrugged. “Maybe, but this is pretty brazen for kids around here. The county fair with the rodeo’s running this week, which is where all the crazy shit is happening right now. Still…”
I pushed my damp hair back from my face and sighed. The action had Bray’s gaze dropping. His jaw clenched.
“Kitten, while I love seeing you in just a slinky robe, I’m not too thrilled about my brother seeing the outline of your nipples.”
I gasped and grabbed the front lapels of my old, ratty robe and held them together. The last thing I meant to do was flash anyone. “Bray, I–”
I didn’t get anything else out because he set his hands on my shoulders, spun me toward the house and slapped me on the ass. “Be a good girl and put on some clothes.”
“Um, Bray?” Lainey asked.
I looked at Bray over my shoulder as my butt stung. He’d spanked me! He pointed inside. “Now.”
And I went. Because it was Bray and it seemed I responded to his voice and him calling me a good girl. My nipples did, too.