Chapter Nine
Avery splashed bourbon into a glass while Layla gussied up in the bathroom.
She emerged wearing what Avery considered to be the most sinfully angelic outfit imaginable. She had on a lacy bra with low-cut cups that barely covered her pert nipples and a satin bow in the center of her plumped-up breasts. The skimpiest of lacy panties. A satin and lace robe, one side slipping off a shoulder.
The ensemble was all in cream, and it enhanced her honeyed skin and her soft blonde curls.
And made his blood boil.
Avery took a deep drink. Groaned. Then said, “I could pretend to be cool here. But ... you’d see right through me. Damn ... you make me hard in a heartbeat.”
She cozied up to him on the sofa. Sipped from his tumbler. Then smiled beguilingly. “Precisely what a woman likes to hear.”
He chuckled. And said, “You didn’t have to ‘slip into something comfortable’ for me. Naked was just fine. Though ... I do appreciate the lingerie.”
“Picked it up earlier today.”
“Just for me?”
“Just for you.”
He battled contradictory thoughts, as was the constant case for him where she was concerned.
He’d barely dressed after making her come again, following going down on her. Easy to rid himself of his boxer briefs now.
The problem here was that Layla looked like a dream come true.
He told her, “I don’t want you to take everything off—because it’s hot as hell. But I do want you to take everything off—because you’re making me hotter than hell.”
“One of your superpowers, Avery Reed, is that you are earnest to the core.”
“Got nothing to hide, darlin’.” He cringed at his untruth. “Except a past I don’t want coming back to haunt me. Or the competition.”
She eyed him quizzically. “Is this why you’ve been uncertain to join? Everyone else we approached jumped right on board.”
“I can understand that. It’s not just about the money—though that’s a substantial lure. But getting to demonstrate what we do on a daily basis, what we do best? That’s the real appeal.”
“Yet you were dodging it.”
“Yeah.” He took another drink. “I don’t want my father seeing an episode and coming out of the woodwork.”
“The Caleb Reed I didn’t fully research. Because I was too smitten by his son.”
“You got a thing for Chance, darlin’?”
She laughed.
It soothed his soul, reducing the typical disconcertion he felt when mentioning his dad.
“Quite the jokester you are.” She kissed his cheek and added, “Granted, he shares similarities with you. But when it comes to me, Chance doesn’t resonate the way you do.”
“Glad to hear it.”
She rested her head on his shoulder and told him, “Chemistry’s a crapshoot, cowboy. You never know when it’s going to zap you.”
“Or fade into oblivion . . .”
She glanced up at him. “That’s true. It can change over time.”
That sentiment hung in the air, tainting the otherwise pleasant fragrance from the wildflowers.
Layla sighed. “Seems we keep returning to how we’re not a match made in heaven.”
“Yet we know precisely what to do in the moments we’re together.” He placed his empty glass on an end table and stood, offering her his hand.
He led her to the bed, grabbed a condom, divested himself of his briefs, and sat on the edge.
“Let’s compromise.” He coiled his fingers around the slim strands at her hips and dragged her panties downward, letting them fall to the rug. Leaving on the rest of her lingerie.
She straddled his lap, taking him in all at once, sending a shudder through him.
“Fuck, Layla . . .”
“Always ready for you, cowboy.”
She rocked her hips as his hands clasped them, forcing her to start slow. She clutched his upper arms, and her head fell back.
Avery left feathery kisses along the tops of her breasts, her collarbone, her neck. He flicked her earlobe with his tongue, and she let out a small whimper. He nipped a bit lower, then suckled gently.
“You find all the sweet spots,” she murmured.
“Like that, do you?”
“I like everything you do to me.”
He loosened his hold on her, and she picked up the pace. Wound her arms around his neck. Kissed him.
Avery’s hands slipped to her ass, massaging while she rode him. An inferno roared through his veins.
She was so damn tight, so slick. Opening further to him, taking him deep.
He kissed her bared shoulder. Her satin-and-lace robe cascaded down her back, between his legs, grazing his skin. It was delicate and sensuous, like the woman herself.
Her eyelids drifted open. She smiled invitingly, driving him wild.
“I know what you want,” he whispered.
“Of course you do.”
She untwined her arms. Reached behind her to flatten her palms on his thighs, near his knees. Arched her spine. Let all those lustrous curls tumble along the satiny material.
He increased the tempo, his hips bucking.
“Yes ... like that ...” Her breaths were wispy, her voice faint. “Just like that, Avery.”
He shifted his hands, circling an arm around her to keep her pinioned to him and freeing up his other hand to wedge between them. He rubbed her clit, and that incited moans that made him nearly lose his mind.
Her pussy clenched and released, working him into a frenzy to match their cadence. His pulse hammered and adrenaline raged within him.
Her first climax almost sent him over that searing precipice as she cried his name and milked his cock.
Stamina was never going to be his friend with this woman.
He stood, and she was quick to anchor her legs around him. He turned them and laid her on the bed. He thrust into her with all the passion he felt for her, all the lust that blazed through him.
She moved with him, lifting her hips, grinding against him.
“Oh, God, Avery ...” Her nails dipped into his biceps. As much as they could because all his muscles were rigid, rock hard. “Oh, God, yes ...”
Her chest heaved, her nipples peeking out over the scalloped trim of the lacy cups. The graceful cords of her neck pulled taut. Her lips parted. Her eyes opened.
He focused his gaze on hers, captivated by the glow of orange around her amber-and-gold irises.
If ever there was a moment he’d freeze in time, this was it.
She was more than beautiful. Felt better than anything on this earth he could think of—and even anything celestial. She was perfect. And in this one instant, they were perfect.
But the pressure mounting within him, stretching much too thin, couldn’t be controlled.
The reins snapped.
“Oh, goddamn, Layla!” His body jerked. His cock swelled and erupted, splintering all of him. “Oh, fuck ...” His next breath stuck in his throat. Epic fireworks went off in his head.
And his heart? Well, that now belonged to Layla Jenson.
For better or for worse.
“I’m having trouble thinking of what to say.” Layla was tucked against Avery and couldn’t catch her breath, even though they’d showered and were nestled on the sofa again, him in a towel and her in her robe.
They gazed out at the starlit sky. Spanish guitar music played in the background and mingled with the crackling of the fire.
Her legs were curled up as they shared a scotch on the rocks. He said, “Likely because we’re knee-deep in each other, and yet we’ve only scratched the surface.”
“There’s more to the situation with your dad.”
He countered with, “There’s more to your New York experience.”
“Question is ... will tackling these things change our existing paradigm?”
“That we’re two ships passing in the night? No.”
His fingers were tangled in her hair, and he lightly massaged her scalp, adding to all the tingles she couldn’t escape when she was near him. When she heard his rich, intimate voice. When she thought of him.
He further said, “One complication is that I might say or do something that could cause you to break your commitment to neutrality with the show.”
“Not with the way it’s structured,” she insisted.
“But you are a cocreator, right? I saw the credentials when we watched Willet Hayes’s episodes. That provides you a degree of influence.”
“I told you it doesn’t. And this is too important to me to compromise the premise, to jeopardize trust. I need this job, Avery. I owe someone a huge debt.”
Oh, shit.
Her lips pressed together.
Why was it that every time she was with this man, she divulged more and more? It just slipped out with no red light to stop her.
He set the glass on the coffee table and shifted so he could face her, propping himself up on an elbow.
“What’s this?” he asked.
It took her a few moments to compose herself. Then she said, “Someone did me a favor, Avery. An extraordinary favor. A ‘be careful what you wish for’ favor. It came with a hefty bill. I pay what I can on it. The people I used to know don’t hand out freebies—there are always strings attached.”
It wasn’t even some sort of twisted matrix. It was a simple equation.
Regardless, Avery looked perplexed.
Understandable. She was only offering pieces to the outer edge of the puzzle, not the guts of it.
She didn’t say more. Just reached for the glass and sipped.
“I need cash too,” he said in a quiet voice, taking her by surprise.
She studied him for a moment. She wanted to ask why, but he hadn’t forced an admission from her. So.
She passed him the glass, which he drained. She refilled it from the decanter on the coffee table.
Silence ensued.
“Maybe scratching the surface is all we should do,” she told him.
“Maybe. But ... that doesn’t feel right.”
“Agreed.”
He said, “If I win any money, I want to give it to Jack—to pay him back for the money my dad stole from his dad.”
She couldn’t help the jaw-drop. Tried to pick it up off the floor, but that was futile. For several suspended seconds at least.
He continued. “Even the grand prize won’t cover what’s owed. But it’s a dent. That’s what matters.” He groaned. And said, “No, what matters is that Caleb Reed’s sons do what they can for the ranch, every single day. We can’t right the wrong, change the outcome. Can’t even say we’re sorry because no one wants to hear it from us. No one’s placed blame at our feet. But we do feel the shame.”
Layla’s eyes watered. “Jesus, that’s heavy.”
“Something we’ve had to live with since we were kids. Something we can’t rectify. We just prove as much as we can that we want to be a part of the Reed heritage, that we will do everything in our power to add to the profit margin, to strengthen the operations, to keep this ranch going. Not just for those of us today but for future generations. For Hunt and Ale. For Jack and Jillian’s child. For all the grandchildren, and so on.”
Tears rolled down her flushed cheeks. Avery collected the box of tissues on the end table, and she pulled out several sheets.
“Your story is so moving, Avery—”
“It’s not a story, Layla. It’s a reality. And I’m not sharing it on the show. Not looking for sympathy votes, darlin’. I want a fair shake. I’m the best at what I do, or I’m a runner-up, or I’m nothing.”
“But the audience—”
“Will see me being passionate about cooking for the people I care about. They’ll see me providing the highest-quality meal I can crank out without exceeding my annual budget. But beyond that ... my other motivations are mine alone. I want the title, yes. The money, however ... that’s all for the ranch.”
“To pay back someone else’s debt.”
“It is what it is, honey.”
“Avery.” She let out another long breath, hearing the pain behind it—for the weight on his shoulders. And because they had so much more in common than they could’ve imagined when they’d first met.
She tried to put this in perspective, yet that was difficult.
She said, “Your aspirations are commendable, cowboy. I’ve told you that before. You are so much more than a bunkhouse cook, an uncle, a nephew, a cousin. You have an award-winning soul, Avery Reed.” Her eyes misted again. “And as bizarre as it sounds, I felt that in my own soul. From the start. I can’t even say how ... I mean, I don’t know why I thought this about you. Except ...”
Something dawned on her.
“What, Layla?”
“I’ve skirted—until recently—the lessons I’d learned from my father. He taught me how to see beyond facades, to question intentions if they didn’t seem aboveboard. My first year or two at college, while I was trying to reinvent myself, I kept those principles in mind.”
She frowned.
“Didn’t help me to make friends,” she said with remorse. “I didn’t trust anybody because they were in New York.”
Now she winced, thinking of how narrow-minded and contradictory that was—because she was in New York.
“But once I started at the firm,” she continued, “I was starstruck by the way people dressed, the jewelry they wore, the restaurants and the theaters they talked about going to. All of which I saw and overheard whenever I was summoned upstairs to present my latest findings. The associates all seemed so glamorous. They had multimillion-dollar, even billion-dollar, commercial sales to discuss. And while I knew they were under tremendous pressure, and a lot of their deals were as fragile as a house of cards, there was a certain confidence—arrogance,I now recognize—that I found appealing. Because it was something I lacked.”
“But you had your own strengths to be confident about,” he pointed out.
“Yes. In finance and definitely with my research capabilities. I mean, I should have been content with knowing those were huge contributions. A lot of those deals came about because of me. And maybe ...” Shame rippled through her at the deeper thought here. She averted her eyes.
“Layla.” Avery hitched her chin with his index finger under it and brought her attention back to him.
She sighed. “I was envious, Avery. A little angry. And I caved to those emotions. I stopped microanalyzing everyone. Took an ‘If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em’ stance that came about right around the time the hotshot came looking for me. So that I was ready, willing, and able to be plucked from obscurity. Regardless of the reason. I didn’t care what it was.”
An agonizing, though humbling, admission.
With a shake of her head, she added, “My daddy wouldn’t approve of that. So I didn’t tell him anything about the firm and my involvement with it.”
“Meaning you were already pulling away from him when you got involved with the associate.”
“I was,” she further confessed. “I kept telling myself what he doesn’t know won’t hurt him. But I’m sure it did anyway.”
Another tear crested the rim of her eye. Avery gently swiped at it.
She said, “He would have wanted me to chip away at anything that appeared false to get to the truth. And it would have saved me, in a lot of ways, had I followed that advice.”
“Nothing false about me,” Avery offered with a light kiss. “Think you’ve seen that for yourself.”
“Yes, I have.”
“Simply put,” he said, “Chance and I don’t want to recap what we lived through, what we were trapped in, what still chases us. At least ... we don’t want it all on public display.”
“Serious question ...,” she asked, as she was prone to do. “If you win, and you put this dent in your dad’s debt, will that alleviate some of your shame?”
Avery’s teeth gnashed.
She nodded. And further inquired, “Why is that? Why won’t it appease you, to a degree?”
“To a degree, it will,” he assured her. “Yet overall, as an all-encompassing remedy? Layla ...” He swallowed hard. “Money won’t erase what’s burned into people’s brains. The fighting, the yelling. The fact that my mama walked out on us ...”
He groaned.
Her heart broke for him.
She was about to tell him not to say anything more, but maybe opening floodgates was therapeutic. Especially when they’d been closed for so long.
He said, “My aunt Brett insists Mom thought she was doing right by the family, leaving us. She thought my dad’s behavior, his drinking and his gambling, were due to him being unhappy with her. But Chance and I ... well ...” He blew out a harsh breath. “We think she took the easy way out.”
“How so?” Her voice was thin and quavering.
“If she wanted to do right by her sons, she would’ve taken us with her. Not left us with a demon.”
Layla melted into him, one arm coiling around his, the other wrapping around his midsection. Her face was in the crook of his neck as she said, “Now I get it, Avery. I know why it’s hard for you to go through with this show. Your dad could turn it—you—upside down and inside out.”
“His expertise.”
She drew in a shaky breath. They had different circumstances, yes. But they both had unstable pasts and liabilities and complications with straightening their arrows.
“Avery,” she said, “you’re in an advantageous position, even if it seems risky. You have the talent to be in the money with the show. Also, we’re shooting here, requiring an access code to get on the property. This is an ideal scenario for security and keeping out those not wanted. Correct?”
“The reasons I said yes.”
“So focus on that.”
“As long as your production company doesn’t go for the dramatic jugular.”
A valid concern.
She lifted her head and kissed his cheek.
“You have my absolute promise,” she vowed. “I wouldn’t want anyone airing my dirty laundry, Avery. And my executive producer protects me in that vein. We’ll protect you too.”
“Honey, if Caleb’s still alive or out of prison, I’d be surprised. I can’t even say whether he possesses the mental capacity to be as wily as he always was. But I will warn you that he proved to be a crafty snake in the grass when Chance and I knew him. He’ll charm you to the core while robbin’ you blind. And if you cross him in any way—real or perceived—he’ll rain down hellfire on you.”
Her heart wrenched.
“Fuck.” He grunted. “That’s why I don’t want him associated with anything or anyone in my life. So now I’m back to thinking—”
“Don’t you dare cancel on this, Avery.” She stared intently at him. “Don’t let your past memories hinder your present opportunities.”
His gaze narrowed.
She said, “I’m not pressing on my behalf or that of the show’s. The crew and the other contestants can pivot on a dime. They and the participants are ready to film. It’s a fluid schedule. This has nothing to do with the show or me. You have to feel comfortable with your decision, naturally. But don’t let a possibility that might not even be a factor ruin this for you.”
His head fell back against the top of the sofa. His eyes squeezed shut.
Layla’s fingertips trailed along his temple and down to his jaw, which was clenched. She rolled his head toward hers. Kissed him.
She said, “I very much comprehend where you’re coming from, cowboy. More than you know. One thing I can guarantee is that my executive producer is on the up-and-up—I learned to trust Todd when he slipped up in college and then begged for my help because he wanted to fix his mistake. And then he was my salvation when I didn’t know how to begin my new life. He supports mitigating risks. Trust us. Please.”
Avery’s lids opened, and he gazed at her for a few breathless moments.
“I’ve never left my front door open for a woman, Layla. I’ve never given one the gate code. I’ve never asked Wyatt how to impress one.”
“I hear you, cowboy. I do.” She kissed him once more. “Let’s get through this week. Together.”
He got to his feet. Scooped her into his arms and carried her to his bed.
Giving her his answer.
Layla had no need for her robe when she was under the covers with Avery. She wanted his skin against hers.
They continued to kiss. Then he had her on her back, settling between her legs.
And they started all over again.
“You got some hickeys on your neck there, little bro,” Chance said, gesturing to Avery’s neck.
“You should see her.” Avery winked. Though Layla probably had makeup to cover the love bites he’d left on her.
Chance grinned. “I noticed when I was comin’ up from the stables that you had an overnight guest.”
“Who kept me up most of the night.” He fought a yawn. “Not that I’m complaining.”
“And I doubt it took much effort on her part.”
“I will say, I had difficulty letting her sleep.”
Chance bit into his stuffed breakfast burrito. Then snickered.
He didn’t even have to say anything for Avery to know the direction his thoughts ran.
“She’s worth my needing toothpicks to keep my eyes open,” Avery said. “If I only get a snooze here and there for the next several days, I won’t regret it.”
“Yeah, except that you’re supposed to be demonstrating your superior pit skills this week. So ... don’t slack off for the sake of a pretty face.”
“Christ, Chance, she’s so much more than that.”
He chuckled. “You’re easy to bait when it comes to Layla. Dude, you think I don’t get she’s all that for you?”
“Not practical,” he mumbled.
“As if you get to choose.”
Avery dipped his burrito in the pool of green pepper and poblano hot sauce on his plate and munched, so he didn’t have to draw out this conversation.
The sun was on the rise, splashing vermillion, gold, and orange across the sky as the moon faded. A gentle breeze blew through the trees, though they all knew it’d be a hot and humid summer day.
Chance finished up and said, “We’ll see you at noon.”
“Vegetable beef stew with biscuits and Jillian’s broccoli slaw in a light dressing.”
“She’s getting you to add healthy sides.”
“Doesn’t hurt. These cowboys stay with us over the years. Gotta keep ’em in good shape.”
“They’ll be roping most of the day. Excellent exercise. Adios, bro.”
He departed, and Avery tidied up with Ritchie, who wrapped up the remaining chores as Avery made a breakfast plate for Layla, covered it with foil, and took the UTV to the house.
She was already showered and dressed.
“That’s not exactly how I anticipated finding you, honey.”
“Just trying to maximize our time together, cowboy.”
“I had thoughts about what we’d do after you ate. Didn’t involve clothes.”
With a laugh, she told him, “We can work that in. I just thought that maybe you could give me a tour of portions of the ranch that I haven’t seen. So much acreage to cover.”
“I have the UTV outside.”
She crooked a brow at him.
Thus, he prompted, “You ride horses, darlin’?”
“You do apologize for being condescending, right?” she said, repeating the question from when he’d asked if she knew how to two-step.
He smirked. “Let’s saddle up, then.”
Her gaze fell to the tray in his hands.
“After you have breakfast,” he amended.
“Praise the Lord. Because the last time I had Belgian waffles topped with berries, powdered sugar, and maple syrup, with chocolate sauce on the side, and crispy fried chicken is like ... never.”
“Mexican chocolate, even better. And that jalape?o honey mixed into the coating on the chicken adds the spice to complement the sweet.”
“As an FYI, I’m a sucker for hot-and-sweet Italian sausage simmered with peppers and onions.”
“Duly noted. On a roll, coin-sliced and served on their own, or mixed with farfalle pasta?”
“Mm, farfalle ... hadn’t even considered that option.”
“I’ll work on a recipe for you.”
“While I hope that my cameramen can keep me in their frames this week.”
“Not much to worry about there, darlin’.” His gaze slid over her. “You look just fine.”
He delivered the tray to the coffee table. There was still a low blaze in the hearth. She settled in with her plate and sipped her cranberry juice.
Afterward, they went down to the stables, and Avery introduced her to a few of Jack’s trained horses that weren’t yet in the cowboys’ rotation and needed a workout. She selected a coppery sorrel with a golden mane. Chose her saddle and added her tack.
She guided the horse into the open pasture, following Avery. They mounted and walked for a while as Layla and her horse, Sadie, became familiar and comfortable with each other.
They trotted toward a grove of trees, then broke into a canter until they reached the river. They carefully crossed the shallowest part and continued up a gently sloping hill. At the top, Layla rounded the horse and stared out at the endless pastures, the buildings, the cows being wrangled.
Her eyes glistened.
“I just can’t imagine putting all of this at risk,” she said.
She blinked away a couple of tears.
“Sorry.” She let out a sharp breath. “I shouldn’t have brought that up.”
Avery clicked his tongue and guided his horse. They sidled up to her and Sadie. “You don’t have to pretend I didn’t tell you all that I did, Layla. And you’re right. There’s no justification.”
“It’s just so stunning,” she said on a broken breath.
“So you can see why Chance and I would do whatever necessary to help the family retain this legacy.”
“For sure. I grasped that even before I got this spectacular view. But this is a vantage point that really hits home.”
“Yes, it does.”
They shared a knowing look that was also full of uncertainty.
Layla could almost hear him asking, Why wouldn’t you want all of this too?
Those weren’t words he vocalized. Yet she felt them in her soul.
And he wasn’t off the mark.
Particularly when it came to sharing all of this with him.
With him.
But that wasn’t what her endeavor was about. She had to remind herself of that.
Her life wasn’t on one ranch. It was on other ranches, in other locations. On airplanes, in hotels, et cetera. Wherever the wind blew, she tumbled along with it. Wherever Todd approved her next venture, she was there.
Still. For these special moments, she could admire what was spread before her and could accept that Avery found so much wonderment in this place that he was willing to make a sacrifice and go for it with the competition. That “sacrifice” being a bit of pride because he didn’t know if his dad would invade his life, the show’s socials, any other avenue that would tweak Avery’s nerves.
She told him, “You have a valiant cause, cowboy. Stay the course.”
His gaze swept over the land below them. He nodded. And said, “It’s worth rolling the dice, darlin’, if I can hand something to Jack.”
“I get it. Now ... let’s cross that stream again, and I’ll race you back to the stables.”
His smile was electrifying. “You never fail to amaze, darlin’.”
They made their way down the knoll, eased over the smooth river rocks, and broke into a vigorous gallop.
Avery took the lead. Then dropped slightly behind. Then surged at the end, just barely beating her.
She laughed like she hadn’t laughed in years.
He helped her from the saddle, and two stable hands took over to cool out the horses. Avery kissed Layla for endless minutes.
Only when his internal clock apparently kicked in did he pull away. And tell her, “I’ve gotta get food prepped, honey.”
“Can I help?”
He gave her a quizzical look. “You do that?”
“I served the day workers at the farm, remember?”
“Yeah, I remember.”
“Been a long while since I’ve cooked. I pop frozen dinners in the microwave when at home or order room service when on the road.”
He winced.
“But I haven’t forgotten how to do this, cowboy.”
“Layla.” His expression softened. “Honey. If you want to ride horses and cook and make love here on the ranch ... you’ll get no protest from me. It’s everything else that’s working against us.”
“I know.” She didn’t have to say more. Just followed him to his UTV and then freshened up at the house in quick order so they could get back to the chuck hall.