Chapter 19
CHAPTER NINETEEN
stetson
Boyfriend, my fucking ass.
Since when? Just weeks ago, when I had her screaming my name, begging me to choke and fuck her?
I don’t fucking buy it.
Not that I can even tell her that because she’s Nate’s daughter.
Daughter.
The hits just keep coming. Last I checked, Emma was Nate’s only daughter, and she’s nineteen. Not thirty. So, unless I’ve just been an idiot friend and missed an entire conversation about another child of his, I’m gonna take a wild guess and say he kept this from me. From all of us.
But why?
I saw the look on Abigail’s face, too. Even years ago, she never knew about Cove. There has never been mention of another daughter. It’s always been Nate, Misty, and Emma.
Sadly, I see the resemblance. They have the same eyes. Eyes I’ve worshipped and pined after longer than I care to admit. Nathaniel has always been dark featured, and Cove takes after him. Naturally tan skin. It matches up, but I don’t want to fucking believe it.
If I do, then that makes her even more off-limits. However, a part of me remembers a conversation I had with Cove in Chicago, one in which I’m almost positive I remember her calling her father a sperm donor.
It didn’t feel like the time to dive into those types of questions, but now I’m wishing I had. She mentioned he wasn’t around, but to what extent, I don’t know.
I pace in the kitchen of the main house, needing to get away from the crowd for a moment. I can’t think. This week was already stressful enough, knowing I had to be “on” and entertain. Now, add in the woman I’m crazy about being here with another man, and she’s also the daughter of my best friend?
I’m shit for luck.
I need a coffee. And a strong one, at that.
I shuffle through the cabinets, my mind clearly too perplexed to remember where I store the cups.
It’s like I’m a guest in my own home. I finally find my brainpower and sigh in relief that I stowed away my favorite cup before the party started.
I inspect it thoroughly, making sure the ceramic chip is where I want it.
Relief washes over me when I see it, grateful for one thing going my way.
I let the coffee brew and lean forward with my hands above me on the cabinets, fighting to regain composure. I’m known to be patient and controlled. A temper has never been something I’ve struggled with.
But today? I’m lucky if a raging temper is all that I show.
I’ve been driving myself mad with worry, wondering why I haven’t heard back from Cove. Is it because she’s been seeing someone else all along? Did she fuck me while going back home to fuck him, too?
Do I fuck her better?
I can’t figure it out. All of this just seems entirely out of left field.
The moment she stood from the Rover, I saw red. Blinding darkness. The most primal instinct took over, not giving a damn whose hand she held.
It was meant to be mine. Mine.
It’s no secret that this feeling is new to me, but I’m in too deep to bury it. Yet, something in my gut tells me I have to.
Is it because Cove is very clearly taken?
Or is it because she’s Nate’s daughter?
If he knew all the filthy ways I’ve defiled her, he would surely castrate me on the spot. And I’d deserve every second of it.
But in my defense, I didn’t know. Had I known, I would never have touched her. Never attempted to chat her up in the airport and discover how fucking special she is.
And here I thought, starting my evening, my only issue was not hearing from her. It seems much bigger problems were on the rise.
Fuck. Fuck. Fuck.
Nate is practically family. Is he a royal asshole?
Yes. But he’s also a man of his word, at least he was.
I can’t speak for who he is today. It’s been too long since he came around.
But he stood by my family all those years ago during Abigail’s diagnosis.
Way before Kyle was even in the picture.
There’s this unspoken loyalty our families have with each other.
Which makes deceiving him any further feel like a slap in the face.
I could bury this. Take it to the vault and never speak of it again. It can be a mistake kept in the past where it was meant to be. Cove has moved on, anyway. I guarantee she’d have no problem considering us a wash.
But the twinging in my fucking heart thinks otherwise.
Maybe if I talk to Nate and see where his head is, I can make a more sound decision? Yeah. That’s what I’ll do. Try to get some answers and see why he kept Cove a secret for so long.
I guarantee Abbi is already drilling him.
The moment the scorched caffeine from the heavens touches my tongue, I feel my mind instantly relax. I’ve always had an unhealthy addiction to coffee. It soothes me, even on the hottest of days.
It was also the one thing in my life that I could use as an excuse to rest. To slow down for a moment before the craziness of ranch duties took over for the day. It’s something I cling to now, even when my thoughts run haywire.
Some smoke dope, I drink coffee.
It could always be worse.
My peace is interrupted at the sound of the side door leading to the patio area slamming shut. “Shit,” a soft voice mutters, the shake rattling the house.
“Needs to be replaced.”
Cove’s head turns to face me, her skin flushed as embarrassment paints her features. I hate how beautiful she looks. I could stare at her like this all day. The glow from the outdoor lights illuminates through the side door window panes. Even at this hour, she’s radiant.
“Didn’t expect it to be that heavy.” She laughs under her breath, and I hate how uncomfortable this feels. I should be angry with her, but right now, all I can think about is wanting to hold her again.
But I don’t say anything, just watch her closely.
“Bathroom?” She points down the hall.
I nod, not taking my eyes away. “First door on the left.”
Cove locates the bathroom, and the second I hear the door shut, I let out the suffocating breath I’ve been holding in. Cove is in my home. Something I only ever dreamed of happening one day.
But she’s not here as mine. And she’s my best friend’s daughter.
Suddenly, I need answers like I need fucking air.
My feet lead me to the bathroom door without reservation.
I scan the living room in search of watching eyes, thankful to be alone.
The glow underneath the door shines through the threshold, brightening the hallway that leads to four rooms around me.
Before I can think better of it, I tap my knuckles against the door, and instantly the sink shuts off.
The door flies open, and Cove’s startled face comes into view.
How can she be so astoundingly stunning, yet frustrate the ever-loving shit out of me at the same time?
My hand meets the top of the door frame as I lean into her personal space. But I don’t move. Not yet, at least. “Why are you here?” I agonize.
“I was invited,” she states, reclaiming her confidence. It’s hot as fuck.
“Last I checked, this was my house.” I tick my tongue, a persistent act to keep my mind occupied. If not, I may reach for her.
Cove’s eyes fall closed, and for a moment, I’m afraid I made her cry. But when she opens them again, I’m met with molten hostility. “No problem,” she snaps. “I’ll just leave, then.”
She attempts to shove past me, but not a fucking chance am I letting her go yet.
Not until I get my answers. With her arm in my grasp, I shove us into the confines of the tight powder room, shut the door behind us, and turn the lock.
We’re less than a breath away, neither of us making any effort to retreat.
The fact that she’s Nate’s daughter fucks with my thinking, leading me to press her against the stone countertop before taking as many steps back as humanly possible.
Distance is better. Figures, just hours ago, I wanted the exact opposite.
“Did you come here to fuck with me, Cove? Is that it? Felt bad for the pathetic cowboy desperate to see you again? Figured showing up here with another man was the easy way to let me down?”
She reaches for her clutch but doesn’t attempt to open it. Seems we both need a distraction. “I would never intentionally hurt you like that.”
“Your grand entrance tells me something very different. So, is it true?”
Cove lowers her head before lifting it again to look me in the eyes. “Is what true, Stetson?” Her tone is defeated despite her poised exterior.
I take one step closer, the air in the already cramped bathroom stifling. “Are you Nate’s daughter?”
“According to my genetics, yes.”
What the fuck is that supposed to mean?
Nate never told me about her. Never even told Abbi after all this time. But why keep something as precious as a child from the people closest to you?
I need to hear it from him. But also, she didn’t deny it, which means either way, Cove is off-limits. She has to be. “I’m sensing a bit of an attitude, Cove. If your father weren’t nearby, I’d be tempted to take you over my fucking knee.”
“Maybe you should.” She smirks. “Teach me a lesson in sinning.”
I can’t help it. My cock twitches in my jeans, thinking of how good it would feel to punish her.
“I’m gonna pass. You get nothing good from me anymore.
” I cross my arms at my chest and just watch her.
Watch as Cove processes what’s happening.
I won’t fight for someone who doesn’t want me.
And as much as I desperately want her, I’ll learn to forget about it.
Forget about her.
I won’t betray my best friend, and despite thinking her boyfriend is a fucking tool bag, I have more class than to go after another man’s woman. Let alone a woman who would do this to me after I told her how I felt.
I take another step closer, standing tall enough to feel huge next to her tall frame. The skintight dress she has on, the sweetness of her skin that I can smell from here, and the matted paperback pages I spot peeking out of her clutch—it all feels painfully familiar.
Cove Davenport is in her most intoxicating form.
“No. Please. Enjoy the party,” I sigh with an edge to my voice.
“But tell me something, Cove.” I hate myself for being so hard on her, but goddamn it, I’m hurt.
“How much did you miss me? Did you ache for me the way I fucking ached for you? Or does that city slicker out there make you forget everything we had?”
I have to know before I end this thing between us for good.
There’s a struggle in her eyes, and it confuses me. One moment, she appears composed and defiant. Next, it’s like she wants to cling to me like a second skin and never let go. Maybe that’s her guilt. Or maybe it’s just the same reckless abandon I feel around her, finally giving in.
Rising off the counter, Cove lifts her chin and closes in on me. “He satisfies every single one of my aches, Stetson. That’s a non-issue.”
Knife, meet heart.
This hurt in my chest is the pain I’ve fought to avoid all these years. I knew the feeling would kill me if I let it. And I want nothing to do with it any longer. “Then it’s a good thing he’s all you’ve got now, isn’t it?”
Her eyes blink slowly. “I guess so. Now, if you’ll excuse me. I’ve got a boyfriend to dance with.” She shoves past me, exiting the bathroom like she can’t vanish fast enough.
I’m an asshole. But maybe this is how I establish boundaries for myself, despite wanting her so badly. This is how it has to be.
I went my whole life without Cove, up until a few months ago. What’s fifty more years?