Chapter 22
Brett
George and Isabelle left an hour ago after George arrested the reporter for trespassing, and then secured the property twice over to make sure nobody else was lurking around.
I’m hoping George shoving the camera away when the reporter tried to snap more pictures over his shoulder was enough to break it. He ran off, not before George tackled him, and Izzy and Bailey stood there watching from behind the curtain in complete shock.
I’m not gonna lie, it unnerved me that somebody could get into Cedar Hollow, but I also understand Bailey’s place is pretty open, even with the fences, all he had to do was go farther around the property and scale the fence.
I called my dad and he’s gonna have my team come out first thing in the morning. I hoped it wouldn’t ever come to this, but I’m also not putting Bailey’s safety at risk, or her privacy. That isn’t fair. She didn’t sign up for this, or reporters snapping photos of her in her own home.
Now it’s just the two of us, and I wanted to keep good on my promise earlier before Izzy and George showed up with reinforcements.
“Baby,” I groan as Bailey rides me, reverse cowgirl, my hands on that sexy ass that I spanked just earlier. She loves it, and I love hearing her moan my name over and over. “You look so fuckin’ hot.”
She has her hands planted on the mattress as she rises and falls on my dick, painfully slow, it’s almost like torture. Goddamn it. I could watch her do that all night with her long hair flowing down her back.
“You know you owe me big time for this,” she pants.
“For reverse cowgirl?” I mutter.
“No, for keeping you in the lap of luxury in my bed.”
“I was knee deep in horse shit today for you, haven’t I proved my worth yet?”
She laughs. “Not by a long shot, Cowboy. I’m not easy to get.”
I love how she thinks, and Amen to that. She bounces down harder, a little faster, and when I push up into her, lifting my hips, she groans. “Brett!” her cries ring out around the room.
“Right here, baby. Come for me.”
I sit up slightly, resting back on my hands as I watch her bounce. My god, she’s perfect. “Take it, baby, that’s right.”
I thrust as she bounces down, and it’s only a few moments until she’s crying out my name once more. She drives me wild when she does that. All her inhibitions are lost, and I love it.
I pull her off me and she falls back into my arms. I kiss the side of her head. “Do you know how hard it is for me not to come harder than I ever have just watchin’ you do that?”
She turns her head to kiss me. “I guess I’d better go easy on you, huh, old man, don’t want you breaking any bones.”
I grin, kissing her, my tongue invading her mouth as we get lost once more in each other. She turns in my arms, grips my cock and slides down on me as we tangle ourselves around one another.
“So fuckin’ pretty,” I tell her. “Such a good girl for me.”
“I’m not gonna be so good for you at work tomorrow,” she says, staying seated with me buried inside her. It’s pure torture. “So don’t think I am.”
“I’m sure I could get used to you bossin’ me around.”
“Don’t bet on it.” She raises her hips, then slams back down.
My eyes roll into the back of my head as I hold her steady, my hands on either side of her hips. “I could do this all night.”
“Or until ten pm, because that’s my cutoff for sleep.” I love how fucking serious she is when she says that. Well, maybe half serious. My girl, laying down the law, just as she should.
“I’ll take whatever I can get, sweetheart.”
We’re a hot, sweaty mess as we fuck like goddamn rabbits, both unable to get enough of one another. I don’t want to hold off because this feeling is too good, but I also love her falling apart on top of me.
“Fuck, baby, I’m gonna come.”
“Brett,” she cries out, but I don’t let up as I pump up and she steadies herself, her head tipping back as she comes harder. “Harder, Daddy.”
Oh, fuck.
I dip my mouth to one perfect nipple and suck on it, riding out her pleasure as I still and come like goddamn thunder. “Fuck,” I mutter on a ragged breath.
I don’t know which one of us is breathing heavier, but it doesn’t matter. It’s glorious. She is glorious. I love that we can be like this, and neither of us needs words.
I push back her hair from over her face, her cheeks flushed and her eyes blazing. “Satisfied, Boss Lady?”
“Not nearly.”
I chuckle. “You’re definitely gonna keep me on my toes, no doubt about it.”
“Did you mean what you said?” she pants. “Earlier, about staying?”
I press my forehead to hers. “I’d like that, but I also know that it’s imposin’ on you. I wanna be able to take you out on a date, and I can’t exactly do that right now until things calm down.”
“They will, it’s just a novelty because you’ve been away for a while. People haven’t seen or heard from you recently.”
“And I would’ve liked to keep it that way,” I sigh.
She kisses my nose. “I know, but they won’t be getting anywhere near you after your security gets here, right?”
“Yes, and that’ll also ease George’s load. I can’t expect him to use all his people power to babysit me, it’s ridiculous.”
“Maybe it would help if you gave a statement?”
She’s probably right. I only gave a brief one when I left court because I really just wanted to get the hell out of there.
The woman committed perjury, and that is a criminal offense in itself, on top of that, I didn’t want to hang around to see what happened next.
I’d been through the ringer, enough was enough.
Audience goodwill surely turned my way after everything she put me through, but I didn’t stay in Nashville long enough to care.
I wanted out. The life and soul felt like it had been sucked out of me.
“Maybe.”
“What about your creepy manager?”
“He’s gone, but I will need to look for somebody new.”
“Do you have connections?”
I pinch her chin gently. “You’re too cute. You make it sound like the mafia or something.”
“What else am I supposed to call it?”
“I just can’t believe we’re still talkin’ business while I’m still in you.”
“Call me multi-skilled.”
I swear to god. I’ll never tire of this woman.
Bailey
“Here I was thinkin’ I’d have to hide in the trunk,” Brett laughs when I take the long way to work the next day. It means going through the back of my property, through several locked gates and an extremely bumpy dirt track, but we get to the Lawless Farms unscathed.
“I feel like a fucking milkshake,” I groan, my stomach a little queasy after all the rocking.
“I don’t know, I think you look just fine to me.”
“Well, don’t come too close, if I barf, I can’t be blamed.”
He chuckles. “Listen, I’m sorry about this.”
“Don’t be sorry to me, you’ve got bigger fish to fry with the Lawless’s; they had to kick a bunch of reporters out from the property this morning because they found out where I worked.” I kill the engine and tug on my scrunchie, securing my low ponytail. “These people are literally insane.”
“I am fully aware of that,” he says. “And trust me, they get pretty sneaky, last night was nothin’.”
“If you’re trying to scare me off, that won’t work, Bretty-Boy.”
“You say that now, but honestly, I wouldn’t blame you if you—”
I put a finger over his lips to silence him, then lean forward and replace my finger with a kiss.
We barely touch when Brett’s door is yanked open at the same time mine is.
“What the…” Sadie is at Brett’s side, and Izzy is on mine.
“God, you two, get a room!” Izzy scolds. “We’ve spent half the morning trying to not get my dad and brother arrested kicking these asswipe reporters off the property.”
“Yeah, it’s been pretty crazy around here.” Sadie winces. “Sorry you have to go through this, guys. Brett, I don’t think we’ve officially met? I’m Sadie, Bailey’s bestie and Zane’s fiance.”
Brett shakes her hand and tips his hat. “Pleased to meet you.”
“Likewise. You guys better duck for cover fast before someone sees you,” Sadie says as we hop out of the truck. “Though, don’t worry, bookings are up fifty percent since yesterday, so Mom and Dad don’t mind one little bit about that part.”
Brett laughs. “Happy to give back where I can.”
“They’re hound dogs,” Izzy confirms. “I had someone ring this morning, pretending to be a long-lost uncle. Can you believe that? They wanted your room number. I told them to go take a hike.”
“Thanks,” Brett says. “I’m sorry to be so much trouble.”
She waves it off. “It’s the most exciting thing to happen since Dolly was on the slopes.”
Brett eyes me mischievously. “I’m sure she was the talk of the town.”
“Wait?” I frown. “Have you met Dolly?”
He rubs his chin, snickering. “I’m a country singer, what do you think?”
My eyes widen. I hadn’t thought to ask him that when George first mentioned it last night. It also seems like Iz is still miffed about George being into older women, even though she’s trying to hide it.
“He’s just showing off now,” Sadie laughs.
“Uh, oh.” I point over to JB, who’s hanging by the stables, glancing around nervously like someone is gonna jump out at her any second.
When we approach, she shoves her phone at me, smiling sweetly at Brett. “Take a look at this!”
We all gather around the cell and I can’t believe what I’m seeing. That sneaky bastard!
“Country’s favorite cowboy loved up with a mystery woman in the heart of a Wyoming small town,” Izzy reads the heading aloud.
“Fans were left speechless when news broke that Rock Altman has been found safe and well in Alpine Falls; Wyoming’s picturesque ski resort town, where rumors were confirmed he has a new lady love.
” She pauses as I don’t even dare blink.
“The mystery woman is believed to be a farmhand on a local ranch—”
“Stable manager!” I correct tersely. “If they’re gonna print shit about me, they could at least get it right.”
“Shhh!” Sadie and JB say at the same time.
“We’re trying to concentrate,” Izzy adds.
“And it’s believed Rock has been staying with the woman since his arrival in town two weeks ago.”
“It’s one week,” I amend. “God, they’re not very good fact checkers.”
As she scrolls down, we all gasp at the same time. There’s a picture of me and Brett, and it looks like we’re going in for a kiss. Both our eyes are closed and we’re pouting in the most unflattering way, well, I am. Brett, of course, looks perfect.
“Holy shit,” JB says.
Izzy giggles.
Sadie shakes her head, annoyed. “Wow, they really do go all out for a story, don’t they?”
“Oh, you’ve no idea,” Brett says. “Which is why it’s probably best if I think about goin’ home.”
“No!” I burst out.
I feel all eyes on me.
“Let’s get inside,” Iz suggests. “Before they take any more photos and claim we’re all gang banging.” Only Izzy could come up with something like that, I swear.
“Jesus, Iz,” Sadie says as we make our way inside. Our gazes are still all locked on the cell phone; JB is more like the Pied Piper than a small town baker, but we’re all poised to see what’s next.
“Knowing our handsome country crooner, this could be more than just a spring fling. A source tells us this romance could’ve been going on secretly for months, but we think this loved up couple could have been hiding out long before that,” JB goes on.
“We’re not starting any rumors over here, but it leaves one wondering—could this mystery woman be… Oh my god!”
I freeze. “Could she be what?” I try not to screech.
JB shakes her head, a hand over her mouth, as we all wait with bated breath.
Sadie, the only sane one here, takes over. “Could this mystery woman be hiding the early signs of a baby bump?” She tsks, then glances at me sympathetically. “What a jerk. You do not look pregnant!”
My eyes widen. My god! You have one extra piece of mud cake with a healthy dollop of double cream, and everyone loses their minds. Pregnant? The nerve!
“What the fuck?” I growl, grabbing the phone. Someone actually took the picture of our non-kiss, zoomed in on my perfectly flat stomach, and circled it. “How dare they!” I shout. “So what if I had a food coma baby? They’ve no right to weight shame someone! Goddamn asshat.”
Brett winces, looking more troubled as the morning ticks on. “Damn asshole. I’ll slap a cease and desist on him and get the magazine to retract what he wrote,” he tells me. “Bailey, I’m sorry.”
“It’s okay,” I say, not wanting him to get stressed. “None of this is your fault.”
“By the way, if you were pregnant, which we know you’re not,” JB says. “They have no right to print something like that. Zooming in on your body? Ick!”
“Oh, I’ll have a nice little chat with Benny Jamison when I choke him with those stupid suspenders,” I say, screwing up my nose when his picture appears at the bottom of the article.
“That’ll be after I break his fucking nose,” Brett affirms. “If you’ll excuse me, ladies, I need to make a few calls.”
I know what he’s thinking: that I won’t stick this out, but he’s wrong. I can deal with whatever these asswipes throw at me. I’m made of tough stuff, and that’s something Brett has to come to realize.
I know who I am, and I know who I’m not.
I also know what I want…