Chapter 15 Aubree
FIFTEEN
AUbrEE
There’s no reason that Jesse and Truett should be getting home this late in the middle of a storm. They were gone much longer than they should’ve been. If what Noah hinted at is true, then maybe they were scouting out their next location.
The front door shuts downstairs, and I hear Truett’s loud footsteps trudging up the stairs. Looking back outside, I watch as Jesse backs out of the drive. From here, I can see his taillights until he turns onto the main road, headed toward his own ranch.
Pulling my thumbnail in between my teeth, I glance at the clock. It’s after midnight, but I need answers. I need him to see me for who I am now, and not who I was back then.
The rain is still coming down hard as I go back and forth in my mind about what I should do.
My stomach is in knots, but I know one thing about myself.
I ran from here, then I ran from Chicago.
At some point, I have to stop running. At some point, I have to be a goddamn adult and face the fact that these boys stepped up and were the men of their families when no one else was.
It would be so easy to let Truett continue to take the burden of everything, but it’s not fair.
And to know exactly what’s been going on? I have to ask.
Truett won’t tell me, but I know Jesse. If I push him hard enough, he’ll tell me everything.
Mind made up, I get dressed, throw on a raincoat, and rush down the stairs. Before I can talk myself out of it, I’m outside, in Truett’s truck, and heading toward Jesse’s house.
“Aubree, you better hope you don’t regret this,” I tell myself as I slow down to pull onto the gravel road that leads to Dark Skies Ranch.
I haven’t been here in years, and since it’s so late at night, there’s no way for me to see much. I’m not entirely worried about it right now, either. All I want to do is talk to Jesse. As soon as I park, I open the door and hop down. That’s when I’m pressed against the driver’s door.
My heart hammers against my ribs as Jesse’s body cages me against the cold metal of the truck door.
The rain pounds down on us, soaking through my coat within seconds, but all I can focus on is the heat radiating from his chest pressed against mine.
His green eyes are wild in the darkness, reflecting the distant porch light like a predator caught in headlights.
“Jesse.” My voice comes out breathier than I intended. “I need to talk to you.”
“At midnight? In a goddamn thunderstorm?” His hands are braced on either side of my head, his face inches from mine. Water drips from his dark hair onto my cheek. “You’re gonna catch pneumonia out here.”
“I don’t care.” I push against his chest, but he doesn’t budge. “I know you and Truett are hiding something from me. Noah said—”
“Noah doesn’t know shit.” The words come out sharp, dangerous. Jesse’s jaw ticks under his beard. “Whatever he told you, forget it.”
“So there is something to forget now?” I arch an eyebrow, trying to ignore the way his proximity makes my skin tingle. “Just tell me the truth, Jesse. I’m not a child anymore.”
He laughs, but there’s no humor in it. “No, you’re not. But you’re still na?ve as hell if you think you can handle the truth.”
Rain streams down my face, mixing with the tears of frustration I refuse to let fall. “Try me.”
“Why?” He leans closer, his breath hot against my ear. “So you can run again? Like you did before?”
The accusation hits like a slap. “That’s not fair.”
“Isn’t it?” His voice drops to a growl. “You disappeared for years, Bree. Fucking years without a word to me. And now you waltz back here expecting us to trust you with our business?”
“I was eighteen!” The words tear from my throat. “After I kissed you, I was scared. I didn’t know what the hell was expected of me. It’s not like any of you wanted to help me.”
“And we would’ve helped you.” His forehead drops to rest against mine. “We would’ve done anything for you. But you didn’t give us the chance.”
The pain in his voice breaks something inside me. “I’m here now.”
“Are you? Or are you just biding your time until you find another reason to bolt?”
“Stop.” I grip the front of his soaked T-shirt. “Stop making me the villain. I came back because this is my home. Because you and Truett are my family, whether you want to admit it or not.”
Something shifts in his expression, the hardness cracking just enough to let vulnerability slip through. “Bree…”
“Just tell me what’s going on. Please.” I search his eyes. “I can’t stand being lied to anymore. I’ve had enough lies to last a lifetime.”
He’s quiet for a long moment, the only sounds the rain pounding against the truck and the distant rumble of thunder. When he speaks, his voice is raw. “You want the truth? Fine. Truett and I have been rustling cattle.”
The admission hits me like ice water. “What?”
“I’m not proud of it. Most of the time, it’s not from innocent ranchers,” he says quickly.
“From the bastards who’ve been squeezing out the small operations.
The ones who think they can buy up everything and push families off land that’s been theirs for generations.
” He licks at the rain on his upper lip.
“Or from the small operations that have men who like to lay hands on their wives. We teach a lesson.”
My mind reels. “Jesse, that’s…”
“Illegal? Yeah, I know.” His laugh is bitter. “But it’s the only way to keep your ranch afloat. The only way to make sure Truett doesn’t lose everything your family built.”
“There has to be another way.”
“There isn’t.” His hands come up to frame my face. “We’ve tried everything legal, Bree. Banks won’t lend, markets are shit, and the big operations are driving prices so low that honest ranchers can’t compete. So we take from those who have too much and make sure the little guys survive.”
“You could go to prison.”
“Better than watching everything die.” His thumb traces across my cheekbone. “But now you know why we can’t have you involved. Why we need you to stay away.”
“No.” The word comes out fiercer than I intended. “I’m not running this time. I’m not letting you and Truett carry this alone.”
“Goddammit, Bree…”
“I mean it.” I grab his wrists, holding his hands against my face. “I won’t be pushed away again. Not by you, not by anyone.”
He stares at me for a long moment, something dark and hungry flickering in his eyes. “You’re gonna be the death of me, woman.”
Before I can respond, his mouth crashes against mine.
The kiss is desperate, angry, full of years of frustration and longing.
I melt into him, my hands fisting in his shirt as he devours me like a man starved.
The rain continues to pour down on us, but I barely notice.
All I can feel is Jesse, his heat, his strength, the way he kisses me like he’s trying to brand me as his.
When we break apart, we’re both breathing hard. His green eyes are black with desire.
“We need to get inside,” he rasps. “Before you freeze to death.”
I nod, not trusting my voice. He takes my hand and pulls me toward the house, both of us running through the rain. By the time we reach the porch, we’re both soaked to the bone and shivering.
Jesse fumbles with the keys, his hands shaking, whether from cold or something else, I can’t tell. The moment the door opens, he pulls me inside and slams it shut behind us. We stand there dripping in his entryway, staring at each other.
“Bree,” he starts, but I silence him with another kiss.
This time, I’m the one in control. I push him back against the door, my tongue sliding against his as I pour seven years of want into the kiss. He groans low in his throat, his hands tangling in my wet hair.
“Upstairs,” I whisper against his lips. “Now.”
He doesn’t need to be told twice. In one smooth motion, he sweeps me up into his arms, carrying me like I weigh nothing. I wrap my arms around his neck, pressing kisses to his throat as he takes the stairs two at a time.
His bedroom is dark except for the lightning flashing outside the windows. He sets me down gently, his hands immediately going to the zipper of my raincoat. I help him shrug it off, then reach for the hem of his wet T-shirt.
“Are you sure about this?” he asks as I pull the shirt over his head. My breath catches at the sight of him, all lean muscle and intricate tattoos that I want to trace with my tongue. “Because once we do this, there’s no going back.”
Instead of answering, I reach behind me and unzip my dress, letting it pool at my feet. His eyes go wide, taking in every curve of my body in the dim light.
“Jesus, Bree.” His voice is reverent as his gaze settles on the heart-shaped birthmark on my breast. “You’re even more beautiful than I remembered.”
Heat floods through me at the look in his eyes. “Then stop talking and touch me.”
He doesn’t need any more encouragement. His hands are everywhere, skimming over my skin, reacquainting himself with every dip and curve. When his mouth follows the path of his hands, I arch beneath him, my fingers threading through his dark hair.
“I’ve wanted this for so long,” he murmurs against my throat. “Even when I tried to hate you for leaving, I still wanted you.”
“I never stopped wanting you either,” I confess, gasping as his teeth graze the sensitive spot where my neck meets my shoulder. “Not once. Not since I was a teenager.”
He lifts his head to look at me, his green eyes intense. “Then why did you leave?”
The question hangs between us, heavy with years of hurt and misunderstanding. I reach up to cup his face, my thumb stroking across his cheekbone.
“Because I was scared,” I admit. “Scared of what I felt for you. Scared of being trapped in a life I wasn’t ready for. Scared of disappointing everyone.”
“You could never disappoint me.” He presses a soft kiss to my palm. “You came back. That’s all that matters now.”
“Jesse…” I pull his face down to mine, kissing him with everything I have. This time, it’s not desperate or angry. It’s tender, full of promise and forgiveness and hope for what we might build together.
When we finally break apart, the storm outside has begun to quiet, the thunder growing more distant. Jesse’s forehead rests against mine, our breathing slowly returning to normal.
“Stay,” he whispers. “Don’t run from me again.”
I look into his eyes, seeing the vulnerability he’s trying to hide, the fear that I’ll disappear like I did before. But I’m not that scared eighteen-year-old anymore. I’m a woman who knows what she wants, and what I want is this, him, us, whatever future we can build together.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I promise, sealing the words with another kiss.
Outside, the rain continues to fall, but inside Jesse’s arms, I’ve finally found my way home.