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“It might seem like my life is sunshine and glitter and rainbows, but you don’t have the monopoly on having bad shit in your life, West.”
Okay, he didn’t like the sound of that. And the fact that he really didn’t like hearing that made him bite back without thinking.
“Not sure our bad shit is on an equal par, girl. What happened? You didn’t get invited to the prom?”
“I’m twenty-five not sixteen, asshole.”
“Yeah? Then what are you talking about?”
“Like I’d tell you now. The gate is firmly closed. You’re on one side, I’m on the other. And don’t worry, I won’t make the mistake of letting you in again. Good luck with life, West. Fuck knows you’ll need it.”
Okay, her swearing at him hit him harder than he’d thought it would. And he couldn’t work out why. He had no objection to a woman swearing. But hearing “little miss sunshine shines out my ass” swear just didn’t seem right to him.
“Girl—”
He looked over to find she’d already moved. Fuck, how did she move so damn quietly? He stared over to where she was standing next to her horse. The stallion was fucking huge, no way she could get on herself. He stormed over, knowing he’d have to put his hands on her one last time to help her up, but he was brought to a halt as the horse knelt and let her on. Then it moved back onto its hooves, and without a look back, she was gone, racing in the direction of her ranch.
Leaving him alone.
Just the way he wanted it. Right?
She rode Beast as fast as she dared in the waning light. Tears blurred her vision, so she let him lead, knowing he’d head home. Beast was a special horse. He was all she’d had for years. Her best friend, really.
Pathetic, Flick.
She’d hoped the move to Haven would change her life. And she’d thought it had. She’d made friends in town. The women of Haven were looked after by everyone. The men were dominant but protective. It had seemed like a dream come true after living much of her life in isolation or around toxic people who didn’t understand her.
She’d thought this place was it. Her chance to build a life. Find a real family. Break her way free.
But she’d fucked it all up. Why him? Why did she have to set her sights on him? He was
such a jerk. Asshole. Bastard.
But the worst of it all is that she couldn’t blame him. Because she’d known. She’d been told. Over and again.
West Malone wasn’t a man you messed with. West Malone didn’t do soft and gentle. West Malone would never love again.
Obviously, he’d loved before. And loved hard if he intended to live the rest of his life with just her memory for company.
“His loss, right, Beast?”
Her horse didn’t answer. And she knew if he could, he’d be calling her all kinds of foolish. He’d be telling her to get real. Because West was right. She lived in her head. Where it was safe. And kind. And she got to have a happy ever after.
But she should have known life didn’t have that planned for her. She’d been an idiot, setting her sights on the untouchable. She should have found someone sweet and gentle, like West had told her to. Someone normal.
But she’d taken one look at those Malone boys, with all their craziness, humor, and insane loyalty and she’d wanted that for herself.
Oh, hell. Had he been right? Had she wanted him for his family?
She thought about that for a minute. Maybe in the beginning. But if all she’d wanted was his family, then she would have chosen an easier brother. There was nothing easy about West Malone. And when she really thought about it, she knew she’d take West Malone, family or not.
She entered the house, her mind still raced with everything West had said. Every mean word. She didn’t know why he thought he got to be an asshole to her. It wasn’t like she’d been actually stalking him. If he’d just told her to back off, that he didn’t want her, it would have been enough.
After what he’d done, she knew she wouldn’t be going back to the Malone ranch in a hurry, and that hurt as well. Now, she no longer had those crazy boys making her laugh. She didn’t have Mia’s sweetness and friendship, and that hurt so bad it made it hard to breathe. Once again, she had nothing.
Walking into her house, that usual shiver of dread ran down her spine. Part of it was the house. She knew the story of this place. How the previous owner had gotten into bed with the mob, and it had cost him his life. The same mob guys that had kidnapped Mia. Right there, in that living room, was where Osborne had died. Was where Mia had been held and terrorized.
And she had to live in this place. She, who had a head filled with rainbows and butterflies and glitter. How ridiculous was that? West had no idea about her life. No idea about anything. None of them did.
