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He looked away from me as he delivered the final blow. “Fucked her. Used rubbers and told her I would buy her a Plan B when we were done, and that I would watch her take it. I didn’t need a kid, not with a woman like her. She was just a fuck. Mason came home, found her in my bed as I was trying to get her out of it, and that’s when it happened. That woman was Cathy, and she was his fiancée of six months. They had been together for two years and he promised her the world.”
Silence filled the room.
He wasn’t done. “She spat out her venomous lies, telling my brother I knew she was engaged. I didn’t even know her fuckingname, Valerie. There wasn’t a ring on her finger, but my brother believed her. He believed I would pursuehis woman. He kicked her out, called her a whore, and took his ring back. She had it in her fucking pocket.Her pocket.Then, he turned to me and told me how much he hated me. How I was a piece of shit brother, even though I explained I didn’t know who she was. Hell, I hadn’t talked to the guy infive fucking years. I didn’t know he was dating, let alone engaged.”
“Denver,” I rasped, my heart aching for him.
He was innocent in all of this, but he was taking the brunt of everything.
My broken cowboy.
“Two months later, Mason was gone, Pops was off the deep end, and she came back to Hallow Ranch with an ultrasound. She expected me to marry her, and to give her the life Mase promised her. After she had Caleb, she left town for three months. She was chasing after Mason.”
I was shaking my head, disgusted at that vile woman.
“There you have it,” he finished, his jaw jumping. His shoulders were tense, his feet were planted apart, like he was bracing for something.
Wrath.
Anger.
Judgment.
Hatred.
Denver Langston would receive none of that from me. Wordlessly, I made my way around the island, my eyes never leaving his gray ones. There was one more step between us and I lunged for him, jumping up to wrap my arms around his neck. My lips collided against his.
I kissed him with the forgiveness he needed.
I kissed him with the gentleness he craved.
I kissed him with the love we both desired.
A groan left his throat as he unfolded his arms and set his hands on my waist. His tongue worked against mine, and nibbled and sucked his bottom lip before fluttering my tongue against his again. His fingers flexed against me, squeezing me tighter as I angled my head to kiss him deeper, my fingers diving into his hair.
The world went on around us as I gave him everything I had with a single kiss.
My dark cowboy was broken, and in turn, that broke me.
I wanted to put him back together again. I wanted him to beloved.
When I pulled away, breathless, I met his lust-filled gaze. “Mason was wrong,” I said firmly. His jaw tightened. He needed to hear this. “He should have listened to you. You’re his brother.”
“Baby, he’s a cowboy,” he defended softly.
My head shook against his forehead. “No, no, that’s not—”
“Cowboys aren’t like other men.”
“You’re the best man I’ve ever met,” I countered, my voice a weak whisper as tears stinged my eyes.
“You’re standing there defending me when I was the one—”
“She wasn’t wearing a ring, Denver. She played you. Sheusedyou. She played your brother, and instead of you two leaning on each other—he—he just left!” I stammered, anger rising in me.
Though his jaw was tight, and his shoulders tense, his eyes were warm as he assessed me, and when he spoke his voice was soft. “He’s my brother, baby. If I were in his shoes, I would’ve beat the shit out of him.”
“No—”
