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She’s fine. Everything’s fine.
As he headed up the stairs, Kinsley called, “And I asked for more chocolate milk, too.”
Given this was a working ranch, they’d had to situate the cabins relatively close to the main road. They couldn’t have guests traipsing across pasture or grazing land or risk them getting mixed up with bulls, horses, and farm equipment.
The moment he stepped out of his cabin, he heard the music.Shit.He thought of the hardworking hands being jolted awake at the sound of a Lorelei Calloway song.
It was a late June morning—still chilly in the mountains—and he hadn’t grabbed a jacket. He stopped to take in the sunrise. As he stood there watching streaks of golden sunlight cut through the violet sky, he took in this land that had been in his family for a hundred and fifty years. He’d always loved it—even while resenting the time it took away from hockey and his friends.
It was the reason he didn’t get a contract right out of high school like his friends had.
And then, it became the reason why he didn’t get to play at all.
He had no regrets, though. As he took in the stark mountains, the snowy peaks glistening in the growing light, and the thousands of acres of rolling hills, he knew he wouldn’t have made a different choice. Even if things hadn’t turned out the way they had with Booker, he would still have chosen to stay home and find a way to make the ranch profitable.
Thinking about the accident, he rubbed his chest. He’d long ago accepted the nightmares and the shocks of adrenaline that hit his system when his mind threw out a random memory from that night.
Sometimes, to get his heart rate back under control, he’d remind himself that Booker was alive and one of the top sports agents in the country. And that through it all, Jaime had gotten to keep this ranch. He’d enabled his parents to ease up on their backbreaking work. And he’d finally become a good role model to his siblings.
When he reached her cabin, he gave the courtesy of a knock, but he knew she’d never hear it. Not only was she blasting music, but she was also singing along at the top of her lungs. So, after his first attempt went unanswered, he turned the knob and walked in.
The small but open space was lit up, and even with the windows flung wide, it was warm. The place smelled like sweet, yeasty bread. Every available surface had trays of…What is that?He moved closer to get a better look and found bright yellow lemon bars, red and blue fruit tarts, a variety of pastel-colored macarons, and several glossy chocolate cakes.
Funny, but when they’d stopped at the grocery store on the way home, he hadn’t paid attention to her purchases. He’d been too busy talking to her.
Well, and reining in his base instincts. But he’d assumed she’d gotten a few basics like milk, eggs, and butter. Things to tide her over until she went back home. Not yeast, sugar, andcookie sheets.
The music ended abruptly, leaving a silence that pulsed and vibrated.
“Grace—”
But she didn’t hear him because, apparently, the song hadn’t ended. It had only paused before the melody changed to something slow, sexy, and sultry. And somehow, Lorelei Calloway and Grace Giordano’s voices merged.
Her eyes closed, her hips swayed, and she picked up the spatula and used it as a microphone, singing a cappella. Her voice was clear as a bell. It was stunning.
And then, the beat kicked in, and she was back to jumping and bouncing and tossing all that dark hair from side to side.
Jesus, this woman. She was so…vibrant and spirited. So happy.
How could anyone cause her harm?
From out of nowhere, a longing hit. He couldn’t describe it, couldn’t begin to explain it. It just tore through him like a brutal wind, knocking down everything in its path, leaving him raw and exposed.
Forcing him to face an ugly truth. He’d been working so hard to be a better man, to make up for the pain he’d caused, but he hadn’t changed one bit. He was still the same irresponsible, selfish asshole he’d always been.
And he knew that because he wanted to fuck his friend’s fiancée so badly, he could feel the shape of her ass in his hands and the taste of her mouth on his tongue. He wanted to grab that long hair and yank back her head, pull down those floral pajama shorts, and kick her legs apart with his knee. He wanted to slide his cock into her slick heat.
A fierce desire grabbed hold of him, so beyond anything he’d ever experienced that it scared him.
But he’d managed to control himself for ten years, he could do it now. The selfish impulses might still be there, but he hadn’t acted on them.
And he wouldn’t now.
He found the speaker and snatched the plug from the socket.
Grace’s body jerked, as she spun around and threw the spatula at him. “Oh.” Her hand slapped against her chest, and she burst out laughing. “Jaime. You scared me to death.”
“Sorry. I knocked, but you didn’t hear.”
