The wooden door of the stall creaks and I freeze. Shit. I hold my breath and listen, but there are no footsteps approaching. As quietly as I can, I tiptoe my way to the back entrance of the stables and turn the corner, only to run right into him. He reaches for my hand, but I jerk away from him.
“You didn’t think you fooled me back there, did you?” He stares right into my eyes, but I refuse to give in.
“Screw you,” I hiss, turning on my heel. I march off but he follows close behind. “I have nothing to say to you.”
“Well, too bad. I have a shit-ton to say to you. Now stop being a brat and give me one minute.”
Sucking in a breath, I freeze. Did he really just call me a brat? Gritting my teeth, I face him head on. I half expect him to smirk, but there’s nothing but seriousness in his stormy electric blue gaze.
“All right, this ends now,” I snap, pushing on his chest. He steps back, his jaw clenched tight. “Call me a brat if you want, but I’m pissed and embarrassed. How the hell am I supposed to feel after I gave you my heart and you left? No explanations … nothing. All my father said was that you were done working with us.” Tears fill my eyes, and I hate myself for letting him see my pain. “You didn’t even have the decency to tell me you didn’t want to be with me anymore.” Huffing, I turn and march out of the stables. “Now I just feel like an idiot. So, by all means, make me sit down and hear all the reasons why you don’t want to be with me. Go ahead and call me childish, a brat, or whatever you like. I don’t care anymore,” I say, waving my arms in the air. “At least I wasn’t afraid to let you in.”
My heart thunders in my chest. It felt good to scream out my feelings, but now they are no longer mine. Never have I ever let anyone see the vulnerable side of me.
Out of nowhere, a lasso is thrown around my body. I scream when the rope bites into my skin, burning as Colby tightens it. I struggled to break free, but it’s so tight, even my hands start to tingle. I try to stand my ground, but the harder he pulls, the tighter it gets.
“Dammit, Colby. Let me go! I can’t feel my hands.” I have no choice but to willingly move my feet. If I don’t, he’ll drag me across the ground through the dirt. My dignity is more important.
“You shouldn’t have walked away,” he growls, his voice by my ear. He jerks me around and pushes me into one of the empty stalls. I turn my face away, but he grabs my chin. “I don’t think so, princess. You’re going to look at me when I say this. Do you want me to tie your hands and feet together too?”
I have no doubt he’ll do it. “Fine,” I huff, lifting my glare to his. “What do you want?”
His lips close over mine, hard and raw as he forces his tongue inside. I try to fight him off, but it’s a half-ass attempt. Who am I kidding? I don’t want him to stop. Not to mention, I can’t move. I’m at his mercy, and I like it. He pushes me into the wall, rubbing his arousal against me. Moaning, I bite his lip and he pulls away.
“You,” he growls, leaning his forehead to mine. “I’ve always wanted you, even when I knew I shouldn’t. You made it hard not to fall in love with you.” He loosens the rope and pulls me into his arms, kissing me again.
My fingers tingle from the blood rushing to them. I run them through his hair and smile. It’s been so long since I’ve been this close to him. I’ve missed it. “Ditto,” I say.
Colby stares into my eyes as he clasps my face in his strong hands. I can still feel his arousal and it makes my body tighten in anticipation. I want him more than I’ve wanted anything in my life.
My breath comes out in rapid pants and I can see the hunger in his eyes. He looks down at my lips, all control slipping away. The air is electric all around us, pulling us closer together. I love the way it feels, and I don’t want it to stop.
Colby’s jaw clenches and he closes his eyes. “You’re killing me, Bri. There are so many things I want to do right now.”
He tries to step away, but I grab his arms. “And I’m not going to stop you. I want this, Colby. Don’t you dare walk away from me again.”