When we got back to the ranch, she went straight to the kitchen and pounded a glass of water. I sat down at the bar, but she had her back to me. “I didn’t want him touching you, Hadley. I was walking away from the fight and I lost my temper. Just hearing his threat of coming after you again threw me over the edge.”

Sighing, she placed the glass in the sink and slowly turned around. “I understand, Blake. I didn’t realize he had done that. Have you two always hated each other?”

“It’s complicated.”

She snorted. “Let me guess, it involves a girl?”

“Yeah, but it’s history.”

“I see,” she said, taking the seat across from me. Clasping her hands on the counter, she fiddled with her thumbs. “I’m not going to lie, seeing you so angry was a little frightening. It was like you were a different person.”

“I think we all are when we get angry. Sometimes it can fuel our strength.”

“Strong emotions can also lead to irrational decisions,” she added.

I looked into her bright blue eyes. “You’re right, they can.” Which was why I wanted to stay away from her. She wanted me, and I couldn’t let her know how deep my wanting was for her. It’d be a mistake to let her in. Pushing my chair back, I stood. “I’m going to take a shower and get some sleep. You might want to drink a little more water. It’ll help with the hangover in the morning.”

She rolled her eyes. “I told you, I’m not drunk. I had a buzz earlier, but it’s gone. I promise, I’m fine.”

I didn’t believe her for a second. “Goodnight, Hadley.”

“Goodnight.”

I wanted to kiss her so fucking bad, but I turned and marched out of the room. My dick was going to hate me once the mission was over. I’d walked away from Hadley several times and ended up with the worst case of blue balls. Why couldn’t I shut everything off and just fuck her and not think about her anymore?

Once in my room, I kicked the door shut and went straight to the shower. A couple of my knuckles were split open but they didn’t hurt anymore. It could’ve been the adrenaline talking. I took a long, hot shower until the aching feeling in my muscles surfaced. The room was full of steam and when I opened the door, it billowed out . . . that’s when something on my bed caught my attention.

“What are you doing?” I growled.

Hadley bit her lip and dropped the robe she had on. Fuck me. I couldn’t help but gaze down her body as she swayed up to me and pressed her tits against my chest. My dick responded instantly.

“I’m going to try this again, Blake. I want you, not just your body, but you. I’ve never felt this excited about anyone before. It has to mean something. You may say you don’t want me, but I think that’s a lie.” She reached between us and wrapped her hand around my cock. I could explode right there on her stomach, but I held it back. Goddamn, this woman was going to kill me.

“Stop.” Gritting my teeth, I grabbed her hand and pulled it away. I was either making the worst decision ever, or the best. It felt like the worst; especially when her eyes grew dark. “This isn’t the kind of decision you want to make when you’re drunk. I’m not going to lie, it’s evident I want you, you’re a beautiful woman, but being with me will only fuck you up. I can’t do that to you.”

Leaning up on her toes, she grasped my face and squeezed. “I’m not scared. Life is about risks. I want to take this risk with you.”

I shook my head. “But I don’t want to take it with you.” It was a lie and I wished I could take it back the moment I said it. The level of hurt on her face would be something I’d always remember.

Grabbing the robe, she threw it on and ran out of my room, tears already welling in her eyes. I was a fucking idiot, but I refused to fuck her while she was intoxicated. Tomorrow would come soon enough and I could tell her how I felt. However, I had the feeling it was going to be too late.

Hadley

Two Days Later

For two days, I’d intentionally ignored Blake. Sneaking into his room was the single most embarrassing thing I’d ever done and I’d regretted it ever since. True, it might not have been the best decision at the time, but I didn’t know what else to do.

Blake tried to talk to me on numerous occasions, but I pretended he wasn’t there. I knew it was childish, yet I’d rather not face him than have to deal with the emotions. Anger was easier than rejection.

Tyla had just left for the day which sucked because I wanted to talk to her. Unfortunately, she was around dumbass all day. I couldn’t talk to Felicity about it since she’d told me not to get attached. The last thing I wanted was to hear her bitch at me. On a brighter note, Nick seemed to be doing a lot better. I had that to lift my spirits.

A car door slammed and I rushed to the window. Blake had just gotten in his truck and started down the driveway. Breathing a sigh of relief, I rushed downstairs and found a note on the kitchen counter.

Gone to the store. When I come back, we’re going to talk. You need to listen to me, even if I have to tie you up.

~ Blake

Tie me up? I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction. Hearing his voice was enough to drive me insane. It was like a shot through the heart each time he’d say my name. Talking to him was out of the question.

Taking a bottle of water, I guzzled it down and grabbed an apple. The weather was a little cool with the sun hiding behind the clouds, but it was perfect to be outside. Blake let Snowflake and the other horses out to pasture and it was always fun to watch them interact with each other. Snowflake always frolicked along like she was the only one out there, and Nightshade played it cool, hanging out by the stream. I climbed up on the fence and took a bite of my apple. Nightshade’s ears perked up and he trotted over to me.

“I see how it is. You only want to come when I have treats.” I laughed. He nudged me with his nose, his big round eyes trained on the apple. “Let me have one more bite and then you can have it.” I leaned toward his ear and whispered, “Just don’t tell Snowflake. She’ll be angry.”

Holding the apple on my palm, he opened his mouth and grabbed it with his teeth. “You’re such a good horse. Why can’t your owner be as sweet as you?”

The sound of crunching gravel caught my attention. I turned to the driveway. “Dammit! He’s back already?” Shit, shit, shit. I patted Nightshade’s nose and hopped off the fence. “I gotta go, boy. I’ll give you another apple tomorrow.” By the time I got to the barn and peeked around the corner, Blake had already parked his truck in front of the house. I was hoping like hell he didn’t see me.

“Hadley, I know you’re out there,” he called. He took off his T-shirt and crammed it into his back pocket.

“Dammit,” I hissed, crouching down low.

“Don’t you think it’s time we talked? You can’t hide from me forever.” His footsteps grew closer, so I hid inside one of the empty stalls, hoping he’d walk past. I slid down into the corner and held my breath as he walked by. “I want to say I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to hurt your feelings the other night.”

“Just drive the wedge in even harder, asshole,” I mumbled to myself.

“I need you to come out and talk to me. I can make you if I have to, which might be kind of fun for me. You don’t want me to enjoy this, do you?”

What I really wanted to do was smack him on the head. He was baiting me, but I couldn’t figure out the game.

“Hadley?” His voice grew farther away until I heard his footsteps leave the barn. Once I heard the patio door of the house slam shut, I knew I only had a couple of minutes to get out of the barn. Taking a deep breath, I slowly got to my feet and glanced over the stall; the coast was clear. I had no clue where I was going to go, but anything was better than being stuck in a stall.