MasukHis eyes gleamed with pure spite. “I’d never stoop to blackmail. I truly feel this situation needs to be brought to the attention of the management team at the corporate office in Denver.”Ainsley was infuriated because everything that’d been done on the up and up would now be brought into question. All her actions would be scrutinized. With the bank’s avoidance of scandal, after the fiasco with a nonprofit group that’d felled the man tapped to take the president’s position, she suspected she’d be fired. With jobs so hard to come by in the financial world, she’d be lucky to find another job anywhere in the banking industry.And admitting her sexual relationship with Ben had ended the day he applied for the loan would be a moot point. Another moot point would be defending her decision to process the loan herself because Leslie had left the office that day due to illness. And yet another moot point would be mentioning she’d sent loan paperwork through herself all the time in her previou
Ace and Deuce dozed by the woodstove. Ben had always kept his shit moods to himself, dealt with them himself. It worked for him.But wouldn’t it be nice to have someone to share this with? Someone to listen to you, verbally soothe you and then you could lose yourself in the heat, softness and surrender of her body to yours?Just another f**ked up situation in his life. Taking out the damn loan in the first place is what had caused him to lose Ainsley. All because he wanted to do something good, something helpful for his family. All his family saw was the loss of the land. There’s no way he could make them understand he’d lost something far more valuable.Grabbing the bottle, he flopped in front of the TV and flipped the channel to Wheel of Fortune. But he’d gotten so used to watching the show with Ainsley in the last month, it felt pathetic sitting by himself, guessing the puzzles out loud.Halfway through the program his phone buzzed. He didn’t recognize the number, but he answered i
“I’m not my cousins, Ree. You know that. I thought we were friends.”“I thought so too.” She tossed her head, trying to keep the wind from her face. “But you have enough friends these days. New friends.”“What?”“Don’t play that game. I know you’re sleeping with Ainsley Hamilton. I’ve seen her car at your place several times in the last few weeks. And isn’t it a coincidence the bank she runs wouldn’t lend me the money I needed to keep my land? But I’ll bet she was more than happy to loan money to you so you could buy it.”“So you’re what? Punishing me?”“This isn’t about you, McKay.”“I didn’t get you into the financial mess you’re in,” he retorted hotly, “and you don’t honestly believe I had dishonorable intentions when I offered to help bail you out of that situation.”Rielle shivered. “I didn’t know what to believe. That was the problem.”“Who’d you sell to?”It appeared she wouldn’t answer and then she said, “I sold it to Gavin.”Ben’s mouth nearly hit the porch slats. “Gavin? As
“Scheme is a little harsh,” Ben said.Colt whirled on him. “What about Quinn? Does he know?”“There’s nothin’ to know. Just something that Tell, Dalton and I discussed.”“Since you’ve been squawking about wanting an equal say in the operation, this is the type of thing that oughta be discussed by all of us,” Colt said.Pissed off, Ben shot back, “Like the acquisition of the Foster place was discussed by all of us? Or how about the acquisition of the Hackerly place? Or the acquisition of the Borden place? Or how about the separate section up north that Kade ran for a year? Were we part of that discussion, or did Carson and Cal decide to do that on their own? Oh, right, they didn’t even f**kin’ ask us.” His gesture included Tell, Dalton, and Brandt. “Any of us.”“Not the same and you know it, Ben.”“Bullshit. Alls I know is that it’s perfectly fine for your families to add to your sections whenever the f**k you feel like it and run it as a separate operation. But when we wanna do that?
“Colt ain’t goin’ nowhere until he gives us some f**kin’ answers.”Tell started to push into Colt’s face again, but Ben stepped between them. “Back off, Tell.”“No. Move outta the way.”“I said. Back. Off.”That tone caught Tell’s attention. Some of the rage in his eyes momentarily cleared.Ben pointed to Colt and Tell. “Now someone start talking.”“Yeah, Colt, you heard what Ben said. Start talking,” Dalton sneered.Colt’s arms were folded across his chest. “This would be easier for all of us if you’d just move aside and let me get what I came for.”“Where is he?”“Where is who?” Ben asked with total confusion.“Our dad,” Brandt said. “He’s been gone five days.”“Five days? Why’s this the first I’ve heard of it?” He looked at Kane.“Hey, it was the first I’ve heard of it too. How come no one told us he was gone?”“Don’t pretend you give a shit about Casper. None of you even bothered to come by and see him after Mom left,” Tell said.Ben disputed that statement. “Quinn came by about s
That startled him. “Guess my grandfather was a real bastard. Kinda sucks that I was named after him. Is your dad like that?”“No. Just set in his ways. Your mom is an interesting woman. We have a lot in common. I liked her. She asked me out to lunch.”Ben harrumphed. “She’s a meddling woman.”“Your mother was a lot warmer to me than Rielle.”“Jesus. Rielle was here too?”“Evidently she heard you were sick and brought over a basket of muffins to send you on the road to recovery.” An edge of jealousy crept into her tone despite her intent to curb it.“Huh. That’s weird.” He pointed to a colorful ball on the chair. “What’s that?”Why did he blatantly change the subject whenever Rielle was mentioned? “My knitting.”“Knitting. You knit?”“Yes. I had to have something productive to do while you were feverish and thrashing around.” She crossed her arms over her chest. “Why? Do you think it’s a lame hobby?” Not the right type of hobby for a sub? Are my hands supposed to busy tending to your n
The sensations matched those he’d incited before, but felt more intense. Kimber filled with need, as if she’d never come at all. Only this time, the pleasure was stronger. Her body was primed, his mouth determined, and his will iron. She would come for him again. He would not take no for an answer.A
“But I can’t get him to make love to me.” More tears came, and Kimber shook her head. Damn, she hated this crybaby stuff. It wasn’t her style. But she’d never had such an emotional week. “I laid under the man, nearly naked, and offered, no begged him to make love to me. And he didn’t. His will is st
Taking a deep breath, she stepped into the hall and lingered in the shadows. And listened.“What the hell do you want?” she heard Jack snap.A rumbling laugh over the speakerphone in the cottage’s front room echoed down the hall.“I’ll take three guesses as to why you’re so crabby. And I don’t need the
Jack rewarded her by reaching around her and lifting her breast to Deke’s mouth. He took the nipple between his lips hungrily, drawing hard, nipping with his teeth. Sensation zinged from her breast to her belly, straight down to where Deke impaled her with the wicked length of his cock…and lower, to







