reached out and snagged her hand. “Is there someone else, Remy?”
She stared at him for a second. If she just said yes, right this second, there was a chance that Sawyer would back off.
Then again, she shouldn’t have to use the excuse of belonging to some other man to make Sawyer respect her wishes.
“No,” she said. “There’s no one, but it doesn’t change the way I feel.”
“I think I could change your mind,” Sawyer said, cocking a brow.
The cocky smile that slid onto his face was almost more than she could bear.
“Yeah, I bet you’ve proven that time and again with countless other girls over the years,” she snarled. “I’m not your plaything, Sawyer. Find someone else’s head to mess with.”
Whirling, she fled, furious with the tears that threatened to break free. Though she was mad at Sawyer, she was more upset with herself. Everything that was happening now, it was happening because she let herself be weak around him.
Like she didn’t understand the consequences, like she didn’t understand the stakes of this little game.
Play with fire, you’re bound to get burned…
10
“ B y God , what a week,” Colt said, kicking up his heels on the back porch.
“Yeah,” Sawyer said, rubbing a sore spot in his neck. “I’m sunburned and worn out.”
Walker came out of the house with several beers in a bucket, iced down.
“Genius!” Colt declared.
Walker sat, all three of them leaning back in their chairs and enjoying the sunset.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Colt warned. “Marilee called to say she’s on her way over. I get the feeling that she wants something.”
Sawyer arched an ironic brow at Colt, who grinned.
“I know, I know,” Colt said. “She wouldn’t call us, otherwise.”
Walker grunted, but didn’t voice whatever antagonistic thoughts were drifting through his mind. Walker never really got over their mother’s death, having been the closest to her.
His father publicly acknowledging his mistress so soon after the death of his wife… that was something none of the Roman sons ever forgot, but Walker was still actively angry about it.
Nobody held a grudge like Walker, either.
Sawyer took advantage of the lull to return a few emails on his phone, then text back Merissa and Stacy, complimenting the dirty videos they’d sent him days before. If he was a little slow to respond, neither girl seemed to mind.
Truth be told, he hadn’t even watched Stacy’s video. Three seconds of her dull-as-dirt striptease, and Sawyer’d drifted off to sleep.
He blamed the physical labor, wearing him out beyond all reason. Normally, he’d be pretty damned interested, especially because Merissa had the nicest pair of fake tits that money could buy.
Her tanned skin and dark hair weren’t doing a whole lot for him recently, though. Damned if he knew why. Stacy, at least, was blonde… but her high-pitched Valley Girl voice had started to grate on his nerves.
Turning his phone off, he put it aside and tried to enjoy the moment with his brothers.
After a few minutes of quiet drinking, the click of heels announced Marilee’s arrival. She stepped out onto the back porch, making a face like she’d just gotten a whiff of hot garbage.
In her tight leopard-print dress and sky-high white heels, she surveyed Sawyer and his brothers like a queen addressing her subjects.
“Here you boys are. Why in the world would you be out here with the mosquitos when you could be relaxing in the kitchen? It’s nice and new and clean,” she said, eyeing them.
Sawyer glanced at his brothers. All three shrugged, unwilling to insult her, but not particularly fond of the kitchen, either.
“Well,” she said, brushing back a lock of her platinum blonde hair. “I just came out to tell you in person that I signed you boys up for some community service.”
“Sorry?” Colt blurted out, looking baffled.
“There are some families in Catahoula that are struggling a lot more than the Romans,”
She stared at him for a second. If she just said yes, right this second, there was a chance that Sawyer would back off.
Then again, she shouldn’t have to use the excuse of belonging to some other man to make Sawyer respect her wishes.
“No,” she said. “There’s no one, but it doesn’t change the way I feel.”
“I think I could change your mind,” Sawyer said, cocking a brow.
The cocky smile that slid onto his face was almost more than she could bear.
“Yeah, I bet you’ve proven that time and again with countless other girls over the years,” she snarled. “I’m not your plaything, Sawyer. Find someone else’s head to mess with.”
Whirling, she fled, furious with the tears that threatened to break free. Though she was mad at Sawyer, she was more upset with herself. Everything that was happening now, it was happening because she let herself be weak around him.
Like she didn’t understand the consequences, like she didn’t understand the stakes of this little game.
Play with fire, you’re bound to get burned…
10
“ B y God , what a week,” Colt said, kicking up his heels on the back porch.
“Yeah,” Sawyer said, rubbing a sore spot in his neck. “I’m sunburned and worn out.”
Walker came out of the house with several beers in a bucket, iced down.
“Genius!” Colt declared.
Walker sat, all three of them leaning back in their chairs and enjoying the sunset.
“Don’t get too comfortable,” Colt warned. “Marilee called to say she’s on her way over. I get the feeling that she wants something.”
Sawyer arched an ironic brow at Colt, who grinned.
“I know, I know,” Colt said. “She wouldn’t call us, otherwise.”
Walker grunted, but didn’t voice whatever antagonistic thoughts were drifting through his mind. Walker never really got over their mother’s death, having been the closest to her.
His father publicly acknowledging his mistress so soon after the death of his wife… that was something none of the Roman sons ever forgot, but Walker was still actively angry about it.
Nobody held a grudge like Walker, either.
Sawyer took advantage of the lull to return a few emails on his phone, then text back Merissa and Stacy, complimenting the dirty videos they’d sent him days before. If he was a little slow to respond, neither girl seemed to mind.
Truth be told, he hadn’t even watched Stacy’s video. Three seconds of her dull-as-dirt striptease, and Sawyer’d drifted off to sleep.
He blamed the physical labor, wearing him out beyond all reason. Normally, he’d be pretty damned interested, especially because Merissa had the nicest pair of fake tits that money could buy.
Her tanned skin and dark hair weren’t doing a whole lot for him recently, though. Damned if he knew why. Stacy, at least, was blonde… but her high-pitched Valley Girl voice had started to grate on his nerves.
Turning his phone off, he put it aside and tried to enjoy the moment with his brothers.
After a few minutes of quiet drinking, the click of heels announced Marilee’s arrival. She stepped out onto the back porch, making a face like she’d just gotten a whiff of hot garbage.
In her tight leopard-print dress and sky-high white heels, she surveyed Sawyer and his brothers like a queen addressing her subjects.
“Here you boys are. Why in the world would you be out here with the mosquitos when you could be relaxing in the kitchen? It’s nice and new and clean,” she said, eyeing them.
Sawyer glanced at his brothers. All three shrugged, unwilling to insult her, but not particularly fond of the kitchen, either.
“Well,” she said, brushing back a lock of her platinum blonde hair. “I just came out to tell you in person that I signed you boys up for some community service.”
“Sorry?” Colt blurted out, looking baffled.
“There are some families in Catahoula that are struggling a lot more than the Romans,”
Similar Books
