Branded (Siren Publishing LoveXtreme Special Edition) (3 page)

“I thought this was a bed and breakfast?” Blaine asked.

She smiled. “Bed is upstairs. Breakfast is at six. You’re on your own all other times.”

“Bed’s downstairs? You’re letting me stay in your room? Sweet. That is so nice of you.” Dierks grabbed her hand. “See you later, fellas.”

Erin shook her head as Dierks led her down the hall a few steps. “Some things never change.” She pulled her hand out of his grip. “Upstairs, moron. Go fight over the third-floor master suite, and all of you, stay out of my bedroom!”

She left them in the hall staring at her ass as she walked toward the stairs. Kade licked his lips. She hadn’t changed much either. At least not from what he could tell with the baggy clothing. He really needed to get her naked to do an accurate inspection.

Blaine slapped Kade’s arm. “Get that goofy grin off your face.”

Kade rolled his eyes. “You’re just jealous that I kissed her and you didn’t.”

He turned toward the stairs leading to the third floor. Blaine and Dierks followed behind. He no longer cared about getting the third-floor master suite, and Blaine and Dierks didn’t seem to either. No, they wanted the main master suite on the first-floor family quarters. And each of them wanted Erin by their side.

* * * *

“There ain’t no fucking way you can lift that.” Blaine came around the corner with a glass of tea in his hand and spotted Erin tugging at a hay bale off to the side of the barn. “It’s at least seventy-five pounds.”

She paused and brushed the sweat from her face. She wore dirty work gloves to cover her delicate hands. It surprised him to see her managing the ranch. Even though her father passed away, he figured she would have let Rory run the place.

“I do it every day.”

“Where’s Rory?”

She snorted. “He’s got a hot date. Something about staying in Austin for the night.”

He watched her tug and scoot the bale, dropping a good amount of hay on the barn floor. Once she got it to the wheelbarrow, she took a breath then bent to lift it the best she could.

“Stop it.” Blaine came toward her. “You’re going to break your back or something.”

He bent and picked the bale up and sat it in the wheelbarrow for her. He watched her blow out a breath, almost like she was mad at him for helping her.

“Thanks.” She turned her back and struggled with another one.

He grabbed her arm. “What are you doing?”

“I need two more.”

He pulled her back and handed her his drink. He lifted a bale of hay in each hand and met her eyes. “Where do you need them?”

She pointed to the stalls on the other side of the barn. Blaine headed in that direction and sat them in the last three stalls on the right side. He dusted his hands off and reached for his glass.

“Why don’t you take a break? I think you more than deserve it.”

She shook her head. “No. I have work to do.”

He grabbed her gloved hand. “I’ll help you make up your work. Sit and talk with me for a minute.”

A long row of benches sat in the center of the barn, separating the two sides of stalls from one another. Blaine led her to one of the benches and sat beside her, sipping his drink.

“So how’s the rodeo, superstar?” Erin asked, pulling her gloves off.

“Fine.” He contemplated telling her about his plans to quit but thought better of it. She didn’t really seem all that interested in his life.

“Rory said you were passing through, heading to the Austin rodeo, I think.” Erin rubbed her sweaty hands against her legs.

Blaine didn’t know where she was going with this. “Yeah. Austin is the big one. Only the best of the best. Dierks and Kade are riding in it as well. We all made the cut this year.”

She nodded. “So why did you stop here now?”

He sensed a hint of anger in her tone. She was still pissed at him—probably them all—for not calling or coming to visit in the past five years. “We all needed a break. Too much glitz and glamour with being famous.” He glanced over at her. “Why are you working so much? You should be laying your sexy ass out in a damn skimpy bikini, baking in the sun.”

She pressed her lips together. Yeah, she was mad. “Work has to be done. Ever since Jed died, I’ve had to take on his workload.”

Blaine felt like shit. Her father had passed away nearly a year ago and he didn’t even call. She had every right to be pissed off at him, and Blaine was pretty sure she was.

“Sweetie, I’m sorry I never called…”

“Don’t worry about it. You had better things to do.” She avoided his eyes. “How long are you staying?”

“How long will you let us stay?” When she didn’t respond, Blaine sat his drink aside and reached for her hand. He tried pulling her onto his lap, but she refused. “Are you okay?”

“I’m fine.”

He brushed a strand of hair from her face. “You can’t lie to me.”

“What’s it to you, Blaine? Just because you’re here, you suddenly care?”

“Erin, I’ve always cared about you. That’s never changed.”

“You moved away. After that night…you didn’t call or stop by for
five
years. Excuse me if I’m skeptical of your efforts to show how much you care.” She stood with her gloves in one hand. “I’ve got work to do.”

Blaine stood and grabbed her hand. He spun her around to face him. “Don’t walk off from me. Erin, you are the only person that can get under my skin so damned easily, and it should annoy the hell out of me. It makes me hot as hell as much as it pisses me off.”

She scoffed and pulled her hand away from him. “Go back to your buckle bunnies, Blaine. I’ve got nothing for you here.”

She walked away from him, and it took all his restraint to let her go. He would find a way to make up the past five years. He didn’t know how, just yet, but he would find a way. He needed her in his life. Now more than ever.

Erin escaped to her room, narrowly avoiding her guests, after finishing her daily chores. She simply couldn’t face them right now. In the barn, with Blaine, had proved that much. He wanted to pretend nothing had happened in the last five years, and so much had. He didn’t understand, not that she expected him to.

She locked her bedroom door and slipped out of her overalls. She stared at herself in the mirror wondering where that girl Blaine spoke about had gone. She hadn’t put on a bathing suit in nearly two years. Assessing her state of undress, she scoffed that her undergarments came from Walmart instead of the classy boutique shop in Austin.

It was depressing to look at, and the pity party that came with her gawking annoyed her. She shouldn’t care. It wasn’t like any one of the five men staying with them would see her in her underwear anyway. That ship had sailed a long time ago. She needed to let the past go and move on. They’d obviously had. Erin headed into the bathroom and turned the shower on. She needed to relax. Maybe she’d hang out by the pool. Read a book or something. She blinked a few times, feeling warm moisture in her eyes. She didn’t have time for that luxury. The pressure of keeping the ranch from sinking into financial debt limited all the free time she did have.

She undressed and tossed her bra and panties in the nearby hamper. Damn Blaine for reminding her of what life had been. So simple, so innocent. She’d been a different person back then who had big dreams about what she wanted to do with her life. She climbed into the shower and closed the glass door. Those dreams were so far from reality it hurt.

Erin allowed herself a moment to relax. The hot water pelted against her tired skin, massaging aching muscles. She used to wear cowboy boots for fashion. Now, she despised them for work. She pushed the water from her face as she stood beneath the spray and reached for the coconut shower gel. The scent was intoxicating, filling the shower with the fresh, clean fragrance. She poured a generous amount onto a bath sponge and smoothed it over her body. Something about washing the dirt of the day off her skin made her feel better, despite her shitty mood.

“There’s something about seeing a wet, naked woman touching herself that makes me hard every fucking time.”

Erin jerked her head to the side. Even with the shower door fogged from the steam, she knew it was Blaine’s voice. She rubbed some of the steam from the door and narrowed her eyes. He leaned against the double vanity, boldly staring at her figure. “Damn it, Blaine, get out of here!”

“Not on your life.” His gaze traveled along her body, boldly taking in her naked form. She had no idea how much he could really see from the angle, but the thought if it made her pulse jump. The look in his eyes said it all. “You want me to scrub your back?”

“You are such a bastard.” Annoyed, Erin tossed her sponge to the shower floor and shut the water off. She knew he wouldn’t leave and she wasn’t about to shower in front of him. She opened the shower door and reached for a towel. “This is the one fucking time I get to myself and…”

She would not cry. Even as pissed off as she was, she would not get emotional about it. She wrapped the soft fluffy terry cloth around her wet body and tucked the ends of the towel between her breasts. She forced herself to take a few calming breaths.

“How did you get into my room? I locked the door.” She stepped out of the stall to face him.

“I came in through the patio.” He pushed away from the sink. “You didn’t have to stop showering. It’s not like I haven’t seen you naked before.”

“I’m not showering in front of you. If you were any sort of decent human being, you’d leave so I could bathe alone!”

She didn’t know why she yelled. It wasn’t really that big of a deal. For the most part anyway. She watched his face. His expression didn’t change, nor did his stance. He had no intention of giving her space.

“Rory told me that you spend a lot of your time alone. I think the last thing you need is more isolation.”

“Rory needs to keep his damn mouth shut.”

Blaine stared at her, almost giving her a look of pity. “Erin, I want you to talk to me.”

She scoffed. “About what?”

“Everything.”

“
Everything
is none of your business.” She stalked toward him and tried to move past his bulky frame. He didn’t allow it. “Move.”

“No.” His arm stretched out in front of her while half of his body blocked the door. “Not until you talk.”

“What do you want me to say?”

“Are you pissed at me for not being here when your father died?”

She crossed her arms and turned away from him. “You hated my father.”

“But I love you.”

She whipped back around. “Don’t fucking say that. Don’t you ever say that to me again.”

He swallowed. “You’re hurting. I just want to help you.”

“You can’t.” She tried for an attitude, but tears formed in her eyes, ruining it. “I’m barely keeping this place from going under. I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing, and nobody around here is willing to give me any advice. Even though my dad was an ass to everybody, this ranch has been in my family for decades.” She blew out a breath. “Sometimes I wonder if it’s even worth trying to save.”

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?”

She avoided his eyes. “Half the ranch hands quit when my dad didn’t leave them what he supposedly promised them in his will. The others only half-assed do their jobs and leave me to pick up the rest of the work. I can’t afford to fire them, and they know it. I’ve got two on my case everyday about getting a raise.

“I spend all fucking day managing this place, and I just want a few moments to myself.” She glared at him. “You ruined that for me, thanks.”

Blaine stared back. She didn’t know what he thought. He had a poker face unlike any other. “I’ll make it up to you.”

He walked toward her and she held up her hands. “I’m not having sex with you.”

He grinned as he passed her, heading toward the tub. She watched as he bent over, plugging the drain before turning the water on. He moved toward her bathroom closet and searched for some old bubble bath she had in there. She doubted it would bubble much, but after he smelled the stuff, he poured it into the running water. White, fluffy bubbles filled in the tub. He replaced the bottle and found some candles in the closet as well. He sat them around the tub and lit them with his pocket lighter.

When he was through, he turned toward her. “Have at it.”

She stared at him like he was from Mars. “Are you planning to hang around and watch?”

He held her eyes with his own. “Do you want me to?”

She shook her head, though something about the way he spoke made her consider the idea for a moment. Blaine’s hands touching her, caressing every inch of her body while she relaxed in his arms. It had been such a long time and it would be a very bad idea as well. She knew this, but that rational thought didn’t stop her from entertaining the fantasy of being with him again.

He pointed to the door. “I’ll be out there. Stay in the tub until the water is cold.”

He left her standing alone in the big bathroom, contemplating where his sudden spurt of niceness came from.

* * * *