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That dickhead Webb. Always running his mouth. When it came to Colton, he had nothing good to say, and no number of weeks on the ranch would change his view of Colton.
Slowly, he switched off the shower. Placed a hand on the curtain and slid it to the side. When he reached for his towel, another explosion of pounding came. Outside the door, deeper in the bunkhouse, he heard laughter from the other guys. They thought it was funny when Webb harassed him.
It was far from funny to Colton.
When he wrapped himself in a towel, he whipped open the door. The ranch manger stood there, fist raised to knock again, his lips twisted in a sneer of amusement.
He liked causing people pain. Colton had known a few men like that before, and none of them were cocky for very long once Colton figured out how to break them down.
“What took you so long, asshole? Couldn’t get lucky down at the Badlands so you had to jerk off?” Webb’s question brought another round of raucous laughter.
Colton’s nostrils flared. Everything about this night had pissed him off. First, when he saw Meadow draped all over that black leather-covered chest of the biker in the bar and again when she defied him to the point where he took matters into his own hands.
His fingers curled into a fist, holding in the heat and prickle of the smacks he delivered to her ass and all the arousal it caused.
Colton cocked his arm and used that same hand to deck Webb. His fist connected with his eye.
His head jerked on his neck. Knees buckling, he hit the floor. Blood sprayed from his mouth when his head bounced.
Webb didn’t move.
Colton looked down at the man he’d just knocked out. Gracey would probably kick him off the ranch for that. Good—if he left, Meadow would be safe from him.
Without a care for the silence created by what he’d just done, he shut the door and returned to his shower.
This time he turned the hot water to ice cold. His cock still throbbed for Meadow. He refused to jack off while thinking of her, and he sure as hell wasn’t going to do the exact thing Webb accused him of doing.
The guy had picked the wrong time to mess with him.
He took a quick shower after that and eventually his cock eased to half-mast. Once he dressed and walked out of the bathroom, Webb was gone, no longer crumpled on the floor.
He strolled into the main room of the bunkhouse. The open space had a seating area with a TV that was turned off. A card game was taking place between two men at the table.
Everyone stared at him as he moved to the fridge and grabbed a beer. As he stood there sipping, no one acknowledged him. They returned to their conversation.
“She had more than her usual tonight. Even her friend wasn’t sticking around to watch Meadow get drunk off her ass and go home with the worst guy in the bar.”
“She sure was asking for it, though. Did you see that skirt? And her tits spilling out of that top?”
Colton’s ears pricked up. He lifted his head and leveled the guy who was speaking in his stare.
“Don’t talk about her like that.”
His hard words silenced the room again, like a switch turned off.
Colton stared at each man in turn. “If her father gets wind of this, he’ll never let her leave again. So y’all keep your mouths shut. Understand?”
All eyes blinked at him.
Setting aside his beer, he took a step toward the table. “I asked if you understood.”
At last, the men nodded. He swung his gaze to include the guys seated on the couch. They nodded too.
“You’re never going to look at her or bring up this night again. If any of you do, you’ll be lucky if a job is all you’re out of.”
No one spoke.
Colton sauntered out of the room. When he faced his bunk, he bowed his head, struggling with the need to knock out every guy in the bunkhouse. They all wanted her, and their words clearly told him just how little they thought of her. Their protection wouldn’t go very far—if they ever got a chance to touch her, they would take it.
