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Rosie is standing at the foot of my bed, arms crossed and lips sealed. She’s wearing a ridiculous dress, her boobs practically spilling out of both sides of it.
And every man there got to see it, got to see her like this. She’s an arrest waiting to happen.
I know I’m being irrational. The rage and frustration I’m already feeling with Cash getting arrested is making it difficult for me to process the night. After what Mayor Dixon said about Rosie having lunch with him and talking about the ranch, I’m debating whether or not a random girl from a bar would be a better option for me to get some sleep tonight.
I need to get rid of her, but I can’t force myself to do it. I need her here.
She has an effect on me that has become vital for my sanity. Ironically, she also drives me mad.
I slept a solid seven hours when she was here on Wednesday. It would’ve been longer, but I got up early to check the bulls we had just cut the day before. I only got two hours on Thursday night, sleeping alone before waking up in a cold sweat, and spent the rest of the night trying to hold back the panic and convince myself I wasn’t back in prison.
At this rate, I can’t afford to not go to sleep soon. It’s already midnight, and our lawyer, Warner, said we have no choice but to bail Cash out tomorrow. They won’t let him go tonight.
I have no doubts about what he’s going through right now.
“Cash will be okay, Holden. He had thousands of witnesses tonight. He was saving her.” Rosie’s voice is soft.
I stop pacing, peering down at her. I’m suddenly overcome with intrusive thoughts of what would happen if I took her to bed, stripped her out of that sinful red dress, and explored her body like I’ve been craving to do.
What would happen? You’d fucking betray every major conviction you have.
Still, I desperately need a distraction from the fury I’m experiencing.
“What’s going on with you and Duke?” I demand.
She blinks up at me innocently. I see the way he is with her. It’s not exactly … direct desire. It’s flirtatious and forward, but the other day, when he and I went to lunch, he seemed about ready to take the waitress home for the night.
And Rosie is clearly not interested in him, although she plays along.
She flicks her hair over her shoulder, looking down. “What do you mean?”
I step closer to my bed, reaching my arm out to rest on the bedpost. “I mean, are you still fucking my brother?”
Why the hell it matters, I don’t know. But it does.
Her eyes shoot up to mine. She looks down at my lips for a split second before slowly shaking her head.
I exhale.
“I’ll have you know, I’m still a virgin,” she says, lifting her chin.
Her words end me and bring me back to life in the same instant.
She’s still a virgin. She’s never slept with Duke.
An invisible rope around my neck is suddenly loosened and removed. Her words settle inside my bones, their weight bringing a sense of calm over me.
Her tongue darts out to wet her lips as she studies my reaction to her words.
“I’m gonna need you to expand on that statement,” I say slowly through calculated exhales.
How far did they go?
My heart pounds.
That doesn’t solve any of the issues you have with her father and her spying on the ranch.
That doesn’t change things.
