Taming a Texas Rascal (Bad Boy Ranch #6) - Katie Lane Page 0,44

growing need beneath his zipper.

She moaned into his mouth and scraped her fingers through his hair, knocking his cowboy hat off as she fisted his hair in her hands like she never wanted to let him go. The kiss grew hotter and wetter and Sawyer grew needier. He had never felt need for a woman as strong before.

He walked her back towards the barn. When they were hidden inside, he slid his hand under her shirt and filled his palm with soft, naked breast. He brushed over the little nipple that had been teasing him for the last few weeks and groaned as it tightened. He now understood what had happened on their tequila night. It hadn’t just been the alcohol. Or his heartache over Lauren. It had been this all-consuming desire. He and Maisy had sexual chemistry in spades. Lincoln had seen it at his and Dixie’s wedding. Which was why he’d asked Sawyer to keep his distance.

But Sawyer could no longer keep his distance from Maisy.

He started to move her back to the pile of fresh straw he’d spread that morning, when his phone pinged with an incoming text. He planned to ignore it, but Maisy pulled away. Her eyes were desire-drugged and her lips moist from his kisses. He went to draw her back, but she shook her head.

“You need to answer that, Sawyer.”

“I’d rather kiss you.”

She stepped out of his arms. “He’s your brother. Do you know how much I would love to have a brother or a sister? Someone I could share all my hopes and dreams with? Someone who doesn’t feel the need to smother me like a mother and supports me no matter what I choose to do? If the texts are any indication, your brother loves you. And you aren’t even going to his wedding. That’s just sad. I don’t know what he did, but whatever it was, you need to find it in your heart to forgive him.” She stared at him with big brown eyes that held all the innocence he’d lost. “You have a big heart, Sawyer. You just proved it by buying a horse you didn’t need. Now prove it again.”

Without another word, she turned and walked out of the barn.

When she was gone, Sawyer sank down to the hay bale and ran his hands through his hair. Maisy didn’t understand what Mattie had done to him. She didn’t understand the pain of finding out your brother and the woman you were planning to marry were cheating with each other behind your back.

For over a year, Sawyer had pushed any thought of that fateful day from his mind—refusing to relive the hurt and pain—but now he let the memories come.

He had been late getting home because he’d broken a rib at the Cheyenne rodeo and had spent a few days resting up before the long drive back to Dallas. On the way into town, he’d stopped to buy a big bouquet of flowers for Lauren, and he planned to take her to a nice dinner to make up for his delay. But when he got to their apartment, she was already having dinner . . . with Mattie. Sawyer hadn’t thought anything of the candlelight or the nice meal spread out on the table. He had asked Mattie to keep an eye on Lauren while he was traveling for the rodeo. Mattie was just doing his job.

But it turned out his brother had done his job a little too well.

Sawyer realized something was wrong when he went to kiss Lauren and she burst into tears and ran from the room. He turned to Mattie for answers and the guilty, sad look on Mattie’s face said it all. His brother had lifted shaking hands and signed the words that ripped out Sawyer’s heart.

We didn’t mean for it to happen, Sawyer. We didn’t mean to fall in love.

When Mattie confessed, Sawyer felt like the ground had disappeared from under his feet and he was freefalling into a black abyss. And if he was honest, it hadn’t been Lauren’s betrayal that hurt him the most. It had been Mattie’s. For most of his life, Sawyer had given up center stage so his brother could have his turn to shine, and Mattie had stabbed him in the back by taking the only thing Sawyer hadn’t wanted to give.

At least that’s how it had felt at the time.

Looking back now, Sawyer realized he had pretty much given Lauren to Mattie on a silver