Page 1 of Chasing Bandit

Prologue - Stevie

December

This was going to be the last time.

At least, that’s what I told myself as Charles slipped out of my apartment and down to the dark street in Houston below.

A week ago, I had gone to Lonestar Junction to visit my sister for Thanksgiving, hoping to escape Charles’s inevitable call. He always showed up during the holidays, those were his times to collect.

I hadn’t intended to spend the night in Wylie Cameron's bed while visiting my sister, Jovie, but when I recognized him from my childhood trips to Grandpa and Grandma Ashwood’s ranch, all I saw was the cute boy I’d crushed on at seven years old.

A few drinks later, Wylie’s face was between my legs while I screamed in pleasure.

Damn, he knew how to make me forget my problems.

But when the holiday ended, I returned to Houston, to my job, and the life that I’d known for 31 years. I thought being out of town had helped me avoid Charles’ visit, but he always found a way to make me pay, whether I was there when he wanted me to be or not. He stopped by a few days later to remind me of the situation I was trapped in.

What I hadn't expected was for Wylie to show up at my door tonight, a week after Thanksgiving. I told him the truth: I wasn’t like the other girls he’d probably slept with - ruined, waiting for him, begging for more than just sex.

I was an independent woman, living alone in a big city, free to do whatever I wanted with whomever I pleased.

I just didn’t mention the part that I didn’t actually want to be with the man Wylie had just seen naked exiting my apartment bedroom.

Wylie seemed mad, but what did he expect? That I’d fall in love with him after one long weekend together?

We were too much alike, holding on to our pride and fiercely protective of our pasts. I had dreams of a happy-ever-after that would eventually come true once I settled the ghosts of my past. I just needed a little more time and a better plan to bring them to fruition and none of that involved Wylie Cameron, Charles Kensington, or Lonestar Junction Texas.

That was, until it all did.

Chapter 1 – Stevie

April

“It’s just for six months.”

“You can’t be serious, sis! First, you ditch me to get engaged to a cowboy and move to Lonestar Junction, instead of returning to our apartment in Houston. Now, you have the audacity to ask me to move there for six months to get your non-profit up and running?” I teased.

“Not just any cowboy, Stevie. Nash Cameron.”

I could hear her sigh on the other line as I imagined she was clutching her chest like one of those women on the covers of an old western romance novel. I rolled my eyes while I continued to dress for work, slipping on my black suit pants and a bright, red blazer.

“Plus, it doesn’t have to be only six months. You could move here permanently, you know.”

Laughter erupted in me uncontrollably at the thought of moving to Lonestar Junction permanently. “Not a chance in hell, little sis.”

“It’s not that bad," she whined, "The city is expanding. I’m here, and you and Wylie didn’t seem to have a terrible time at Thanksgiving when you visited.” Her voice was playful, but the mention of the time I'd spent with Wylie Cameron still caused me to draw in a long, cleansing breath.

We certainly hadn't had a bad time when I'd visited five months ago, especially when his head was between my legs instead of talking. He’d definitely known how to bring pleasure to a woman, but Wylie Cameron and I were like oil and water, we didn’t mix. Maybe oil and water was a bad analogy.

It wasn’t that we were opposites; in fact, we were too much alike.

The eldest in our families, forced to succeed in different areas of our lives while looking out for our younger siblings.

Both coping with the loss of a parent—Wylie lost his mother; I lost my father.

We both had crazy on-again-off-again exes we couldn’t shake, coped with our pain through alcohol and liked to be in control. We even donned the protective older sibling attitude.

That was the problem; we were too much alike.

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