Page 15 of The Wrangler

Reed turned on her. “And you’re okay with this?”

Keely lifted her chin, locking eyes with her brother. “I’m not some kid you get to make decisions for, Reed.”

His nostrils flared. “You’re my sister.”

She softened just a fraction. “And you’re my brother. But Jesse’s right. I need someone to watch my back, and I want it to be him.”

Reed cursed under his breath, running a hand through his hair. “Goddamn nightmare.”

Keely sighed, suddenly so damn tired of all the posturing. “Alright, boys, let’s all drop the testosterone levels for a secondand focus on the actual problem.” Five sets of male eyes turned to her. Keely rolled her shoulders, standing a little straighter. “We have a suitcase full of uncut diamonds, an intruder who’s not afraid to play dirty, and no idea what the hell we just stepped into. We should probably deal with that before we start measuring dicks, don’t you think?”

Dawson choked on a laugh. “She’s not wrong.”

Reed shot him a glare.

Keely crossed her arms. “So, what’s the plan?”

Jesse breathed deeply through his nose, like he was barely holding onto his patience. “The plan is you’re staying out of it.”

Keely blinked, then laughed. “Oh, that’s cute. You think I’m going to just sit back while you all play hero?”

Jesse’s eyes darkened, his expression going dangerously unreadable. “That’s exactly what I think.”

Keely’s blood heated.

“Oh, cowboy. You really don’t know me at all, do you?”

A muscle in his jaw flexed. “I know enough.”

“Yeah?” She tilted her head. “Then you know I don’t take orders from you.”

Jesse moved fast, stepping into her space so suddenly she had to tilt her chin up just to hold his stare. The air between them burned.

“That’s part of the problem, you’ve never taken orders before,” Jesse murmured, voice low, rough, “but that’s about to change.”

Keely’s heartbeat kicked up a notch. Because this wasn’t just about the job. This was about everything. Everything they’d been dancing around for years. Everything she’d never wanted to admit, even to herself, that she wanted. But she knew it now, and feared there was no way to go back to a time when she hadn’t.

Jesse flexed his hands at his sides like he was fighting the urge to touch her. Finally, he straightened. “You wanna be involved?”

Keely lifted her chin. “Damn right, I do.”

Jesse held her gaze for a long, drawn-out moment filled with stillness. Then, finally, he nodded. “Fine.”

Reed snorted, exasperated. “You can’t be serious.”

Jesse didn’t look away from her. “If she wants in, I’ll spend a lot of useless energy trying to keep her out, so she’s in. But on my terms.”

Keely’s pulse jumped. Because they both knew what that meant. Reed muttered something about bratty sisters, asshole friends, and poor decisions before stalking off.

Gavin, Hawke, and Dawson exchanged pointed glances, but said nothing.

Which left her and Jesse—alone in a room full of people with nowhere to hide.

Keely licked her lips. “Your terms, huh?”

Jesse looked at her like he already regretted this decision. “My terms,” he confirmed. “Starting with rule number one.”

Keely arched an eyebrow. “Oh, this should be good.”

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