Page 43 of Dark Horse

“It’s crossed her mind.” Ramsey’s eyes run over me like he’sjudging whether or not I’m going to be a problem for Hazel’s scheme.

“No. No fucking way.” I shake my head.

“I don’t think you get a say in that.” His tone stays calm, even as mine deteriorates.

“The fuck I don’t. She’s my—” I stop mid-sentence. I’d promised her we wouldn’t tell anyone. Specifically Ramsey because he’d tell Hazel. I can’t break that promise now. “She’s my closest friend’s sister. She’s not running off with some fucking loser.”

“He’s my friend.” Ramsey’s demeanor shifts.

“Dakota’s your friend too.”

“She is, and I told you, I’m not worried. He’s a good teammate too—like a second family to me.” My brother can’t stand anyone attacking someone he cares about. He’d done prison time for it. But I’d do that and more for Dakota.

“He does anything to hurt her, you won’t have to worry about him being on your team.” I toss back the last of my drink and turn. I need off this floor. Out of this room. Or I’ll do or say something I regret. “I need a refill.”

“You need air. You want to figure things out with her, fair enough. But this isn’t the way.”

“Don’t go running to tell your wife.” I flash him a look of warning. He might have a point or five, but he’s still my younger brother. I have ten years on him, and he damn well knows I don’t ask much of him.

“There’s nothing to tell.Yet.” His eyes search me one last time, like he’s trying to figure out where the hell his real brother is and where I’ve come from. I couldn’t tell him either. I’m as blindsided as anyone by the way I’m taking this development.

By the timethe women have gone upstairs for their spa slumber party and the rest of us guys are wrapped around a table playing poker, I’ve worked myself up to being well and truly pissed. I’ve spent the entire night watching this prick put his hands all over Dakota, and now he’s bidding up the table at poker. I’ve lost my patience with him. I shove all my chips in, raising the bet sky-high.

“Too rich for my blood.” Bo folds his cards.

“Yeah, I’m skipping out on that.” Anson follows suit.

Ramsey calls my bet, and it falls to Hayden again. He stares at his cards and then looks at the pile of chips, drawing out his decision while the rest of us wait. That’s all we’ve been doing all night. Waiting to see what this asshole will do.

“Don’t have to be afraid to fold. We don’t mind if you run tail tucked,” I mutter.

“What now?” He smirks, looking up at me. “Nobody’s tail’s tucked. I’m just trying to play smart. Not let my mood affect how I play.”

“My mood doesn’t affect my play. My hand does. Might be hard to know what yours looks like when you got them all over her ass though.”

“You got a problem with me?” His smile fades as he looks at me over his cards.

“Nah, no problem. We’ve all gotten a little too drunk and tried to hit way out of our league before. Can’t blame you for trying.”

“Seems like you’re a little nervous. The way you’re throwing money around like it’ll buy what you can’t earn. That an old cowboy thing? You think she’s into that, or you think maybe she finally found something she really likes?” His smirk returns, and I’m ready to take his jaw clean off his face.

“I think what she likes is someone who knows how to treat her with respect instead of trying to throw cheap lines and evencheaper moves at her the second she walks into a room. She’s got a dozen of you to pick from at the bar on any given night.”

“I’m going to get a beer outside. Want to join me?” Ramsey looks at me pointedly, and I push back from the table, the legs of the chair dragging loud enough to underscore my point.

I follow my baby brother silently. I know he wants to lecture me in private. He’d never give me the disrespect of undermining me in public, but we’re about to have it out, nevertheless. Ramsey keeps the ceremony alive by grabbing two beers out of the fridge on our way to the back porch, popping the tops off them before he swings the screen door open and holds it for me to follow. He shoves one at my chest and eyes me carefully.

“You’re my older brother, so I’m not gonna tell you what to do. But I am going to point out that this whole wedding week is very important to me, and I don’t want my wife to have to come downstairs because a brawl has broken out in her home.”

“You should tell your friend that he needs to watch his mouth and his hands then.”

“He hasn’t said or done anything disrespectful to Dakota. At least not unless she was yours in some way, and last I checked, that wasn’t the case. Has that changed in the last few hours?”

“No.”

“Then maybe let her decide what she is and isn’t comfortable with.”

“That guy isn’t right for her.”

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