Page 5 of Ride Me

The pinched lines on Priya’s face have me proceeding with caution. But I have to know more. “Last year… this was all over social media, wasn’t it? The girlfriend in the story. That wasn’t you, though. Was it?”

The color drains from Priya’s face, and regret slams into me.

She exhales. “It probably was. He cheated on me. Publicly. With an actress and I was the last to know.” Her voice tightens, but she pushes on. “When I found out, my family pressured meto make it work and keep things together. But I couldn’t do it.” A humorless laugh slips from her lips. "Ending things cost me in more ways than you could possibly imagine. So, I disappeared from my own life and started over. And somehow, I ended up here."

"You could do a lot worse than Kingridge Ranch." I trail a hand down her forearm, and a surge of electricity jolts through me.

"I agree. It’s beautiful out here… and quiet." She exhales, but her fingers curl into fists. "But now he’s coming to ruin that. No doubt. If the tabloids are right, things didn’t work out with the actress. And I’ve already gotten a few texts." Her eyes snap to mine, frustration flashing like a warning. "He wants to talk. I don’t. Not even a little. But it’s more complicated than that. He won’t just let me be. He’ll find a way to corner me, say whatever it is he thinks he needs to say?—"

"No." My voice comes out sharper than I intend. "I’ll give him a reason to stay the hell away. He doesn’t have any power here. If you don’t want to see him, then that’s exactly what’s going to happen."

Priya’s lips twitch into a half-smile before she turns back toward the stables and starts walking. "That’s a sweet thought. But it’s okay. He already knows I’m here. I don’t want to avoid him." She hesitates, her voice softening. "I want him to see that I’ve moved on." She swallows hard, her next words almost too quiet to hear. "Only, I haven’t really."

Something tightens in my chest. I should ask her which part she isn’t over. Is it the pain? The betrayal? Him? But I don’t say anything. Because deep down, I’m not sure I want to know the answer.

Instead, we walk in silence, side by side, all the way to the stables while my mind races.The thought of Priya with another man shouldn’t bother me. The fact that the dude is an NFLquarterback.. well that’s annoying as fuck. But still, why do I care? She works at the ranch. That’s it. She isn’t mine to protect or defend. So why is my heart hammering in my chest?

The old wooden door creaks as I push it open. Priya murmurs a quiet thanks as she steps inside Buck and Whinny Stables. It’s a name she’ll no doubt want to change eventually as a part of her marketing plan. Normally, I’d crack a joke about it, but there’s nothing funny about some asshole showing up here and making her feel like she doesn’t belong.

On the table, a basket of fresh bread from Patty June sits untouched. We each grab a piece, making small talk with one of the horse trainers as we take slow bites. The weight of unspoken words is thick and heavy in the air.

Then the door swings open again.

“Hey.” Callum steps inside and leans back against his desk. He takes a roll from the bread basket. Then his gaze bounces between Priya and me then back again and he arches an eyebrow. “Damn, dude. What the hell happened to you two?”

Priya flashes a smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes. And it sure as hell doesn’t fool me. "Nothing. Thanks so much for the bread. I’ve heard wonderful things about it and about Patty June too. I met her on my first day, she’s a chatty one…"

I don’t even think before the words leave my mouth. "Priya’s lying. Everything is fucking wrong right now and I can’t figure out how to fix it.”

Priya’s eyes widen at the shock of my admission.

But I shake off her concern with a shrug. "He’s my twin. He’s going to know something’s up. This is how we get shit done in our family. He’s not going to repeat a single word.”

Priya studies me for a long beat before giving a small nod of approval. So, I shut the door. With just the three of us, I lay everything out for Callum. His memory is sharp as a blade, and it doesn’t take long for him to connect the dots from last year’smedia frenzy. Priya confirms the details as we go, filling in gaps and setting the record straight.

By the time we’re done, I’m not even sure who’s spilling the secrets and who’s taking notes. The conversation twists through every possible scenario. Even as Priya insists she can handle it on her own, she thanks me for trying to help. I feel her gratitude in every inch of my body.

Truthfully, the more I hear the more I don’t know if she can handle this on her own. I don’t know if she should have to. It’s not a fair fight. And there’s no damn way I’m going to stand by while this asshole waltzes in and wrecks the life she’s worked so hard to rebuild.

Then Priya drops the complication that changes everything… We can’t cancel the VIP stay because Priya’s father owns the Southern Knights. It’s why she’s so desperate to outrun her past. It’s probably why she never mentioned her last name. The silence stretches between us as the reality of hercomplicationsinks in.

Callum is the first to speak, his arms crossing over his chest as he delivers his solution with absolute certainty. “We only have one choice. You need to be deeply in love with a new man in your life when this asshole arrives. That way there’s no room for his bullshit. It’s a built-in buffer that makes sense.”

His suggestion piques my attention.

Priya scoffs, shaking her head. “That would be lovely. Just one problem—it’s only me. He’ll see right through it. What if the media gets a hold of it? Just imagine what a sad mess they’d paint me as for pretending to have a boyfriend.”

“Okay, so I’ll do it.” Callum’s tone is so casual it takes a second for the meaning to hit me. And when it does, it lands like a punch to the gut.

“Uh—” Priya starts, but I cut her off.

My head whips toward him. “You?”

Callum shrugs. “Yeah. Why not? I can fake being all loved up with Priya for one night.” He shoots her a wink, and something hot and ugly ignites in my chest. “I’m up for it.”

“No fucking way.” The words rip out of me before I can stop them, sharp and absolute. “If anyone’s doing it, it’s me.”

Callum raises an eyebrow. “Why?” His smirk is infuriating. “Your longest relationship was a three-day cruise.”

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