Page 45 of Broken Player

Quinn shrugged, not knowing what to say, I guess. "Level with me, Quinn. Is there any chance at all that she'll ditch the douche? Am I just making shit more complicated for her by being around?"

"No, there's more than a chance, Maddox. Don't give up. Yates doesn't deserve Ryan. The jury's still out on if you deserve her, but I know her deep down better than anyone. She never really moved on from the dream of you. I don't think it'll take much pushing on your part to convince her if you just keep showing her you're around and not going anywhere. You have to build back that trust, but lucky for you, Ryan's the most forgiving person I know," he said, and hope filled me.

If there was even a tiny remote possibility she'd call off the wedding and be with me, I'd never quit trying. Not for anything.I'd give up everything and move to Texas and become a rancher if that's what she needed me to do.

Fuck, I hoped that wasn't what she needed from me.

Still, right now, it didn't matter. What did matter was Ryan and showing her I knew I fucked up and that I was willing to do whatever it took to make up for it. Showing her that no matter what either one of us had been through, she was always it for me. There'd never been another woman who made me feel like she did, like I was willing to rip out my heart and hand it over on a silver platter for her to do with it whatever she wanted.

We both straightened up as Ryan walked into the room, bringing with her a lightness of energy and her orange-vanilla scent that woke my appetite back up in more ways than one. "You slackers ready to hit the hay? Literally?" she asked, laughing at her own lame-ass joke.

Quinn groaned, and I rolled my eyes as she snatched a croissant for herself, shoving it in her mouth and holding it between her teeth as her eyes sparkled. She took a huge bite and grabbed the bottle of water Quinn handed her before spinning on her heels and walking back out.

I glanced back across the table at him, and he was already standing up, dusting off his hands. I slid my chair back and stood, picking up my plate. "Leave it," Quinn insisted, waving his hand. "I cook breakfast, Shannon does the dishes. She likes to feel useful."

"You made those?" I asked, pointing at the buttery croissant, and I swear he blushed a little.

"Yeah, I love to cook."

"You've got to meet my buddy, Grayson. He owns this fucking incredible restaurant that has a waitlist for forever. If you ever come to LA, we'll go," I promised.

"I'd like that," Quinn agreed, and we walked to the barn, just shooting the shit.

Ryan had already pulled out her and Quinn's horses, but there wasn't a third. "I see the horses for Quinn and me, but what are you going to ride?" I asked her, flashing her my cockiest grin while I swaggered up next to her.

After my little chat with Quinn over breakfast, I decided today I was going all-in with the charm. I didn't have time to waste taking things slow, but I also needed to tread carefully. I still had to be myself. She wasn't some groupie I didn't care enough about to even learn her name.

She looked up at me through her thick, long lashes, heat flashing in her eyes. "Why, you offering?" she practically purred, and I was instantly hard as a goddamn rock. Fuck, I hadn't expected her to play along, but it excited me like never before. My heart was pounding, and I leaned forward, brushing my lips against her ear as I whispered, "Always, baby."

"If you two aren't going to make room for one more, there's shit to get done," Quinn grumbled, climbing onto Daisy's back and effectively ruining the moment. I stepped back from Ryan before shooting a glare in his direction.

"Yeah, that's what you get for being so hot," he shrugged, and I laughed. I couldn't argue with his logic; even if I was still irritated he ruined the moment. I would have bet every cent I had that Ryan would have let me kiss her again in about ten more seconds if he hadn't interrupted. Maybe it would be better to let the tension build up throughout the day, though.

I looked back down at Ryan, wrapping one of her curls around my finger. "We can share," I declared, letting go of her hair and climbing up on the saddle before she could argue. I reached my hand down, and she took it, letting me help her up. She threw her leg over Storm's saddle, and she settled her back against my chest. I wrapped my arms around her waist, pulling her even closer.

Burying my nose into the crook of her neck, I breathed her in. She was so fucking enticing, I wanted to take my time and run my tongue along the curve of her neck and up her jaw, but I didn't. Instead, I leaned back slightly and let her take the reins, enjoying the feel of her body swaying with mine as we rode to one of the outer pastures.

Her hair brushed against my cheek as it blew in the breeze and tickled as it caught in my stubble. I laughed as I untangled it from my face, and she twisted to look at me. "What's so funny?" she asked.

"Your hair keeps getting caught on my face," I said, still chuckling. "Don't get me wrong, I like it. It just tickles. But I can think of other things of yours I'd like on my face more." I stopped fighting to keep her hair off me. Instead, I lowered my hands to her hips. I pulled her back against my body even closer, close enough that I'd bet she could feel the semi-hard dick I was currently sporting from having her pressed against me.

Her body was like the best drug I'd ever tried, but I had a feeling it'd be more addictive if I ever got a real first taste. I'd be lost to an addiction so bad that nothing would ever compare. I wanted to fling myself headlong into it without any fucking hesitation.

"Hmm," she hummed, and I had a feeling she didn't know exactly what to say, but that was okay with me. I liked how innocent Ryan was. Her inexperience was a fucking turn on like no other.

All too soon, she pulled on the reins, bringing us to a stop. We climbed down and got to work in the hot as fuck sun, but I didn't mind these chores now that I was out here with Ryan and even Quinn. The dude was honestly pretty badass, and I found myself liking his company, which was saying a lot, considering I hated almost everyone.

After a couple of hours, my muscles were straining, I was thirsty as hell, and my stomach was trying to eat itself because I was so goddamn hungry. I hadn't done this much manual labor since I was a kid, and I remembered why I fucking hated growing up on a cattle ranch. Could I do this kind of work day in and day out? Sure. Did I want to? Fuck, no.

"Break for lunch?" Quinn panted, sweat pouring down his face. I was sure I didn't look any better as I pulled off my baseball hat and wiped my face with my shirt. I didn't miss the way both of their eyes lingered on my abs, and I chuckled. "I can take it off if you want," I offered, reaching for the hem of my shirt and pulling it over my head.

I knew I looked good, and if my girl wanted to check me out, I had absolutely no problem with it. As an added bonus, I'd get to ride back to the house with her body pressed against my shirtless chest. I was getting hard just thinking about it and took a deep breath to calm down.

It didn't work.

We loaded the tools and climbed up on the horses, and I gripped Ryan's hip in one hand and moved her hair away from where it stuck to her neck with the other. I couldn't help myself and pressed a soft kiss to her damp skin, opening my mouth just enough to brush my tongue against her skin. She tasted salty and sweet, and I wanted more.

A breathy moan came out of her mouth, so I kissed her again, and she melted into me, resting her head back on my shoulder. I let the hand on her hip drift down to her thigh and back up to her stomach, pushing up the fabric of her tank top and letting my fingers tease the soft skin underneath. I was so captivated by her that I didn't notice where we were until I felt her stiffen against me before she sat up. I pulled my hands back and looked around her to see what she'd reacted to.

---