Page 18 of Tempted By the Broken Cowboy
He gets up from his wheelchair to shake Quinn’s hand. “Miss Atwood, welcome to Iron Stallion.”
Did he just say eight weeks? I’m supposed to live in the same house as Quinn for eight weeks?! What did I do to deserve this?
“Mr. Morgan, I hope I’m not too late,” Quinn responds with a polished smile.
“Of course not. And call me Jace, please.”
“Okay, Jace. Thank you so much for having me.”
“I should be thanking you for taking me up on my offer.”
They are being so friendly as if everything has already been decided. Don’t I even get a say in this?
Jace then turns to me as if recalling my presence. “Beck, why don’t you show Quinn to her room? We can talk once she settles down.”
“Don’t we have maids for that?” I grumble.
“We do, but she’s staying in the empty bedroom next to yours, and since you are headed that way, why not be a gentleman?”
“There are six empty bedrooms on the second floor,” I remind him.
“And yet I’ve decided that she’s staying in the room next to yours,” he proclaims, grabbing my shoulder and squeezing a bit too tight for my liking.
“I don’t have a choice, do I?” I sigh.
“No, you don’t,” he affirms, taking a seat in his wheelchair once more. “Miss Atwood, feel at home. For now, please settle in, and we’ll discuss the details of your stay later.”
“Thank you, sir.”
He wheels himself away, leaving me and the woman who is about to ruin my life. Knowing that I don’t have a choice, I grab her two suitcases and carry them inside the house. Ella is long gone, probably running away from the bloodshed. I don’t even turn to check if Quinn is following behind me as I lead her to the first floor where our rooms are.
But seriously, what is Jace thinking, putting us in adjacent rooms? Isn’t it enough that I already have to be okay with her moving in here?
I don’t bother taking them in, just drop them in front of her door. Turning around to face her, we almost run into each other again.
“Thank you,” she smiles politely, and I know her well enough to recognize that it’s fake.
“I hope you know what you just signed up for.”
She cocks her eyebrow at me. “Is that a threat?”
I lean down, our noses brushing against each other. “No, baby, it’s a warning. Trust me, when I threaten you, you’ll know.”
With that, I turn around and head into my room, slamming the door closed loud enough for it to echo through the walls. Quinn is here, and she seems determined to let my siblings use her. But I am not going to take this sitting down. She better brace herself for what’s about to come.
7
QUINN
Morning settles over Iron Stallion like a dare. A cold wind blows through the vast land, the clang of metal can be heard from the barn, horses blowing steam into the crisp dawn. I stand on the balcony of my bedroom, looking out into the vastness that is the Morgan Empire.
This is my first time here, and I can’t suppress the thrill running through me. I’ve seen it in photos, glimpses on Ella’s social media, and even polished shots on the website, but nothing compares to standing here in person. The air feels different, richer somehow, and every detail tugs at me in a way a screen never could.
But I am not here to fool around. My eight weeks are meant to bury myself in work and live up to my contract of makingBeckett Gideon Morgan an acceptable member of society once more.
He made it perfectly clear that he is not thrilled with me being here, and to be honest, I’m not either. It was not easy making the leap, but after thinking about it for a few days, getting mocked by Rhett and looked down upon by my father, I decided this is the much better choice. At least by the end of this, I’ll walk away with fifty million dollars.
For that to happen, I need to get to work, so I reluctantly walk away from the picturesque scene, across my room and outside to the bedroom next door.
