Page 67 of Belong With Me

I saw his eyes narrow for a moment, no doubt thinking he had won. “Don’t play coy with me, Miss Anderson, what did you decide?”

Shrugging in feigned ignorance, I told him, “I’m a lot to handle, though.”

His free hand stroked the buckle, drawing my eyes to unwittingly follow the movement. “So am I”—that smile of his widened—“if you know what I mean.”

I suppressed a shudder at the thoughts that chose that moment to pop into my mind. The whiskey in my gut roiled, threatening to come back up.

Daddy’s reminder played in my mind “Sleep with them if you have to, Sienna-Grace” and I felt sick, right down to the pit of my stomach. At least things with Ryder felt natural and easy, but when it came to Ethan Sanderson, no, I couldn’t go there. Not when I had to sip my water again, just to stop myself from gagging.

“Sienna.” He said my name again and I remembered his last comment.

Unfortunately, I knew exactly what he was alluding to. This time I couldn’t contain my eyeroll, and blinked quickly to cover it. When I reopened them, his eyes were trained on my breasts. Wanting them off me as soon as possible, I threw a comment back. “That’s a big belt buckle you’re wearing.”

He took the opportunity to lean in closer to me. I forced myself to remain where I was. There was no way I was going to let this man know how uncomfortable he made me. “Noticed it, did you?” As if anyone in this bar couldn’t notice it. “Let me tell you, my dear, it’s not the only thing that’s big.”

The hairs on my arm stood to attention, and without even looking I knew exactly why I was having that reaction.

Glancing to the side, I saw Ryder approaching, his face set like stone. The moment he was close enough, I replied, a little louder than necessary, “That may be the case, Mr. Sanderson, but my boyfriend’s is much bigger.”

Ryder walked right up to me and pulled me firmly against him as his mouth crashed down on mine not even a second later. His tongue invaded my mouth and marked me as his before everyone in this bar. I heard the whistles and catcalls around us, and I didn’t care one bit as I slid my hands around him and into the back pockets of his jeans, palming his firm ass.

When he finally pulled away, he pressed his lips against my forehead. “Hey, darlin’.” His voice somehow acted like a balm to my soul, the way his presence tended to, even right from the beginning.

“Hey yourself, cowboy.” I breathed a sigh of relief.

“You,” leaves Sanderson’s mouth, and I glanced to the side and saw his mouth pressed in a firm line.

“Can’t exactly say it’s a pleasure to see you, Ethan. After all, Momma did raise me not to lie.” I could feel the tension vibrating through him. Whatever was between these two was much more than just being rival ranch owners.

“Come on now, it’s been four years—” he started.

“Yet you’re out here flirting with my girl, again. Seems like history repeating to me.” Ryder’s grip on me tightened.

“History repeating will be your woman in my bed.”

I felt him go ramrod straight at the statement. Anger emanated off him in waves. That was definitely something I would be asking him about later. The inference of Anna-Beth once being Ryder’s partner was too strong to ignore. But for now, I wasn’t going to be spoken about by him in that manner, no way. “I hate to disappoint you, Mr. Sanderson, but you will never, ever have me in your bed.”

“That’s what Anna-Beth said too, and yet she happily left Ryder’s for my own.” He tipped his hat to me. “After all, your boy here is a foal, and I’m a stallion, my dear. He can’t possibly compete.”

With that last comment, Ryder’s arms slipped from around me and he took a step closer to Ethan. The movement dislodged my hands from his pockets. “Ry,” I murmured. Reaching out, I grasped his flexed bicep.

He didn’t listen though, his eyes focused only on Sanderson. “Leave. Now,” he bit out.

Sanderson looked past him and winked at me. I thought that he must have a death wish, as Ryder was already wound tighter than a spring. “Can’t do that, Larsen. Sienna and I were just discussing where to meet up later.”

“How dare you!” My voice was almost shrill to my own ears. Stepping around Ryder, I pressed my pointer finger into his chest, hard. “If you think I would ever be interested in a slime ball cheater like you, then you need your damn head read!”

I felt a hand on my hip, sliding around to my belly. It flattened out and pulled me back against a hard chest. I also felt a rock-solid erection against the top of my ass, and I gasped. He was turned on by this. The feel of his warm breath against my ear caused me to shiver in anticipation. “You have no idea how badly I want to fuck you right now, Sin.” His teeth nipped at my earlobe.

“That’s not what you were saying earlier.” Ethan’s eyes left mine, focusing over my head. A smirk settled on his lips, but not for long.

From out of absolutely nowhere, Logan appeared, his arm swinging out, and I saw his closed fist connect with Ethan’s cheek. The bar around us silenced and I heard someone swear from behind me. Logan was shaking his hand and intermittently rubbing his knuckles.

“I’ve been waiting to do that for years,” he growled before adding, “That’s enough. Just do the right thing, for once in your damn life, and leave.”

Ethan’s eyes rolled and he raised a hand to his cheek before spitting blood out onto the floor of the bar at my feet, only narrowly avoiding my expensive flats. “You always were a disappointment, Logan. Picking the Larsens over your own flesh and blood.”

My eyes flicked to Logan. Looking closer at him, I could see the similarities between the two of them. “Well, considering all the things you have done in your life, it’s no wonder I have no respect for you. Ry has been more of a brother to me than you ever were.”

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