Sheâs lying to me and everyone else, but especially to herself.Â
I can see right through it but I canât figure out why.Â
This has been going on for over five years and honestly Iâm tired of her games. The way she dismisses me, acts as if I donât exist anytime Iâm around, and purposely taunts me with her delicious curves.Â
Mackenzie Bishop will be the death of me.
I started at the Circle B Ranch to help with the cattle operation while she was away at college. Diesel, the manager of the operation, introduced us, and Kenzie stood there giving me the side eye. When I finally reached out to shake her hand, her jaw dropped as if Iâd offended her.
I just mentioned how nice it was to meet her. Though I was thinking how gorgeous she was and wondered how her lips would taste.
Since that day sheâs hated me for no goddamn reason.Â
After years of taunting and bickering, I had hoped sheâd finally tell me why she despises me so much. Or weâd fall into bed together and work out our frustrations the fun way.Â
No such luck.
âSo Kenzie, you gonna wear my favorite pink thong down the aisle this weekend?â I ask while her back is to me. I can only imagine the glare sheâs sporting right now.Â
âYouâre gonna let me borrow your underwear? How sweet.â She looks over her shoulder and smirks.Â
Diesel, Riley, and Gavinâthe other ranch handsâshake their heads at me.Â
âWhy do you even try anymore?â Riley, whoâs Kenzieâs cousin, asks. The four of us are sitting at a table at the Circle B Bed & Breakfast eating together, as per our daily tradition. The B&B sits on the Circle B Ranch and hosts hundreds of guests a year, including the workers who eat between morning chores. Itâs owned by the Bishops and most of the familyâs involved with the ranch in some way.Â
Kenzieâs a school teacher in town and her older sister Maize is the head chef here. Occasionally, Kenzie will stop by in the morning for coffee and bagels before work.Â
âOne day sheâll snap,â I declare. âOne day. Then itâll be on.âÂ
Diesel snorts, shaking his head. âThe day Kenzie brings a man home is one I donât wanna miss.â
âMe neither. Watching Grayson fight some guy for a woman who hates him would be the ultimate entertainment,â Gavin adds. Heâs Maizeâs husband, at least ten years older than me, and twice my size so itâs not like I can even sucker punch him for that comment.
âHey, assholes. Workinâ here has gained me a six-pack and an extra thirty pounds of muscle. So eat shit,â I say, then shove more food in my mouth. Maizeâs cooking is so damn good and irresistible, but the carbs are worth it. Especially when I catch Kenzie staring anytime I have my shirt off.
âI still canât believe Ethan and Harper lined you up to walk together in their wedding. Thatâs a catastrophe waitinâ to happen,â Diesel says.
âI was just as surprised as you were,â I admit. âBut Iâm takinâ full advantage to find out why she pretends to hate me so much. When sheâs drunk too much at the reception, Iâll be there to drive her home. She wonât be able to resist my charm,â I respond with a shit-eating grin.Â
âSo confident for a guy who sheâs kicked in the balls and dumped buckets of water over your head,â Riley taunts.
âThatâs called foreplay, my friends. All leading up to the moment weââ
My jaw snaps shut the moment I notice John Bishopâthe manager of the B&Bâ standing at the end of the table with his arms folded.Â
Heâs also Kenzieâs father.
âI wouldnât finish that sentence if I were you.â He looks like heâs daring me to give him a reason to kick my ass out.Â
âNo, sir,â I say politely.Â
When John walks away, itâs so quiet I could hear a pin drop.Â
âGood job there.â Gavin chuckles as he takes a bite of biscuits and gravy.Â
âYour father-in-law hates me,â I say.
âHeâs just reserved.â Gavin shrugs, then adds, âBut yeah, youâre definitely on his shit list now.âÂ
Once Iâve finished eating, Diesel and I go back to the cattle barn. Since Ethan and Harperâs wedding rehearsalâs tonight, my work dayâs cut in half. Once weâre finished, I go home and change, then head to the church.
Ethanâs one of Kenzieâs cousins who runs the goat farm. I help him sometimes and over the years weâve become friends. When they announced their engagement, I was kinda surprised heâd asked me to be a groomsman. Even more so when I learned they paired me with Kenzie but I wasnât complaining.Â
âYou look pretty,â I whisper in Kenzieâs ear the first chance I get. Weâre practicing walking down the aisle in order.
âEat shit, Cowboy,â she murmurs without looking at me as Harperâs mom gives instructions.Â
I hold back laughter as I stuff my hands in my pockets. âPretty filthy mouth too.âÂ
She faces me wearing her signature glare. âDonât get any ideas. Just because I have to be paired with you doesnât mean I want to be.â
âWhy? Youâd rather be sittinâ on my face? Because if so, that can be arranged.â
Without warning, she stomps her heel on my foot. âFuck.â I hiss, trying to keep it together so I donât cause a scene.Â
âKeep it up, dumbass and youâll also be sportinâ a black-eye in the wedding photos,â she warns with fake politeness in her tone.
Goddamn, why does her feistiness turn me on even more? Itâs a true sickness, something I canât explain. Sheâs turned me down more times than I can count and yet I still canât control myself around her. Ignoring the impulse to get under her skin as much as she gets under mine is impossible. Kenzieâs worked me up for so fucking long, I crave peeling back her layers and figuring out what her problem is with me.Â
âThat wasnât very ladylike,â I murmur when sheâs forced to weave her arm through mine.
While brushing strands of bleach blonde hair from her face, she ignores me.
As we make our way toward the front, I lean in and ask softly, âYou gonna finally tell me why you despise me so much?â
âYouâre annoying.âÂ
âAnd youâre a raging bitch most days, but thatâs not an acceptable reason to be a jerk to you.â
She whips her head in my direction and scowls. Before she can retort, weâre separating and moving to our respective places. While standing next to the other groomsman, I glance at her. I should apologize but honestly sheâs never given me the same courtesy for the harsh shit she says. However, I hadnât meant it. I only wanted a reaction from her but instead I feel guilty as hell.
Sheâs gonna make me pay for that one. Youâd think at twenty-seven years old, I wouldâve learned how not to put my foot in my mouth.Â
Â
***
The following day, Iâm up bright and early to get my chores done before I have to go to the church for the ceremony. I never got to speak to Kenzie after the rehearsal because she avoided me at the dinner like usual.Â
âSee ya guys there!â I wave to Diesel and Riley as I walk to my truck.Â
After a hot shower, changing into my suit, and combing my hair, I drive into town. When I arrive, Ethanâs parents and sister are in the groomsmenâs dressing room.Â
âGrayson, you clean up so nice,â his mother, Emily says.Â
âYeah, man. Lookinâ good.â Ethan smirks, patting my back.Â
âYou gettinâ nervous yet?âÂ
âNah. Been ready to marry Harper since I was a teen.â He beams, and Iâm happy for him. Ethan and Harper were childhood friends up until last year when Harper asked him to pretend to be his fiancĂ©. One thing led to another and a couple months later, they were actually engaged. Now sheâs pregnant and theyâre due in the fall.Â
âHey, can you give this letter to Harper for me?â Ethan asks his sister, Elle. âI want her to read it right away.â
âSure thing, bro. I gotta wrangle the other bridesmaids anyway.âÂ
At that, I go search for Kenzie first. The church isnât that big and since the bridal suite is at the opposite end of the hallway, itâs not hard to find her. Fortunately sheâs alone.Â
As soon as she sees me, she groans with an eye-roll. âWhat do you want?â
I rake my gaze down her body, appreciating every inch of skin thatâs peeking out of her dress. Wavy blonde hair flows down her back, and I want to reach out and tug it. âRelax. Do you always come armed?â
âAround you I do.âÂ
âI was just cominâ to tell you how beautiful you look. Peach suits you.â
âItâs coral,â she corrects.Â
âAlright, well whatever color it is, itâs pretty on you.âÂ
She stays silent, and I see her looking me over. After licking her lips, she swallows hard. Kenzieâs terrible at hiding her attraction to me. If I honestly thought it was one-sided, I wouldnât push her so much. I wonât stop until she admits it or tells me why sheâs hellbent on pushing me away every chance she gets.
âThe proper response would be thank you,â I tease.Â
âI donât need your compliments, Grayson. Get the hint already.â She stalks off but I follow close behind.Â
âFine,â I mutter. âYou look horrible. That color with your lipstick is all wrong.âÂ
She halts and I nearly collide into her back. Kenzie turns with a scowl.Â
âWas that better for ya, princess?â Lowering my eyes down her chest, I notice her hard nipples peeking through the thin fabric. I raise my brows, and rub my fingers over my chin. âIâm guessing you liked it a lot.âÂ
âSeriously. Youâre the fucking worst. Stop following me like a lost puppy.âÂ
âYou like being degraded in the bedroom, donât you? Thatâs why you always fight me.â I step closer and when she backs up into the wall, I cage her in with my arms. âItâs our version of foreplay, and Iâm willing to bet if I felt between your thighs right now, youâd be soaking wet for me. Am I right?â
With a mischievous smirk, Kenzie arches her back, showing off her delicious cleavage. Then, she slams her hands against my chest, and I stumble back. âToo bad youâll never find out.âÂ
Jesus fuck. Sheâs clawing at my patience.Â
âFine,â I say as she walks past me. âYou finally ready to tell me what your deal is then?â I follow her until she spins around.
âYou are.âÂ
âAnd what is it that I did?â
âIf you donât know, thatâs your problem,â she snaps.
Frustration rolls through me. âWoman! I swear. Just tell me so I can like, I donât know, apologize?âÂ
She sarcastically snorts. âI donât want your apology.âÂ
âThen what do you want? Whatâs it gonna take for you to stop acting like a snotty princess?â I ask desperately.Â
A corner of her lips tilt up as she crossesher arms. âI want revenge. And maybe then weâll be even.â The amusement in her tone makes my heart pound. If Iâve learned anything about her over the years itâs that she doesnât make promises she canât keep.
âYouâre insane. I didnât even do anything.â I shake my head, moving away from her.Â
Iâve had enough of this crazy train and if I donât get off, Iâm going to get sucked further into her web. I wish I could say Iâve had random hookups but between work and limited single ladies in town, there havenât been many chances. Even if there was someone else, I know Iâd be thinking of Kenzie the whole damn time.Â
Once the wedding ceremony begins, itâs back to back action. We watch the newlyweds share their vows and first kiss, then weâre thrown into wedding party photos. Kenzie ignores me as we stand close and smile for the camera. Itâs hard not to notice those luscious lips or feel the softness of her skin when sheâs next to me. Hell, I notice everything about her.
By the time the reception begins, the majority of the guests are halfway to tipsy town. Kenzieâs been dancing with her cousins and Iâve been watching her while I drink. She might be the only sober one here, which means my plan to offer to drive her home has gone to shit. So instead I drink myself stupid and try to have a good time.
âYou lookinâ pretty messed up there, Cowboy.â Â
My vision blurs as I blink at Kenzie. She tilts her head and accesses me.Â
I shrug, walking away.
âWhoa, whoa, whoa. Where do you think youâre going, Grayson Harding?âÂ
The sound of her using my full name grabs my attention, even if her voice is different. Oh wait, sheâs not scolding or shouting at me for once.
âTo find someone to keep warm tonight,â I blurt out.Â
Kenzie barks out a laugh. âUnless you plan to snuggle with Payton or Luke, your options are limited. Everyoneâs married or over fifty âround here.â
Itâs funny because Payton and Luke are the ranch hands who help Ethan with the goats, and they also very much like women. Sheâs right though, because most of the ladies here are taken or too old for me. That fact doesnât explain why she came alone, however, sheâs made it very clear she doesnât date ranch hands.Â
âAnd what would you do if I found someone else?â I ask curiously as I struggle to get my keys out of my pocket. âIâm not waitinâ forever, baby.â
She groans, then swipes the keys out of my hand. âYou idiot. You canât drive.âÂ
âWhy do you care? Youâd probably like me ending up in a ditch.â Iâm rambling and blurting out shit, but Iâm too drunk to care.
âI donât but I worry about who you might hurt in the process. Letâs go.â She snatches my keys out of my hand and finds my truck in the parking lot.
I press my cheek against the window as Kenzie floors the gas pedal. Though she claims to hate me, she cared enough to keep an eye on me. She denies it, but she notices me.Â
âAlright, can you get yourself up the stairs?â she asks once we arrive at my cabin. Itâs not much but living quarters came with the ranch hand job. Iâve added personal touches but compared to the other houses on the ranch, itâs a shack. Someday Iâll buildâwhen I have a wife and family of my own.Â
âTotally,â I stutter, reaching for the door handle and missing it. After my third attempt, Kenzie groans and marches over to the passenger side.
When she whips it open, I nearly fall out.Â
âJesus, Grayson. What were you thinkinâ getting so drunk?â She steps closer and pulls my arm around her shoulders to steady me.Â
âI was drinkinâ away my sorrows.â
She snort-laughs.
âHonestly, I was trying to gain the courage to ask you to dance.â I stumble as I move against her toward my house. âBut then I got too sloshed and decided to just keep chugginâ.âÂ
âYou really are a fool, you know that?â She opens the front door and leads us in. âYour room?â
âDown the hallâŠbut itâs clothing optional.â I flash a smirk.Â
âReally? I figured itâd be common sense thatâs optional considering the bimbos Iâve seen you talk to.âÂ
âYou jealous?â
She sets me down on my bed and looks at me. âHardly.âÂ
I scoff because thereâs only been two women Iâve hooked up in the past six years. Neither were from around here either. One was my ex-fiance and the other was a woman I slept with the night after I found out the love of my life had cheated.
âYou gonna stay?â I ask, managing to kick off my shoes. âOr at least help me out of my tux.âÂ
âYou canât be serious,â she deadpans.
âItâs a rental. Canât return it all to shreds.â I flash a devilish grin, hoping she takes the bait.Â
âFine. But donât get any ideas, okay?âÂ
âOh, sweetheart. Itâs too late for that,â I drawl as she slowly unbuttons my dress shirt. Her intense gaze is on my chest as she avoids my eyes. âOne is where I tie you up in my bed andââ
âYou have some rope?â She arches a brow as she removes my tie.
âAs a matter of fact, I doâŠcuffs as well.âÂ
She gives me a mischievous look. âNo, I really like the rope ideaâŠâÂ
âOh shit, youâre kinky kinky. Donât gotta tell me twice.âÂ
Once Iâm down to my boxers, I grab some rope from the storage closet. When I return, Kenzie takes them from my hand. âLay down in the middle.âÂ
I arch a brow, tempted to argue but donât. Once Iâm settled, she straddles my hips and grinds against me. Blood rushes to my dick and my heart races as her soft hands rub up my stomach.Â
âKenzieâŠâ I growl, cursing the last five drinks I had because my head is fuzzy as hell.Â
âIsnât this what youâve always wanted?â she taunts in a sultry tone, bringing her mouth close to mine.Â
âYou have no idea.â
She brushes her mouth against mine but quickly backs away.
âRaise your arms,â she says seductively, licking her bottom lip.Â
âYes, maâam.â I do as she says and watch her hogtie my wrists to the bed posts.
âPerfect,â she whispers in my ear.
âNow I canât remove your clothes,â I pout, lowering my eyes down her curvy body.
âGuess Iâll have to give you a private show.â She stands and slowly unzips her dress.
âFuck yes.âÂ
The gown falls to her feet and my eyes widen in shock at her sexy undergarments. Lace bra and matching thong, tan and toned legs, creamy skin. Iâm already rock hard just looking at her.Â
âKenzieâŠI need to touch you.âÂ
âHold your horses, Cowboy.â She grabs the other rope, twirling it around in her fingers. âIâm not done with you.âÂ
Once sheâs at the end of the bed, Kenzie grabs my ankle.Â
âNoâŠâ I yank my leg out of her grip, but she pulls it back.Â
âYou play by my rules or I leave,â she threatens, holding a serious stare.Â
Goddammit, sheâs testing me but I donât want her to go. Not after finally reaching this point.Â
âYou need to lose the boxers though.â
Swallowing hard, I lift my hips so she can pull them down my legs. My cock springs free, hard and ready to feel her warm pussy. She ties my ankles, leaving me completely at her mercy. Gliding a finger along my leg, she inches closer to my shaft.
âImagining you riding me has me hard as fuck, Kenzie.â
As she scans over my body, she bites her bottom lip. I notice the way her breathing hitches when she looks over my abs and erection.Â
âCâmon, baby girl. Youâre torturinâ me now.â I pull against the rope, desperate to touch her hard nipples.Â
âIâll be right backâŠâ She moves toward the door, and I panic. âJust gonna freshen up in the bathroom.âÂ
âHurry up.â I grin.Â
She flashes a wink and backs out of my room. My body buzzes with anticipation.Â
After all these years, itâs finally happening. Kenzieâs going to be mine.
Twenty minutes pass, and I call for her. No response. Then I shout louder. âKenzie!â
I flail against my hold, the ropes not budging no matter how much I try. She fucking tied them tight as hell. After ten solid minutes of calling her name, I come to the conclusion sheâs bailed.Â
More time passes and I realize sheâs not coming back. The anger viciously floods through me as I recall her earlier words.Â
I want revenge. And maybe then weâll be even.
Revenge for what though? I still have no clue what her issue with me is.
My phoneâs still in the pocket of my pants and out of reach. Itâs gotta be almost three in the morning and if the guys havenât barged into my house by now, theyâre already passed out and wonât be coming. Usually one of the Bishops or other ranch hands hang out here on the weekends but no such luck tonight.Â
Iâm fuckinâ screwed.Â
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