Page 54 of Broken Player

I chuckled. "That's exactly the reaction I want people to have when I grace them with my presence." I stepped inside, moving past him into the hall, noticing the warm, sweet smell in the air. "What's for breakfast?"

He closed the door and followed me down the hall toward the dining room. "Chocolate chip scones and avocado toast."

I raised my eyebrow. "You're not going all California on me, are you?"

"Just wanted you to feel at home with your snobby millennial breakfast foods."

I liked that Quinn didn't take my teasing lying down and instead volleyed that shit right back at me. "Dude, you're a millennial, too."

"Yeah, and I proudly fit the stereotype. I like avocado toast. Sue me," he laughed.

Pulling out one of the chairs, I plopped down in it, grabbing a scone and a piece of toast before Ryan walked in. She stopped mid-stride, stumbling as a little yelp escaped her throat when she saw me sitting here. My chest constricted at the sight of her. "You okay, Freckles?" I asked, knowing the pet name would probably make her squirm a little. My smirk turned into a grin when she started to stammer.

"Y-you… I…" She took a deep breath and stepped the rest of the way into the room, taking the seat next to Quinn. "I didn't expect to see you here this morning after you bailed on the movie last night," she admitted. I watched her, trying to figure out how she felt about last night, but all I saw in her eyes was fear and a little bit of relief. She thought I was going to leave again, and I couldn't blame anyone but myself for putting those doubts in her mind.

I got up from where I sat across from her and moved around the table, crouching down by her side. I pulled her hand into mine and looked up into her questioning gaze. "I know you might not believe me yet, but I'm not going anywhere unless you come with me. Even if you marry that absolute-"

Quinn interrupted with a well-placed throat clearing, and I swallowed back the words I wanted to say. My eyes darted over to him for a second, and I caught his wink and bit my cheek to stop from laughing.

Taking a deep breath, I continued. "Even if you marry Yates, I'll still be here."

"How can you promise that? You've got Shadow Phoenix. The guys depend on you, and you've got millions of fans around the world who look forward to your music. You can't stay here and wait around for me." She sounded so sure of herself, sure of what she thought I was capable of.

She had no fucking idea. "Oh, Freckles. I can and I will. Maybe you've forgotten since it's been a long time, but I get whatever the fuck I want, and I don't quit until it's mine. You… you've always been mine. We both just forgot for a while. But not anymore. You're what I want, and I don't care if it takes my whole goddamn life. I. Will. Wait."

She sucked in a breath and bit her lip. Reaching up, I brushed my thumb across and tugged her lip out from between her teeth. "If anyone's going to bite your lip, it's going to be me."

"Damn," I heard Quinn mutter from behind Ryan.

"I don't really know what to say," she confessed, playing with the hem of her white tank top. I noticed that it was a habit of hers. Her dark wavy hair fell over her shoulder, and I brushed it back, running my fingers through the silky strands so I could see her stunning face and those tiny light Freckles I loved so much that dotted almost every inch of it.

"Don't say anything. But you've got less than two weeks until the wedding, and I'm going to be here every single goddamn day proving to you that you belong with me, that I'm not going anywhere, and that no matter what you decide, I'll always be here. That's a motherfucking promise." I brought her hand to my mouth, kissing the back of it before letting go and sitting back down.

"What's the plan for the day?" Quinn asked, breaking the tension as he talked with his mouth full of scone. He spit a couple of crumbs out when he talked, and I shook my head.

"Christ, Quinny. At least swallow your mouth full of food first," I said, wrinkling my nose. Fucking gross.

He just laughed at me, though. I was starting to think he liked getting under my skin.

"We're clearing out ditches and checking the irrigation today," Ryan explained, and I bit back a groan. Fuck, I hated ranch chores. Digging ditches all day? It wasn't exactly a day in my regular life. From what she said, she and Quinn hated this shit just as much as I did, but they were stuck, and neither one of them was complaining, so I had to keep my mouth shut and try to keep up.

It didn't matter if we burned under the sun all goddamn day breaking our backs and sweating our asses off. As long as I was with Ryan, I'd never complain about a second of it. But fuck if I didn't want to hire her all the help she could use and set her free. Once I earned her trust, I'd bring it up but not a second sooner.

The past fewdays went quickly and dragged at the same time. Every second I got to spend with Ryan that we weren't doing goddamn ranch chores went way too fast, and every minute we were breaking our bodies trying to keep up with the cattle and everything that needed to be done went way too fucking slow.

One thing was for sure - I was working muscles I never even knew I had, and when I got back to LA, my trainer would sure as fuck be impressed. I missed my normal daily workouts. They were easy compared to the shit I was doing this week. No wonder Quinn looked like a fucking fitness model.

After another grueling as fuck morning, I managed to plan ahead and pull off a surprise for my girl. Even if she wasn't ready to admit it yet, that's what she was to me. That's what she'd always be. So, I'd asked her to meet me by the pond for lunch today. I knew her favorite spot to chill was under the little grove of trees that grew right near the water's edge. There was a soft patch of grass underneath, and since I had a minute to set up, I pulled the blanket I'd tied to Hex's saddle down.

Once the blanket was spread out, I walked back to Hex, patting his side gently. Then, I unpacked the lunch I packed us and carried it over to the blanket. Sinking down, I stretched out my legs and closed my eyes, enjoying the shade while waiting for Ryan.

I didn't have to wait long. The sound of hooves approaching had me opening my eyes and taking her in. God, she was fucking perfect. Her long, dark wavy hair was down today flowing behind her as the breeze brushed past her face. Her hips swayed side to side with the motion of her horse, and her skin was sunkissed and glistened from the morning spent in the sun.

Watching her on top of the horse had me picturing her on top of me as her body writhed above, her head thrown back as I worshiped her. Swallowing hard, I sat up, trying to hide how hard my dick was right now. I didn't want to show how much I wanted to relieve the pressure by unzipping my jeans because the zipper was currently digging into the sensitive flesh of my cock.

I watched her pull back on the reins as she swung her leg over the saddle and stepped down. She had a playful tilt to her lips as she made her way over to me. "What's all this?" she asked, taking in the blanket and the lunch I'd packed for us.

"A picnic. Come sit," I answered, patting the blanket right next to me and hoping she'd take the invitation. She did, and my heart sped up at how close she was. Her orange and vanilla scent drifted past me, and I inhaled, taking her all in. This week I made it a point of stepping back, though. I made it clear where we stood, but until I'd earned her trust, I wasn't going to push her anymore. If she wanted me, I'd never turn her away. But she had to be the one to come to me.

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