table. It had been a week since she’d walked out on Justin and Evan, and she’d expected… Snagging her cell off her hip, Annabelle checked the incoming calls. Then she checked her text inbox.
Maybe it wasn’t working, or she’d been on an area of the ranch where she didn’t get any signal…
“Or maybe, just maybe, you really are a selfish bitch,” Annabelle muttered. Justin hadn’t said it that way but every time Annabelle re-ran that parting scene in her head, that’s exactly how she felt. Evan had looked so hurt, and damn it, even Justin, with his tough exterior and that calm, reasonable voice he’d used—none of that had kept her from seeing the way his shoulders had tensed, the flickers of anger and pain in his expression before he’d covered it with a lay of stoicism so thick it seemed impenetrable.
And she’d run out of there, after the best sex of her life because…because why?
“Are you all right?”
Annabelle started so badly she tipped her beer over. Josh’s quick reflexes saved her from a lapful of the cool liquid. “Thanks, Joshie.”
Josh set the bottle down and waited, and Annabelle knew why—in this instance anyway. She’d fucked up here, too, practically ignoring Josh while she’d been in full subdued freak out mode. God forbid anyone discover she wasn’t Superwoman, that she had questions and doubts about herself, fears and—she frowned and pointed at Josh.
“You have a big ol’ hickey on your neck.”
Josh scowled and slapped one hand over the purple mark while raising the other to point at Annabelle. “ You don’t get to hear about that, at least not right now. You didn’t return BEND
Bailey Bradford
69
my calls and only sent shitty little texts saying ‘Sorry I missed ur call will call laterz’ or ‘Good here everything okay there?’ You weren’t willing to talk to me when I needed to talk to you, so you are gonna do the talking now.”
Annabelle knew her eyes were the size of dinner plates and likely to pop right out of her head. And as shitty as she felt for pushing Josh away, she was also weirdly turned on by this display of…of power from a man she only now realised she’d secretly thought of as a pushover.
“Shut your mouth before you catch flies,” Josh said, and the barest hint of a smile gave Annabelle hope that she hadn’t fucked things up too badly between them. “I will even help you get started with whatever is eating at you. So, you fucked my brother and…and Evan last weekend.”
Lifting the sweating bottle to her lips, Annabelle nodded, unable to look at Josh. She wasn’t ashamed of the sex, but what came after still made her skin burn with embarrassment.
Chugging the rest of the beer in a few short gulps didn’t really help, getting drunk didn’t help. She had a week full of hangovers to prove that. Pushing up from her chair, Annabelle tipped her bottle at Josh. “You want one?”
“No, I had more than enough last—” Josh stopped and cleared his throat, his gaze darting everywhere but at her. “Water would be great though.”
Annabelle frowned, her eyes drawn back to that hickey. “What—”
“Nope. Not about me.” Josh walked to the cabinets and pulled down two glasses. “And I doubt you need another beer. You’ve got bags under your eyes that I could pack for a six-month vacation”
“Thanks,” Annabelle groused as she sat back in her chair. “Maybe it’s a good thing your brother hasn’t come hunting me down.” She’d probably scare the beejeezus out of him.
Josh paused with his back to her as he stood by the sink. “Any why would you think Justin might hunt you down?”
It was easier with him not looking at her, or maybe a week’s worth of regret made talking about it possible. Either way, Annabelle’s eyes welled with tears as she stared at the battered table top. “Because after…after we’d all had sex, I freaked out a little and left. Fast.”
Josh grunted and filled the glasses with tap
Maybe it wasn’t working, or she’d been on an area of the ranch where she didn’t get any signal…
“Or maybe, just maybe, you really are a selfish bitch,” Annabelle muttered. Justin hadn’t said it that way but every time Annabelle re-ran that parting scene in her head, that’s exactly how she felt. Evan had looked so hurt, and damn it, even Justin, with his tough exterior and that calm, reasonable voice he’d used—none of that had kept her from seeing the way his shoulders had tensed, the flickers of anger and pain in his expression before he’d covered it with a lay of stoicism so thick it seemed impenetrable.
And she’d run out of there, after the best sex of her life because…because why?
“Are you all right?”
Annabelle started so badly she tipped her beer over. Josh’s quick reflexes saved her from a lapful of the cool liquid. “Thanks, Joshie.”
Josh set the bottle down and waited, and Annabelle knew why—in this instance anyway. She’d fucked up here, too, practically ignoring Josh while she’d been in full subdued freak out mode. God forbid anyone discover she wasn’t Superwoman, that she had questions and doubts about herself, fears and—she frowned and pointed at Josh.
“You have a big ol’ hickey on your neck.”
Josh scowled and slapped one hand over the purple mark while raising the other to point at Annabelle. “ You don’t get to hear about that, at least not right now. You didn’t return BEND
Bailey Bradford
69
my calls and only sent shitty little texts saying ‘Sorry I missed ur call will call laterz’ or ‘Good here everything okay there?’ You weren’t willing to talk to me when I needed to talk to you, so you are gonna do the talking now.”
Annabelle knew her eyes were the size of dinner plates and likely to pop right out of her head. And as shitty as she felt for pushing Josh away, she was also weirdly turned on by this display of…of power from a man she only now realised she’d secretly thought of as a pushover.
“Shut your mouth before you catch flies,” Josh said, and the barest hint of a smile gave Annabelle hope that she hadn’t fucked things up too badly between them. “I will even help you get started with whatever is eating at you. So, you fucked my brother and…and Evan last weekend.”
Lifting the sweating bottle to her lips, Annabelle nodded, unable to look at Josh. She wasn’t ashamed of the sex, but what came after still made her skin burn with embarrassment.
Chugging the rest of the beer in a few short gulps didn’t really help, getting drunk didn’t help. She had a week full of hangovers to prove that. Pushing up from her chair, Annabelle tipped her bottle at Josh. “You want one?”
“No, I had more than enough last—” Josh stopped and cleared his throat, his gaze darting everywhere but at her. “Water would be great though.”
Annabelle frowned, her eyes drawn back to that hickey. “What—”
“Nope. Not about me.” Josh walked to the cabinets and pulled down two glasses. “And I doubt you need another beer. You’ve got bags under your eyes that I could pack for a six-month vacation”
“Thanks,” Annabelle groused as she sat back in her chair. “Maybe it’s a good thing your brother hasn’t come hunting me down.” She’d probably scare the beejeezus out of him.
Josh paused with his back to her as he stood by the sink. “Any why would you think Justin might hunt you down?”
It was easier with him not looking at her, or maybe a week’s worth of regret made talking about it possible. Either way, Annabelle’s eyes welled with tears as she stared at the battered table top. “Because after…after we’d all had sex, I freaked out a little and left. Fast.”
Josh grunted and filled the glasses with tap
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