Her hands came up to her face, and she covered her eyes. “God, I can’t believe this. I’m an idiot.”
“Don’t say that.
“Stop telling me what to do, damn it.” She lifted her head and glared at him. “Screw your protocols. They’re nothing but bullshit.”
“Okay. You’ve said yo
ur safe word.” He lifted his hands up like a criminal surrounded by a SWAT team. “If you want, I can get out of the truck.”
“Give me my clothes,” she said through gritted teeth.
“Okay.” He opened his door and left her alone in the cab for a moment.
She glanced around. They were parked in front of an amazing rock house. The place was a single-story with an exterior of rugged river rock that combined with the natural beauty around it. Dallas’s home. She was glad no one was around to see her in her current condition, but she also wished someone was there that she could hitch a ride with back to her hotel.
Dallas returned with a satchel that he must’ve gotten from the bed of the truck. “Your clothes are in here.” He passed it over.
She jerked it from him. “You guys are unbelievable. Don’t say a word. Not now. Just don’t look at me while I dress.”
He nodded and turned around.
Pulling her clothes out of the bag, she noticed that they were folded neatly, not wadded up as she’d expected. The Wilde brothers treat my clothing better than me. She slipped on her panties then her bra. Quickly, she put on her jeans and shirt, socks, and shoes. More angry tears fell.
“Where’s my cell phone?” she spat. She had no intention of letting him drive her back to the Hotel Cactus.
“On the dashboard,” Dallas answered with his back still to her.
She looked up and saw it. She grabbed it up and realized her battery was dead. Damn, I forgot to charge it last night. “Where’s your phone? I’d like to use it.”
He didn’t turn around. “It’s in my pocket, but there isn’t any service here.”
“Great. Go ahead. You can face me.”
Dallas whipped back to her, revealing a face full of remorse. She didn’t like the control she was having over him. It didn’t ring true to her nature. But the outrage boiling inside her would not be stilled.
“What kind of deviants are you and your brothers? I gave up my virginity to Jackson. I know we’ve all played around. You guys shared me. I thought it was just fun and games. Turns out, it’s only games, and I’m the loser.”
“You’re not a loser, Jessie.”
“This is probably about your family’s mine. Austin put you up to this, right?”
“No. Nothing like that.”
She clenched her jaw tight and narrowed her eyes. His met her gaze and never faltered. He didn’t seem to be attempting some silent battle of wills with her. No. Instead, he looked dejected.
“Then tell me why, Dallas. Why me?”
“Because you’re not like anyone I’ve ever known.” He sounded sincere.
“I’ve done it again, only this time is way worse.” She thought about how foolish she’d been with her ex-fiancé Michael. He turned out to be gay. Most every woman would’ve seen that from a mile away. Not her. Her instincts sucked when it came to gay men. Apparently, they also sucked when it came to straight cowboys.
“Love, please. Let me explain.”
“Stop calling me love. All right?”
“Okay.”
“I’m listening, Dallas. Give me your best line of BS.”