Captured by Cowboys (Doms of Destiny, Colorado 1)

Emmett returned. “Ready?”

She picked up the basket. “I am.”

* * * *

Emmett finished another of Amber’s sandwiches. Who would’ve thought to put sliced bananas in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich? Not him. Not the twins.

He couldn’t stop staring at her, lit by the late-afternoon sun. She glowed like an angel. Her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Though she looked ravishing no matter how she wore it, he preferred her locks down, falling past her shoulders.

“This is a beautiful place.” Amber’s voice was as warm and fresh as the breeze they were enjoying. “Thank you for bringing me here.”

“I’ve loved this spot since I was a kid.” He pointed to Blue Arrow Peak. “I can stare at that mountain for hours and never tire of it.”

“Does it always have snow on it?”

He nodded. “I remember convincing Cody and Bryant when they were little that Bigfoot lived up there. Cody, to this very day, still vows that he’s actually seen footprints of the beast.”

“I can imagine he does. He’s a real believer in a lot of things.” A sad looked crossed her face. He knew she was thinking about Cody and Bryant and what they might find.

So was he. “I know how worried you are. I can see it in your eyes. We are going to take care of you, Amber. Understand?”

“Yes, Sir. I’m green, Sir.” She snapped out the safe word like a challenge. “Very green, Sir.”

He knew she wasn’t, of course.

God, how had it come to this? His heart was on the line, and so were his brothers’. Hers, too.

He wanted to believe in Cody’s truth, that Amber had come to them as a part of providence, a part of fate. If he had his brother’s same conviction, Emmett would’ve suggested they leave well enough alone and forget trying to find out more about Amber’s past. They could’ve kept Amber’s presence secret for quite some time should they have chosen that path. But he didn’t have Cody’s faith. He’d convinced his brothers and Amber to head down the path of his making. A path that was certain to end badly for all of them. But it was the right thing to do, and he, like always, would do what needed to be done.

She sighed and leaned back on her elbows, causing her ample breasts to be even more pronounced in her shirt. His cock stiffened in his jeans at the sight.

“Cowboy, you have no idea how much I needed this outing.” A long, lingering sigh left her mouth. “I don’t want this to end, Emmett.”

His gut tightened as she voiced the fears that mirrored his. “Maybe it won’t, sweetheart.”

“You don’t believe that. I can hear it in your voice. I see it in your face every time you look at me. You still think there’s a husband or a boyfriend looking for me, don’t you?”

“It’s one possibility.” He hated where this discussion was headed. “We need to start back. It will be dark soon. If Cody and Bryant couldn’t get past the blockage, they’ll already be back at the cabin.”

“They’ll get past it. It hasn’t rained in two days, so the conditions have surely improved. You made your case to them, and they are hell bent on finding more about my past. They might’ve found my car by now. Besides, they said they were going to make it to town no matter what. They want to talk to the sheriff.” She rolled over to her side and faced him. “The person they find won’t be me, Emmett. Married or not, I’m not her.”

He cupped her chin. “You are. You just don’t remember, Amber. But you will. You’ll see.”

“I want to be here. I want Cody and Bryant. I want you. I want to have what your parents had. Whatever I left behind could take that away from all of us. Can’t you see that?”

He stood up, knowing if he remained next to her on the blanket, his willpower would crumble. “Yes, I do.”

He gazed down at the beauty that was undoing all he’d built. His life was a house of cards, ready to fall to the floor, but it was all he knew. His parents were dead. His brothers had suffered so much. Amber was suffering. He would not add to everyone’s pain even if it meant he had to suffer alone. God, he wanted to touch her, to take her, to kiss her, and yes, to fuck her. But he couldn’t, God help him. “What do you want me to do? You might be another’s woman. I have a code I live by, Amber. You might not understand that, but it means something to me. We’ve told you about Phase Four. We’ve told you about our playroom and the kind of sex we practice, right?”

She nodded, looking even more tempting than ever before.

“It’s so much more than sex for me. Our lifestyle isn’t for everyone, but it probably saved the twins’ life and mine. Their grief was crushing after our parents died. The state came in and tried to take them away from me. I was only eighteen at the time. They were fifteen. My parents were sending me off to college. They wanted me to pursue bigger dreams than ranching.”

“But you love ranching.” Her words came out like breathy puffs.

“I do love ranching, but I wanted to learn about the world, about business, about everything. My mother encouraged me the most in that regard. She always said that ranching was in my blood but I needed to go out and find myself first. Once done, she believed I would return. But I never got to go. Once they died, I had one focus, one goal—keeping my brothers together with me.”

“So you never went to college.”