Sir Loin of Beef (Grade-A Beefcakes 1)

She looked as if she would say more about Roger but changed her mind. “You let me know if he bothers you. Peter won’t stand for this kind of stuff and he’ll deal with him.”

Her husband, Peter, was definitely an alpha male, but I didn’t want him any more involved with the whole Roger mess than I did Melanie. They had children and didn’t need to take on someone like him. Roger knew where I lived. I didn’t need him to know where they did.

“I will, thanks,” I told her.

“Stephanie’s with maintenance in the pool area. Something’s up with the hot tub. She’ll be back out to help soon,” she said as she headed out with a wave.

She left and I was alone behind the registration desk, at least until Stephanie returned. I was glad she had the full swing shift and I was only on until seven as the registration extra. Standing in the lobby, I felt exposed and vulnerable, even as some guests walked by, probably on their way to an early dinner. I smiled as they passed and began to organize the incoming reservation sheets. It only made my shaking hands even more noticeable. Now I’d have to pick up some new locks with heavy deadbolts along with the roof tarp.

Roger knew where I worked, where I lived. I could move. Well, no, I couldn’t. I couldn’t afford anything else in Raines. My house, no matter how dilapidated it was, was mine free and clear. I only had to pay the taxes each year, but that was it. It was enough. With student loans, my budget was tight just to pay the heat in the winter plus my other expenses. Changing my cell number because of Roger was a complete waste of money.

The house had been deeded to me by my mother when she’d died when I was eight. My dad and I had remained on until he’d been arrested for the hit and run and I went to live with Aunt Clara in California. The house had sat empty while he’d been in jail and he’d only lived in it another two years after he got out. He’d done nothing in upkeep—either drinking the money needed for it or not being able to have anything done since he couldn’t get hired and make a living.

Now, with the house in rough shape, the land was the only thing that had any real value. But it was mine and I’d slowly get the house fixed up. I wanted to—for once—get ahead. To ultimately not work two jobs. To just… be content with a simple life. No stalkers. No haters. One job. A little money in savings. A roof that didn’t leak. Free time.

It was a simple dream.

I just had to wonder if Roger was going to ruin that. He could walk into the hotel at any time and there was nothing I could do. This was a public place. If he did something, it would be his word against mine and I was a Leary.

As Landon had made it very clear earlier, everyone in Raines hated a Leary.

9

DUKE

“What the hell are you doing here?” I stopped short at the sight of my brother on my couch. Obviously, I hadn’t heard him come in while I was in the shower.

“What crawled up your ass and died?” Tucker asked when I stomped into the kitchen, grabbed a soda from the fridge, slammed the door shut and downed half the drink in one icy long pull.

“This is my house. Why are you here?” I leaned a hip against the counter to face the great room and stared at him. He was lounging on my couch watching a ball game. His feet were up on my coffee table and an open bag of chips rested beside them.

“Your turn to host Friday dinner.”

I closed my eyes, then ran my hand over my face. This morning, after I walked away from the cluster fuck that was Kaitlyn Leary, I drove straight to the new build on the south side of town and pounded nails all day. Jed shut the bar down at 4:00 a.m., which meant he slept all day. I wasn’t going to wake him to tell him about the fucking grenade I’d fallen on this morning. I’d let him hope just a little longer.

He’d bought the bar and building that housed it on Main Street last year. It had an apartment on the second floor where he crashed, but my house—this house—was where we intended to settle down with our woman. We both thought we’d found her last night, that Kaitlyn would be the one to turn this place into a home. But no.

Fuck. I took another swallow of the soda. Mindless framing work should have helped with my anger and frustration levels, but it had done shit. The men on site had given me a wide berth and I’d had plenty of time to think. And in the six hours I’d been there, I’d figured nothing out.

Nothing. Because while I was so mad at Kaitlyn, I still wanted her. It was a desperate, frantic need to go back to her house and toss her over my shoulder and carry her to the nearest horizontal surface, lay her down on it and fuck her until I forgot her father had almost killed my parents. Get a taste of that sweet pussy, and not from licking my fingers. No, I wanted to go right to the source, get that sticky, sweet taste all over my mouth and chin. Get her scent on me, on my dick. I adjusted myself in my jeans, thankful T couldn’t see because of the breakfast bar.

I was used to confrontation. I’d had it plenty when I was in the rodeo circuit—and not just with the bulls. From shitty contractors to my fucking brothers… arguments and petty bickering happened all the time. But never with a woman and never like this. I’d had just a taste of what it would be like with her and I wanted more. Not the fucking confrontation, but the night before in Jed’s office. My dick got harder just thinking about how responsive she’d been, remembering the way she’d all but ridden our fingers.

The tiny slip of a woman had me in fucking knots, even making me forget the usual Friday get-together with my family.

“Shit, dinner,” I replied, tossing the empty bottle into the recycling container. After I finished at the site, I’d come home and cleaned up. Now, I had a brother on my couch and the rest of my family on their way. And Jed. Fuck, I’d have to tell Jed about Kaitlyn, too. “We’re ordering pizza.”

“Whatever.”

I used the back of my hand to wipe my mouth. “Like I said, why are you here? You have your own house to watch the game.”

When my parents decided to retire from ranch life, they’d bought a small place in town—not too far from me—and Tucker had taken over the business and settled into the big house as his own. The one we’d all grown up in.

He glanced my way, studied me for a second. “Julia said you did a caveman routine last night, tossed a woman over your shoulder and carried her off. With Jed. I expected you to have a little spring in your step after finally getting laid, not be ornery like a fucking bear. And I don’t mean a bear that’s actually fucking.”

I gave him the finger since he hadn’t answered my question. It was normal for my brothers to just show up at my house and settle on my sofa, even when I wasn’t at home. I didn’t care. But today… fuck.

“Didn’t work out?”