Black Sheep Heir Page 17
Startled, Jessie glanced over Ryan’s shoulder to see Hugh saunter into the ballroom amid much fanfare.
Hugh was her dream guy—all six feet of him. With his classic good looks, she’d been in love with him since she was a teenager. Wavy jet-black hair cut just above the neck, piercing blue eyes, a sculpted face and a square jaw encompassed by day-old stubble made Hugh O’Malley Falling Brook’s hottest catch. He was the man she was supposed to marry.
The tailored white tuxedo he wore fit him handsomely, but he’d always looked good in a suit. The fact he was there was a big deal considering he hadn’t been back to the States for months. Everyone at Falling Brook Prep had loved Hugh and she’d been no exception. So why had she been falling over her onetime best friend?
Jessie immediately pushed against Ryan’s chest and stepped a few inches away.
“What is it?” he asked and then swiveled in the direction of her gaze. His expression turned from sexy and slumberous to irritated. Ryan glanced back at Jessie. “Now that Hugh is here, the party’s over?”
“Ryan...”
He held up his hand. “It’s okay. I was only a stand-in until the man you really wanted came along. If you’ll excuse me...”
He didn’t make it far because Hugh blocked his path. “Well, if it isn’t Ryan Hathaway. How are you, man?”
“Fine.”
Ryan tried to move past him but Hugh wasn’t budging. Instead, he wrapped an arm around Jessie’s shoulders. “Thanks for keeping my lady occupied until I could get here. My flight got delayed. It was a real bear traveling from London. How’s my Jess?” He bent down and kissed her on the forehead.
Jessie glanced over at Ryan, who was fuming at her. “I’m...uh, good.” She felt like a total heel to have her boyfriend in front of her when two seconds ago she’d been lusting after Ryan.
“I’m going to mingle.” Ryan, not waiting for a response, made a hasty retreat.
Jessie watched him leave, feeling incredibly guilty for leading him on. If Hugh hadn’t arrived...
“Never known you to be so tongue-tied, babe,” Hugh responded, breaking into her thoughts.
Jessie blinked, refocusing on Hugh. “I’m shocked. I didn’t know you were coming.”
Hugh grinned broadly. “I wanted to surprise you. I know it’s been tough the last few years with our long-distance relationship, so I was trying to make an effort.”
Jessie forced a smile. “I appreciate that.”
“Do you? Because I could do with a better greeting after not seeing each other for months.” Hugh wrapped her in his embrace and planted a long kiss on Jessie’s lips, but all she could think about was the anger etched on Ryan’s features as he’d departed.
* * *
Would he ever learn? Ryan wondered as he stared at Hugh and Jessie from across the ballroom. Hugh was in his element with a crowd of their Falling Brook prepsters flocked around him, Jessie standing by his side like an adoring girlfriend.
Of course, she hadn’t been so adoring moments before Hugh’s arrival...
When he’d looked at her, Ryan had been entranced by the bow of her slightly parted mouth, by her slender throat and the gentle swell of her breasts. Jessie had made his breath catch and he hadn’t been able to take his eyes off her. Warning bells should have sounded in his head the minute she’d looked at him the way a woman looked at a man—him—like she wanted him to kiss her. He’d taken full advantage of her desire for him, sweeping Jessie into his arms and showing her just how good they could be together. He knew what he wanted and it seemed Jessie had finally, truly, seen him.
Not as a friend.
But as a man.
A man she wanted.
Had he mistaken the signs that she was interested?
Surely not, Ryan wasn’t a novice when it came to women. He’d read Jessie’s body language. The way she’d leaned into him, pressed her small but firm breasts against him, which had caused him to nearly erupt.
Ryan had had a crush on Jessie since he was six years old when she’d moved to Sycamore Street with her parents and brother, Pete Jr. The Hathaways and Acostas had been close neighbors once. Their fathers had played golf at this very same country club, while their moms had volunteered at the prep school. Both families had often met up at soccer games to see Ryan’s two older brothers, Ben and Sean, or Pete Jr. play soccer.
Meanwhile, Ryan and Jessie had shared an easy rapport, often spending hours in each other’s company, hanging out at one of their homes playing video games or riding their bicycles to the town square for ice cream. But Jessie had never seen Ryan as anything other than a friend. The situation had only worsened after Black Crescent’s hedge fund tanked, leaving the Acosta family as collateral damage in its wake. Adversity hadn’t brought him and Jessie closer. Instead, they’d grown further apart.
“Are you all right, Ryan?” one of their classmates asked. “You look like you’re ready to blow your lid.”
Ryan inhaled deeply and schooled his expression. “Sorry. I was deep in thought about a deal I’ve got going.”
“Are you sure?” the man inquired. “Because your deadly glare was aimed at Hugh over there.” He inclined his head toward the man of the hour.
Everyone was fawning all over Hugh and, while Ryan hated to admit it, he was jealous. He had to let go of the notion that he and Jessie would ever be together. Time and time again, he’d watched her choose Hugh over him and tonight had been no different. He needed to move on with his life for good this time. The time for looking back on what might have been was gone.
“Yeah. I’m good,” Ryan replied. “I’m going to cut out, it’s been a long night and I’ve seen all I need to see.” Ryan turned on his heel and walked out of the ballroom toward the valet. Regardless of the kiss he and Jessie almost shared, they were over. He wasn’t willing to play second fiddle to any man and certainly not Hugh O’Malley. One day he would find the woman meant for him. She certainly wasn’t in this ballroom.
* * *
“Babe, I’m so happy I came,” Hugh said after the crowd surrounding them dissipated, leaving him and Jessie alone. He swept her into his arms, but when he bent to kiss her, Jessie turned her head to the side. His eyebrows shot up in surprise. “What’s wrong?”
Her lips twisted in a cynical smile. “What’s wrong? Really, Hugh? You didn’t even tell me you were coming and I’m supposed to welcome you with open arms?”
His blue eyes regarded her warily. “Actually, yeah, that’s what I thought. Excuse me if I thought you might be happy to see me.”
Jessie sighed. She should be happy to see him, but her reaction to Ryan tonight was a problem. She turned away from Hugh and walked swiftly toward the covered terrace. The committee had bedecked it with string lights and balloons. Since the night air held a chill, heaters had been strategically placed around the terrace.
Hugh followed her, catching up in two quick strides, and spun her around. “Jessie, what’s going on?”
“Nothing.” She looked down at the floor.
“We may have been apart for a while, but I can tell when you have something on your mind. What is it?”
After almost kissing Ryan, Jessie realized she was done with playing the “perfect couple.” She was tired of living up to everyone’s expectations. She knew her parents thought they would get married; expected her to be the dutiful daughter she’d always been. But Jessie didn’t think so. If she and Hugh were meant to be, there was no way Jessie would have had such an intense and passionate encounter with Ryan. She had to do the right thing and end their relationship.
“I can’t do this.”
“Do what?”
“Be with you,” Jessie stated. “We. Aren’t. Working. We haven’t been for some time because you’re across the ocean. Besides, you and I both know that we’ve been together mainly because of our parents’ wishes, not because it’s what we b
oth want.”
“I’m sorry, Jessie. I know I’ve been caught up in my career, but surely you don’t mean what you’re saying. I’ve worked so hard for us—to build a better future.”
“Hugh, we haven’t lived in the same place, let alone the same country, for years. How are we supposed to get married one day if we never spend any time with one another?”
Hugh ruffled his hands through his dark curls. “I can’t leave my job right now. I’ve got major deals in the works. It would ruin everything I’ve been working toward.”
“I know. Your career has always been more important than our relationship, which is why I think we need to break up.”
“I see.”
“Please tell me you understand,” Jessie pleaded.
“I do. I haven’t been there for you and now you’re evaluating if you want to continue our relationship. But instead of breaking up, why don’t we take a break and think about what we both really want?”
Jessie lowered her head and tears clouded her eyes. She’d always thought they would be together forever, but she wasn’t so sure now, not after tonight with Ryan. She glanced up at him through wet lashes. “Yes.”
“Oh, sweetheart.” Hugh pulled her into his arms, cradling her underneath his chin. “It’s all right, take all the time you need and I’ll do the same. But know I’m rooting for us.”
Jessie wished she could say the same, but the way she’d felt tonight with Ryan showed her she wasn’t as all-in on Hugh as she’d once thought. Otherwise why had she been thinking about Ryan the way she had tonight? She’d also come to realize that her own happiness came first, not what her parents or the citizens of Falling Brook expected from her.
“Can we keep the break private?” Hugh asked, glancing down at her. “I don’t want to make it public or tell our parents yet in case...” His voice trailed off.
Jessie understood. Hugh had always cared about what people thought of him—how he was perceived. She was sure he thought there was hope they would get back together. And why wouldn’t he? They were Falling Brook Prep’s golden couple. “Of course. It will stay between us.”
They left the terrace and went back into the party, pretending to be the happy couple in front of their peers. But deep down, Jessie knew it was over between them because tonight her eyes had been opened to not only stop living her life according to her parents’ expectations, but finally to do what’s right for herself.
Copyright © 2020 by Harlequin Books S.A.
SPECIAL EXCERPT FROM
West Caldwell has come to Redemption Ranch to put his past behind him. Flirting with a pint-size police officer who thinks he’s bad news is definitely not part of the plan, but it’s deliciously easy to get under Pansy’s skin. In her arms, West feels like the man he always wanted to be—but can he become the man Pansy deserves?
Read on for a sneak peak of The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch, a Gold Valley novel, from New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates.
The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch
by Maisey Yates
“I...I DON’T CARE who you’re with, West.”
It was the first time she’d ever directly addressed him. The first time she’d ever used his name.
“Pansy,” he said. “I think you do.”
“I don’t,” she said. “I’m trying to get a job as the police chief. And I’m not going to mess around with... I’m not going to...”
“But you want to.”
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But he had seen her. Seen the way that her lips parted softly when she looked at him, the way that she looked at his mouth when he took a drink of beer. He had seen how she looked at him, and he knew the way that it made him feel. It was too damned late for her to pretend that he hadn’t.
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And he was going to take his time, because he hadn’t held a woman in his arms since his wife, and every memory of making love to Monica was ruined now. Torn beyond repair.
In the dim light he could just make out her eyes, wide and looking up at his, glittering beneath the moon. He ran his thumb along her lower lip, and found it soft and full.
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His voice was rough and husky, a stranger’s voice. He didn’t know if he could recall a time when the potential for a kiss had made him feel this way. So damn hard he couldn’t see straight. So damn hard it hurt.
And then she did something he hadn’t expected at all. She went up on her toes, bracketing his face with her hands, and kissed him.
Don’t miss The Bad Boy of Redemption Ranch by Maisey Yates, available June 2020 wherever HQN Books and ebooks are sold.
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Copyright © 2020 by Maisey Yates
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Special thanks and acknowledgment are given to Yvonne Lindsay for her contribution to the Texas Cattleman’s Club: Rags to Riches miniseries.
ISBN-13: 9781488062988
Black Sheep Heir
Copyright © 2020 by Harlequin Books S.A.
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