Seeing him agitated, I giggle and raise my eyebrows, and he clenches his jaw as he climbs in. He slams the door of the truck and lets out a deep sigh before turning to me.
“Dolly, I swear on all that is holy, that mouth of yours is going to get you in trouble one day. One day real soon.” The look in his eyes is so intense, I can’t help but push just a bit more.
“Can you tell me how much longer? A girl has needs.” I rest my hand on his thigh, and he jerks under my touch.
This is a bold move for me, seeing as how I’ve never so much as laid a hand on a man before, let alone on Brandon, the star of all my dirty fantasies. But the tequila is making me feel all kinds of brave, and so I go for broke. Leaning in, I whisper against his neck and ask him something I’ve always wanted to know.
“Are you mad that I call you Daddy because you don’t like it, or are you mad because you do?” My lips are so close to his neck that they graze his warm skin, and he shivers under my touch.
I want to push him harder and further so he’ll admit the truth, but I don’t get the chance. Before I know what’s happening, I’m on my back in the cab of his truck, with his big body over me. My body ignites, but I’m thrown off balance. It’s one thing to be pushing Brandon’s buttons, but it’s another to finally have a reaction from him. My body and my head can’t keep up, and I’m lost for words as I feel his delicious weight on me.
“You know I like it,” he says through clenched teeth. “You know damn well that I more than like it when you call me that. Because it reminds me of everything I want to do to you.”
One of his hands comes to my hip, and it’s gripping me so tight it’s nearly painful. But I don’t dare speak a word and break this moment. It’s everything I’ve dreamed of. Finally. Finally, he’s going to make love to me and give me what I’ve been not-so-quietly begging for all these years.
“But I’m too old for you, Dolly. And you’re too good for me. You deserve a man who can give you the world, and not settle for the first person you had a crush on.”
Dark regret fills his eyes, and I want to cry. I want to curl into a ball and wail at his rejection, but I wasn’t raised that way. I’m not the type of girl to shed a tear, and it damn sure won’t be over a man. I didn’t cry when I got thrown off a horse when I was nine and all my brothers were watching. I didn’t cry when my first pet cow, Missy, died when I was twelve. So I damn sure won’t be crying because Brandon Knight has a stick up his ass about fucking me.
I sit up and push him off me. I know there’s no way I’m physically capable of doing that, so he lets me do it and allows me to have my space. He might be a jerk, but at least he’s got some manners.
“Just take me home so your good deed can be done for the day, seeing as I’m just a charity case now.”
“Dolly, it’s not like that.” He grips the steering wheel so damn tight I’m surprised it doesn’t protest.
“I got your message, Brandon.” I slowly enunciate his name, exaggerating each syllable.
He huffs through his perfect nose before putting the truck in gear and pulling out of the parking lot. It’s dark back there, so thankfully nobody witnessed our exchange. Not that there was anything good to see.
My teeth are clenched the whole way home, and I don’t speak a word to him. He starts to talk a couple of times, because I see his mouth open and then close. He must know I’m pissed, because he doesn’t try to push it.
We get to my road and drive under the metal arch that reads The Dairy Queen Ranch. My dairy farm is one of the best in Texas and everybody knows it. I’ve got the best cows, on the best land, with the best equipment. I take the title of Dairy Queen seriously, even though some see it as a joke.
When we get to the front of the house, he stops the truck and I start to jump out, but before I can, Brandon flips the locks, stopping me from exiting.
“What?” I ask, not looking over at him. I stare out the window, not wanting to make eye contact.
“Look at me, lamb.”
I close my eyes, both hating and loving that nickname. Because it’s from that day. The day I fell in love with him. It wasn’t just a young girl’s infatuation with an older guy; it was me seeing him for who he truly was as he held that tiny animal and laughed with me. He called me his lamb that day, and I don’t think he truly understood what that did to me.
I can’t do it. I can’t turn and face him, so I keep my eyes closed and wait for him to say his piece so I can get the hell out of this truck. This night has turned to absolute shit, and I need it to end.