No, she’s not. But just barely. “She’s too good for me.”
“She is,” Ty agrees.
“But no one will treat her better than me. I’ll spend my whole life proving that to her if she’ll let me,” I tell him. Because I will. I’d already made that promise to myself when I turned in my resignation to Cash at the Johnson farm. I couldn’t stay there any longer, just moving through the motions. It was slowly eating me alive. It felt like I couldn’t breathe there, and since I’ve gotten on Ty’s land I’ve felt some oxygen finally enter my lungs. I’m closer to her, and I can feel it. I also knew I was on the path to having her.
“I figured you would. Hell, I do the same damn thing every day. I’ll never be good enough for my MJ, but no fucking way am I ever letting her cute little ass go. And I’ll make damn sure she never has a reason to want to go.”
“I can more than do that,” I vow.
The sound of a vehicle coming up the drive has us both turning to look.
“Looks like you’ll be trying sooner rather than later. I think I'm gonna need another beer to enjoy this show.”
6
Dolly
I hop out of my truck and straighten my skirt before I shut the door. I’ve got on a pair of cute dark gray ankle boots that make me feel sexy, so I feel pretty confident as I strut across the gravel and onto my brother’s porch, pretending I don’t even see Brandon. If he can pretend nothing is happening with us, then I’ll do the same.
I feel Brandon next to me, his eyes burning up my body with his stares. But I don’t glance at him as I see my brother Ty lean to get up from his rocking chair and shake his head. He clearly knows what’s going on. I’ve never been quiet about wanting Brandon. Partly because, well, I talk a lot and partly because I wanted everyone to know he’s mine.
“You want a beer, Dolly?” Ty asks, and I follow him in the house.
If Brandon wants to pretend like nothing is happening between us, then by God, I’ll do the same and do it better. But as I take a step through the doorway, I hear him say my name.
“Dolly.” His voice is somewhere between shock and aggravation. Good, he can feel aggravation, because I’ve been feeling it for months.
“Oh, hey, Brandon,” I toss over my shoulder, looking him up and down as quickly as I can.
He’s dressed in faded jeans and a white V-neck shirt. His cowboy hat is on the chair next to him, and his shaggy blond locks are pushed back from his eyes. His chocolate eyes look me over, appraising my outfit.
I decided to keep it simple but a lot sexier than I normally wear in front of anyone. I had a few things stuck in the back of my closet that I hadn’t had much use for, and this seemed like a perfect opportunity to pull them out. I’m wearing a black tank top that’s cut low in the front and laces up in the back. The crisscrossing thin strings show off everything from my shoulders to the top of my ass.
My boobs decided to show up when I was in ninth grade and haven’t stopped turning heads since. When you work on farms, you’re around men all the time. Women are few and far between. For the most part I keep them caged with good bras and tops with inbuilt support. So tonight I thought I’d let the girls have a little fun and went braless. The shirt really called for it, with the open back and all. The deep plunge of my top and the loose material around my breasts has Brandon taking his time as his eyes linger on them.
“What in the hell are you wearing?” he says through clenched teeth. My heart flutters at him getting all worked up. I’m bringing this out in him.
I see him ball his fists at his side, and I bite my lip to keep from letting a giggle slip free. I look down at my top and the cut-off denim skirt I’m in, and shrug. The movement catches his eyes as my breasts give a little jiggle, and he takes a step forward.
“Just thought I’d come have dinner with my family tonight. I heard some of the crew was going to join us. You coming, Daddy?”
I throw the words over my shoulder as I turn and walk in the house. Normally Ty’s guys don’t all eat together, but MJ said she was doing a big meal for all of them. This is going to be like holding a match over a bucket of gasoline, but I’m tired of waiting on my love life to begin. I’m kicking this shit into overdrive.
I feel his heat behind me as I walk in the house and head straight to the kitchen. From the low growls, he doesn’t seem to approve of my outfit choice, and it makes me smile. One point for Dolly.
Mary-Jane is in the kitchen, and I start helping her right away, mostly to avoid Brandon’s gaze, but I still feel it on me the whole time. As much as this is about him, I don’t want him to know that. If he wants me, he’s going to have to come for me, because I will not be chasing him down anymore.