The Secret Child & The Cowboy CEO by Janice Maynard Read Free Book Online

a million times why he asked me to be his girlfriend. And in the end, I’m pretty sure it’s because he knew I had a crush on you. And maybe he thought you had feelings for me. He wanted so badly to be like you and Gage and Sloan. He spent his whole life, I think, trying to measure up. But he was never big enough, tall enough, strong enough. He was always the scrawny baby brother, and he hated it.”
    â€œDid he hate me? ” There was a world of pain in that question.
    She reached out blindly and squeezed his hand. “Maybe. At times. But only because he loved you so much.”
    â€œAh, hell, Bryn…” The choked emotion in those three ragged words made her ache for him, but she knew without looking that Trent would be dry-eyed. Stoic. He’d been the eldest, and as such, Mac had trained him in the art of keeping emotion under lock and key.
    She turned to face him. “No one’s to blame for Jesse’s death. No one but Jesse. We make our own road in this world, Trent. He had every blessing, every opportunity.”
    His jawline could have chiseled stone. “This might have been an isolated event.”
    â€œPossibly,” she said, trying to keep all judgment out of her voice. “But knowing what I know of Jesse, probably not. He had a dark side, Trent. You never saw it, because you never looked for it. He was your brother and you loved him. I understand that, I do. But Mac protected him and covered for him, and I think that only made things worse.”
    â€œYou make him seem like a monster.”
    â€œNot a monster. But a pathological liar and a user. I know that sounds harsh. But Mac has done you no favors by hiding the trouble. You and Gage and Sloan should have known.”
    Trent felt the breeze on his hot face. He wanted badly to believe her, but what she was telling him was tough to swallow. Bryn had a young child to support. And she’d had six years to work on a story that would tug at all their heartstrings and open Mac’s checkbook.
    If Mac hadn’t summoned her, she would have found another way to reinstall herself at the Crooked S. He was sure of that.
    Suddenly, he wished his two brothers hadn’t left already. Between the three of them they would have been able to determine if Bryn was telling the truth or not.
    He let himself look at her, really look at her. A man could lose himself in those eyes. She seemed utterly sincere, but given what he knew, how could he take what she said at face value?
    God, he wanted her. And he despised himself for the weakness. She was like a bright, beautiful butterfly, dancing on the wind. But if he reached out and grabbed for what he wanted, would the beauty be smashed into powder in his hand? Would he destroy Bryn? Himself? Mac?
    He put his hands on her shoulders and the world stood still. Her eyes were wide. Shallow breaths lifted her chest, drawing his attention to the gentle curve of her breasts.
    He laid her back on the quilt…slowly, so slowly. Her gaze never left his. And she didn’t protest.
    A wave of lust and yearning and exultation swept over him. She was his. She had always been his. Everything in the past was over and done with. There was no Jesse. No death. No suspicion. Only this fragile moment in time.
    He shifted over her, resting on his hip and one elbow, leaving a hand free to trace the curve of her cheek, the slender column of her neck, the delicate line of her collarbone.
    When his fingers went to the first button on her shirt, she didn’t stop him. “Bryn.” His voice was a hoarse croak in his own ears.
    Finally, she moved. She linked her hands behind his neck and tugged. “Kiss me, Trent.”
    The invitation was unnecessary. Nothing short of an earthquake could have stopped him. His lips found hers, gentle, seeking. But when she responded, he lost his head.
    He plundered the softness of her mouth, thrusting his tongue between her teeth desperately, shaking