Untouched by Maisey Yates Read Free Book Online

the damage a spike under a saddle might do. The idea had been to shorten Cade’s ride, she was certain, not to shorten his career, and nearly his life along with it.
    No, she knew that. But it didn’t take away the fact that that was what had happened. That Cade’s career was over, and that he was in pain every day of his life.
    Her spaghetti suddenly tasted like glue.
    She put her fork down and stood. “Thanks for dinner,” she said. “It was really nice to meet all of you. Really nice. See you tomorrow.”
    She stood and walked out of the building, knowing she seemed abrupt and weird and maybe even rude, but not caring so much right then.
    She started fishing for her car keys, lost somewhere in the bottom of her purse, muttering curses as she did.
    “Hey, what the hell?”
    She whirled around and saw Quinn standing there. “Oh, what the hell? Sorry, I just realized I was eating with a man who nearly killed my older brother.”
    Quinn’s head jerked to the side like she’d slapped him, the impression of her words as clear on his face as a red handprint. “Killed him?”
    “He almost died. Did you not know? He lost almost half of his blood because that damned horse ripped through all that muscle and took out an artery in his leg. He broke four disks in his back and three vertebrae. He’s as stiff as seventy-year-old man on a cold morning—do you know what that does to his pride? He won’t say that, but it does. It kills him inside whenever he has to ask for help, or when he can’t finish a day of ranch chores. He hates it when Cole gives him easier stuff, but can’t say no because he knows he has to take it. That’s what you’ve done to him. That’s what you did. All for a win. Was it worth it? Did the top spot on the leaderboard feel good? I hope it did, because it was the last one for you. Fitting, since it was the last one for him too.”
    “Hey, look, that’s shit. I’m sorry if that’s how bad off he is, but I didn’t do it. There’s no proof now, there was no proof then.”
    “Then why are you barred for life?”
    “Because, honey, I’m bad blood, or did you not get the memo?” He stepped out of the pale light coming from the porch and into the shadow. “I’m not one of them. I never was, I never will be. Cade Mitchell is, though. Golden boy. And it’s much easier to believe his word than mine.”
    “What makes you bad blood?” she asked.
    “Some people are just born with it. They can never be good enough. They can never belong. Born to screw up. Born to take the least honorable path, that’s me. It’s always been me. Ask my family about it sometime. I walked onto the rodeo circuit, a nobody from the East Coast who wasn’t a part of any family anyone had heard of. Dark skin and a bad attitude. Hell, baby, they didn’t want me around. They never did. This was all very convenient for them, and I am a popular scapegoat.”
    “I don’t think any of that’s true.”
    “What? You don’t think they made any prejudgments about me? You’re wrong there. Whether it is my skin, or my criminal record—and I do have one, I won’t lie—they did. And I was the most popular guy to hang out to dry.”
    “That’s not why Cade never liked you. He said you were an arrogant, mean son of a bitch with an attitude problem that wouldn’t quit and . . . well, he said you probably have a . . . a”—her cheeks burned, but she forced the rest out anyway—“a small dick under that big belt buckle. So there.”
    Quinn chuckled and crossed his arms over his chest. “Well, he’s actually right. Except on one score.” He leveled his gaze on her, and even in the dark, she could feel the intensity of it. “I’ll let you guess which one it is.”
    Her face burned hotter and her eyes drifted to the point below his waistband, which was, thankfully, obscured by the darkness. She only hoped that lapse, that moment when she’d looked, without thinking of course, had gone unnoticed by him. “I