Because if he knew one thing, it was that it couldn’t happen again.
And it wasn’t because she wouldn’t be able to handle it. It was because he couldn’t.
* * *
WHEN HE WOKE UP he was freezing. Lying on his back on the couch with nothing covering him but a pair of jeans. But it wasn’t the cold that woke him. It was the pounding on the front door.
He jackknifed into a sitting position and stumbled to the front door, spotting Boone through the window.
Guilt just about sliced him in two, but he opened the door, anyway. “Can I help you?”
“As a matter fact, you can.” Boone’s eyes glittered with the kind of anticipation he’d seen in the other man’s eyes just before igniting some C-4. That...did not bode well. “You’re just the man I was hoping to see.”
Well, he didn’t like that at all.
“Yes?” It was cold outside, but it was either invite Boone in, and potentially wake Callie up—who was naked in his room—or step out into the cold shirtless. He opted for the cold.
He might be married to Callie, but he still felt caught, and he didn’t particularly like it.
Because you are caught, you dick.
You slept with her and you never should have. You can’t even handle round two, much less anything deeper.
“What the hell is going on with you and my sister?”
And now he felt really caught. Except he was married to Callie as far as Boone was concerned. And they were legally married, anyway.
“I’m her husband.”
“Don’t give me that shit. What’s going on?” Boone looked like he’d have no trouble getting neighborly with violence right at that point. “You never acted interested in her at all. And suddenly you’re here and married to her? You. Married.”
He rocked back on his heels. “Plus, I saw her down at the Thirsty Mule last night. I saw the both of you. She was chatting up some other guy. And you were pretty pissed off about it, I’ll give you that. But if you’re married to my sister, why is she chatting up some other guy? Either you’re up to something or the little brat is trying to teach you a lesson for some reason. And if my sister is legitimately married to you, and hitting on another guy, you must’ve done something really stupid. And if you did something really stupid while married to my sister, let’s just make it very clear that I am willing and ready to emasculate you.”
“Calm the hell down, Boone,” he said. “We had a fight, that’s all.”
“Again, my sister wouldn’t be chatting up some other guy unless it was a real serious fight.”
The door opened behind him, and Callie, who looked rough after a night of doing... Well, exactly what they’d been doing, stepped out wearing his T-shirt and a pair of sweatpants. Her hair was sticking out in every which angle because he’d taken her braid out, and he knew that they unambiguously looked like they’d been at it.
“What are you doing here, Boone?”
Boone looked at her, then at him. “I want to know what’s going on,” he said.
“Nothing,” Callie said. “I married him.”
“I was at the bar. So cut the shit, Callie. Why were you trying to pick up some other guy if you’re married to him?”
“You can’t tell,” Callie said, her expression going fierce. “You should understand, Boone. I need you to understand. You have to. Please. Just don’t tell Dad.”
Jake groaned. Because this was going to get him killed. She might not be aware of how clear it was that something had happened between them last night, but Boone sure as hell was. And now she was about to admit the marriage wasn’t real.
“What?” Boone asked.
“I need my trust fund,” Callie said.
“Oh, dammit, Callie, are you serious?”
“I want to ride saddle bronc, Boone. I need to. You know that. You know how it is. You know what it’s like when it’s in your blood. I know you do. And Dad was putting up barriers. Making it so that I couldn’t... That I couldn’t do it. So I asked Jake to marry me. I asked him to help me out.”
“Dad is going to kill you,” Boone said. “To say nothing of what he’s going to do to you.” He directed that last part right at Jake.
“Yeah, I figure I’ll be back in Gold Valley by then,” Jake said. “Though don’t think I didn’t think about that. But she is my friend. And she asked for help.”
“Why couldn’t you just talk to them?” he asked his sister.
“He wouldn’t listen. I did talk to him. I’m not going to be able to have what I want unless I’m free. I can’t be free without that money.”
“That’s some stunt,” he said. “Really.”
“Have you ever had to fight Dad to get what you want?”
Boone just looked at her for a long moment. “No.”
“Then you can’t judge me. Not for this. I’m trusting you, Boone. I’m trusting you to please be on my side.”
“I’m on your side,” he said. “I am. I promise. And if you want to I can even do better at talking to Dad on your behalf. But you’re going to have to be more careful. Because it was obvious to me something wasn’t right when I saw you in the bar. And you’re really lucky Kit or Jace wasn’t there. Or any of the others. Because I don’t know that they would land on your side here. They don’t particularly want you putting yourself in danger like that. And I can’t say that I do. But I know how important it is to you. And I respect that you’re good. That you work hard to make it as safe as possible.
“Your secret’s safe with me,” Boone said. “I promise.”
She shifted uncomfortably, and he could feel the exact moment she started to feel exposed standing out there in her pajamas.
“I just need... Coffee,” she said, turning and going back into the house.
Boone’s eyes locked on him. “I’m not going to embarrass my sister. I won’t. She’s one of the most important people in the world to me. And she hasn’t had it easy. But I can tell something is going on between the two of you. Not just because I saw you grab her and kiss her last night outside the bar. So you can’t pretend that this is just platonic. If you’re sleeping with my sister, I swear to God, you’d better not hurt her.”
“I won’t.” That was a vow. He was going to make this right with her. He would.
“It wasn’t necessary, though, was it? She needed your help, and now you’re...”