Page 27 of Resisting Isaac

“Let me guess,” she bites out with venom in her voice. “You’re the funny one. Never takes anything seriously. Not even yourself. Everything is one big joke to you. Great. That’s just great. I’m glad you can laugh at us ruining my career and subsequently, my life. Love that for you.”

Ouch. Who doesn’t love a little comic relief now and then? This woman apparently.

“Elena.” I step into her path, blocking her. “Look at me.”

Her chest is heaving from her freak out.

She glares. But she holds my stare. Then her pupils dilate the same way they did when I buried my aching cock into hertight wet heat last night. My blood drains south and I nearly lose focus.

“I’m not laughing,” I say evenly. “And no one is taking this role or anything else away from you as long as I’m breathing. Understand?”

Her expression flickers. “But the contract said?—”

“No one except for you and me knows what happened between us last night. And no one is going to know.” I touch her chin gently. “I promise. And I don’t go around making empty promises.”

“What about the pretty bartender? She knew you and she saw us and?—”

“Brooklyn Harris has plenty on her plate and enough drama of her own. She isn’t going to tell anyone our business. And neither is anyone else who saw us last night. This is a small town, and yeah, people are nosy as fuck, but I will handle anyone who so much as thinks about saying they saw us leave the bar together.”

Her breathing slows, my words doing what I hoped they would—soothing her fears and easing her anxiety.

“So we just pretend nothing happened? Act like we met for the first time five minutes ago?” A frown mars her beautiful face.

I nod. “We don’t have any other choice. We keep our secret, and we get through this training camp. I won’t treat you any differently than any of the other actors.” Even if I do know how you taste and that you mewl like an animal in heat when you come.

She tugs at her lush lower lip with her teeth. “Okay. I’m an actress, for goodness sakes. I can do this. Right? I can act like I haven’t seen your dick up close.” She takes several deep breaths.

“Yeah. That is not helping.” I adjust myself and her gazedrops to my crotch. Those fucking eyes of hers darken and I think about saying to hell with it, picking her up and carrying her inside the cabin for a repeat of last night.

The minute I realized she was gone this morning, my mind began compiling a list of all the things I wished I’d done to her willing body.

I needed more time. I’m damn sure out of time now. As if to drive the reminder home, Colter and Marcos ride up in the old ranch truck Wyatt finally got running again.

“Hey, boss,” they greet me, their eyes widening at the sight of Elena.

She and I both take a step backward as they approach. I block their view of her with my body.

“Fellas. You brought the lady’s bags down, yeah?” I make eye contact to knock them out of their entranced stupor. “Guys. Bags. Now.”

Colter nods quickly then grabs a large suitcase and the black bag I saw Elena get items from in the hotel bathroom last night. He carries them to the porch and sets them down in front of me.

I frown. “This took two of you?”

“Um,” Marcos glances at Colter. “When they said an actress needed help with her bags, we’d assumed there would be a lot more.”

He glances around me.

Yeah, and you assholes wanted to get a good look at my girl.

The thought comes out of nowhere. She’s not my girl. Not anyone’s girl. Just the off-limits actress none of us were supposed to touch but I already did.

“Thank you, gentlemen,” Elena says, stepping out from behind me.

Both hardened ranch hands blush like pubescent schoolboys. “Yes, ma’am. Anytime.”

Marcos is young and Elena would eat him alive, but Colter makes me nervous. He’s a good-looking kid. If she so much as blinks at him with interest, he’d risk his job and his life without thinking twice.

“They aren’t gentlemen,” I bite out.