26. Maddox

Watching that fucker disappear in a cloud of dust and taillights down the driveway, we collectively stood in silence. No one wanted to admit that we were fucked. Ryan must be devastated after everything, but she wasn't the kind of girl to collapse under the weight of her emotions. At least not in front of people.

I ran my hand up her back and clasped her shoulder, squeezing gently, and she spun, wrapping her arms around me and burying her face in my chest. "I hate him," she mumbled, and I chuckled darkly.

"Freckles, I think it's safe to say you're in good company." I rubbed her back and looked at Quinn, who stood next to me, his jaw working as he continued to glare at the dissipating dust.

"We'll deal with him, Quinny," I promised, and he shifted his gaze to me.

"How? Do you have a plan?"

I looked past him to the porch, where Alexander shook his head before retreating back into the house. Once he was inside, I answered. "We need information, and Connor will know how to get it. Once we know what exactly we're up against, we'll figure out what we're going to do. But there's not one goddamn chance I'm letting him take this ranch."

Ryan lifted her head, her stormy eyes meeting mine. "This is all my fault."

"Did you bring Yates into this situation? Yes. But did you make him act like an asshole? No, that's all him. What he's doing? That's on him, not you."

I pressed a kiss to the top of her head before letting her go. "You two go finish the chores," I said, climbing back up onto Hex and grabbing his reins. "I'm going home to call in the cavalry."

Turning away from the two of them, I rode back to my barn, handing Hex over to Joel before striding inside the house, my brain churning the entire time. We were going to have a more formidable foe than I anticipated in Yates, and I was going to have to be smart and patient with how I dealt with him.

He thought he had Ryan where he wanted her, and he wasn't about to give that up easily. Pulling my cell out of my pocket, I shot a text to Connor.

Maddox: I need you back in TX.

Connor: Can it wait?

Maddox: No. Bring the whole team.

Connor: K.

I didn't need to do much else now but wait. Connor and his team would hop on the jet and be here this afternoon. And after I was done strategizing with them, I had plans for Ryan and I. Grabbing my keys, I hopped in my truck and took off into town. The hardware store would help me pass the time nicely.

The low hum of the air conditioner rumbled through the room as we all sat around my living room, staring at each other. I wasn't quite sure where to begin explaining the shitshow that Yates brought to my doorstep, but I was sure as fuck glad that I had the men in this room surrounding me.

I purposefully left Ryan out of this meeting, not wanting her to derail any plans that might come up for ethical reasons. I had morals, but I had a feeling mine were a fuck of a lot more flexible than hers were.

As for Quinn? Well, I preferred to deal with professionals, and while I had no doubt the dude could hold his own, I also knew the team sitting around my living room would get this shit handled without any fuckups. It was what they did. Connor only brought the fucking best onto his team.

Connor didn't even need to clear his throat to get everyone's attention. He sat up taller in his seat, the ink on his arms and shoulders poking out of the sleeves and collar of his t-shirt. His dirty blonde hair was messy like he'd been running his hands through it for hours, but his eyes were focused. Everyone's attention snapped to him while we waited to see what he was going to say.

"This is the target," he announced, slapping a picture of Yates's smug face down onto the ottoman we sat around. Indy, Connor's main muscle and ex-MMA fighter, reached over and picked up the picture, studying it carefully.

"Looks like an egotistical asshole," he observed before passing the picture to his hacker, Sebastian.

He adjusted his glasses, pushing them further up his nose as he squinted at the picture. "He has a punchable face," Sebastian noted, setting the picture back onto the ottoman. We all looked back at Connor.

"His name is Yates Rutherford. His family's in the banking business. He's had a hard-on for Maddox's girl for a couple of months, and they were getting married. Turns out the wedding was all a setup," he explained, laying a folder down on the ottoman again. "Inside is the contract and NDA he had her sign."

Indy grabbed for the file and flipped through it while Connor continued. "The way he had all of it drawn up and pulled Ryan into his plan is really fucking suspicious. Add to that that he now claims to own her family's ranch and is kicking them off and, well, this shit just got personal."

"What do you need from us, boss?" Sebastian asked, his gaze flicking between Connor and me. In Connor's crew, if you fucked with anyone they considered friend or family, they were all in, very few questions asked.

"He's given the Knight's a week until he has them removed from their ranch. I want constant surveillance on Yates for the next forty-eight hours. Audio, video, night vision. Use it all. Collect everything. I want to know who he's with, where he goes, what his routines are." Connor turned to face Indy and Julian, his second in command, who'd been silent until now. "You two will take eight-hour rotating shifts. If he so much as sneezes, I want to know about it."

He turned to Sebastian. "I've done a little digging into him myself and couldn't find shit. One personal bank account with hardly anything in it, which is suspicious as fuck, because he's supposed to be rich. Nothing else. Not even a library card or parking ticket. He's too clean. Do what you do and see how far it takes you. I also need to know if he bought the Knight ranch and how much he paid."

Sebastian pulled out his tablet, flipped open the cover, and started tapping. He tuned the rest of us out now that he had his assignment. Finally, Connor turned to me. "I'm going to alternate with Julian and Indy on surveillance. You stick by your girl. Tell her not to worry. We'll take this fucker down."

Indy locked his intense brown eyes on me. "He's right. We've never had a problem making shit go away before, and this asshole is no exception."

Nodding, I asked, "When will the surveillance start?"

Connor dropped his gaze to the watch on his wrist. "As soon as Indy and Julian load up the equipment they'll need, and Bash gets us an address to start."

Sebastian didn't even look up from where he was tapping quickly on his tablet. "Already sent, check your phones. He's at the bank until four o'clock."

Indy and Julian stood, and on their way out, Julian stopped and squeezed my shoulder briefly, flashing me a sympathetic look before his eyes hardened as he focused back on the mission and followed Indy outside. We'd been through some shit, Julian and me, and I knew he wouldn't let me down. I trusted him as much as I did Connor.

Lifting myself off the couch, Sebastian didn't even look up as the cushions next to him shifted. I needed to do something. Anything. I felt completely useless right now. "Want to help me with a side project?" I asked Connor, who nodded.

I led the way out to my truck and pulled the supplies I purchased earlier out, tossing some rope at Connor. "We're taking horses," I announced before turning and making my way toward the barn, a smile stretching across my face as I thought about what we were about to do.

Connor took his horse back to the barn to check in with his team once we finished my secret project. The sun hung low in the sky, and by the time I got back home, everyone would be gone, scattered to their own hotel rooms and assignments.

I pulled out my phone and shot Quinn a text.

Maddox: Send Freckles to the pond

Quinn: Say please

Maddox: ...now

Quinn: So bossy

Maddox: Make sure she has a swimsuit

Quinn: Yes, sir

A smirk played across my lips as I imagined the level of snark in that last text. Quinn was quickly becoming one of my favorite people. I made sure Hex was tied up before pulling my shirt off and slipping out of my jeans. My swim trunks molded to my body in a flattering as fuck way, and I couldn't wait to watch Ryan's eyes rake over my body.

The way her eyes both lit up and darkened at the same time whenever she looked at me set my body ablaze. My heart was thrumming steadily faster in my chest as I watched the horizon with sunglass-covered eyes, waiting for any sign of my girl.

Finally, a fucking eternity later, she and Quinn both on the back of Daisy came into view. What the fuck was he doing here? Had my instructions been anything but clear? I gritted my teeth, not wanting to let Quinn's tagging along ruin my good mood.

Finally, they came to a stop a few steps away, Ryan moving to dismount the horse but Quinn didn't move to get down. He smirked knowingly at me, tiling the rim of his cowboy hat down briefly. "Thought I'd drop our girl off." He let his eyes wander all over my body. I didn't give a shit if Quinn wanted to look at me. Better me than my girl.

Ryan stepped up close so that the soft curves of her body were pressed against me. She rested both palms on my bare chest, her hands running up to clasp together behind my neck, stopping only briefly to flick against the ring I wore in my right nipple.

I ran my hands down her back, which was still covered by a thin cotton t-shirt, my fingers itching to touch her bare skin. I couldn't resist the urge anymore and snuck my thumb underneath the hem of her shirt, stroking the silky skin underneath.

The sound of fading hooves was the only signal Quinn left us as Ryan and I stared into each other's eyes. I lowered my head while she pushed up on her toes, and our mouths met in the middle, wildly clashing together, tongues colliding in a frantic kiss that completely consumed me.

A reminder of why we were out here popped up in my mind, and I debated whether I should ignore that shit, but I couldn't wait to see the look on Ryan's face when she saw what I did. Pulling back from the kiss by placing some soft, gentle kisses first on her lips, then on either side of her mouth, and finally on both cheeks before kissing the tip of her nose, I looked down at her darkened eyes and swollen lips as pride swelled up inside me.

But I beat it back and instead gripped her hand in mine. "Miss me, Freckles?" I breathed as I ran my nose along the curve of her neck and inhaled. She smelled like fresh air and creamsicles. Summer personified. I couldn't stay away from her, I was fucking addicted.

"Isn't it obvious?" she hummed, leaning into me. She was like fucking gasoline, and I was a match. With every touch, she reacted, and the chemistry between us blazed to life.

"If we don't stop, we both know where this is going to lead, and I didn't bring you out here to fuck you."

She stepped back, a naughty grin on her face. "Why did you bring me out here?"

"Close your eyes," I demanded instead of answering.

Her eyelids fluttered closed without hesitation, and I fucking preened at how far we'd come in the trust department over the last month. Stepping over the soft grass and patches of dusty dirt, I slowly led her up a small hill with a tree on the top of it that had somehow grown out over the deep part of the pond. I stopped her right underneath the tree, close to the trunk. Moving behind her and pressing my chest up against her back, I lowered my hands to grip her hips. I leaned forward and whispered in her ear, "Open your eyes."

I watched as she shivered at my breath drifting over her skin. I chuckled softly, watching her blink her eyes open before they widened. "Oh, my god. Did you…" She turned to me, her eyes sparkling. "I can't believe you did this!" she squealed, throwing herself against me again and squeezing me hard.

"Better strip out of those clothes, Freckles, so you can try it out," I suggested, leaning against the tree and folding my arms over my chest, settling in for the show. Her eyes met mine as she pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. She wore a tiny black bikini that barely covered her fucking nipples, and I found myself moving toward her.

"You don't wear this for anyone but me," I growled out the demand, and her eyes flashed with a fiery challenge.

"Oh? And what if I wear it to the beach?" she asked innocently, knowing exactly what she was fucking doing to me.

"I'd have to take you home, strip you out of it," I promised, dropping kisses to her shoulder. "And remind you exactly who you belong to."

"Mmm," she murmured in agreement, and fuck if it didn't make me so goddamn hard how she reveled in my possessiveness.

"Okay, Freckles. Time to give it a try." I moved away from her and toward the tree, gripping the rope swing Connor, and I put up and reinforced in the thickest branch earlier today. The lust cleared from her eyes as she took the rope into her hands, stepping backward slowly.

With every step, the smile on her face grew bigger. Finally, she ran forward, jumping at the last second and landing on the step at the end of the rope, swinging out over the water. Her joyful screaming echoed around us and made me laugh. Her elation was infectious as she let go of the rope at the perfect moment and splashed into the water, disappearing under the inky surface.

The rope swung back toward me, and I caught it easily, pulling it back and following her into the water. As I crashed into the cool liquid, I let myself sink for a couple of seconds before breaching the surface with a huge fucking smile on my face. Nobody could make me smile like Ryan could.

She swam up to me, looking like fucking joy and warmth and wonder in the most gorgeous package I'd ever seen. She wrapped herself around me as I swam in place, and her eyes were practically glowing with happiness. "Thank you," she whispered, pressing her lips to mine before pushing away and splashing water at my face.

I laughed as she swam away, calling out over her shoulder, "Race you back to the swing!"

And I couldn't help but follow.

We spent a couple of hours playing and swimming at the pond, and by some goddamn miracle, I kept my dick out of my girlfriend. But it wasn't easy. And now that the sun had set, the stars were twinkling in the sky, I'd reached my limit. With my arms wrapped around Ryan, she leaned against my chest, contented sighs escaping her lips every few minutes as we rode home on Hex.

Fireflies danced around us as my stallion strolled across the open fields, the wide-open sky sparkling with stars. Before we started the ride home, I ordered a pizza. I'd never had a relaxing night at home with a girl except for Ryan, but they were quickly becoming my favorite way to spend an evening.

Stopping at the barn to take care of Hex, I put everything away, gave him a quick brush, and grabbed Ryan's hand. We walked to the house together, and just as we stepped inside, the doorbell rang.

"Who's that?" she asked curiously, her eyebrows furrowing.

"Pizza." I moved toward the door. "Why don't you find a movie or something, and I'll grab dinner?"

She nodded, flopping down onto the giant-ass sectional that took up most of the space in this room. It was perfect for lounging around. My place in LA was professionally decorated, but this place was comfortable. Relaxing. Something I never thought I'd say about the fucking hellhole I grew up in. But I'd officially taken it back.

And Ryan made this house feel like a home. Having her here was everything I always denied I wanted. But I did want it. So fucking bad.

Tearing my eyes off of her, I turned toward the door, swinging it open. Before I could take in who was standing there, a bright light flashed in my face. I threw up my hand instinctively to block it and tried to blink away the spots now dancing in my eyes. "What the fuck?" I snapped.

"Pizza delivery," the guy's bored tone announced, and I only knew it was a fucking guy because of his voice. I still couldn't see a goddamn thing.

I reached out, groping for the cardboard box and snatching it from his hands as he came into focus. He was most definitely not a pizza delivery guy. He didn't wear any sort of uniform, and he had more than one camera slung around his neck. Fucking press.

A thought tickled at the back of my brain, but I couldn't grasp it and deal with the questions the "delivery guy" was now hurling my way at the same time.

"Get the fuck off of my property, and if you come back, I'll have the police deal with you," I threatened before slamming the door closed right in his face. I was breathing hard, and the pizza box in my hand was shaking with my rage.

"Hey, Romeo. You okay over there?" Ryan's soft voice carried across the room, concern laced with curiosity.

Taking a deep breath, I shook off the unsettling feeling creeping up my spine. A photographer showing up on my doorstep hadn't been an accident. It was fucking Yates. It had to be. Reporters were like goddamn cockroaches. Where there was one, there were a shit ton more hiding in dark crevices waiting to pop out. It was only a matter of time before they had this place swarmed, and my carefree escape became nothing more than another fucking prison.

My desire to shatter Yates's life just increased tenfold. He was fucking with my girl, my career, and it was only a matter of time before he really came after me.

This shit needed to end. Now.