Chapter 1

Elias

Maple Oak Springs smells like sunshine and fresh-cut grass. The air is clean and easy to breathe, a welcomed break from the less-than-stellar scent of the city. My brother Abel and I make it a point to take the month of August off every year. Maple Oak has been our vacation spot of choice for the last four years, and this year is no different.

Well, it’s a bit different. This year, his wife Erin is with us too. Meaning the two of them will likely be ditching me on more than one occasion in the upcoming weeks. I’m not mad about it, honestly. Abel and Erin have had a tough year and they deserve to relax, and when you’re newlyweds, fucking is prime relaxation.

It’s the main reason we aren’t sharing a house this time around. I’ll have a little fancy cabin all to myself. Booking out a ranch may not be every billionaire’s idea of a luxury vacation, but it’s most certainly mine. I go to Europe and tropical islands for business deals on occasion, so they hardly feel like an escape to me.

A trip down south to a secluded paradise of farms and fields with a fat lake and privacy? Now that’s true luxury.

I’m ready for a whole month of swimming, boating, and shutting off my damn phone. Maybe I’ll get lucky and find someone to keep me company while my brother is getting busy with his wife. Working hours like I typically do… your dick tends to suffer when you’re not a sleazeball that will take under-the-desk head from eager interns.

As tempting as getting your cock wet is, it’s not worth the trouble of creating a crazy-ass work environment. Professional in the office, deviant outside of it, that’s the way to live.

“You need help with that, Erin?” I ask, watching my sister-in-law struggle to pull her suitcase from Abel’s truck bed. He told her to sit tight while he checked in with the ranch hands, making sure we were good to move into our houses.

Erin is good at a lot of things, but staying put isn’t one of them. She’s a take-no-shit kind of woman, but she’s also 5’4 and probably a hundred pounds on a good day. She often wants to do things on her own that are just physically impossible.

It’s pretty cute if you’re into that kind of thing. And while she’s got toned and tan legs, silky blonde hair, blue eyes, and a blinding white smile, I couldn’t be less attracted to her. Maybe if her name was Aaron and she was about a hundred pounds heavier with big arms and… you get the picture. Let’s just say I’m really hoping there’s a man waiting around here hoping for some summer fun because I’m not into the farmer’s daughter thing. Mainly the daughter part.

“I got it,” she insists, continuing to struggle.

Knowing my brother will kick my ass if I don’t step in, I heft the large suitcase from the truck, sitting it up on its wheels for her before she can pout in protest. When her lips pop open to chastise me for my help I reach out, ruffling the hair on top of her head.

“Come on, Erin, the faster we get unpacked, the faster I pour you a glass of red and get your cute little ass in a bikini and have you floating on the lake.”

She grins, fully appeased by the answer.

“Don’t talk about my wife’s ass,” Abel growls, returning with two sets of keys.

“You tell me it’s cute then,” Erin jabs playfully, looking up at him with a twinkle in her eye.

“Yeah, you tell her,” I chuckle, stealing the key with my house number on it. “Any issues?”

“Your ass is sexy,” Abel tells her, ignoring me. “Why don’t I show you just how much I like it, hmm?”

Erin giggles and I roll my eyes before clearing my throat. “Any issues?”

“Nah,” Abel says, pulling Erin’s back into his front for a reverse hug. “Different guy who checked us in this time though, less grandpa, more your type.”

“Oh really?” Interest suddenly peaked, I look around him, trying to scout out who he’s describing. “Did he look single?”

Laughing again, Erin asks, “What does ‘single’ look like?”

“No wedding band,” I explain easily.

“No wedding band,” Abel informs me. “No smile either though, looked like he’d rather be anywhere else.” Throwing me a bone, he nods over his shoulder. “The one who’s about to ride off back to the main property.”

When you rent out a ranch, you don’t get it entirely to yourself. There are still people who are around keeping the place running. Ranch hands, farmers, landscapers, etc. But if this guy brought us the keys, he’s likely related to the owners. A ranch hand that my brother says is my type… this vacation just got a hell of a lot more promising.

As I squint to get a better look, I find a deliciously sexy man swinging himself up onto a white saddled horse. He’s wearing a tan cowboy hat, well-worn denim jeans, boots, and a white t-shirt with the sleeves cut off. To say his arms look lickable would be an understatement.

His whole body is tan from working outside during the summer, the tawny hue only helping to define his muscles further. His jeans aren’t skinny but they’re tight around his thighs which means those are just as toned. Thick thighs are one of my weaknesses.

Fuck, I want him. I haven’t even seen his face and I’m drooling.

“How old do you think he is?”

“Stop staring and pick your jaw up,” my brother commands, laughing. “He looked mid-twenties maybe.”

“Did you catch his name?” I ask hopefully, licking my lips as the horse takes off.

Abel snorts but nods. “Yeah, he said it’s Caleb. Caleb Burke.”

Well, hello, Caleb Burke.

“Uh-oh,” Erin utters. “He’s in love.”

Now it’s my turn to laugh. Elias Masondo has never done love.

I’m the kind of guy who gives you the fuck of your life, makes you laugh a little, and sends you home with no hopes of anything more. I’m not the commitment kind, at least, no one seems to think so. I could never put a spouse through my hectic schedule anyway. So, ‘no strings attached’ has been what I’ve been relegated to for years.

Whether it was my choice or not.

Abel was the same way,a stubborn voice reminds me. Look at him now.

Yeah, yeah. My brother was an even bigger workaholic than me before Erin came along. But one look at her and he dropped responsibilities without her asking in an instant, hiring people to shorten his hours to give him more free time.

I’m not against the concept of love, don’t get me wrong. I’d fucking love to have a husband someday. But there’s just something about me that guys see as fun for a good time but not a long time. Maybe it’s my fault for not putting myself out there, but being vulnerable is hard.

“Doesn’t need to be love to be fun,” I reply, waving Erin off. “He’s probably not interested in getting with a guest anyway. He looks like he takes work seriously.”

You don’t get a body like that by slacking off on the job.

My brother claps a hand on my back, squeezing my shoulder. He thinks I should give myself more credit, but he can’t exactly judge. We Masondo boys have a habit of putting ourselves down while bringing everyone else up.

“Last one to the lake gets thrown off the dock?” I ask, grinning while seamlessly shifting the mood. A Masondo family skill is lightening the mood, and I’m the best at it.

Erin pouts, lips pursing. “But I take longer to get ready.”

Smirking, I smack a quick kiss to the side of her face. “I’ll be gentle when I throw you in, don’t worry.”

Scowling, she slaps my chest with the back of her hand. “Asshole.”

“You love me,” I counter, grabbing my duffle bag from the SUV I rented and slinging it over my shoulder. “Better get moving, darlin’.”

She scowls. “I’m going to push you into the water so hard.”

“Promises, promises.”