Drew [The Texas Senator's Sons 2] (Siren Publishing Classic) (10 page)

Damon gritted his teeth, and it was Drew’s turn exchange roles and restrain him. Damon’s blue eyes grew wild with rage. “How could you?” He looked toward his father then he turned to his mother. “I can’t believe you would live with that secret, knowing and not telling us...meanwhile we had to be so straight and narrow. ‘Watch your ass, boys, because everyone else is.’” He mocked his father’s words with a delirious chuckle. “And all along it was you two hiding skeletons in the closet!”

Damon shook his head and looked at Drew. Drew looked back at him. “I’m with ya, bro, this is bullshit.”

Damon walked quietly to the liquor cabinet and poured him and Drew a shot. He threw his back and handed the other glass to Drew, who gladly accepted. “So why are you telling us now?” Damon asked.

Drew knew Damon was as disgusted with their father as he was. Damon always thought the man was so moral and honest. He was a man he had strived to be like, a man he’d campaigned for over the years, and now…Damon seemed to look at someone he didn’t even know.

Drew crossed his arms and stood with a fierce look in his eyes. He was waiting for the big one, the mother of all truths, why they were all standing around to begin with. His mother looked pained but stood resolute, and he wondered what happened to make her stay with his father, knowing all these years. “We’re waiting,” he said impatiently.

* * * *

Liv and Regan had both heard the commotion from inside the house but neither moved from the truck. Liv knew that whatever was taking place was big because Drew’s voiced boomed from the house. She had suspected that his relationship was strained with his father but was unaware how much so until Regan told her while they sat and waited for an all clear. It was frustrating to know that Drew was going through so much already this week, and now, this was the icing on the proverbial cake.

This was not her life or her drama, so she shouldn’t have cared about the outcome, but she did. Was it because she had made helping Drew a personal mission to pay it forward? Why should she care about him? He had made it clear that he didn’t want intimacy or a relationship, so to speak. It was sex—gratifying, hot sex designed to channel anger and frustration, nothing more. But she did care, for some unknown reason. It was as if Drew was a kindred spirit, a soul seeking a mate that could understand and love him in spite of himself. She was no angel either, and she had traveled an expansive road to get to where she was today. Drew needed her. She wanted him to need her, but most of all she needed him. Why, she didn’t know, but she was sure that the passion she felt when he was near was stronger than anything she had ever experienced, and she wanted to explore it and see where it might lead.

When Drew busted out of the back door, yelling, “Go to hell, you son of a bitch!” Liv bounded out of the cab to follow him.

Drew’s long strides had Liv jogging to catch up. “Wait, Drew!” she called, but he kept walking to the barn. His muscles tensed, and his fists clenched up as he neared the barn.

“Got your camera, Liv?” Drew turned with hate swirling in his eyes. He acted like her presence this week was no accident.

Liv was confused and becoming frightened. Drew’s muscles bunched and flexed in irritation. His blues eyes were rimmed in red. They were full of hate and disgust. “Why would I have my camera?” she stuttered softly.

“You have to be a reporter, Liv, come on,” Drew shouted. “You happen to show up here during the anniversary week of everything that went down with my bitch of a stripper fiancée, and now my father shows up here telling me I have another brother! How fucking convenient is that, Liv?” His eyes bored into her, daring her to deny it.

“I didn’t know anything about you or your fiancée when I came here…I don’t keep up with politics. I’m here to do the advertising,” Liv began to explain.

“Bullshit, Liv!” Drew stormed into the barn.

Liv stood with trembling hands, but her fury began to build. She didn’t sign up for this, but she wasn’t about to walk away so he could believe his own stupid suspicions. She followed. Her feet stomped into the barn where Drew stood with a beer. “Fuck you, Drew. You think that everyone is out to get you, and that all women are dishonest bitches.”

“They are, aren’t they, Liv? So, which publication should I look for in the morning to catch a nice family portrait of us fighting? Which one gets to break the story? And how much did you get paid to come out here and fuck me for a story?” Drew asked in a menacing voice.

“All of my equipment is upstairs, my phone included. You’re welcome to look through all the shots I have taken since I arrived, and I can assure you they are of the ranch only. The advertising spread is almost ready for final approval.” Liv put her hands on her hips, standing her ground.

Drew stared at her for a moment. He was wondering if he could trust what she was saying, and she knew it. “Why didn’t you tell me that you and Regan were friends?”

Liv had to laugh at that. “I didn’t realize you didn’t know! Hell, it isn’t a damn secret.” Her smile faded as she walked toward Drew. “I’m nothing more than what I have told you. I’m just Liv, a woman who’s trying to make my way through life doing what I enjoy and falling for a man who hates my guts.” She shrugged. “I will have the spread ready in the morning for you and Damon to approve, and I’ll pack up and see where my Jeep takes me next, but Drew, I’m not a reporter.”

When Drew stood at a loss for words, Liv quietly turned and walked to the house.

Later that night when all the commotion was over, Liv sat quietly at her laptop, finishing the last pages of the layout for the ranch publication. It was a little sad to be finishing up this project for many reasons. She was here, close to Regan, and she hadn’t realized how much she missed her and the comforting companionship another woman could provide. Liv was somewhat of a lone wolf and usually liked it that way. Now, she sighed as she looked at the ceiling. It was back to her apartment with solitary nights and days working alone like she was at this very moment.

Outside of the bond she and Regan shared, Liv also missed the feel of being passionate about someone, not that she had a lot to compare with, just her dreams. In her dreams, the man she envisioned was a lot like Drew, minus the hat and boots. It was funny how those two items completed him. But inside he had everything she wanted. There was no denying that there was a unique chemistry created between them. The type that became so hot it left her breathless. She smiled as she meticulously realigned the pictures of the cattle. Drew was so in charge and fearless, it didn’t bother him that he was moving around over twelve hundred pounds of beef that could stomp him on a whim should they have wanted to.

That man, have mercy, he was working at her heart that she had erected numerous shields around after Brock died. Drew more than likely had no intentions of stealing her heart, but he had succeeded. A picture in the barn when they were artificially inseminating some of the cows was the last picture to go in, showcasing the ranch’s on-site genetic breeding. Liv sighed. It was the only picture where Drew was smiling and, have mercy, he looked wonderful when he did.

When Liv finished the entire project and had it ready for final review, she shut down her computer and lay down on the bed. It was eerily quiet in the house, and the lack of sound made her uncomfortable. She was accustomed to vehicles, horns, and sirens humming her to sleep in her tiny apartment.

* * * *

Drew paced outside of the main house wondering if he should just go in and apologize to Liv. He hated the uneasy feeling he kept in his gut, the suspicious nature of his subconscious, and the anger that rippled just beneath the skin daily. But he didn’t know how to change it or get it all to go away. The ultimate was hearing his father admit that he had a mistress, and that they’d had a child together. Not only did they have a child, but he had kept the woman a nice home and provisions while occasionally stopping by to see their son. What was worse to know was the fact his mother was fully aware of all of it! If his parents kept that skeleton in the closet under his and Damon’s noses all these years then he was doomed when it came to people he didn’t know. No wonder Shay had fooled him so easily. His parents had fooled him most all of his damn life.

Drew shook his head and squeezed his eyes shut. It hurt badly to be so completely fooled by the very people that should have been honest with him. Now he was standing outside a window to a woman he knew little about but craved with every muscle in his body. Regan had set him straight about Liv not being a reporter, but he’d already figured that out for himself. He felt like he could see into Liv’s soul through her bright blue eyes, and when she spoke all he saw was complete, sincere honesty. And what did he do? He let his anger get out of control over his father and mother, and his new brother, son of his father’s mistress.

“What a fucking tangled web we weave,” Drew mumbled and looked up toward Liv’s window. He wanted to be inside her, channeling his anger and soothing his soul. He wanted to hear her moan and watch her body writhe underneath him and feel her body quiver when he brought her to orgasm. Heaven—she was absolutely heaven wrapped inside a smoking-hot body with luscious curves, a perfect face, and a heart-stopping smile. Before Drew could stop himself, he was clinking rocks off Liv’s window. It was a real teenage-boy thing to do, but hey, he needed to apologize.

When Liv opened the window, Drew felt relieved. He had worried that she’d ignore him and leave him standing out in the dark alone.

“Did you forget to accuse me of something else?” Liv looked down at Drew without a smile. He expected that, though.

“Come down, woman. I need to talk to you,” Drew stated flatly.

“Why should I?” Liv teased him. He could tell she was teasing by how she bit her bottom lip when she asked. He scrubbed his jaw in frustration. Women could be so irritating when a man needed to apologize.

“Because I told you to…Liv, so help me…you come out of that house right now,” Drew barked, knowing she seemed to like his usual asshole personality.

“No.” Liv smiled and closed the window.

“Did she just tell me no?” Drew questioned himself, stunned that Liv had not only said no but closed the window down as well. “She told me no.” He felt a little irritated but mostly surprised more than anything. Drew paced a little longer before he realized that she wanted him to come after her. Of course, he thought, and walked to the unlocked back door. He knew it wasn’t locked and should have used this route anyway.

Drew walked through the kitchen toward the stairs and climbed them slowly. He didn’t want to wake up Damon and Regan, but really, they’d be waking up shortly when he got a hold of Liv and put an end to her teasing.

* * * *

Liv lay on the bed with her back to the door pretending to be asleep. She knew Drew wouldn’t take no for an answer, but she wanted to see how far he’d go. She heard the distinctive clunk of boots walking down the hallway to her room and felt her body quiver.
Oh, lord.
She squeezed her thighs together tightly, trying to find any relief.

The doorknob turned, and heat spread between her legs. Breathing in lightly, she didn’t bother to turn over to greet Drew. He stood quietly in the doorway. God, she wanted him. Her body craved his rough touch, her mind wanted to hear his voice command her, and her pussy that tingled in anticipation couldn’t wait for his cock to enter with a hard thrust. Yeah, the thought had her creaming her panties more. The wait for him to come to her was excruciating. It felt like an hour, but she knew it had only been seconds. He was purposely trying to drive her wild, and it was working.

The door creaked shut, and the sound of his boots striking the floor followed. She almost purred until she no longer heard his boots. He stopped.
Oh, no, don’t stop!

Then the chair by the wall began dragging against the floor, the dull scuff echoing off the walls. What was he up to? He needed to hurry up because her body was thrumming erratically, waiting impatiently. His boots clunked again until he stood next to the bed. Now her breathing was irregular. What was he doing?

“Get up!” Drew stated sternly, and Liv found herself complying. She looked up into his blue eyes. There was no hint of humor inside them. His straw hat made him look delicious, and she wanted to eat him up. But that would come later when he was finished with the game he was playing with her.

“Take off your clothes.” He crossed his arms across his chest and watched her. “Faster,” he barked, and Liv jerked her T-shirt over her head. Next she shoved her shorts and panties down in one quick push.

Drew walked slowly around her, like he was admiring the view. She knew he was because she saw his wicked little smile. She loved that smile and was glad to see it since he used it so rarely. “Why didn’t you come when I told you to, Liv?”

“I didn’t want to,” Liv responded quickly. She was lying, of course. She wanted to rush down the stairs and jump into his arms, but right now was playtime, and she loved the results she received when she pushed.

“I see.” Drew grinned and walked to the chair and sat down. He pulled her close, and then in a quick motion he overtook her and positioned her across his lap with her ass in the air.

Liv tried to breathe, but she was too excited. “What are you doing?” She played along.

Smack!
Drew hit her ass openhandedly, and Liv stiffened and groaned. “Next time I call you, you’d better come,” he said and smacked her other cheek. Liv squeezed her eyes shut. The sensation sent a trickle of heat oozing down her leg.