Stay With Me: BWWM Interracial Cowboy/Western Romance (Westbury Ranch Book 2) (9 page)

Juston’s fingers closed into fists. He wanted to hit this man hard, but with an effort, he resisted all such urges. It was Shayne’s call, and not his.

“I made a mistake. Separating from you…that was the worst thing I could have done.”

“You cheated on me.”

Nick visibly winced.

Juston felt shocked. Shayne hadn’t said anything to him. He didn’t think Cullen or Jackie had any idea about what led to the emd of her marriage. Why would she hide that fact? Was she hoping Nick would come back to her? If yes, it seemed her wish came true. Juston wanted to die. Was this how his love story was destined to end? Had he placed too much hope in this relationship? He couldn’t believe this was happening. It felt as if he’d become stuck in a terrible nightmare.

“I was foolish, stupid. It was a terrible, horrible mistake!” Nick exclaimed. “I shouldn’t have done it. You know how much pressure there is at my job.”

“Every job has pressures, but people generally don’t ease them by sleeping with someone who isn’t their spouse.”

“You’re right. I’m a cad, and I deserve to be shot for it. But please, I’ve come to my senses now. Without you, I’m lost. I want you back in my life, and I’ll do anything to make that happen,” Nick pleaded.

She raised her eyebrow. “Anything?”

“Yes, whatever you want. We can move to another city. I’ll get another job.”

“Move here? This is where I live now,” she replied.

Juston knew he’d lost her the instant she said those words. She was actually considering getting back with this guy. No wonder she hadn’t been willing to commit to him. She still loved her husband. While he courted her, she’d been waiting to hear from her ex. Juston wanted to punch the guy, but he didn’t say a word. He respected her too much to make a fuss. It was her decision and hers alone. He had no say in the matter.

“Come on, Shayne. That’s crazy. I can’t live here on the farm or in a village. A doctor like me could get a job in any decent part of the world. In any case, I don’t think you would want that. This place, great as it is, isn’t for us.” He shook his head. “But if you want, we can move to the suburbs. Isn’t that what you wanted? And start a family? I’ll do whatever is necessary to make you happy.”

She glanced at him for a long time as if she was testing the validity of his statement. Shayne turned towards Juston. She freed her hands from Nick’s grasp. “Juston, I’m sorry, but I need to talk to Nick about a few things. If you don’t mind…”

He got the message. She didn’t have to say anything else. Did she know that she’d cut his heart to ribbons with those words? It was one of the worst nights of his life. Rather than say anything and betray all the emotions that swirled in his heart, he nodded. “Sure. Take care.”

Before he gave in to his primal urges and beat the guy to a pulp, he got into the car and drove towards his cottage. Images flashed through his mind; her hand in his, her lips on his, and her laughter. He would remember her forever. But it appeared that he hadn’t made much of an impression on her. She finished their relationship with such ease that he felt astounded at her cold behavior. Didn’t she feel anything for him? Apparently not. He wasn’t important in her life, and this was a message he wouldn't ever forget. He wanted to say a thousand things, but there was no point in making that attempt when she’d already chosen her path.

No wonder he felt she’d been acting a little aloof all through their brief relationship. She’d never gotten over her husband. He didn’t blame her for choosing the man who walked into her life once again. Nick could offer her all those things he couldn’t. She belonged in a city with sophisticated people, and he couldn’t give that to her. She’d chosen well. Sure, she’d crushed his heart and his hopes for them, but he couldn't blame her for it.

Yet, he was devastated. Juston never had his heart broken before, and now he realized he wouldn't ever get over it.

No.

Not ever.

Chapter Nine

L
ife could be strange and sometimes painful, but she never realized it could get this bad. When she divorced Nick and moved here, Shayne believed it was the end of that part of her past, and yet he was here again—and at first, she didn’t know how to handle this new development.

An hour after Juston left, they stood inside the living room. It was the middle of the night, and she couldn’t very well turn him out. “I’ll prepare the guest room for you.”

“Shayne, I love you.”

“Do you?” She cocked an eyebrow. She gave no more of a reply. They’d been talking, and as far as she was concerned, they already said too much. It showed her that they already said all there was to say months ago. “Wait here, please.” Walking into the guest room, she made the bed. She came back to call him, then Shayne left him to settle in the room. It all came to the surface as to why she’d been so confused about things until Nick showed up. If it wasn’t for him, she never would have realized what she really wanted. In a way, she felt grateful that he came here. Without him showing up, she would have remained lost for a long time. Now her path was clear. Shayne wrote a message for her mother and stuck it on the fridge.

Jackie would see it in the morning as the first thing she did was to come inside the kitchen and switch on the coffee machine.

Shayne left the farmhouse. It was late at night, and perhaps she should’ve been scared, but she’d grown up here and it was hard to be frightened when you knew what was right around the corner. But of course, there were always surprises and she’d already gotten one tonight. When she rang his doorbell, it was one o’clock in the morning. Yeah, it was insane for her to show up here, but she didn’t know what else to do. She’d made her decision, and it was important to let Juston know about it. She had no idea how he would react. Maybe he would end up kicking her out of his house. If he did, she would deserve that fate.

When he opened the door, a jolt hit her. All the words she intended to say got stuck in her throat.

He stared at her as if he was looking at a ghost. “What are you doing here?”

“I believe we had plans before we were so rudely interrupted.”

It looked as if he couldn't quite believe what she said. Finally, he stepped aside.

She strode in. “Were you sleeping?”

He ran a hand through his hair and slammed the door shut. “Why the hell are you here, Shayne? I got the message, okay? You’re going back with Nick. Fine. If that’s what you want, there’s nothing I can do about it.”

He was angry, and she didn’t blame him. The man had a right to his temper, but she still needed to say a few things. “You were right when you said I wasn’t ready for a commitment.”

“Yeah, well…I got that.”

She raised a hand. “Listen to me, please. It’s hard for a woman to believe a man when she’d spent the last seven years of her life thinking that she was loved and cherished, and then finding out that the man who claimed to love her was actually doing someone else behind her back.”

“I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have any cause to be,” she retorted in a sharp voice. “Nick didn’t have any excuse. He was just bored, and she was right there. A nurse. Very typical of a doctor.” She took a deep breath as fresh anger rose in her heart. With an effort, she curbed it. There was no place in her life for it. It was important to finally let it go. “But it’s over now.”

“What’s over?”

She glanced at him and read the pain in his eyes. How could she have been so blind to it? Had she given him the wrong impression? It was careless of her if she did. Generally, she wasn’t so callous with other people’s feeling, and Shayne was sorry that she’d given him reason to think so little of her. She took his hand in hers and felt the warmth of it. This man was steady. He wasn’t like Nick at all. “I made a wrong choice once, but I’m not going to do it again.” She felt relieved that he didn’t pull away.

“What do you mean? Looks like he’s sorry for what he did. I bet he’d do anything to keep you happy this time around.”

“He isn’t going to get a chance to do that,” she replied in a steady voice. “I told him to stay for the night since he drove all the way here and I can’t very well turn him out at this hour, but…I made it perfectly clear that there wasn’t even a little chance in hell that I would consider going back with him.”

His head jerked back as if someone punched him. “What do you mean?”

“I’m with you now, and I hope that you wouldn’t hold it against me that I needed to say those things to him. He broke my heart, and I don’t want to give him the chance to do it again. What’s more…I told him—”

He took a step closer. His hand sneaked around her waist and he pulled her closer. “What?”

She gazed into his eyes. It was time to be honest. “I didn’t realize it until I got the option to take another path. But the thing is, Juston, I’m so deeply in love with you, I don’t think I can find my way out of it.” Maybe she said too much. Perhaps he wasn’t ready for it. Her heart thrummed as she gazed into his eyes. They’d been dating for a short time. Maybe he didn’t want to hear those words.

Then he leaned forward his breath hot against her mouth. “I never thought I would hear that from you. I love you. I’m crazy about you.”

“You are?”

He laughed, held her in his arms, and then brushed his lips over hers. “We really need to start believing each other more. Yes, yes, I love you. Now, tell me that you love me again.”

She put her arms around his neck. “I love you.”

The kiss was hot and passionate, and it spoke volumes about the way they felt about each other. She felt the steady beat of his heart when she put her hand on his chest. It felt great to hold on to him and know that this time it was for real. This man wouldn’t betray her. He wouldn’t break her heart, and certainly he would never treat her with disrespect. More than anything, she wanted to be with him, and it was exhilarating to know that he felt the same way.

“What about Nick?” he asked.

“He’ll go back in the morning. Giving him a room to sleep in is the last thing I will do for him. From now on, you’re my future.”

He put a hand on her cheek. There was a wealth of emotions in his eyes. “And you’re mine.”

When he scooped her up and carried her, she didn’t protest. Their mouths crashed onto each other and she clung to him as he took her to his bedroom. The love that radiated from him was all too palpable. Her skin tingled with need as he put her down and fiddled with her shirt. She allowed him to take it off while she opened the buttons of his shirt. Soon, they were naked in each other’s arms. The glow of love surrounded her, enveloped her, and made her feel all too special. There wasn’t any other place that she’d rather be than in this man’s arms. Nothing else mattered except for the way he made her feel. From now on, her path was clear. She would be with him, and no one could force them apart.

His hands roamed along her naked body and everywhere he touched her, her nerves sizzled and burned. They lay down on the soft, warm bed and his limbs entwined with hers. His hard body slid along her soft curves like a symphony of perfection. Such a sexy, sophisticated, yet earthy man she’d found right here in the middle of nowhere.

The kiss became stormy, deeper more intense. He nibbled his way down to her throat and then captured her nipple. When he flicked his tongue over her sensitive bud, she trembled with desire. Red-hot flames of passion took over her body, and she surrendered willingly into his arms. He paid homage to her nipples and she ran her hands over his back. Her nails dug into his flesh, but it seemed as if he hardly noticed the sweet pain. Instead, his attention remained focused on her curves.

“Juston,” she sighed his name in a whisper.

His tongue licked over the skin of her muscles. The desire that careened through her was so hot that she couldn’t handle the sweet agony of it. In one sharp move, she rose up and straddled him. It was impossible to wait any longer. She wanted him now. His penis was already hard. She rubbed a hand over the length of it, and then took position. When he slid inside her, she felt complete. Sensations, raw and wild, careened through her veins. She ran her hands over his hard, muscled chest and felt them ripple under the tips of her fingers. He cupped her breasts and squeezed while a fountain of heat exploded in her gut and flowered out like streaks of glorious electric pulses.

She rose up over him and then moved down again, and with every dip of her body, she grew wetter and wetter. The erotic ride was exactly what she needed to bring a beautiful conclusion to this chaotic evening. As she moved in tandem with his rhythm, Shayne felt like she was in heaven. They fit together perfectly and she could feel every glorious inch of him. She never wanted this ecstasy to come to an end, and yet she needed to find the release her body craved. In and out, up and down over that sweet length of his, she took him even deeper into her silky depths and felt her center clench around his shaft. Her muscles expanded and contracted, milking him for all she was worth.

Juston groaned with pleasure as he gripped her hips.

They were in perfect unison.  

When the orgasm overcame her senses and flooded her with such delightful and powerful sensations, she screamed. Then with helpless pants, she collapsed on top of him.

A few seconds later, he came inside of her, then ran a gentle hand over her back as she lay joined with him. “I thought I’d lost you. Damn it, Shayne…I love you,” he whispered breathlessly.

His words filled her with a joy that was hard to explain. Lifting her head, she kissed him on the lips then pulled her mouth away to whisper, “You had me all along, you just didn’t know it…and damn it, Juston…I love you more.”

He chuckled and smoothed his hands over her face. “I don’t think it’s possible.”

She laughed. As far as Shayne was concerned, her life was perfect and now there wasn’t anything else she wanted from the fates. They delivered the most magnificent man to her, and she was in the right place. “We can debate that point for the rest of our lives.”

“Sure we can.” He laid his head back. “And I can’t wait to bicker with you over it.”

Smiling, she sighed as she remained still over him. “It just doesn’t get better than this, does it, Juston?”

He answered her with naughty smile on his lips.

She was elated when she felt him hardening between her thighs, even though a few moments ago, it appeared as if they were both fully sated. This was their heaven, and she felt more than happy to be in it. Shayne finally felt at home. From now on, no one could steal their joy. As long as they had each other, life was wonderful, just as it should be.

***THE END***