Primal Surrender (14 page)

“I can almost see Main Street from here!” she gasped, her pleasure obvious in the smile on her face.

“If you look this way you can see the St. Andrews Church spire on the other end of town.” He pointed out the white peak that was just on the other side of a hill.

The two of them fell into an easy silence as they took in the view from the top. Ryker couldn’t remember the last time he’d climbed a tree, but it had never been as much fun as this. Seeing Claudia experience something new made him feel like a better man. He wanted to spend the rest of his life experiencing new things with her. Shock hit him square in the gut as he realized what he was thinking. She was still very much a stranger to him, and yet he was already planning a lifetime with her. He must be losing his mind to lust.

“So, now that we’re up here, how exactly do we get back down?” Her words interrupted his musings, and it took him a few seconds to formulate a response.

“Same way, just backwards. You have to be extra careful going down. Find a solid spot for your foot. Trust me, gravity will make sure you get down one way or another, it’s up to you to make sure it’s in one piece,” he explained.

She started to move and then froze in place, “I can’t do this.”

Ryker laughed, “Sure you can, just move slowly, and carefully.”

Her head jerked violently as she began to visibly tremble. “No, I
can’t
do this, Ryker. I’m scared.”

The sudden fear in her wide hazel eyes tore at his heart, and he cursed, “Okay, easy, love. Stay put and I’ll come around to you. Don’t worry, I’ll get you down.”

Moving carefully so he didn’t jostle her too much, he made his way back down to a branch that split the distance between them, and then twisted around the tree until he was coming up underneath her.

“I’m right below you, Claudia. This is me, putting my hand on your ankle,” he could feel her muscles jump when he lightly gripped the ankle and squeezed. “Good girl. Now, I want you to hold onto the branch that runs next to your right hip, that’s it, that will give you a good hold for lowering yourself. You’re going to slowly sink down with one foot, and I’m going to direct it to a branch so you can get your bearings, okay?”

Her breathing had increased, and the sharp nod she gave him bespoke her fear, but she did as he instructed, and in a moment she was between him and the tree trunk. Kissing her temple, he murmured words of encouragement, and talked her slowly down the tree. The moment her feet were on the ground, she spun in his arms and hugged him tight pressing her face into his chest.

“Thank God! I thought I was going to fall.”

Chuckling, he dropped a kiss to the crown of her head, inhaling the scent of cocoa butter and vanilla mixed with feminine sweat. “I would never let you get hurt.”

They stood there for several heartbeats, tightly wrapped together. Ryker’s heart ached for things he couldn’t have as he took note of every curve of her wickedly formed body pressed against his own. He considered telling her how he felt, but then tossed the thought aside when he pictured Mack’s face in his brain. A douchebag he might be, but he would never do anything to hurt Mack or Claudia, and coming between them would hurt them both. It was clear he was stuck between the proverbial rock and a hard place, only the hard place was his groin.

Shifting his hips, he lifted his head, and smiled down at her. “How was it?”

“Before the scary part it was awesome. Thank you for teaching me to climb a tree, Ryker. I’m not sure I would have even tried it without you.” As she moved away from him, she looked down at her dirty sweaty clothes and grimaced. “I better clean up before the meeting.”

“Definitely, come on, I’ll scrub your back.” He made like he was going to lead her into the house, and she laughed.

“No you don’t, Casanova. I’ll scrub my own back thank you very much. Are you coming tonight?”

Winking at her, he nodded, “Definitely. Guess I better go back to my own cold lonely shower.”

“If it’s cold you’re not doing it right. There’s this little lever that makes it warm if you just turn it a bit…” she teased, and he swatted her ass playfully as she hurried toward the house.

“Yeah you better run. Do you need a ride tonight?”

She waved from the steps, “Nope, I’m good. I’ll see you then, and thanks for—well, for everything today. I had a lot of fun.”

“Me too, duchess.” He watched as she walked into her house, the screen door shutting silently behind her. It was getting harder and harder to deny his attraction to her, but being cut out of her life completely would be worse.

He knew she had slept with Mack. Good grief the man was happier than a cat in the sun lately. It was obvious he had gotten laid. And it just stung Ryker that much more. The woman making his brother so happy was the same one, he wanted for himself.

Chapter Eight

After a mindboggling three-hour showdown with the citizens of Stone River, the Granite Estates project was no more. The town hadn’t been interested in Claudia’s facts and figures, or the idea of expanding their education system, and population. They were intent on Stone River remaining a small town, and there was nothing she or anyone else at Schmidt Properties could do about it.

Her ego was deflated, her pride was bruised, and her stomach was twisted into knots. Never had she fought so hard to make people believe she was in the right, while questioning her own motives. She believed in her father’s company, but she also believed that Stone River was pretty damn perfect the way it was. It turned her arguments to the town on their nose, and she couldn’t seem to find the same fire in her soul she felt when she first arrived in town.

It was possible that her father would accept her defeat, but she hated having to ask it of him. This was one of those chance of a lifetime assignments that could have shot her to the top of the company, and assured all of the naysayers that she had the chops to run Schmidt Properties one day. It didn’t matter the idea of being CEO left a sour taste in her mouth, because it wasn’t nearly as foul tasting as the bitter defeat she had been handed tonight by the tiny population of this town.

When everyone rose to leave the town hall meeting, she remained seated facing the front of the emptying room. She didn’t know what else there was to say to anyone. Humiliation burned in her gut. For the first time since she arrived in Stone River she truly felt out of place.

It was several moments before her brain registered the warmth surrounding her was an arm around her shoulders. Turning her head, she met Ryker’s gray-blue eyes, surprised to find sympathy but no pity in them. His silent comfort meant more to her than she could have verbalized, so she just relished it, absorbing the warmth he offered with greedy hunger.

He continued to hold her in silence until several new voices echoed through the empty meeting room. Mack’s deep baritone tickled something inside of her, but it was Ryker she turned to when he withdrew his arm. Her fingers laced through his, and she gripped his hand between hers, refusing to give up the connection with him yet. For a moment she thought she saw a flash of reverence in his gaze, but he quickly pushed it aside and gave her stoic sympathy again.

As Mack took the seat on her other side, she realized two things. The first was that she was more at home between these two brothers than she had ever been in her life, and she was now firmly caught up in an unusual love triangle she didn’t know how to explain. The second was that she wasn’t alone.

Rachel Brooks had followed him in, along with another pretty woman with long dark hair and expressive ocean blue eyes. The new woman had the delicate features of a playful fairy, but her body was curvy, and her smile was genuine.

“How ya doing, sweetheart?” Mack asked softly. He reached for her hand, hesitating when he saw her gripping Ryker’s between her fists, choosing instead to rest his palm on her upper thigh.

Forcing back the urge to move from between the only two men who had ever made her burn with need, she gave him a tight smile. “I’m fine. This is a big disappointment for Schmidt Properties, but we’ll survive.”

“Claudia, this is Zoey Keegan.” Rachel filled the awkward silence, and the newly introduced Zoey held out a hand forcing Claudia to release her hold on Ryker. She was pleased when he covered her opposite thigh in a mirror image of his brother.
Two hands of support to hold me up
, she thought ruefully.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs. Keegan,” she said politely, pulling her business persona back on for the introduction.

Zoey wasn’t having it though, and after the handshake she waved off the formalities. “I’m just Zoey, trust me. Mrs. Keegan sounds weird. I still can’t even manage to sign a check with the right last name, so there’s no reason to use it yet. I wanted to offer my sympathy on the negative vote tonight, but it seems you’ve got a lot of supporters.”

Zoey looked down pointedly at the matching hands on Claudia’s lap, but there was no censorship there, just pure feminine knowledge. “The Thompson brothers have been good friends to me since I moved here,” she explained, allowing herself to rest her head on Mack’s shoulder as the stress from the last several weeks of planning slipped out of her, leaving only exhaustion.

“Of that I have no doubt,” Zoey said with a wink. “Rachel and I were thinking after everything tonight you might need a ladies’ night, and considering we both live in houses bursting with testosterone, we would like one too.”

“Will there be alcohol?” Claudia asked. Relief washed through her as everyone laughed.

Rachel nodded vigorously, “Absolutely! No ladies’ night is complete without it.”

“Then as long as it can wait until tomorrow, I’m in. Tonight I think I need a glass of wine and a long hot soak in the tub,” Claudia said with a heavy sigh.

“It’s a date!” Zoey replied, “We’ll meet at Robin’s tomorrow evening. About eight?”

Claudia smiled back, “Sounds good. See you two then, and thanks for inviting me.”

The two women said their goodbyes and left the meeting room. For several moments Claudia remained frozen in time, head on Mack’s shoulder, covering their two hands with her own as they rested in her lap. If she didn’t count the fact she had just nailed the final coffin in her rise to the CEO position at Schmidt Properties, the moment was blissfully perfect. There was no way her father would give her the reins now. It was odd how little emotional response she felt for the loss. Instead of pain, or regret, she just felt empty.

“I’m sorry, Claudia. I know how much you wanted this project to go through,” Mack said sweetly. Ryker remained unusually quiet.

“It’s alright. It’s part of the business. You win some, you lose some, right?” she replied.

“Do you always handle let down so easily?” he asked with a cynical laugh.

Shaking her head, she sighed, “The problem isn’t losing the project. Granite Estates was doomed from the beginning. The guy who started the project thought he could circumvent the town planning board by buying up enough of the property in question. Thanks to his boneheaded move, Schmidt Properties owns a dozen or so homes that will have to be sold at a loss, or turned into rental units.”

“So, if he was the one who started this, why did you get sent down here to clean it up?” Mack asked, turning his hand so their palms were mashed together, and linking their fingers.

“My father. He gave me the chance to prove myself by getting this project under control, but now…well I don’t know what he’ll say.” She hated hearing that wistful tone in her own voice. It wasn’t her fault the town didn’t want to be bought up, so it wasn’t worth feeling guilty over. The more she told herself that, the more her stomach tightened. It might not have been her fault, but it was her job, and a Schmidt always gets the job done. “I need to head for home. That wine is calling my name.”

She stood, letting both of their hands fall away from her. Ryker watched her warily, but Mack rose to his feet and brushed a comforting kiss over her lips. “I hitched a ride with Rogan and Rachel, or I would offer to take you home.” Suddenly he jerked his eyes to his brother. Claudia saw him swallow hard and clench his jaw just before he addressed Ryker. “Would you mind making sure she gets home okay, since you brought your car?”

Ryker looked just as surprised at the request as Claudia. “Of course I will, but it’s okay if you want to take my car. I can catch a ride back with the Brooks family.”

Mack shook his head, “No, unfortunately I still have a few chores to do at the ranch before I can head to the cabin. I would appreciate it if you would take her and make sure she’s settled.”

*****

Already kicking himself for the dumbass move, Mack continued to run his mouth virtually handing Claudia over to Ryker on a silver platter. His heart was torn in two by the idea she could still choose his younger brother over him, but after the last week he knew he had to take the chance and trust her. It was too late to question the decision anyway.

“I brought my car, gentleman. I’ll be just fine,” Claudia said. Her voice was stern and the warmth in her eyes had hardened into gold chips of regret. She was physically pulling away from him, but in his heart he knew she needed comforting.

“I don’t mind, duchess. It’s not like I have anything better to do,” Ryker said with forced casualness. His questioning look was too much for Mack right now.

“It would make me feel better, sweetheart. I just want to make sure you get home and tucked in safely.” Mack wrapped his hand around the nape of her neck to remind her who was in control of the moment. Just that simple act of dominance seemed to ease the stress lines ringing her eyes, and her eyelids flickered.

Shrugging her shoulders, she pulled on arrogance like a fine coat, and snapped out, “Stone River is probably the safest place on the map, but fine, follow me if you must.”

When she would have stormed away from him, Mack spun her around and gripped her by the chin. “Easy, Claudia. I know you’re not used to anyone caring what happens to you, but you better work on getting more comfortable with it. Ryker will take care of you in my stead, and in doing so he allows me to go back to the ranch and finish the business I need to handle without worrying. You’re important to me, so let me coddle you a bit.”