Propositioning Mr. Raine (13 page)

“You killed me. I’m not moving.”

Navarro laughed. “Ah. So that’s how it is. I do the work and then I get to turn off the light?”

“Uh-huh.” She laughed. “You’re the big, strong, tough guy who used to play with bulls. I think you can take on a light.”

He chuckled. “Can you sleep with it on? I don’t want to move either. I’m exactly where I want to be. I’ll turn it off later.”

She closed her eyes. “What light?”

A light kiss brushed Trina’s neck before Navarro dropped his head on the pillow and his body went lax while he held her closely to him. Trina was exhausted. She knew she was going to be asleep in less than a minute, too wiped out after what Navarro had done to her. Her last thought before she passed out was how addicted she was getting to him.
What will I do when he’s gone?

7
Chapter Eight

Ryder was grim when his brother came in the front door on Sunday night. Navarro glanced at his brother when he dropped his coat on the hook inside the door. He just wanted to get clean as he looked at the clock, seeing it was just past seven. He needed to shower fast and to eat before Trina showed up. She’d left Saturday morning and told him she’d be back Sunday night at eight if he still wanted to keep to the Sunday through Thursday schedule they’d set up.

“We need to talk.” Ryder moved into his path.

“Later. Trina is coming soon and I have to get ready.”

“No. She’s not.” Ryder frowned at Navarro. “She called and left a message saying she had to go out of town, something about her in-laws, and she’d fly back in the morning. She said she’d call you tomorrow and be here tomorrow night at eight unless you left her a message cancelling.”

Disappointment hit Navarro. Last night he’d missed having Trina in his bed and he’d spent the day thinking up what to do to her. He’d come up with some ideas he couldn’t wait to try. He sighed and reached down, removing his muddy boots.

“I went in the safe.”

Navarro tensed and his head shot up. “Why?”

“I found your contract with Trina Mattews.” Ryder leaned against the wall. “What the hell were you thinking? What the hell was she thinking? She saved the ranch so you could sell yourself to her? Did I get that right? Fuck, Nav. What the hell?”

“You had no right going in the damn safe.” Navarro glared at his brother. “Did you tell Adam?”

“Do you see him standing here next to me asking you if you’ve lost your damn mind? I thought she was your girlfriend, not the woman who pays my brother to fuck her.”

Navarro had Ryder pinned to the wall in a heartbeat. “Don’t put it that way.”

Ryder stared eye to eye with his brother. “That’s the way it is. She gave you money and for eight weeks you fuck her five nights a week. Your contract was pretty damn clear, bro. What the hell were you thinking?”

“Don’t repeat what you found out and don’t ever say a word to her about it.”

“I want an explanation. Is this your new career? Banging lonely widows for money?

Jesus, Nav. You’re a man whore.”

“I was losing the ranch and she was lonely. We both needed each other. I…” He released Ryder and stepped back, getting a handle on his anger. “She came to me with 7the idea. I was shocked at first by her proposition and I thought she was kidding. She doesn’t have to pay me to be with her because I like her a lot. We made an agreement and it wasn’t a difficult one to make. I…” Navarro sighed. “I plan to pay her back every penny as I can afford it. I told her that but she doesn’t want the money. I will pay her though because I know how wrong that contract is.”

Ryder pushed away from the wall to study his brother closely. “I saw on Friday how much you really like her. Hell, we heard you that night. We were still here when…” He pointed to the ceiling. “Your bedroom is right over the damn kitchen. It sounded way more serious than like. I’ve heard you with a lot of women over the years but that sounded over the top. What in the hell were you doing to her? I almost wanted to go up there and make sure you were both still alive when the screaming and the shouting stopped.”

Frowning, Navarro glared at his brother. “Forget you read that contract and stay out of what’s between Trina and me.”

“I’m worried about you.”

“Don’t be.”

“Then convince me I shouldn’t worry, Nav. You’re the levelheaded one but you are getting paid twenty grand to fuck a woman. What kind of woman does that? I saw the way you looked at her and I don’t want you getting hurt, damn it. It will be like Debbie all over again. You were so damn bitter for years after that bitch left. She was all about money, what she could get, and she didn’t give a shit about you. Nice women don’t pay guys to bang them. Trina is using you and I won’t see you hurt.”

“Trina is nothing like Debbie. You are pegging her totally wrong.”

“Then tell me how she really is.”

Navarro stared at his brother and knew Ryder was sincerely worried but he had no reason to be…this time. “Her husband was killed last year. She loved him but he was shit in bed, all right? She was attracted to me, heard about Tammy dumping my ass as soon as Dusty got the ranch in a bind, so she thought we could help each other out.

She’s sweet, Ryder. She’s a damn good person. She was bright red as she stammered all over herself telling me what she wanted to do for this exchange between us. She’s damn near virginal, she’s that innocent, and I’d know that because I’m bedding her. She’s not some cold bitch who goes around paying guys to climb into bed with her. She was a housewife to a man for sixteen years and she’s just lonely. That’s why she came to me.”

“So you’re her crutch until she gets her life back on track? Just the guy she uses to get over her dead husband? She’s good looking and you know damn well that men are going to be all over her when she decides not to be lonely anymore. I saw the way you look at her and I heard you with her in your room. It sounds like you have it bad.”

Navarro frowned. “I don’t know what’s going to happen in seven weeks when our contract is up and she doesn’t either.”

“What do you want to happen?”

“I don’t know. We’ve only been together for a week.”

7Ryder shook his head. “I saw the way you looked at her and I saw you last night when you came home. You asked me twice if she called. Admit she’s under your skin.

You should have seen the kicked-puppy-dog look on your face when I told you she wasn’t coming tonight. You’re bummed, aren’t you?”

“Mind your own business. I’m a grown man.”

“You’re my brother and I’m worried about you. I think you’re getting way too attached to her and you’re going to get hurt in the end when the nice white lady kicks your Indian ass to the curb when your job is done. When she’s ready to settle down it will be with a guy from her own world.”

“It’s never been a race issue,” Navarro almost growled. “That’s your issue, not mine. Trina couldn’t care less that I’m part Apache. You’re the one who had an issue with a woman obsessed with the color of your skin.”

“You’re right.” Ryder sighed. “And you’re not part Apache. You’re half. If it wasn’t for your eyes, nobody would know you were even white, bro. If it isn’t a race issue with her then it will be because you’re a poor rancher. She’s obviously got money to be able to toss away twenty grand for sex. How much money does she have?”

“I don’t care and I never asked.”

Ryder reached out to grip Navarro’s shoulder. “I saw the way you look at her and I know you. When Adam bumped into your woman to take the cake from her when she came in the door, I thought you were going to deck his ass. I saw jealousy flash there, showing me how possessive of her you are. She’s not yours though, is she? She’s a job.

You are going to get burned.”

“Mind your own business.” Navarro shrugged off his brother’s hand. “I’m going to shower. If you want to be so damn helpful to me then why don’t you make me a few sandwiches? I missed lunch.” He walked toward the stairs.

Ryder hesitated, watching his brother carefully. “Let me handle her from now on.”

Navarro had walked a good six feet away when his brother spoke. He froze a second and then spun back around. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Ryder.

“What did you say?”

“She’s attracted to you and we’re about the same in looks and body. She paid for sex for seven more weeks and I won’t fall in love with her. You are falling for her. Let me finish the damn contract. I’m better in bed than you are because I’ve had a hell of a lot more experience.” He smirked. “I’ll be the Raine who fills that contract with Trina.

Tomorrow night you need to go into town and I’ll meet her here instead.”

Navarro marched to his brother and stopped in front of him. “If you try to lay a finger on Trina, I’ll break it. Got it? Try playing your damn guitar in a cast and see how well you sing missing a few of your damn teeth.”

“That’s what I’m talking about, Nav. She’s a job, not your damn girlfriend. She’s paying for sex so she isn’t lonely, right? You’re too involved with her.”

Snorting, Navarro glared at his brother. “You just want to fuck her.”

7“Yeah, I do. I won’t deny it would be great to screw her ten ways to Sunday to make her happy. I won’t fall in love though. In seven weeks, when she walks away, it will just be a fond memory for me of a woman who was great to screw. I assume she’s great from the sounds you were making since I’ve never heard you shout like that before.”

Navarro fought his anger. “If you touch her I’ll hurt you. Got it? Worry about yourself and don’t worry about me getting hurt. Mind your own ass.”

“Damn it, Nav.” Frustration rolled through Ryder. “I don’t want you messed up again.”

“You heard me,” Navarro gritted out softly. “If you touch her, if you even try to touch her, if you bring up that damn contract to her, I’m going to kick your ass all the way back to wherever the hell you came from this time and it’s going to hurt you severely.”

Ryder sighed as he watched his brother storm up the stairs, shaking his head. His brother had it bad for the little blonde. She wasn’t even Nav’s type. His brother had damn near self destructed over a woman once and he didn’t want to watch it happen again. Trina Mattews was bad news and he knew that, even if his older brother was too blind to see it.

* * * * *

Trina mentally compared herself to a teddy bear that had gone through a washing machine and then the dryer cycle. Having spent the day with Ted’s family and friends had been a living hell for her. His parents had wanted to talk nonstop about Ted as if he were still alive and it had been painful. Paul had been an asshole and had made snide comments about money, had tried to nose his way into her life, and had even asked her a thousand questions about her new home.

Paul’s cousins and long-time friends had treated her in an array of ways. Some of them had been kind but mostly they’d treated her as though she were an outsider and one they didn’t particularly want to be around. She had a feeling Paul was behind that.

She’d gone to the party though to make Ted’s parents happy. She really shouldn’t have gone, knowing now it had been a mistake.

When she’d landed at the airport, she discovered her SUV had a flat front tire and it had taken a tow truck driver almost an hour to reach her. She’d been informed someone had pulled a prank and had just let the air out of the tire. At least ten cars had been targeted besides hers so the guy had towed her SUV to a local gas station, filled the tire for her, and she’d grabbed gas station hot dogs for dinner. She was exhausted as she pulled into her driveway after midnight.

A light on upstairs in her bedroom window drew her attention. Trina was certain she’d turned off all the lights before she left but figured that she must have forgotten that one in her rush to get to the airport. She’d made last minute flight plans after Ted’s 7mother had called her to beg her to fly back to California for the party on Saturday. She hadn’t had the courage to say no so she’d packed and taken the first flight there.

She climbed out of her SUV and walked to the back to get her stuff, glad she’d packed light for her quick trip. She gripped her overnight bag and her small suitcase, stumbling a little on the walk to her front door, and realized she was dead on her feet, ready to just fall into bed. She doubted she’d even get undressed first. She unlocked the door, thinking maybe she’d sleep in her shoes. She locked the door behind her, dropped everything on the floor, and looked at the couch, tempted to sleep there.

“No,” she groaned aloud. She headed for the stairs. She stumbled into her room, fixed her eyes on the bed, and just yanked down her jeans as she kicked her shoes away.

She reached up the back of her shirt, unfastened her bra, and removed it. Her fingers ran through her hair, tearing out the pins and freeing the long strands. She rubbed at her scalp that hurt from having it up for too long. She started to unbutton her shirt when someone cleared their throat.

Trina cried out in startled fear, spun around toward the source of the sound, and lost her balance. Her ass hit the edge of her bed as she stared at Ryder Raine sitting in the rocking chair in the corner of the room by her closet. She hadn’t seen him when she’d walked in, the open door blocking her view. She grabbed her pounding chest with one hand and then realized she was in a pair of undies and a half-unbuttoned shirt as his gaze raked down her front.

She grabbed at the comforter and dragged it over her lap and up to her chest where she clutched it in place, just staring at him in mute shock.
What the hell is he doing in my
bedroom? How did he get in the house? Why the hell is he here?

“Sorry. I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Frighten me?” She found her voice. “You scared the shit out of me. I could have had a heart attack!” She took a deep breath. “What are you doing here?” A horrible thought struck her. “Is Navarro okay? Has something happened to him?”

Dark brown eyes narrowed. “He’s fine, in bed sound asleep.”

Relief swept through her. “Good.” She stared at his brother. “What are you doing here? How did you get in?”

“I knew the Verns and I dated their daughter about ten years ago. There’s a lock that doesn’t work well on the mud porch. If it gets wiggled the lock opens.” He grinned, giving her a wink. “I used to sneak in.”