SIENNA
“I’m staying,” I whispered into his neck.
Brock let out a long, shaky exhale that sounded almost like a laugh and pulled me even closer.
We stayed like that for a while, tangled in the sheets, neither of us in a hurry to move.
His hand moved slowly up and down my back. My mind was still spinning, but for the first time all morning, the knot in my chest had loosened.
It had been so easy to say I was staying. So easy to mean it. I hadn’t let myself think about Avery, the agency, or what this could cost me. Not when Brock was slowly letting me in. Not when he’d thrown himself between me and that horse without a second thought.
Eventually, my phone started buzzing on the nightstand—a rapid string of texts. Without lifting my head, I reached out and grabbed it, squinting at the screen.
Mara had sent me a link.
Mara
Sienna this just popped up on my feed
Please tell me you’re okay, I’m really worried
I typed back one-handed.
Me
I’m okay. It was scary, but Brock got me out of there
Brock's hand, which had been lazily stroking my stomach, slid lower, curving around my waist with more purpose.
“We could stay in here and ignore everyone a little longer,” he murmured. “Pretend the rest of the world doesn’t exist for a few more hours.”
As tempting as it sounded, we couldn’t hide in the hotel room forever. Colt and Wren were probably waiting downstairs for us.
When we finally made it down to the parking lot an hour later, the sun was already blazing. Colt was tossing his duffel into the bed of his truck while Wren leaned against the passenger door, looking miserable.
“I hate goodbyes,” she grumbled the second she saw us. “I just know I’m going to cry at the airport drop-off, so don’t make fun of me.”
Brock walked straight past her to his truck and casually tossed my suitcase into the bed next to his gear.
“We’re not going to the airport,” he said.
Wren blinked and stood up straighter. “What?”
“They extended her contract,” he added, a smirk tugging at his mouth as he looked at me. “Change of plans. She’s coming home with us.”
Wren stared at me, needing me to confirm it. I nodded, a huge smile breaking across my face.
She let out an ear-piercing scream that made two horses tied across the lot throw their heads up. One of them spooked and slammed a hoof into the trailer.
“Hey! Easy!” a man in a red cap yelled.
Colt pulled his hat lower against the sun and stared at us in disbelief.
“Wait. You two ditched us at the after-party without a single text, and now she’s coming back to the ranch?” He pointed at me. “Sienna, blink twice if he’s holding you hostage. Because a month ago, he wanted to throw you in a water trough.”
I quickly looked away from Brock, afraid my face would give us away.
I tried to sound casual. “The bar was really loud, and Brock’s shoulder was bothering him, so I made him come back early to rest.”