Chapter 1

Texas in July is just mean. I spent the whole morning dragging hay bales and filling troughs while my friends posted beach photos and iced coffee. My arms were sore, my neck was already burned, and I kept thinking how unfair it was that I was stuck out here sweating through another summer on the ranch. The only thing that made it even a little okay was Cole.

He was working without a shirt again. Broad shoulders, sweat running down those abs, jeans sitting low on his hips. And yeah, I looked. The front of his jeans was hard to miss—thick, heavy, shifting every time he moved. I kept catching myself staring and then immediately calling myself an idiot.

"He's your stepbrother. You've known him forever. Stop wondering how big he is when he's hard. Stop thinking about what it would feel like if he just pushed you against the fence and slid in."

Of course I didn't stop.

I pictured the weight of it in my hand. The stretch. The low sound he might make if he told me to take it deeper. Heat hit me so fast I had to press my thighs together. One look at the outline in his jeans and I was already getting wet. My nipples were tight against my thin T-shirt like they had their own plans. I hated how easy it was for him to do that to me.

The sky turned dark without any warning. One second we were still working near the far paddock. The next the wind picked up hard and Cole was already walking toward me.

"Stable. Now."

We barely got inside before the rain came down heavy. Cold water soaked through my white T-shirt in seconds. The fabric stuck to my skin, showing everything—every curve, every hard nipple. My denim shorts went dark and clung to my thighs, the seams pressing right against places that were already too sensitive.

I crossed my arms over my chest right away, trying to cover up. Cole stood only a couple feet away, just as soaked.Stuck to the muscle of his chest and shoulders. Water ran down his neck. I could smell him—sweat and rain and something warmer underneath.

He didn't say anything. Neither did I.

The quiet felt thick. He was close enough that when he shifted, his breath touched the side of my neck. Close enough that I could feel the heat coming off him even with the cold air. My pulse was going crazy between my legs. Every time I breathed, the wet fabric scraped over my nipples and sent another little spark lower.

Why doesn't he just do it? The thought came fast and dirty. Those arms look strong enough to pick me up and shove me against the wall. Why doesn't he just grab me, push my shorts down, and fuck the thoughts right out of my head?

I swallowed. My panties were already damp. I could feel how slick I was getting, how my body was opening up for something that wasn't going to happen. Shame and excitement were all mixed together until I couldn't tell them apart. I kept my arms crossed, but that only pushed my chest higher and made the wet shirt stretch tighter.

Cole's eyes dropped once, then came back to my face. He didn't look away this time. The air between us felt like it could spark. I knew he could see it all: the way my nipples stood out, the way I kept shifting because the seam of my shorts was rubbing my clit, the way my breathing had gone shallow.

I should have stepped back. I didn't.

Instead I just stood there dripping, heart slamming, and let the worst part of me keep talking. He's hard. I can almost see it. If I reached out right now I could feel exactly how thick he is. If this rain keeps up we'll be stuck here for hours…

The storm only got louder. Water poured off the roof. We weren't going anywhere soon.

I leaned against a beam, still trying to look normal, and my mind jumped ahead to tomorrow. My stepfather, Derek already had the full-day fence check planned on the east pasture. Mom would be there.

Cole would be there.

That should have scared me. Instead it sent another slow pulse right through me. I clenched my thighs harder and felt how wet I already was.

Cole still hadn't moved. Still hadn't said a word. But the way he watched me in the dim light made one thing pretty clear.

This wasn't just me.