Free Branded by Candace Havens Page A

go.” Cole stepped out of the darkness. “Moments like that are why this can’t happen.”
    “No, moments like that are why there are locks on the door.”
    “And what if it had been my sister?”
    “I would have sent her away. This doesn’t have to be complicated.”
    He shook his head. “It already is.”
    I stalked toward him. “I don’t do this sort of thing. I don’t throw myself at men and beg them to do whatever they want with me. But I’m doing it with you, Cole. I have no expectations other than knowing you are the one man who can make me forget my troubles right now. And maybe, just maybe, I can do the same for you. We can have a little fun for once, because we both fucking deserve it.”
    I dropped the dress again and stepped out of it. “Tell me you don’t want me, and I’ll leave you alone.”
    He blew out a slow breath. “I can’t lie to you,” he said, “but the reasons why this won’t work are still there. It isn’t easy for me to walk away, but I have to. Being around you today was torture. Keeping my hands off you in public is impossible. I can’t do this. We have to stay away from each another.”
    He left me standing there, my body trembling and aching for him.
    I fucking hated him for being such a stubborn asshole. Even if he was right. Okay. I didn’t hate him. I admired him for being so strong. I wasn’t.
    And then an idea struck.
    It was brilliant.
    But would Cole go for it?

Chapter Nine
    Several hours later, I checked the television to make sure Cole was in the barn. Grabbing my iPad, I snuck out of the house and took one of the golf carts down to the barn. No easy task, since another front had passed through, leaving behind three inches of water that hadn’t drained off the hard-packed ground. I threw some rain boots on over my sneakers.
    By the time I pulled up, he wasn’t in the barn with the horses. I checked the office and found him bent over some financial spreadsheets.
    “I’m pretty sure Gramps gave you the day off.”
    “I’m working to keep my mind off other things.” He didn’t bother to look up.
    “Well, I think I found a solution to our problem.”
    Still, he ignored me.
    I pushed the iPad in front of him.
    Only then did he glance up. “What is this?”
    “It’s a confidentiality agreement. It says that from this day forward, anything that happens between you and me is just between you and me. That no matter what, we can’t tell anyone outside the two of us what is going on.”
    “That might be the craziest thing I’ve ever heard.”
    Pissed, I pointed to the document. “One of my classes second semester was contract law. Most boring class ever, but I did learn the easiest way to write one up. It will stand up in court. If I tell anyone about our relationship, I have to give you two million dollars.”
    “I don’t want your fucking money, Callie.”
    “I know that. It isn’t about money. This has to stop, Cole. God, I can’t take it anymore. My mind is filled with you. I told you that I have no expectations. I don’t care about your past. You don’t care about mine. You want me, and I want you. Why can’t it be that simple?”
    “I’ve told you over and over again. It’s not just about me. I have two other people I have to take care of right now. I won’t let them down. My dad does that kind of shit, but I don’t. He only cared about what he wanted, whether that was drinking or gambling away the house payment. I won’t be the selfish asshole he was. I won’t be that man.”
    His words knifed through my heart and twisted. The world lay on his shoulders. I thought I had troubles, but he was right. I was a princess with first-world problems. But I understood more than he thought.
    “You’re right. I’m being really selfish. I’m sorry.” My voice broke, and the last part came out like a croaking frog. “But it’s just sex. I’d be discreet. You’d be discreet. No one would ever know.”
    He chuckled, but it wasn’t a happy