Under Pressure
Page 15

“Not here, but I’ve totally done it before. Practically pet a cheetah in the wild.”
Yeah, right, buddy.
“That’s not safe,” Reese says, clearly not impressed, and I try not to laugh. “You should never interfere with an animal in its natural habitat. Here, well, it’s different.”
“I have a way with wild things,” he says, his gaze dropping to Reese’s mouth. “I know just how to tame them. Come on. Stick with me. I’ll show you.”
Like fuck.
Reese opens her mouth, and from the fire in her eyes, I know she’s offended. Even though she can take care of herself, I really like that role. Yeah, I might be a possessive ass, but this is Reese, and I can’t help it.
“You ready, babe,” I ask and slide my arm around her waist.
The guy puffs out his steroid-enhanced chest and glares at me. “She’s afraid, so she’s coming with me so I can protect her.”
I seriously know I’m acting like a jerk. If I don’t cool it, I’m going to scare her off. I need to take things slow, let her get used to the idea of being mine long term before I go acting all fucking caveman with her.
Long term?
Where the hell had that thought come from?
I’m not sure, but now that it’s out there, fuck yeah, I want a long term with her.
“Oh, I’m pretty sure she’s not. If my fiancée needs anything, I’ll be the one to give it to her.”
Reese, my fiancée?
Damned if I don’t like the sound of that. Yeah, I might come from a long line of bastards that could never commit, who always ended up hurting the women in my family, but fuck family heritage. I’m a better man than that, and this is Reese—I’d never, ever do anything to hurt her. She comes first and foremost, always has, and that’s never going to change.
Two sets of eyes zero in on me. I steal a quick glance at Reese, giving her a minute to think on that, to get used to the idea. Mouth-breather narrows his brow, doing his best imitation of the missing link as he tries to sort that one through. His gaze goes from Reese’s empty finger to me.
“Your fiancée?”
“That’s right,” I say, and hold Reese tighter. She sags into me and puts her hand on my chest.
The guy stares at me for a minute. I’m pretty sure he’s debating whether to call me out on my lie. Maybe even punching me in the face from a steroid-induced rage. What-the-fuck-ever. He might be a big bastard, but I can hold my own.
“Not worth it,” the guy says, and stomps off to follow the crowd.
Reese angles her head, and when I glance at her, she doesn’t seem too pleased with me.
“What did you do that for?”
“That guy was all wrong for you,” I say as she pushes away from me.
“No kidding.” She shakes her head and looks at the sky. I follow her gaze to see the sun disappear behind a bank of dark clouds. Shit. I hope to God we don’t have a storm. They always bring back painful memories for Reese, and I want her to have only great memories from this trip. “Why am I such a jerk magnet, Cole?” She rubs her forehead. “Do I have a sign on me or something?”
I frown and give her hand a reassuring squeeze. “I’m sorry Jared hurt you. But not all guys are douchebags.”
She laughs and jerks her thumb toward the guy stomping away, the ground practically rumbling beneath his feet. “You’re going to tell me that after Mr. Steroid pretty much told me I was a wild thing he wanted to tame?”
I rub my knuckles along her arm. “Reese,” I say, and pitch my voice low. “There are good guys out there.”
She snorts and turns toward the group walking toward the cheetah pen. “When you find one, let me know.”
I push my hair from my forehead, and it takes all I have not to blurt out how I feel. But I’m too fucking worried I might ruin things between us. “I’m not a bad guy, you know.”
She stops and looks at me, a deep sadness on her face. “I know, Cole. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say you were.” She goes quiet and looks down at her feet. I step up to her, touch her chin, and angle it until she’s looking at me.
“What?” I ask.
“Why did you come on this trip with me?”
“You needed me.”
She nods and gives me a smile, but I can tell it’s forced. Then she lightly punches me on the arm. “I can take care of myself, whether you and the girls think so or not.”
“What are you talking about?”
She gives a deep sigh. “I get it. Whoever sponsored this trip thought I couldn’t do it without you. I can, Cole. I’m quite capable of taking care of myself. I don’t need you here.” She folds her arms the way she always does when she’s serious about something. “I don’t think we should sleep with each other anymore.”
Fuck no. What is going on?
I reach for her, but she steps back. “Reese—”
“Also, when this trip is over, you need to go back to Colorado. You don’t need to stay in New York any longer.”
I stand there staring at her, feeling like she just punched through my chest and tore out my heart. “Reese,” I say and reach for her. “I just…I…”
She takes another step back, putting more distance between us, physically and emotionally. “I know. I know. You just want to take care of me. But you can stop.”
Love you.
That’s what I was going to say, that I fucking love her.
My fucking God, I love her. I always have.
“You want me to go?” I ask instead, a pounding beginning at the base of my neck and racing through my skull.
“Yes, and I really don’t want to talk about this anymore.” She pulls from me and walks away.
I fist my hair as she retreats. What the fuck is going on? One minute we’re laughing and having fun, the next she’s telling me to go back to Colorado because it’s where I belong. She’s so wrong, on so many fucking levels. Where I belong is in New York with her. Yeah, I might be an adrenaline junkie, but a life with Reese is the adventure I want. She makes me a better man, better than any of the men in my family, and I’d spend a lifetime treasuring her. Yet now she doesn’t even want me in the same state as her anymore.
Not only am I going to lose the woman I love, but I’m also going to lose my very best friend, all because I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.