I let out a giggle, leaning back against the headboard. I know that I pay Damion to be my assistant and to be nice to me, but he feels like a real friend. In my head, he is, and I know that he’s the only friend that I have. I wonder if he didn’t work for me, if he would like me?
“Maybe a little,” I say.
He snorts. “Little is right.”
I can’t help myself, I let out a laugh. It’s the first time that I’ve laughed in a long time. Pressing my lips together, I wonder when I should publicly call off the engagement to Sebastian. Maybe I should look at these pictures before I do anything else.
“I’m sending you the pictures, just don’t freak out. If you do, call me and I’ll come right down there.”
“Okay,” I sigh.
“All right, talk soon?”
“Soon,” I agree.
Ending the call, I stay in bed, tucked beneath the sheets as I wait for the photographs to come through. Rolling my lips together, I watch as they download on the text screen.
They’re bad.
Really bad.
Heat creeps throughout my entire body at the sight of them. They’ll have to be censored, but I have no doubt the uncensored ones will be leaked everywhere.
Tears fill my eyes at the sight of them.
I’m on my knees, Sebastian is behind me, his hand is wrapped around my throat lifting me slightly. My breasts are on full display, every pierced inch of them. My diamond-studded bars twinkling.
Fuck.
I’m America’s Sweetheart. I’ve never even had a true nude scene. Nobody knows my nipples are pierced, or that I have a tattoo right under my right breast. It’s a simple scroll, nothing bold or big. It just says, breathe. I know its cliché as hell, but it’s just for me.
Shit.
I call Grace, immediately. Biting the corner of my bottom lip, I wonder if this is going to be the end of my image. And then I wonder if I care. The wholesome, sweet image was something that just happened. It’s not something that I was trying to have, or become, it’s just what I fell into.
It could all be over now.
What are people going to say?
What are my fans going to think?
Shit.
FORD
Climbing up on Starlight, my finicky-as-fuck horse, I click my teeth and gently snap the reins. She whinnies before she begins to trot toward the pasture. She knows what we’re doing this morning, it’s what we do every morning. We check the cattle. We could both do it blindfolded.
My straw hat firmly in place, I look out over the horizon and wonder just how fucking lucky I was to be born into a cattle ranching family. Mama and Daddy would be proud of the little ranch I have now.
I grin at the sight of one of my prized Texas Longhorns. He snorts at me, but is too fucking lazy to stand. He’s a big fucker with a spread of at least eight-feet between his horns. He’s worth a fortune, but I can’t seem to part with him. I even named the motherfucker.
Otis.
Leaning forward, Starlight speeds past Otis and toward the rest of the herd. They’re all grazing, too content to even notice my arrival. I scan the cattle, counting the heads, and once I’m satisfied, I ride over to the stock tank to make sure the pump is working and my animals have plenty of water in this Texas heat.
It's not time to move them closer to the other water areas, but soon.
Next, I decide to do a perimeter run of my fencing, just to make sure everything is intact. I still have the North fence to repair, it’s older than dirt and hanging on by a thread, one good windstorm and it’ll be destroyed.
I have to get it fixed in the next few weeks, a project I’ll probably start up tomorrow. It’s coming up on stock show season and I know I won’t be home for a while. Cattle need to be sold and since this is a one-man farm, aside from the seasonal help that I hire, I’m the only one who can do it all.
Starlight pulls back, shaking her head. I know what that means. She wants to run. “You wanna go, girl?” I ask as I lean down closer to her ear.
She whinnies again and I click my tongue against my teeth twice before she takes off. I let her run, enjoying the way that the warm wind feels against my face. Lifting my hand, I hold on to my hat as she flat out hauls fucking ass.
When she’s done, she lets out a neigh as she slows down to a comfortable trot. We’re near the front gate of the property, almost running the entire length of my land. Sitting up, I look out at the county road, one that almost all of my friends live off of, all but Rylan and Channing.
A black fancy car drives by slowly. Frowning, I sit up a bit taller as I guide Starlight closer to the entrance gate. I’m careful to keep her away from the cattle guard, but walk us up to the fence line.
Aiming my eyes toward the car, I watch as it slows down, stopping right in front of my entrance. I wait, wondering who the fuck it could be and why would they stop right in front of my place?
Tilting my head to the side, I wait for them to get out, whoever it is doesn’t. I watch as they turn around and speed off down the road.
Turning Starlight around, I head back to the barn. I don’t have time to sit around and wonder who the fuck came driving down the road, I have about a million other fucking things to do before the sun goes down.
The rest of the day, I focus on working, but I can’t keep that mysterious black sedan out of my mind. Who the hell would come down here, stop, then turn around? Anyone who makes their way this far down the county road usually knows exactly where they’re going.
Picking up a towel, I wipe the sweat off of my face as I reach for a bottle of water and take a healthy drink. Deciding I need a break, I walk over to a small barrel next to the barn and sink down.
Leaning back against the side of the barn, I let out a sigh, then groan as my phone alerts me to a new text message.
BEAU: CALL ME.
Frowning, I touch the phone icon and call him.
“You sittin’ down?” he asks.
“Yeah,” I drawl.
He lets out a grunt. “There’re pictures of Stephanie surfacing,” he murmurs.
“Annnd I care because?” I ask, unsure why he’s bringing it up to me.
I suppose it’s no secret that I still feel something for Stevie. I’m not sure anymore how to define what I feel, if it’s love, hate, lust, or straight-up confusion, but the truth is that I do feel something for her.
“It’s bad, brother,” he grunts. “It’s sex pics. I don’t know how they even got them. They aren’t grainy either, they’re crystal fucking clear and they are everywhere.”
I stay silent for a moment. Something fills me and I don’t know exactly what it is, but I don’t like the way it feels. My stomach twists at the thought of anyone seeing Stephanie like that, anyone at all, let alone the whole fucking world.
“I gotta go,” I grunt.
Without another word, I open up the Safari app on my phone and I search for nude pictures of Sterling LaRue. They show up as the first option. And Beaumont was right, they are crystal fucking clear. My eyes widen at the sight of her. She’s gorgeous. She also has her nipples pierced.
Fuck—it’s hot as shit too.
Chapter Three
STEPHANIE