Diary of a Bad Boy(58)

“No. I mean I have feelings for him.”

“Feelings are okay. This is fixable. When does he get to Texas?”

“Later this afternoon. He’s staying in the room across from mine.”

“Gah, that won’t be awkward.”

“Tell me about it.” I can thank my dad for that setup, although he’s clueless as to what’s going on. “I’m dreading seeing him, Maddie.”

I bite the inside of my cheek, trying to will myself to stay strong. Don’t cry.

“Why? This is the perfect opportunity for revenge.”

Revenge? “What are you talking about?” I ask, sitting up in my bed. “How could I possibly get revenge and for what?”

“For messing with your head. Granted from what you told me, Roark seems like a complicated man with a dark past, so he’s bound to do something to screw up his chance with you. I think it’s in his bad-boy blood. It’s not an excuse, but I think it’s a fact.”

“Yeah, even though I want to think he’s the biggest dick in the world, I agree with that. He’s a little broken and doesn’t really have a working moral compass. It’s as if he’s floating, trying to make the best decisions he can with what he’s been given.”

“Hold up,” Maddie says with a stern voice. “He’s broken, yes, but we’re not feeling sorry for him, not after he wronged you. He needs to learn his lesson. It’s the only way he can grow up and be the guy you’re looking for.”

“And how do you propose I do that?”

“Revenge.”

I roll my eyes and stand from my bed, feeling a little better. I begin to unpack my suitcase. Even though I have a lot of clothes here, I brought a few additional comfortable items with me.

“You said that already. Elaborate.”

There’s a sinister tone to her voice when she talks, and I can’t help but smile over my diabolical friend.

“He arrives later today, he’s sleeping in the room across from you, and that tells me one thing: you have the opportunity to make his life a living hell. Flaunt it, Sutton. Show him what he’s missing out on and when he tries to hold your hand or get intimate, be strong and move away. After having a piece of you last night, he’s bound to be hungry for more.”

“How do you know that? He left me.” Why he bothered to come over still angers me.

“Yeah, but the guy is infatuated with you. There’s no doubt in my mind he’s thinking about every second he had with you last night and trying to drink away the memory because he wants more. For men like Roark, when they set their eye on someone, pursue them, and then finally have a taste, they can’t walk away. Trust me, he still very much wants you, but he doesn’t know how to handle his feelings.”

“You don’t know that for sure.”

“I don’t,” she relents. “But I also know a man doesn’t go to girl’s place in the middle of the night to hold her if there are no feelings involved. He likes you, Sutton, and being the idiot he is, he doesn’t know what to do with that.”

Huh, she has a point.

“So instead of giving him an ultimatum, I should show him what he’s missing out on?”

“Exactly,” she says, and if I could see her face, I know there’d be an excited glint in her eyes. “He knows New York City Sutton, but he’s never seen Country Girl Sutton. Wear those short shorts and white crop tops. Toss some hay, ride a horse, show him how your hips can perfectly rock up and down on that powerful steed . . .”

I snort, just thinking about it. “That’s so mean.”

“But perfectly deserved. Set up the torture chamber, Sutton. It’s time to make this fool realize what he could have had.”

Feeling lighter, and now with a smile on my face, I think about all the ways I’m going to make Roark sweat. He thinks he’s here for a charitable camp, but little does he know I’m about to shake up his entire world.

“Thank you, Maddie. I love you so much.”

“Back at you, girl. Now if you think he’s worth the effort, snag the guy and bring him back here so I can give him the best friend warning.”

“I’m on it.”





From a distance, I spot a black town car making its way up the long, freshly paved driveway of Green Ranch. Showtime.

Standing next to me is my dad, wearing his signature Levi’s—that he’s paid to endorse of course, thank you, Roark—and a short-sleeved grey T-shirt. His sturdy black Stetson sits on top of his head while his black matching boots dig into the porch. He’s in his element, more than when he’s on the football field. He’s a Texas man through and through, so whenever he gets back to the ranch, it takes no time for him to look and feel part of the place again.

Not wanting to look too slutty in front of my dad and wanting to ease Roark into this side of my life, I put on a pair of jeans, my worn boots, and a very tight-fitting white T-shirt. And to top it all off, I put on my white Stetson. I remember getting my first real hat. I was six. Dad said I would always be a white-hat girl, and he’s kept it that way. As he puts it, my white halo must grace my head when on the ranch.

Little does he know, there are devil horns peeking out through my halo.

The town car nears—my dad ordered it for Roark—and I steel myself. I’m in control. He’s the one who left, the one who should be feeling weird. Not me.