Weekend Surrender (The Surrender Trilogy, #1)(28)
“What happened with Mitch, Rach?”
“Ah you know the story, small town white trash girl from a broken family hooks up with the son of a political giant in said small town, only to be raked across the coals when he realizes he can do better.”
Her snarky tone sent his blood pressure sky rocketing, and he felt himself squeezing her a little tighter. “Cut the bitchy attitude. You and I both know Mitch could never do better than you, and if he thinks that Connie is better…well then he’s just a special kind of stupid.”
She laughed, and relaxed a little in his arms. “I have a bad habit of picking the wrong man.”
“Maybe it’s because you’re only allowing yourself to pick one man.” He knew he was pushing her, but he couldn’t resist the opening.
“Or maybe I’m just not meant to be in a relationship.” She turned in his arms and rose on her tiptoes to press a soft kiss to his lips. “I’m going to go back in the house and take a nap. Thanks for showing me the barn.”
Parker wanted to argue. Every fiber of his being was telling him to keep her there and make her keep talking, but he knew in his heart that if she wanted to be with the four of them, eventually she would make the decision on her own. He couldn’t force it. Nodding, he smiled back, “Thanks for lunch, sunshine. You make on hell of a bologna sandwich.”
“It’s so nice to be recognized for my many talents,” she said playfully as she sauntered out of the barn, leaving Parker chuckling and Cashmere staring after her forlornly.
Parker reached out and stroked the soft hair on the horse’s nose, “Yeah, she’s pretty amazing isn’t she? With any luck she’ll let us keep her.”
Chapter Ten
“You’re joking right?” Parker looked really pissed.
“It wasn’t like it was on purpose. It was an accident. I was in the moment, and I lost my head,” Rogan said. His brown eyes narrowed in irritation as he faced off with two of his three brothers and explained that he had had sex with Rachel without a condom.
Sawyer threw his hands up, “Dude! Don’t you think we all lose our minds when we’re with her? You can’t make that kind of mistake!”
“I know that, Sawyer. Look, she said she’s on birth control, and I don’t think she was upset about it.” He ran his hand through his hair and plopped down on the couch heavily. Rachel and Hudson were currently in Parker’s bathroom taking a bubble bath in the largest tub in the house. That was Hudson’s way, he was a romantic at heart. All four brothers had just gotten back into the house when she came stumbling into the kitchen looking sleepy and tousled. Rachel didn’t look too distraught when she linked hands with Hudson and disappeared down the hallway, in fact she looked downright excited about the impending pampering.
Rogan couldn’t keep his mind focused while he worked all afternoon. The mental image of her pregnant with his child did crazy things to his brain and body, so he kept having to force his mind away from it. The odds of her getting pregnant from that one incident were very slim with her on birth control, but he couldn’t keep from hoping just a little bit that it would happen. If she got pregnant then maybe she would reconsider the temporary status of their relationship. She didn’t seem like the type to cut and run, and her heart was too big to shut her child’s father out of its life.
“If she’s pregnant we’re moving her in,” Parker said resolutely, and Sawyer barked out a laugh.
“Yeah? You and what army? Rachel doesn’t exactly follow orders well, brother.”
Sawyer was right, but Parker’s Mr. Badass gene was probably going to try to prove he could force her. Rogan turned to Parker, “Sawyer’s right, Parker, we can’t make her do anything. I can’t say I’m completely sorry it happened. I’ve only fu-cked one other woman bareback and that was Theresa McCray my freshman year of high school when I lost my virginity. Being with Rachel was…I don’t know how to describe it. It was just magic.”
“Okay, Casanova, but you might have just screwed this whole thing up for all of us. She’s going to feel forced into a relationship if she’s pregnant. We all agreed to seduce her this weekend, and then let the decision be hers.” Sawyer rested his elbows on the kitchen table and chewed his lip. It was his tell, the only physical manifestation of his anxiety when something had him worried.
“I can’t change it now! What’s done is done,” Rogan responded sharply. Anger and frustration were tinged with just a shade of shame in his gut.
“Yeah, we can’t change it, but if she’s pregnant it won’t just be you tied up in it. It’s just another good reason not to let her go tomorrow,” Parker said, and Rogan rolled his eyes.
“You’re such a douche, Parker. What woman wants to be treated like that? Like she doesn’t have a mind of her own? Do you think Rachel can’t make up her own mind about us?”
Parker stared back at Rogan silently, but his eyes looked shaken. In Parker’s world everything was black and white. When something happened you made the choice you knew was right, and then went on with your life. Unfortunately he was almost too set in his desire to dominate, and Rogan was afraid he would scare Rachel off. He had seen her react submissively to Parker already, but the whole thing was still a novelty. How would she react to it on a day-to-day basis?