Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76759 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 384(@200wpm)___ 307(@250wpm)___ 256(@300wpm)
True words. But as the youngest of all the Steels, I’ve always been the baby, and they’ve treated me as such.
“They wouldn’t do that anyway,” Donny says. “But you do owe them the courtesy of letting them know that you’re going to be gone for several months after the first of the year.”
I twist my lips. “I know… I just hate disappointing Dad.”
“You don’t have to disappoint him. You don’t have to go on the tour.”
“Are you kidding me? I’ve never been to Europe, Don. Neither have you.”
Despite our fortune, we Steels aren’t world travelers. We’re homebodies. Brock and Rory went to England a couple of weeks ago to visit Ennis Ainsley, who was the first winemaker here when my grandfather opened the winery. That was the first time Brock had been overseas. Ranching is a full-time job, and though we’ve got lots of dedicated employees who can keep things running without us, my father, aunts, and uncles like to have their hands in things.
“You want me to be here when you tell them?” Donny asks.
“No…” I bite my lower lip. “Well, yeah, I would, but I’ve got to do this myself.”
“Good. I agree with you.”
“Do you think they’ll be really upset?”
“I don’t know, Bree. With all the shit that’s gone down with our family lately, they probably don’t want you leaving the country.”
“You’re leaving the country.”
“Yeah, but I’m ten years older than you are, and I’m going because Callie’s going to support Rory. Plus, we’re only going to be gone for the first couple of weeks. You want to go the whole time, like some kind of Deadhead.”
“A Deadhead? Like I’m following the band around?”
“Yeah.” Donny furrows his brow. “Isn’t that exactly what you’re doing?”
I have no answer for my brother.
I have no answer because he’s right.
“Why do you want to do this anyway, Brianna? Ever since you put on your first pair of cowboy boots, all you wanted to do was work on the ranch. Now you’ve got a degree in agriculture. Lots of new knowledge, and the best teacher in the world in Dad. I don’t get it.”
Donny is painfully oblivious. He’s going to hate me going after Jesse Pike.
Too bad, how sad, though.
Jesse’s been my one and only since I was fourteen years old.
No one knows this, not even the awesome foursome, but…
I’ve been saving myself for him.
My virginity—a gift I can only give once.
And I’m going to give it to Jesse Pike.
I look toward the gazebo where I saw him a moment ago.
He’s gone.
Chapter Four
Jesse
I finish my beer, toss the bottle in a nearby recycling bin, and decide to enjoy the night. It’s clear, as the majority of nights in Colorado are. Here in the country, the stars are brilliant and plentiful.
I walk away from the yard, up one of the many winding paths, and I find Dragon sitting against a tall tree, his coal-black hair bound behind him in a band. The sweet yet pungent scent of marijuana still hangs in the air.
“Hey, Dragon. You doing okay?” I rub my arms against the chill. It is December, after all, and without the outdoor heaters, it’s pretty brisk.
He glances up at me, his hazel eyes a bit bloodshot. “I’m good.”
“You want to come join the party?”
“Not particularly.”
I sit down next to him. He offers me a smoke.
I shake my head.
“One day you’re going to take me up on it.”
“Doubtful. I stopped smoking five years ago.”
“And you really don’t miss it?”
“Not really. You ask me every time, and my answer’s the same, bud. I’m not into weed.”
Dragon leans back against the tree trunk, twists his back as if he’s scratching an itch. “I just need to take a load off after the performance, you know?”
“We get it. Nobody’s giving you any shit about it. Long as you don’t come to practice or a performance high.”
“I haven’t yet, have I?”
“Nope.”
I’d be able to tell, too. I know Dragon better than anybody does. When he’s high, a little bit of his classic darkness fades.
Plus he’s the best drummer in the business. The band needs him.
“What are you doing over here anyway?” he asks. “Don’t your groupies miss you?”
I let out a soft scoff. “What groupies? I’m kibble when Emerald Phoenix is around.”
Dragon lets out a low chuckle. “Then I guess I’m kibble too.”
In truth, Dragon gets a lot of attention. More than I do, usually. Something about his dark demeanor seems to attract women like flies to honey.
But I get enough attention. I certainly don’t envy Dragon. I know his backstory, and it’s far from pretty.
“I’m a little afraid,” Dragon continues.
“Afraid of what?”
“This whole thing, Jess. I love playing. Love being in the band. Love all you guys. You’re like my brothers, man. The brothers I never had.” His bloodshot eyes widen. “What if we take off? What if we become famous?”