I shook my head no.

Jimmy sighed. “Girl, what am I gonna do with you? Love is one of them things you gotta be careful with. Guard yourself. I still got that friend we can double-date with.”

Mase had said I was his. He didn’t want anyone else to see me in my swimsuit. I didn’t know if that meant we were exclusive, because apparently, I didn’t know a lot. But I didn’t want to go out with someone else. And I didn’t think Mase would want me to.

If I was his, he wouldn’t sleep with someone else . . . would he?

The Mase I knew wouldn’t do that. I didn’t believe he would have sex with someone else. He hadn’t told me he loved me, but he had said things that made me feel like I belonged to him . . . and like he belonged to me. Like he wanted to be mine.

“He said I was his,” I told Jimmy.

Jimmy’s eyebrows shot up. “Really? He said that? Like how did he say it? Give it to me word for word. I mean, I know he didn’t want Thad taking you anywhere, but I figured he was protecting you from the man-whore who had his eye on you. I didn’t think it was because he was laying claim just yet.”

I didn’t want to share my private time with Mase with anyone else. But I also didn’t want to make a mistake and end up so completely broken that I couldn’t ever recover. “He said he was glad I hadn’t worn my swimsuit in front of everyone at the party, because he didn’t want another man looking at what was his.”

Jimmy let out a low whistle. “Maybe you better not date anyone else right now. Maybe I misjudged this. I don’t want an angry cowboy coming to Rosemary Beach ready to kill someone. Let’s just be careful, OK? Try not to love him too hard. Guard your heart, if you can.”

I had given Mase Manning my heart already. I didn’t have anything left to guard. But I didn’t tell Jimmy that.

Mase

Cordelia’s truck was in my drive when I got back from eating lunch with my parents. Not what I wanted to deal with today, or ever. I needed to get my wallet and head to the stock-yards. I was already running late.

I opened the door to the house and cursed myself for leaving it unlocked. Apparently, I was going to have to start locking up, because my neighbor was refusing to listen to me and go away.

“Cord, where you at?” I called out, when I opened the door to an empty living room.

“Come find me,” she called out teasingly.

Shit. Not good.

I threw my work gloves down and toed off my boots to keep from tracking mud into the house. Then I headed to the bedroom to kick out my visitor.

Sure enough, there she was, naked on my bed. I was going to have to wash the sheets to get her smell off them. I was tired and done with this shit. She had taken it a step too far this time.

“Get your clothes on and leave.”

“Don’t, Mase. Look at me. You wanted this once. We were so good together. I want you. So bad,” she said, opening her legs and slipping her hand between them and playing with herself.

“You’ve gone too far, Cordelia. I want you out of my house. If I need to call my momma to come get you to leave, I will,” I threatened. I figured the idea of my momma finding her naked in my bed was enough to get any woman up and moving.

“Mase, don’t do this. Please. I miss you. I need you so bad. I want you to fuck me however you want me. I’ll give you anything you want. Let me suck your dick. You can gag me with it like you love to do.”

“Stop!” My angry shout finally shut her up. “I’m in love with someone. She’s all I want. All I’m ever gonna want. So I need you to get your clothes and get out of my house, Cord. Now.” I turned and left her there, not liking the image of her on my bed. That should be Reese there. Sweet, sexy Reese.

I would need to get new sheets and a new mattress before I brought Reese here. Get rid of what I’d fucked Cordelia and a few other women on. Reese was too good to be where they’d been. She was special.

Cord’s footsteps finally alerted me that she’d given up. When I looked up, she was carrying her clothes and strutting naked through my house. Damn, did she not have any shame at all? I turned my back to her so she wouldn’t think I was looking at her in any way and enjoying this shit.

When the door slammed behind her and I heard her truck start up, I finally let out a sigh of relief and headed to my bedroom to strip my damn sheets. Luckily, my mother made sure I always had two sets of sheets. She said you always needed a backup. Like always, my mother was right.

Once I was done, I knew I’d wasted too much time. I would have to go to the stockyard first thing the next day. I had a man coming at four to look at a horse I was selling. I needed to get things cleaned up from our morning routine before he got here.

Major was walking up to the house from my parents’ place when I came back outside. “You not going to the stockyards?” he called out from down the hill.

“No, I’m waiting until tomorrow morning. Got that quarter I’m selling that I need to get cleaned up from her run this morning.”

Major nodded. “I’m headed out, then. Got to be in San Antonio tomorrow. Dad wants to meet with me.”

I didn’t envy him. His relationship with his dad had been shit ever since he slept with his stepmother last year. “Good luck,” was my only response.

He shot me a bird and headed back toward my parents’ house.

Grinning, I went to my truck and climbed inside.

I still couldn’t believe the stupid fuck had slept with his stepmom. Even if she was only three years older than him. Last I heard, she wasn’t his stepmom anymore. And the pre-nup she’d signed left her high and dry.