Page 66 of Savior Complex

“Or you never left Texas.”

I realize he knows exactly what happened, and he’s totally fucking with me. I fidget with my hands, trying to come up with the next lie, whatever will absolve us of our sins.

“It’s fine,” Levi continues. “But the next time Brayden comes up with his own story, he should turn his location services off.” He holds up his phone. “We all know each other’s location, just in case something happens on a ride. Apparently there’s never been a good reason to stop sharing our location until now.”

“Who knows,” I whisper.

“All of us.”

Fuck.

“What are you guys doing?” he asks me.

I feel totally on the spot. I don’t even know what to say. I have the strongest urge to look behind me at Brayden, but I’m not exactly speaking to him right now.

“I don’t know,” I whisper. I look at him. “Are you going to tell Jordy?”

“No,” he says, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Then it hits me how lame it is that I’m relieved. If Jordy doesn’t know, she wins. But it’s not like I win in either scenario.

“Look, I’m not trying to get in the middle of anything. What Brayden or you do on your own time is your business. But it’s not like Brayden to leave a commitment midstream, especially the HRC. He spends all year preparing for that, and just as much time anticipating it. It would take a lot to take him away from it.” He appraises me for a moment, then nods. “Or someone special.”

I look down at my hands. He’s right, of course. But it’s not like I’m the one who came up with this wild idea.

“I guess my biggest concern is that whatever this is between the two of you, it’s going to mess with Brayden’s head. I don’t want to see him do something he regrets.”

“Like be with me?” I ask.

“No, like leave the ranch.”

At this, I grit my teeth. I’m not the one that would take him away from the ranch, but Jordy is. If he marries my cousin, he’ll be on the next plane for New York, leaving the ranch and everyone on it in his dust.

“I wouldn’t make him do that,” I say.

“You might think that,” Levi counters, “but I’ve seen the way that guy looks at you. He’s ready to throw it all away for you, if you just say the word.”

It’s not true, though. If it were, he would have already said it to me. He’d make me a promise to break things off with Jordy and find a way for us to be together. He’d burn bridges just to be with me.

“He doesn’t love me like that,” I say. “He’s with Jordy. We were just messing around, but it’s over now.”

I grab my headphones from my bag and slip them over my ears. But Levi puts a hand on my arm to stop me.

“Nina, I’m sorry. I know I’m being hard on you. But I’m just looking out for my boy, and I’m looking out for his family. The ranch is like my second home, and we’ve all been a part of the Winters family for years now. I don’t want to see anything mess that up.”

Or anyone. Noted.

I slide my headphones on and stare out the window. This is going to be a long bus ride.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Brayden

We cross the New Mexico border, but my heart is still in Texas with Nina. The guys have just finished grilling me about my time with her. Apparently they were all on to us, and this is some kind of coup. I can see Levi sitting next to Nina, and no amount of daggers I’m shooting his way will make him get up and move. I can just imagine what he said to her, because the rest of the guys were on me as soon as my guard was down.

Am I fucking moron?

Did I even think about how this would affect the ranch?

Did I only hire Nina because of her great ass?