Savior Complex: A Small Town Love Triangle Romance

“Can I use the stool too?” he asks, his eyes on the ground.

“Of course! I’m happy to share it,” I say, jumping back down to help. In seconds, he’s on top of the horse. I can tell he’s trying to play it cool, but his mouth is twisted in a proud smile.

“You’re a natural,” I tell him, then show him how to hold the reins before I move on to his parents.

“Thank you,” his mom whispers. “We took his Nintendo Switch when we got closer to the ranch, because we made a pact to enjoy a technology free weekend. This might be the longest he’s ever been without electronics.”

“He’ll probably forget all about his Switch by tonight,” I say.

“Doubtful,” Justin’s dad chimes in. “But it looks like his mood has improved.” He nods at Justin, who is busy leaning over, patting the horse’s neck.

Once everyone is saddled, Jake moves to the front of the group and offers simple instructions.

“Don’t fall off,” he says, and everyone laughs. But then he shares how a light nudge of the heels will get the horse moving, and tugging slightly on the reins acts just like brakes.

“The horses respond easily,” Jake continues. “So keep that in mind when you tap your heels into the horse’s side. Too many kicks, and you might find yourself up the coast, halfway to Oregon.”

The guests are split into two groups, with Jake and Nate taking one group, and Levi joining me and Brayden. The groups are small, basically just two families in each cluster. I’m pleased to see that Justin and his family are with us, but annoyed that we’re joined by four giggling girls who chose the ranch as the setting for their bachelorette party. They’re all perfect bottle blondes, which is awfully judgy of me since my hair hasn’t been any shade of natural for close to a decade now. They must have scoured H&M for the perfect cowgirl costume, because they’re all wearing tight jeans and cropped checkered shirts, tied off just under their boobs. They’re also staying close to the front where Brayden is, and are not being quiet about how hot the cowboys are.

“I think we got the cutest ones, though,” one of the girls hisses presumably to the bride.

“My goal is to go home with one of their numbers,” another Barbie says, not as quietly.

“Well, I plan to go home with a lot more than that,” another says, and I finally lose the battle of keeping my mouth shut.

“You’re wasting your time on that one,” I say, then wrinkle my nose with a fake smile when all their heads whip towards me. “He’s taken, and his fiancé is pretty hot.”

“You can’t go after an almost married man,” the bride pipes in.

The girls’ eyes go wide. And me? I feel a dagger of guilt pierce my gut. Because isn’t that what I want to do?

“What about the guy in back,” one of the girls whispers.

“Single,” Levi hisses loudly from a few horses back. I can see Brayden’s shoulders shaking heavily as he keeps his head forward, and the girls slow their horses to join Levi. I trot up to the front and match Brayden’s speed.

“I see why you enjoy this gig,” I say, nodding back at the girls now surrounding Levi.

“It definitely has its perks,” he says, laughing when I reach out to smack his leg. I’m caught off guard by the solid muscle that meets my hand, and fuck me, I want to grip that thigh before finding other hard places to grip.

“Does stuff like that happen a lot?”

“Like girls on a bachelorette party looking for cowboys to fulfill their every fantasy?”

I groan, tilting my head up to the sky. “Lord, you have an ego the size of Canada.”

He just laughs. “They all seem to think this is a ranch rendition of Magic Mike or Girls Night Out.”

“You mean, this tour doesn’t end with a shirtless dance while you straddle my face,” I whisper, then fight a grin when I see his cheeks flush. But there’s a wicked glint in his eyes.

“Not this one,” he deadpans, his voice hushed as he leans toward me. “But wear face protection if you go on one of our midnight tours.”

I burst out laughing, and he grins.

“Fuck, I’m sorry. Too far.” He grimaces, biting his lip. I have to fight the urge to lean over and kiss those swollen lips just to see what they taste like.

No. Cousin’s fiancé. Off limits.

But I can’t help myself.