Sing for Me (The Langston Brothers Duet, #2)

by Brittany Ann

He didn’t need to know Harmony Green consumed my every waking thought. Even on the bull, I was thinking about her—something I’d never imagined. When I was on the monsters, my head was clear.

“That’s the only place I want to be.”

“Thought that was on the back...

“You’re right, but the ride is done, and I want t...

My hand tightened on the steering wheel of my truck at the thought of her smile, how it took my breath away, and how that scared me. We had been talking every day this past week. Before I left on Sunday, I gave her my number and instructed her to do so, but I still anxiously awaited her calls and texts. Hearing from her was a new drug for me. Harmony Green was a drug to me, foreign and stronger than the drug of bull riding.

“Pam—” “Please,” she begged. “Just go hang out with the guys in St. Louis.”

“Hallow Ranch, owned by the Langston family for over a hundred years, is one of the largest cattle ranches in the state of Colorado. It turns over a good profit, so I don’t know why Mason signed over his share over a decade ago…”

Mason wasn’t just a bull riding cowboy. No, he was an actual cowboy who grew up and owned a ranch—Hallow Ranch.

“No, that’s not—” “Honey,” she snapped, “Mason is not him.”

“That being said, I think you should pursue this. It would be good for you. It’s been six years, babe. I think Mason is genuine—good. I also think that even though he’s traveling all over, he only has eyes for my girl,”

“What? Who is it?” Billie pressed. “Mason,” I breathed. She laughed. “Perfect timing. Enjoy your cowboy, babe. Remember, we want to meet him,”

“Harmony,” he greeted, his deep, rough voice causing my goosebumps to spread all over my body again. “Mason,” I whispered. “You gonna let me in or leave me standing out here?”

When I found him, he was in the kitchen, standing at my island, pouring creamer into my coffee. He slid the mug across the surface to me. “There you go, darlin’,” he murmured as he turned to the brown bag. I stared at the coffee; it was the right color. He knew how much creamer I took. He came into my apartment and finished making my coffee…for me.

“What are you doing here?” I blurted, my emotions swirling inside me like a hurricane that was about to make landfall with no way of stopping it. His gray eyes flicked up to mine. “Breakfast, baby,”

“Harmony,” Mason murmured, his voice soft, calling out to me like the sweetest song. It was gentle at first, and then it would build into a crescendo that caused another round of goosebumps to cascade over me. The way my body reacted to him was a miracle, one that I was struggling to understand.

“Look at me. Now,” he demanded. When I looked back at the cowboy, the thunder in his eyes shook the floor beneath me, and the look on his beautiful face caused my heart to stop for a moment. Yeah, I definitely wasn’t worthy of that.

“I don’t want to be another notch on your headboard. I don’t want to be something you need for your image, and I appreciate everything you’ve done for the clinic, but…”

“I don’t want all your words to be lies. I don’t want—”

“I’m going to kill him,” he promised, his voice filled with a dark promise. “What?”

“I’m going to kill him, Harmony. That piece of shit, whoever the fuck he is, I’m going to kill him for what he did to you,” he growled.

“How do you—you—” “You told me you’re healing, Harmony.”

“Doesn’t take a genius to see it was a man who hurt you, baby. It was plain as day in the fucking hallway, just as it is now.” “You don’t know me,”

“I want to know you. I want to know the passions and secrets behind those mesmerizing blue eyes. I want to know everything that makes you smile. I brought you tulips because I saw how happy they made you at the Farmer’s Market. I stood in the shadows and watched your beautiful face somehow become even more stunning as you smiled. My eyes want to see that smile every fucking chance I can get. I want to know what makes you laugh; I want to drown in the sound of it. Hell, baby, I want to be the reason,” he admitted, his voice ...

“Harmony, you weren’t part of my plan. Meeting you the way I did…baby, I was on my way back to my hotel room so I could get hammered and pass out when I heard your cry,”

“The second I saw you pressed against the wall, scared beyond comprehension, I wanted to shield you from him. Not just him, Harmony, but everything else in this shitty world. I wanted to protect you, make you feel safe.”

Screaming. Crying. Throwing up.

“I’m sorry,” I whispered. The words slipped out before I could stop them. His brows came together. “For what?”

“I need your words, Harmony. I need your verbal confirmation you like my cock pressed against you, that you like knowing what you do to me.” “Y-yes,” I breathed. “Good,”

“Right, gonna cut through the bullshit now, so we’re on the same page. Truth is, Harm, I don’t know what the fuck I’m doing with you, but all I know is that whatever this is, I don’t want it to stop. For the past week, I’ve looked forward to your texts and calls. For the past few hours, I’ve been holding myself back from barging in here just to be near you. I’ve been back in Houston since three this morning and the first place I wanted to go was here, with you.”

“Mason—” “The last time I was here, you told me you were healing. That tells me some fuckwad hurt you, and I’ve been thinking about that for the last week too. I told you I was going to give you time, but I need to know something, Little Song.”

“I want those blues on me,” he rumbled.

Mason Langston was the kind of man you could fall in love with quickly. Mason Langston was also the kind of man my mind was telling me to stay away from.

“Define ...

“This being the strong pull we both have to each other and don’t try to bullshit me like you did at the clinic. You feel this, Harm. You do, and so do I. This would consist of me going off to ride bulls and coming back here to you. This would be, instead of knocking on your door and taking the shit into the kitchen, I would press you against the nearest wall and kiss you until you were dripping for me as a hello. This would be, eventually, baby, you in my bed, taking my cock, coming on my cock, and loving every fucking second of it. This would be me taking you out and showing you off to every unlucky motherfucker who wishes they were me. This would be me meeting your friends and family. Now, I only have one friend—Eddie—and he is a fucking nut. I don’t talk to my family and never will again. So whatever holiday shit we gotta work out, we will go to yours, because mine isn’t a fucking option.”

“This is also, eventually, me getting down on one knee and putting my ring on your finger. This would be us starting a family, because I do want children, always have. If you don’t, I’ll learn how to deal, because that’s how much I fucking want you. That’s how much I want this, Harmony. You weren’t a part of my plan, but I have been thanking the heavens above every single day for hearing your cry for help.”

“That’s what this is, baby. You get me?” he asked, dipping his head to mine. “If you don’t want this, then say the word, and I’m gone.” “What if I want to come with you?”

“Come with me?” “What if I don’t want you to come back here to me because I want to be with you?”

“Look at me, baby. Won’t tell you again. We’re having a serious conversation, and I want those eyes on me,”

“You want to come with me, then come with me.” “It’s that simple?” He nodded once. “Yeah, it is.”

“Thank you for the tulips. They’re beautiful,” I whispered.

“Don’t gotta thank me for anything, darlin’. Just give me a smile and a kiss,” he whispered back. “That’s all I need.”

“Well, what you’re doing for the clinic is wonderful. I’m sure that—” “Harmony, I did that for purely selfish reasons,”

“Yeah, but you’ re helping people who need it. That means everything, Mase,”

“I want you to call him. You are getting to the point where you are learning to trust people other than Billie, Cabe, and me. Mason is one of those people. Your updates and journal entries are promising. This is one of those times where you need to lean on those around you, Harmony.”

“Little Song,” he greeted, his voice rougher than normal. The sound of it instantly calmed me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. “Mase,”

“What’s wrong?” My cowboy sounded more alert, concern lacing his voice. “I—” My mind drifted back to Dr. G’s words. You don’t have to tell him everything right now. Just lean on him. “I just wanted to hear your voice.”

“You at work?” “Uh, yes,” I answered, pushing up to my feet. “Stay there.” “Mason—” “Stay. The. Fuck. There,”

My neck twisted, and excitement surged through my body—Mason wasn’t paying attention to my boss. No, he was heading straight for me, his gray eyes flashing with an intensity that should’ve given me chills. Instead, it made my core spasm. “Mason…”

He cut my protest off by leaning down as his jaw tightened and his gaze darkened with a different kind of intensity, the brim of his hat concealing us from the world. “Get. Your. Stuff.” “Is something going on here?” Mr. Dalys cut in. Slowly, Mason’s head turned in his direction. “No offense, sir, but my relationship with Harmony is none of your business.” Now, Mr. Dalys’ eyes got wide. “Relationship—”

Mason wasn’t supposed to scare me. Mason never scared me, not once in the last few months. Not when he pulled that man off me, not when he stood outside my apartment, not when he told me what this was between us, and definitely not when he told me that he wanted me. In those moments, I was scared of my feelings. I was scared of myself, of not being good enough, worthy enough. In this moment, I was scared of him. I was scared of him because he was trying to control me and the life I was trying to build for myself. A life I’d worked so damn hard for. Mason saw me for who I was. He saw right through me.

“You don’t control me!” I snapped, ready to fight for it, even if it meant letting go of the first man I cared for. “I am not some fucking bitch you get to put a leash on! No man will ever get that power over me again, and I swear to—”