Unbreak My Heart (Rough Riders Legacy #1)

In my version, after I promised to spend the rest of my life making up for the past seven years we were apart, we’d end up on the rain-soaked ground, so hot for each other we fucked right there in the mud. Or I fucked her up against a tree. Or I bent her over a park bench. Oh hell yeah. That one was really good. Especially when I imagined my hand twisted in that gorgeous dark hair of hers, pulling just hard enough to make her gasp as I whispered dirty, dirty promises in her ear.

Jesus man, get a fucking grip. You really want to stroll in sporting wood? And is sex all you really want from her?

Well, no. But I sure as hell wouldn’t pretend I wanted to be her friend either.

The elevator stopped on the tenth floor and the doors slid open.

For just a moment, I froze. Was I truly ready for this?

Don’t be a pussy. You’re a fucking soldier. You’ve dodged sniper fire and IEDs. This? This is cake.

I wiped my sweaty palms on my khakis before I strode to the receptionist’s desk. I bestowed my most charming smile on her. “I’m here to see Sierra McKay.”





Tuesday was my busiest day of the week.

I’d been scrambling to catch up after my absence. I’d gone to Sundance to see Marin, my BFF from high school, and meet her new baby boy. And have a heart to heart with my father about my place in the company. But because I’d gotten sick I hadn’t seen Marin or her sweet baby. And I hadn’t had that talk with my dad, either.

Mostly because I’d chickened out. Again.

In addition to my tasks at Daniels Property Management today, I had a presentation to prep for next week for PCE—Phoenix Collegiate Entrepreneurs—a woman’s business group we organized at ASU when we realized there weren’t any support groups for our demographic: women starting home-based businesses or women in jobs where their colleagues were predominantly male. Ten business admin students, all female, all who’d had some level of success in starting a business, had banded together and pooled our knowledge so we could help each other. Within six months our group had fifty members and a dozen women in the community who’d volunteered as mentors.

Being a founding member of the group was one of the things I was most proud of. I still spent a considerable amount of time volunteering for PCE because creating a better business environment for women remained my passion.

I just wished I could do that here; reignite the passion I’d brought to this job. I couldn’t blame my restlessness on a lousy salary. Or limited opportunities for advancement. Although I was Gavin Daniels’ only heir, I’d insisted on an entry-level position at DPM. I could’ve gone to work for several other companies after graduating from college—I’d been heavily recruited due to my impressive resume, my work founding PCE, my GPA and the connection to my father. But since I’d indicated an interest in taking over both Daniels Development Group and Daniels Property Management when Dad retired, I figured I had at least a dozen years to learn how to run everything. Since I’d spent more time at DDG over the years, I wanted to understand DPM from the ground up.

That didn’t mean I was a third-generation slacker with entitlement issues and zero work ethic. During college I’d worked as my father’s virtual intern. No pay but what I’d learned had been invaluable.

There’d been resentment after I’d officially been hired at DPM. Management passed off the lowest-priority clients to me. I had bigger goals for myself than being a glorified landlord. So I convinced those clients to let me implement my ideas for total automation. Everything from direct deposit for rent collection to vetting potential service providers. Since DPM had a decent profit margin with the management fees we charged, when I cut new deals with the vendors on behalf of my clients, I passed the savings on to them.

When other DPM clients got wind of the changes…they demanded the same type of deals. Which was exactly what I’d banked on. So my first year as a glorified landlord I’d completely revamped the entire DPM payment system.

Color the CEO impressed. But he’d also been agitated that none of his long-time managers had attempted to modernize an outdated business model. So he’d rewarded me for my innovative thinking by granting me a promotion—a big promotion—from entry level to upper management.

That’s when the nastiness really kicked in; the implication that I hadn’t earned the promotion. My father was a brilliant businessman and the smartest guy in any room and thankfully I’d inherited some of his business acumen. But I’d risen up the ranks on my own merits. I’d put up the amount of hours I’d worked against anyone else’s.

Another fun aspect of the job in addition to the assumed nepotism was the sexism and the ageism. Men I’d known for years were patronizing and condescending when they dealt with me. How could I possibly know anything about real business? The ink on my diploma was fresh. I had tits, not balls. What really rankled were the smug remarks about having Daddy fight my battles. No wonder my enthusiasm had cooled.

Two raps sounded on my office door, then Nikki poked her head in. “Your eleven thirty is here.”

I frowned at my assistant. “Marty is early?”