Twisted Asphalt (Asphalt Outlaw Series Book 1) Read Online Free Page A

ranch
home; quaint, not too big for a small family.
    Spotting the barn about a hundred yards from the main house,
he turned the truck around and backed into what he assumed was a parking area
for horse trailers. He reluctantly turned off Five Finger Death Punch and got
out, slamming the door behind him. Digging in his pocket, he pulled out a
cloth-covered rubber band and slipped his first three fingers inside it. He
pushed back his strawberry-blond hair until he could grasp it just behind the
crown of his head, then wrapped the tiny band around the strands. He hated
having his hair in his eyes; keeping it a little longer than chin length was
difficult at times.
    He scanned the area from behind the aviators, taking note of
the livestock the James family had: cattle, sheep, and horses. No wonder Stone
wasn’t worried about money half the time. He was in the cattle business. Shaking
his head, he lowered the tailgate, then headed for the barn.
    Mace gave pause at the door when he heard a voice coming
from deep inside. Head cocked to the side, listening to the crooning sounds
revealed all female vocals. Moving further into the barn, he followed the voice
until he saw her.
    Amethyst James was in a league of her own. Just watching the
way she handled the horse showed another side of her, how she cared for others,
whether human or animal. Slow, methodical strokes of the brush over the stallion’s
mane were just the tip of the iceberg. She cooed in gentle tones to the point
it relaxed him.
    His eyes dragged over her, taking in everything possible.
Silken strands of chocolate were caught up in a mussed ponytail; a tight tank
top hugged her full figure like a glove. Ripped jeans cupped her ass just right
and fit like a second skin.
    Damn, he could get lost in her.
    Her movement brought Mace out of his near wet dream. She
moved to the tack room, rising on her toes to put a detangle comb away. Her wince
alerted him to look at her raised arm, trying to ignore the glimpse of stomach
that peeked out from under her top.
    “What the hell?” He was beside her before she realized he
was there. He snatched her arm, though he remained gentle.
    He ignored Amy’s yelp of surprise, more interested in
tenderly probing the swollen and bruised area of her wrist. Mace lowered his
voice, trying to hide the fact he was upset at her injury. “What happened,
Amy?”
    Her green-flecked, brown eyes were wide with surprise when
she stared at him, her lips parting with her quick intake of breath. Regaining
her composure, she yanked her arm away, her eyes dropping to the floor before
sweeping over to the horse. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it.”
    He frowned. “I call bullshit. You need to get that looked
at.” He followed her, closing the tack room door behind him.
    “It’s not your problem.”
    “The fuck, you say.” Mace snapped back at her. “I’ll get my
ass handed to me if you’re not taken care of.”
    Amy walked past the stallion to another stall. She scooped
up a sweatshirt, turning to face him. “Just get what you need and leave.”
    No way. Not happening. Someone had hurt her and that pissed
him the slap off. He wasn’t sure where this protective streak came from, but he
wasn’t going to worry about it right now. He needed to focus on getting her
inside and taken care of.
    “I don’t think so. Get your ass in that house now and let me
look at your wrist, or I will pick you up and carry you in. Either way, it will
be taken care of now.” Mace faked a smile, pulling out his phone and wiggling
it in front of her line of sight. “Or do I need to call Stone?”
    He didn’t want to threaten her, but by the look of the
swelling wrist, there was a good chance it was fractured. He wasn’t taking any
chances.
    If looks could kill, he was murdered and buried the instant
she turned and glared at him. He couldn’t care less that she was furious,
except her eyes lit up like smoldering coals and that was a complete turn-on.
    Her jaw flexed,