Arrogant Bastard Read online

  Arrogant Bastard

  Jennifer Dawson

  Contents

  Praise for Jennifer Dawson

  Arrogant Bastard

  1. Cat

  2. Cat

  3. Cat

  4. Cat

  5. Cat

  6. Cat

  7. Cat

  8. Cat

  9. Cat

  10. Cat

  11. Caden

  12. Caden

  13. Caden

  14. Caden

  15. Cat

  16. Cat

  17. Cat

  18. Cat

  19. Caden

  20. Caden

  21. Caden

  22. Caden

  23. Cat

  24. Cat

  25. Cat

  26. Cat

  Thanks for Reading

  Keep Reading for your exclusive excerpts!

  Internet Stalking Made Easy

  Also by Jennifer Dawson

  Introducing Cold Hearted Bastard

  About the Author

  COPYRIGHT

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  The author has asserted their rights under the Copyright Designs and Patent Acts 1988 (as amended) to be identified as the author of this book.

  Copyright © 2020 Jennifer Dawson

  Edited by Jessica Royer Ocken

  Cover Design by Alvania Scarborough

  All rights reserved.

  This book, or parts thereof, may not be reproduced in any form without permission.

  Created with Vellum

  Praise for Jennifer Dawson

  USA TODAY calls Crave and Taken a must-read romance

  “Crave gets the balance between lust filled scenes and a meaningful plot just right. Neither takes from the other and together they just add up to a very satisfying and emotional read.” —Between My Lines

  “If you love Foster, Kaye and Dawson’s Something New series you’ll love Crave and the Undone series.” —Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

  “Every character in this book (Sinful) is amazingly written. ” —Bookish Bevil

  “You know why I love this author? She takes something absolutely mundane like a “Best Friend’s Sister” romance and turns it into a masterpiece.” —For the Love of Fictional Worlds

  “Crave by Jennifer Dawson is a darkly erotic and deeply moving romance.”-—Romance Novel News

  “Jennifer Dawson’s Sinful has amazing scenes that get my heart beating and calls for a cold shower, but the love story that is evolving between Leo and Jillian is amazing.”—Courting Fiction

  Arrogant Bastard

  Book Two of The Bastard Series

  I’m Cat McKay, and I’m in desperate need of a man.

  My farm manager deserted me six weeks before our grand opening that will help put my family’s business on the map. Now I need to find a replacement because I’m not about to be the reason we fail. Unfortunately, Caden Landry— whose arrogance, evasions, and good looks rub me the wrong way—is my only option on a list of zero candidates.

  So, as much as it pains me to admit it, I need him to step in and save the day. Yeah, I hate it too.

  I’m Caden Landry, and I have a self-destructive streak a mile wide.

  One thing is clear I need to stay the hell away from my new boss, Cat McKay. Not an easy task, considering she’s the kind of woman I find irresistible. But I’m tired of running, tired of living paycheck to paycheck with nothing but a flatbed to my name. I’m determined this time I’m going to get my life together.

  So, I’m not about to screw a golden opportunity because I can’t keep my hands off the woman in charge. This time, self-preservation will prevail.

  1

  Cat

  I stare at Caden Landry, my eyes narrowed, trying to figure out if I hate him. Based on the twenty minutes I’ve spent interviewing him, I’m going with yes. Yes, I do.

  The term interview is generous, considering our stilted conversation and his general evasion of all my questions. I should kick him out, but I don’t have that luxury at the moment. I sigh.

  When fellow local farmer and good friend, Gabriel Levorn, recommended the man, I thought my panicked prayers had been answered. But this guy is not what I envisioned. I pictured him older and world-weary, with sad, tired eyes—like my last farm manager.

  That’s not what I got.

  Caden Landry is all tall and broad, with lean hips and long legs. And while he does wear world-weariness like a cloak, the man across from me has a hard face, cold, dark blue eyes, and a chiseled jaw. He’s handsome in a remote, do-not-fuck-with-me type of way.

  Everything about his stance and attitude screams keep away, and since the moment he filled up my small office in my family’s distillery, I’ve wanted him gone.

  Except I’m desperate, and he’s my only option.

  My middle brother and future sister-in-law’s farm-to-table restaurant—named after our small, central Louisiana town, Toulon—is opening in six weeks, and my last farm manager up and quit three weeks ago with no notice, taking off to parts unknown.

  This is no ordinary restaurant. My brother Jackson and his fiancée, Gwen, are world-renowned chefs, both beautiful and talented. When they bought the vacant lot next to our land, I thought they were crazy, but the restaurant was booked solid within an hour of going live online. A select group of chefs are coming to a private event the night before the opening from all over the world. This restaurant is one of the biggest things that’s ever happened to our town. There are crops to harvest, a menu to build, and not enough hours in the day.

  On top of that, my oldest brother, Wyatt, and I grow cane to make rum for our specialty distillery. We’ve been growing at a steady clip, increasing our market slowly over time, but considering Jackson and Gwen are featuring McKay’s Rum in their restaurant, we’re as invested in their success as they are.

  That’s why I need someone special—a farmer who not only understands the cane fields used to make our local, independent rum, but also the challenges of growing organic, non-GMO heirloom vegetables and herbs.

  Not exactly a skill set that grows on trees.

  As operations manager, hiring is my job, and so far I’ve received exactly zero applicants, let alone someone that might meet my brother’s ridiculously high standards. When Gabe called me about Caden Landry, he swore he had the magic touch and I wouldn’t be sorry. I couldn’t believe my good luck. I had started to panic.

  Considering the glowing endorsement from a man I trust, I should be elated, and I am…except this guy rubs me the wrong way. Suspicion is like a knot in my gut. If he’s so good, why is he unemployed?

  A niche, specialty market produces niche, specialty experts that are in high demand, snatched up by the big outfits the second they hint at discontent. But this man—who’s far too handsome for comfort, if you ask me—is available to start tomorrow. Why?

  Gabe knows how important this is, and he always has my best interests at heart. He’d never steer me wrong. But I have a bad feeling.

  Unfortunately, I have no other options, so unless Caden somehow lets it slip that he’s a serial killer, I’m going to give him the job.

  Not that I’m letting him in on that fact just yet.

  He doesn’t seem like the type of man you give the upper hand.

  Across from me, one of his dark brows arches. “Are you just going to sit there all day thinking? ’Cause I’ve got things I can do.”

  His voice is a slow, Louisiana drawl, like smoke and honey. It slides down my spine, straighten
ing me in my chair.

  I snap back to attention and clear my throat. “Sorry, I got distracted.”

  “Clearly.” His tone is wry. “Now, about the job.”

  Okay, I need to pretend this guy isn’t my only option, if I want to establish the upper hand. I pick up my pen and click it, as though I’m preparing to write something important. “Do you have any management experience?”

  He nods and kicks out his long legs like he owns the place. “I do.”

  He doesn’t elaborate, and the silence stretches between us.

  I fold my hands on top of my desk. “Care to expound on that?”

  He shrugs one broad shoulder, and his muscles flex under the cotton of his gray T-shirt. “I was a farm manager at a large outfit over in California for the last couple of years. I managed the crew, fields, crops—you name it, I’ve done it.”

  Yet he’s willing to work for us? We’re a growing farm that’s attracted some local attention, but we’re hardly in the big league. And we’re not traditional farmers; we make products and food with what we produce, rather than exporting it, which isn’t exactly the same thing.

  I figure it’s my duty to get some answers and at least ensure he’s not a murderer or didn’t get fired for theft. “Why did you leave there?”

  “Time to move on.”

  I look at him. His eyes meet mine, hard and steady. Unreadable.

  I swallow. “Do you have references I can check?”

  His chin juts out, defiant. “Gabe vouched for me. That should be good enough for you.”

  He irritates me, acting like he’s annoyed that I’m questioning him. I lean back in my leather desk chair. “Gabe’s not making the hiring decisions here. I am.”

  His full lips lift in a smirk. “Am I waking up at four thirty tomorrow or not?”

  “I don’t think I like your attitude.”

  He laces his fingers across his stomach. “I don’t think you’re in a position to be choosy.”

  “And why do you think that?”

  Another shrug. “I pay attention. Gabe told me your last manager quit without notice.”

  “And how exactly do you know Gabe?”

  Gabe and I have been friends since we were three, and Caden Landry is not a name I’ve ever heard.

  He tilts his head. “We worked together in another life.”

  Obviously I will need to get more information on that front from Gabe.

  “Not much of a talker, are you?” My words drip with sarcasm.

  “Since he recommended me, I assume he already gave you the details, so I don’t see the point in reiterating information you already know.”

  Only I hadn’t asked Gabe for details, though under normal circumstances I would have. When he called, I’d been juggling about twenty things at once and had grabbed the life preserver without question. I’d assumed Caden Landry would be as likable and agreeable as Gabe. I was wrong on that part.

  I’ll be asking Gabe the things I should have as soon as possible, but that doesn’t help me in the present.

  Since I’m not about to admit I did zero research prior to this interview, I try again to establish some sort of authority. “Just because Gabe spoke well of you doesn’t mean the job is automatically yours.”

  He smirks. “Look, I can use Google. I know how important the restaurant opening is. I also know McKay’s Rum has been making strides over the last couple of years. A successful opening with rave reviews from chefs all over the world will really put you on the map, now won’t it?”

  My jaw sets. I stupidly hadn’t anticipated him knowing our current situation. I’m horrible at this job. It’s no wonder he’s so arrogant. I shift in my office chair. “That’s true, but that doesn’t mean I’m desperate.”

  He moves to stand. “All right then. You have yourself a good day, Ms. McKay.”

  Surprise flashes hot across my skin. This is not a man to be underestimated. “Just like that?”

  “Just like that.”

  I glare at him, ignoring the panic beating against my ribs. “You know interviewing is a standard business practice.”

  He folds his arms over his chest and stares down at me, his gaze intent.

  My stomach dips, and I repress a shiver of unease. He’s imposing—intimidating even. I’m small, only five-two to be exact, and sitting down, he looms over me.

  “You’re not asking the right questions.”

  I’m fully aware that he’s driving and dominating this entire process, but I’m off balance now and don’t know how to get things back under control. My fingers tighten on the pen I’m still holding, and I already have a death grip on it.

  I force myself to relax. “And what do you believe I should be asking?”

  His head tilts. “How about anything to do with my ability to grow things and run a crew? What is my method of germination? Fertilization? Linage? Grow cycle? Management style? Those are good starts. I don’t have a lot of patience for non-essential information. Truth is you’re not gonna find anyone else with even half the knowledge I have. If you hire me, you’ll get crops you didn’t dream possible.”

  He’s throwing a lot of confidence in my direction. “You think you’re that good?”

  “I know I’m that good.”

  Coming from him, the words don’t even sound boastful. He says them as fact, like I should be as certain of him as I am that the sky is blue.

  “So why can’t I check your references?”

  He puts his palms flat on my desk. “Because you already have the best reference possible, Gabe. It’s none of your business why I left, because it has nothing to do with my ability to harvest your fields. So what’s it going to be? You in, or you out?”

  The silence hangs thick between us. It’s ninety and humid today, and despite the air conditioning blasting through the vents, a bead of sweat trickles down my spine.

  Our eyes lock, the air so tense you could cut it.

  This is without a doubt the worst interview I’ve ever conducted in my life.

  Everything about this interaction screams that while I might be the boss, he’s got the upper hand and doesn’t respect my authority. If I hire him, he’ll challenge me every step of the way. As sure as I’m sitting here, if he works for me, we will do battle.

  Obviously, this is a bad match for someone I need to work with closely.

  More than anything, I want to send him on his way so I never have to lay eyes on him again. Except once again, I’m desperate, and Gabe trusts him. And my instincts also tell me he’s not bullshitting, that he’ll deliver what he’s promised.

  I have a lot of faults, but my instincts aren’t one of them.

  So even though it kills me and gives him far too much power, I’m going to put my family, and our business, ahead of my dislike. With as much grace and dignity as I can muster, I take a fresh piece of paper and write down my offer before folding it and handing it to him. “That includes room and board. You can move your stuff in tonight and start first thing tomorrow.”

  He flips open the folded note, reads it, and nods. “Why don’t you show me where to put my stuff.”

  Only time will tell if this is the best or worst decision I’ve ever made.

  I stand and hold out my hand. “Welcome aboard.”

  His big palm slides into mine, and an electric shock races along my skin. “You won’t be sorry.”

  When our hands part, his rough, calloused fingers scrape across my palm and my skin heats. I narrow my eyes and say in a hard voice, “We’ll see about that.”

  Caden

  * * *

  I follow Cat McKay out of her office and down a narrow corridor that leads outside. Maybe my tactics are unorthodox, but they got the job done.

  As she walks in front of me, my gaze slides over her golden brown hair, which is pulled off her neck in a messy ponytail, along the line of her neck, down the curve of her back and dip of her waist in a white tank top, to her perfect ass in tight, faded jeans.

  She’s tiny.
Tiny enough to put in all sorts of interesting positions. And her body is fan-fucking-tastic. But that’s not my worry. Good bodies are a dime a dozen.

  It’s her face that’s the real trouble.

  Unusual steely gray eyes, high cheekbones, and a lush mouth set off perfectly by her peaches-and-cream skin. Individually, taken apart piece by piece, Cat McKay should be wholesome and pure looking, but put together, well, that’s a different story.

  She’s not exactly sexy. She’s more… I don’t know the word. But it’s something.

  She has a vulnerability about her that makes me want to violate her.

  Not that I will, because I’ve made the mistake of mixing business and pleasure a few times before, and I’ve finally learned the lesson.

  But if I’d met her in a bar, I’d have taken her home and done filthy things to her.

  That skin is just made to be flushed.

  I’m going to have to ignore that.

  I’m thirty-six, with a healthy self-destructive streak that’s forced me to start over one too many times, and I’m tired of it. I’ve been living on the road for the past six months, driving from place to place, crashing on couches, running.