His Virgin Woman

HIS VIRGIN WOMAN

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Sam Crescent

Copyright © 2025

Chapter One

I want to fuck your sister. Shae Marino stared at a quivering Lily-May Bride as she looked around, trying to see if he was joking.

From the moment she walked onto his ranch nearly four months ago, he’d warned her not to fuck with him. No one messed with him in these parts, because they knew he meant business. If they took money from him, they paid him back, plus interest. He wasn’t interested in anyone’s sob story.

Everyone had a fucking bad time in life. In all his forty years, he had come to realize there were people that had it good, bad, and then worse, and the fact is, if you were really lucky, you only ever had it good and bad. For unlucky people, it just seemed to be a mix from bad to worse.

Lily-May was a bad one, always had been, always would be. She was the older sister of Peyton Bride. Both women were beautiful, there was no denying that. Both had blonde hair, blue eyes, but that was where it stopped. Lily-May was known around town to give it up freely, to bed jump, and even had a reputation for giving men some infections and itches. Also, she had a bad gambling habit, along with being an addict.

Peyton was the complete opposite. Yes, she had long, blonde hair, intense, beautiful eyes, but where Lily-May looked at you and wondered how you could get the next score, Peyton ... smiled. Now, he had never had Peyton smile at him, but he had seen it. She had taken over their parents’ bakery, even managed to pull it out of the gutter and into some profit. He knew, because he knew everyone in Fort. Being one of the wealthiest men in the entire state, if not the entire country, no one could touch him.

He made his money in a variety of ways. Where Lily-May and Peyton inherited a bakery upon their parents’ deaths, he inherited a ranch, along with everything associated with it. On the outside, they were just cowboys without a care in the world.

His father had completely blown his mind, when he was just fifteen years old, and realized there was a hell of a lot more to being a cowboy on the Marino Ranch than he first realized.

It would seem, many, many, many years ago, his great-grandfathers fought for this ranch, made a solid name for themselves, and in doing so, rumor had it, they dealt with the Devil to keep it. The people of Fort didn’t realize that his ranch was the first line of defense all around town.

A long time ago, a lot of people wanted to take this land from his forefathers, along with the people of Fort. It was agreed that anyone living on this ranch had the sole responsibility of taking care of the whole town. Shae had the original document in a sealed case—an agreement between the town and the ranch, insuring no one ever tried to invade, harm, or hurt.

He owned the sheriffs along with the cowboys. The only problem was, Fort was a very beautiful tourist location, which meant there were always many people stopping by. The town needed it as well.

The tourists brought in money and helped many of the shops. Everything worked well. However, from time to time, he did have to kill people. At fifteen years old, he had been riding the fence, because in his heart, he was and would forever be a rancher. That day, all those years ago, his father had no choice but to tell him the truth about the history.

He’d been checking on the fence, to make sure the cattle couldn’t get out or hurt, when he had stumbled on a man—a damn tourist—who had kidnapped a young girl. She’d been fifteen, just like him, and had been fighting for her life, as the man stabbed her repeatedly.

Shae recalled that moment, as if it were happening right now. It changed his whole fucking world. To him, Fort had never been a scary place. He loved the town, the people, every single person in it. Until that moment, when he realized the town of Fort was a dangerous-as-fuck place.

He didn’t have a gun or a knife, but without hesitation, he grabbed a rock, and with his bare hands, he smashed it repeatedly across the head of the man who had been attacking the young girl, Marsha, he believed her name to be.

And ... he’d held her in his arms, because the man had struck the main artery in her neck, and there was nothing he could do but hold her and sing to her. He waited until she died in his arms, which had been less than two minutes. Shae liked to think he gave her peace. He carried her home, and his dad told him that day he became a true man.

Marsha was given a burial, and her family was compensated. As for the man whose skull he had smashed, he was disposed of the best way possible.

From that day forward, he learned the true meaning of being heir to the Marino Ranch. His dad never kept another thing from him. There was no point. He became a man that day, and with it, a hell of a lot of training he took to like a fish to water. His dad always said he was a natural.

Pulling out of the memory, he looked at Lily-May and waited.

You can’t be serious, she said. Peyton wouldn’t do it. She’s a fucking prude.

She was and always would be a first-class lady. Peyton was well-loved and respected. Neither of the sisters knew their parents had no choice but to sell him the business. They didn’t know where the money came from that was keeping the business afloat for so long. When they died, he should have taken it and destroyed it.

One day, he happened to walk into that bakery and saw Peyton working her ass off. Customers adored her. They stopped by to help her out, but she had also turned out to be a better baker than her parents combined.

He never took the shop, never invested another cent, but he did keep an eye on everything. He always would.

As for Peyton, she was good at what she did, and she knew what the people of Fort wanted, so she baked like a fucking maniac for them.

He was always awake early. Sometimes he’d trek through Fort, take long walks, and each time he would end up looking into the only shop that was aglow in the dark, and see her working her ass off. Lily-May was never around. But he knew Peyton had bailed her out before. He had to wonder if she would do it again.

Well, you better hope she listens to you, because otherwise, I’m taking your fucking legs. With what you owe me, I’d say that was the start, and I don’t mean cutting them off. No, I’m going to break them, wait for them to almost heal, and then break them again.

He saw the fear in her eyes.

Peyton was the only one who could save her.

****

Beautiful, when are you going to marry me and promise to have my babies? Hank asked.

Peyton couldn’t help but smile, as she knew this was no true wedding proposal. Hank was a happily married man, with five children, and he had even told this joke in front of his wife, Lucy. In fact, Lucy had even asked when they were going to run away together. It was a running joke.

She found it sweet that they loved her baked goods so much that they were willing to fight over her. Not that there was any need to fight over her, in all honesty. They were good people.

She tutted. You know, Lucy is not going to like you propositioning me without her counteroffer.

Hank burst out laughing. Damn, when it comes to my wife, I just know if she ever divorced me, she would take you with her just out of spite.

Peyton smiled. I do not see you and Lucy ever divorcing. You’re too good for each other, and I will not allow it.

You won’t?

No, you guys give me hope that real love exists. She winked at him. Now, you go on and get those cookies and buns to those kids I love. You tell Lucy she has to bring them by. I need my little cake testers.

Hank chuckled. You take care, sweetheart. I’ll see you soon.

She gave him a wave. It was nearly six o’clock, and she knew Hank was working one of the late shifts, which is why she stayed open as long as possible.

There would be no more customers, and she wanted to package up the few remaining boxes of leftovers, which she always distributed to the home for the elderly in town. She never let anything go to waste. They didn’t have a homeless shelter in Fort, and she had never seen a homeless person in town, otherwise she would divide it equally.

Humming to herself, she heard the bell ring and called out. So sorry, we’re closed, she said.

When no one answered, she turned around, still with a smile on her face from chatting with Hank, to come to a completely dead stop.

Lily-May looked like shit, but that wasn’t what instantly terrified her. Her sister was not alone. Behind her was Shae Marino along with a couple of his cowboys, and she knew this