Cowboy Country (7 page)

Tucker ran his gaze over the bull to double-check placement on the gear and to make sure his animal wouldn't be hurt by the coming events. Everything seemed to be in order, he decided with a nod.

A glance at Kyle revealed him standing back from the fence, running his tongue over his lips. His face looked pasty white with a sheen of sweat on his forehead.

The man was scared to death. Rightly so. Even Tucker didn't like the thought of getting on this particular bull, but he didn't have a choice. Forcing Kyle into this agreement seemed the only way to get what they needed.

"You ready?"

"Yeah, damn it! Let's get this over with." Kyle's voice almost sounded like a whine. "You goin' first or am I?"

"I will if you'd like," Tucker answered.

"Go ahead."

The clang of his boots hitting the bottom rung of the gate sounded loud to his own ears. Only hushed whispers could be heard around him as he focused all his energy on the bull and making it out of this ride alive. A quick glance to his left and his gaze caught Jacie's. Fear made her hazel eyes shine. Her bottom lip disappeared between her teeth. She looked terrified, but gave him a small smile when he blew her a kiss.

His helpers secured the bull rope on the animal while he pulled on his riding glove and got into position. He eased himself down, bracing for the initial jump he knew his bull always made. The muscles of his thighs screamed in protest. It had been a few months since he'd ridden and his body made sure he knew it. A little over two months ago, one of the heifers had kicked him, breaking the bone in his left lower leg. The cast had come off only three weeks ago, so he sent up a silent prayer for a safe ride.

With a quick nod, he gave them the signal to open the gate.

The bull charged out, immediately spinning to the right. Tucker hung on, his left arm whipping back and forth as Lightning Strike kicked out his hind legs, jumped forward, and then circled to the left. When Tucker felt himself sliding, he had no way to continue to hold on. The bull rope released with a tug of his hand right before he jumped free with a tuck and roll in the dirt. It wasn't like they were riding for money. He only had to stay on longer than Kyle. His ride hadn't been eight seconds nor was it a ninety pointer, but he thought it would beat his opponent.

Several men from the audience worked the bull toward the shoot. The normal procedure for the rodeo circuit would be to retire the animal for the day. They didn't have that luxury in this case. Kyle still had to ride.

Tucker climbed up on the rail and dropped over to the other side.

"I don't see how men can bull ride for a living. It's crazy," Jacie said, her eyes trailing over him as she stopped in front of him, hands on her hips, her feet spread apart.

"Nothin' to it."

"Whatever, Tucker. You could have been seriously hurt. What if he would have stepped on you? What if he turned and hooked your vest with a horn? I've seen way too many men not walk away from a ride even under the tightly controlled conditions of the PBR."

"Worried?"

"Yeah. Who the hell would pay for my tires if you got killed?"

Great. Tires. It's all about the damned tires.

"Thanks, Jacie. I should have made sure to write you a check ahead of time so you could still have bought the damned tires!" Frustration and anger burned in his gut. Women were all the same. It was all about the money. "Where's Kyle?" he snapped.

"I don't know. He was right there by the fence until you finished your ride, but he's not there now.”

"Anyone seen Kyle?" he asked the spectators milling about.

An older woman carrying a little boy on her hip said, "I saw him hightail it out of here right after you jumped off. Always known the guy was yellow-bellied. He talks a good talk, but he can’t walk the walk."

Not surprised by the turn of events, but willing to give the guy the benefit of the doubt, he asked, "He left?"

"Yep. Got in his truck and took off out here like his tail feathers had caught fire," the woman answered with a chuckle.

The men hanging around Tucker laughed and congratulated him on his ride with several slaps on his back.

Jake appeared at his side and Jacie stepped away, taking her scent with her.

"I'm surprised he showed up at all. The dickhead has never been on a bull that I know of. Why he took your challenge, I don't know."

"He figured I hadn't either or I’d back down, I imagine."

"Well, he must not know who you really are then," Jake replied. "When you told me your name, I knew what he was up against. I've seen you ride before.”

Tucker glanced to his left and right, but Jacie had disappeared again.
Damn it! Why does she keep taking off?
"Can you make sure the bull gets some hay? I need to track down my driver since it seems she's vanished."

"If you mean the pretty young woman, I saw her headed toward the motel," another elderly woman said.

 Tucker took off toward her room at a fast clip. By the time he reached her door, he’d built up quite a head of steam.

He rapped on the door right before she jerked it open with a sharp, "What?"

"What the hell is wrong with you? You disappeared again without a word."

"Maybe I didn't want to watch you gloat over your win," she snapped, letting go of the door. It started to swing close in his face, but he managed to get inside first.

"I thought you'd be happy. We can get the tires and get out of here."
Damn, the woman is frustrating even if she's sexy as hell.
She’d changed into that hot little black tank top
.
The dirty ball cap lay on the bed along with several other pieces of clothing including the tight jeans and white tank top she'd worn the day they met. His gaze caught sight of a black lacy thong laying amongst her other clothing. His mind spun off in one wild, hot and raunchy scene. He stepped across the small room in three strides. Enough is enough. He wanted her and he knew she wanted him too. Room temperature hit the one hundred mark any time they were in close proximity. Now with a bed in the room, he couldn't think straight, much less breathe right.

With both hands on her shoulders, he spun her around and dove for her mouth.

* * * *

Before she could blink, his lips connected with hers.
God, he tastes and smells so good.
The same feelings of desire and need to get closer that she'd felt the first time he’d kissed her, washed over her. Never in her life had a man overwhelmed her senses like Tucker.

 As his tongue swept along her bottom lip, her desire hitched up a notch. She parted her lips and his tongue slid inside as a groan rumbled in his throat. Their tongues met, tangled and swept along each other, tasting, testing, exploring.

She wrapped her hand in the hair at the nape of his neck, knocking his hat to the floor, forgotten in the heat of their passion.

His hands tipped her head to the side to fit their mouths together better. The hardness of his erection pressed into her abdomen. Her clit throbbed to the rhythm of her racing heart. Blood rushed in her ears and saliva pooled in her mouth. His lips left hers to trace a path across her cheek to her ear. Hot breath singed her skin. The stroke of his tongue to the sensitive spot below her earlobe had her shivering. Soft moans and intimate whimpers of want and need left her lips. His palm slipped down her side to cup her breast. Her nipples tightened into achy nubs, begging for his touch.

"Tucker," she whispered.

He lifted his head to stare at her, his gaze intense. The blue of his eyes seemed almost swallowed by the black of his pupils. "Tell me you want this."

"God, yes. I haven't been able to think of anything else since we met."

"I'm glad I'm not alone."

Her craving for him spiked hard as he swept his thumb along her bottom lip. "I love the feel of your skin under my hands."

"Touch me."

"Oh, I plan to. Everywhere."

The snaps on his shirt gave way with little more than a sharp tug. Belt buckle and jeans disappeared once he’d shucked his boots, but his black boxers did nothing to hide his impressive length from her gaze.

"Oh my." She grazed his cock with the tip of her fingernail. A throaty moan came from deep in his chest.

"Not fair."

"Mmm? Why?"

"You still have too many clothes on."

"Well, we’ll have to rectify the situation shortly then, huh."

"You bet, darlin'. I wanna see if the real thing is anything like my imagination."

Trepidation raced down her spine with the memory of her ex’s words.
"You don't know how to be a woman, Jacie. You'll never be anything more than a tomboy trucker who gets her jollies behind the wheel of a big rig. They say men compensate with big toys. You don't know how to turn a man on."
Tucker obviously thought she was woman enough to satisfy him. Didn't he?

"Hello, Jacie. Come on back, honey. Don't leave me hangin' here," Tucker said, skimming his thumb across her nipple even though her shirt kept them from skin-to-skin contact.

"Sorry."

"Where'd you go? Your eyes got all glassy. I know it wasn't from my touch."

"Something someone said to me once just got in the way for a minute. That's all."

"It must have been unpleasant judging by your frown," he murmured. The pressure of his hand on her breast never lessened while his thumb continued to massage her nipple.

"Let's not talk about it. All right? I need this. I need you," she said against his mouth.

"My pleasure, darlin'. I want everythin' from you."

Both hands grasped the bottom of her shirt to pull it over her head.

"Nice." He sighed, making her almost believe he liked what he saw.

Two fingers flicked the clasp of her bra sitting between her breasts and it fell at their feet.

Shivers raced down her arms at the heat in his eyes. Her nipples tightened. Her clit throbbed. Both knees wobbled, almost giving out except for his grip on her waist.

"God, you're beautiful," he whispered as his fingers danced along her ribs.

Her breath rushed from between her lips in a heavy sigh.
Maybe he does like what he sees.

He pulled her tight against him. Skin-to-skin, breast to chest, and everything in between touched, molded, and she felt the rush of desire she couldn't control. His lips brushed against her shoulder before they worked their way up to her neck. She tipped her head to the side as a soft whimper escaped her lips when he nipped at the sensitive skin.

"So soft."

Good Lord, the man knows how to make my body sing.
"Please."

"Please what, darlin'. Tell me what you want.”

"Lick me. I want your tongue."

"Where?"

"Everywhere you can reach. Eat me up."

A soft chuckle left his mouth. His eyes smoldered with his own need. Her knees hit the bed and then they tumbled backward across the mattress in a tangle of arms and legs, much to the disgruntlement of her cat.

Meow!

"What the hell?" Tucker yelled, rolling off her.

"Sorry. It's my cat," she replied with a giggle. The furious feline beelined for the bathroom in a flurry of fur and angry yowls. "She'll stay in there now for a while."

"I hope so. I really would rather have your fingernails down my spine than hers."

"Oh, I like the sound of that." She nipped at his jaw. "Where were we?"

His fingers plucked at her belt buckle, unsnapped her jeans, and then skimmed over the edging of her pink satin thong. "Right about here, I think." He sat up and grabbed her jeans at her hips. With a gentle tug, he had them down her legs in nothing flat and piled on the floor. He took a long lustful look at the scrap of fabric hiding her sex. "Like these things, do you?"

"Yeah. You?"

"I love 'em. Nothin' sexier than a woman's ass cheeks." The rough pad of his tongue slipped from her knee, up her thigh only to stop on the elastic edge of the small swatch of pink. Her breath hitched in her throat, and a sexy grin spread across his face. His warm, moist breath skipped over her skin as his nose brushed against her abdomen. His tongue flicked the dangling belly button ring at her navel. "Love these too."

He played for several moments at her belly button, before continuing his journey up until he reached her nipple. The nub ached for the touch of his mouth. One quick swipe at the tip and she thought she'd lose it. "Don't tease, please."

The soft hum against her flesh sent her desire spiraling out of control. He pulled her nipple between his lips and sucked
hard.

An annoying jingle of a cell phone, cut through the whimpers and moans of their passion. Jacie didn't recognize the ring tone.

"Damn," Tucker swore, sitting upright to reach for his pants.

"Ignore it," she said, smoothing her palm down his back.

"I wish I could. It's the main phone at my ranch." The phone appeared in his hand as he tossed the pants to the floor. "If they are calling, it's trouble." He flipped the top open and said, "Hello?"

The loss of his body heat and scrape of his hair-roughened skin over hers, brought reality back into sharp contrast.

What the hell am I doing?
She rolled off the other side of the bed, grabbed her clothes from the floor without glancing at Tucker and disappeared into the bathroom. The reflection in the mirror showed a young, fairly attractive woman in her opinion. Her hazel eyes were bright with sexual arousal, her lips looked more rosy and puffy from his kisses. Her skin had whisker burn from his cheeks. Over all, she looked like a woman who should be in there riding that cowboy’s hips like a bucking bronc, but she wasn't. She stood in the bathroom in front of the sink in a cheap motel, second-guessing having sex with one hot cowboy.

Tucker's voice came through the wooden panel as he knocked softly. "Jacie?"

"Yeah."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, but I think you should go."

Uncomfortable silence met her ear for several moments as she wondered what thoughts might be running through his mind. Would he go? What did he think of her since she was pulling the plug on their sexcapades?