One Night Rodeo (23 page)

But Kyle was determined. His hands were back on her. His mouth was once again by her ear. “There’s no excuse for what I said. None. I’m sorry. Jesus. I’m so fucking sorry, Celia. Will you let me apologize?”

“You can try.”

He chuckled. “A challenge. Well, darlin’, I live for a challenge.”

Celia expected he’d use that silver tongue, telling her how much he loved her body. How beautiful it—and she—was to him. And he did. But not with words. He did it with his steady hands and his mouth in super-slow motion. So she felt his every stuttered breath on her skin. So she felt the heat and hardness of his body as he worshipped hers.

Kyle swept her hair aside, allowing his lips to travel the slope of her shoulder. His callused hands skated up her torso, stopping to caress the underswell of her breasts.

The man was a master at turning her on. But she didn’t hear the sexy little chuckle that meant he knew he was getting to her.

His hands slid down her wrists. He placed her left palm on the tile wall and the right palm on the glass door.

The dampness between Celia’s thighs owed nothing to the water sluicing down her skin. Her heart thudded. Her brain fogged.

He fondled her breasts, zeroing in on her nipples. Pulling and tweaking the tips, while his mouth was busy biting her neck. Or the tip of his tongue teased her ears. Licking the water from her skin. Making her break out in gooseflesh.

Then Kyle’s tongue followed the length of her spine until he was on his knees behind her. His fingertips danced over the outside of her thighs and calves, as he tongued the two dimples above her ass. His voice was a hoarse whisper. “Turn around.”

Keeping her eyes closed, she faced her body toward him. She managed to stay steady when he lifted her left foot onto the edge of the tub. And when his beard scraped the inside of her thigh as he kissed higher and higher up her leg. But when his thumbs spread her pussy open for his mouth, and that skilled tongue lapped at her slit, she had to lock her knee to keep it from buckling. Still no little cocky chuckle.

Kyle mapped every inch of her folds with his tongue. Not teasingly, just thoroughly. Then he settled his lips around her clit, alternated sucking and rapidly flicking his tongue over that swollen nub of flesh.

Celia’s head fell back. She gave herself over to the divine moment when
her entire universe was his mouth sucking on her pussy. When the only thing in her world was the happy throbbing in her sex as the blood pulsed through her body.

Took a minute to regain her bearings. She glanced down at Kyle on his knees, his face nestled in the crease of her thigh.

He reached around and turned off the water. Then he stood and stepped out of the shower, offering his hand to help her. Kyle toweled her hair and dried her off. All actions that might’ve been mechanical, but he turned every simple touch into pure seduction.

Especially when he lifted her into his arms and carried her to their bed.

There his worship continued. No part of her body was left untouched or unkissed. He slipped inside her and they moved as one. Just as they hung on the precipice and she expected he’d send them both soaring, he stopped moving.

Kyle gazed into her eyes, his look a soulful mix of pleasure and regret. “I know you’re not a girl. You’re all woman, Celia. And you’re all mine.” He crushed his lips to hers and slammed home, staying seated deep inside her.

That set her off. It set him off too.

Once she’d found her sanity, she whispered, “Apology accepted.”

Chapter Eleven

A
fter Harper and Tierney duded Celia up, they headed to Buckeye Joe’s for girls’ night out.

Celia expected the place to be dead. But the Thursday-night special, Jack and Coke for two bucks, kept the joint hopping. The Mud Lilies, the wild group of seventy- and eightysomething women who’d banded together after becoming widows, had scored a table and saved three spots.

Garnet did the wave when they arrived. “About damn time. We started without you.” She gave Celia, Tierney, and Harper a one-armed hug, since she held a drink in her other hand. “Cheap drinks tonight, so I intend on bein’ a cheap drunk.” She whistled for the cocktail waitress. “Another round, barkeep!”

“Garnet is in good spirits,” Bernice said, “so watch out.”

Harper scanned the group. “Where’s Tilda?”

“A Skype date with her grandson who lives in Singapore.” Pearl pointed to the dance floor. “And Vivien’s already cuttin’ a rug with some feller. But he’s got wandering hands. I wouldn’t be surprised if Viv slapped him.”

“Which is why Pearl hasn’t taken her eyes off them,” Maybelle said. “Ten bucks says she slugs him in the stomach.”

“You’re on,” Pearl said.

They were both sorely disappointed when Vivien just gave the guy a stern talking-to with lots of finger shaking.

Susan Williams, Buckeye Joe’s owner, delivered a round of drinks and promised to return and drink a toast.

Garnet held her glass aloft. Her gaze encompassed Celia, Tierney, and Harper. “To these young gals. May their friendships last as long as ours have.”

“Hear, hear.” Glasses clinked.

That was a sweet and tame toast—from the woman who wore a royal blue tank top emblazoned with GILF in rhinestones. Beneath that, Garnet had on a black lace long-sleeved T-shirt. Her pants were stretch denim covered in glittery sparkles.

And Celia had worried that her outfit was too over the top? She fiddled with the belt to her coat, making sure it stayed knotted. It was always cold in the bar in the winter, so no one thought anything of her leaving her coat on, especially if she wasn’t dancing.

Conversation flowed as freely as the booze. Celia wasn’t in the mood for either, so she nursed her drink and listened.

An hour passed. She heard about Bernice’s upcoming bunion surgery. Vivien bragged on her grandchildren. Pearl talked about starting the Jack Daniel’s knitting club. Harper talked about her sisters’ military lives. Tierney announced she was throwing a baby shower for Janie and Tyler.

Garnet leaned closer. “See the dude in the beige hat at the bar?”

Celia angled back for a better look. “Gray hair?”

“Yep. How old do you think he is?”

“Between fifty and sixty, closer to the sixty side.”

“Practically a baby,” Garnet snorted.

“Age is relative. You’re the one who taught me that. You oughta ask him to dance.”

“I will.” She put her mouth on Celia’s ear. “Don’t tell no one at this table what I’m doin’.”

“Why not?”

“Because they’ll try to stop me. For my own good. But Lord. I’m tired of being good. Know what I mean?”

“What are you two whispering about over there?” Pearl demanded.

“Nothin’. Just giving Celia sex advice,” Garnet trilled. “Pretty raunchy stuff, Pearl. You’d probably blush.”

Celia choked on her drink.

“Is that right?” Pearl asked Celia.

“Uh. Yeah. I’m blushing, but it’s stuff I, ah, needed to know.”

Satisfied, the ladies returned to their conversation.

Garnet murmured, “Thanks for covering for me. I’m off to rock his world.”

Another half hour passed. Celia wondered how long she had to stay.

“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” blared from the speakers and everyone jumped up for the line dance, except Maybelle and Celia. They volunteered to stay at the table to keep an eye on drinks and purses.

“How’s married life treating you?” Maybelle asked.

“Great. We’re getting the house set up. Working cattle. Doing all the never-ending ranch stuff. Getting ready for calving.”

Maybelle patted her hand. “Celia, dear, that’s not what I meant. I wondered if you and Kyle are getting along okay.”

Celia bristled. Given their past, did everyone assume she and Kyle would constantly be at war with each another? “Yes, we are. Why?”

“I remember the first few months Earl and I were married. The man drove me insane. I swore I’d made a mistake. Living with him every day was nothing like the rosy world of dating, where he was all cleaned up when he picked me up for a date and he was always on his best behavior. Listening attentively to whatever I said. Buying me little tokens. I was shocked by how fast some of that wooing behavior disappeared after the wedding bells stopped pealing.”

“But obviously you worked around it because you were married for over fifty years.”

Maybelle offered a sad smile. “Yes. I miss that man every day. But at first it took me a while to admit I liked the real side of Earl better than the idealized dating version. Sure he was a slob. And he had no patience for my dillydallying. We’d fight over the dumbest things. He’d storm off and I’d cry. But he wasn’t mad for long. We’d air our grievances and then it was over.”

Celia found herself confessing, “Kyle hurt my feelings yesterday. He’d been saying some mean things that I’m probably overly sensitive about.”

“What did you do?”

“Stomped off. Bought myself some new clothes. Stayed away from home for a few hours.”

“What happened when you went home?”

“He apologized.”

“Without prompting?”

She nodded. She probably blushed to the roots of her hair when she recalled how thoroughly he had apologized. Twice.

Maybelle smirked. “I always liked the making-up part too. I’m glad to see you’re not the type who holds a grudge or keeps score. That can sour everything in a marriage right quick. You don’t want to start your marriage out that way. Always take the high road when given the chance.”

That observation jarred Celia because she hadn’t taken the high road. She’d actually sunk a little low. Lying to Kyle about her plans tonight. Wearing an outfit that made her feel exposed enough she’d left her coat on. Did she really need to prove to Kyle that other men found her attractive?

No.
Hell
no.

The only man she cared about being sexy for…was Kyle. Her husband.

Being here, dressed like this, was a petty, childish thing to do. Kyle deserved a wife who respected him—in public and in private—as much as he respected her.

That was when she knew she loved him. Not Kyle the boy. Not Kyle the bull rider. Kyle her husband. The man who got her. The man who needed her. The man she needed more than she’d ever imagined.

And more than anything, she just wanted to go home to him, hit replay, and do this over. She couldn’t do that, but she could keep from making it worse.

“Miz Maybelle, will you excuse me? I need to make a phone call.”

Celia scooted outside and huddled against the building as she waited for him to pick up. “Kyle? Can you come and get me and take me home?”

“Aren’t you comin’ back here after the movie?”

“Umm…Yeah, about that. We didn’t go to a movie. We’re at Buckeye Joe’s.”

Silence. Then, “I’m on my way.”

“Lemme get this straight. Harper, Tierney, and Celia are drinkin’ at Buckeye Joe’s?” Bran said with an edge to his voice.

“I’ve seen how Tierney and Celia are when they’re drinkin’ together.” Renner stood. “I’ll get my coat.”

“I’ll get mine too,” Bran said, “because I’ve seen Harper and Celia drinkin’ together over the years and it usually ends in a bar fight.”

“Looks like your wife is the common denominator of evil,” Eli said slyly.

“Fuck off. And back off, you two.” Kyle pointed at Bran and Renner. “Celia didn’t say nothin’ about your wives. She wants me to take her home. Maybe she’s sick or something.”

“The question is why didn’t any of you know your wives were goin’ to Buckeye Joe’s in the first place?” Fletch asked with a snicker.

Kyle noticed that Tobin, Renner’s hired hand, who always talked nonstop, hadn’t uttered a peep. In fact, he was mighty interested in his dead hand of cards. “I wanna know how Tobin knows what they’re up to.”

All eyes zoomed to Tobin.

“What? I’m innocent.”

Renner snorted. “That’ll be the day, college boy. Start talkin’.”

Tobin threw his cards on the table and sighed. “I only know because Garnet contacted me this afternoon. She asked if she got snockered if she could call me to give her a ride home. So I asked what she was doin’ tonight and she told me about them meeting at the Buckeye. Sounded like y’all’s wives planned on inviting you after they’d cut loose with the Mud Lilies for a few hours. Garnet was pretty pumped that it was cheap-drink night.”