Reckless for Cowboy (4 page)

“I definitely need to be there,” Denny interjects.

Unbelievable! The extent a man will go just to get you into bed. But an idea starts to form as I listen to these two jokers. I know Denny is just playing along so he can hook me up with Coop. I’m
totally
convinced Cooper is just messing around, pretending to want a threesome, for who knows what reason. He’s bored? I don’t know.

What both men fail to realize is that they should not pretend to want something they don’t really want because I plan to make them pay for all the pain and suffering I’ve had to endure tonight. “Okay, fine,” I say slowly, pointing at Cooper. “You want to do this? I dare you to go kiss Denny. Like you mean it.”

“You’re daring me?” Cooper asks with a lazy smile.

“Yep.”

“You think I won’t do it.”

“Nope.”

“You ever play ‘dare’ with a cowboy before, sweetheart?”

I shrug, not giving anything away. My bravado stays strong because clearly he’s stalling so I know I’ve won. Almost one hundred percent sure. “I’m not talking about a peck on the cheek either.”

Cooper glances around at the staff still cashing out. “Hey Sydney and…you.” He points to Marla. “Girl-who-patched-me-up. C’mere.”

Marla and Sydney slide closer. “Brooke here has dared me to kiss Denny. She doesn’t think I can do it. Would you two mind judging whether this is a real kiss or not?”

A twinge of doubt pokes me between the ribs because he sounds as cocky as ever and when he removes his hat, I can see his face clearly for the first time. He’s smiling and his eyes are shining much too brightly.

“You have to
really
kiss him,” I emphasize. “Like you’re hot for him.”

“Oh, he’s hot for me,” Denny says, eagerly moving closer.

I throw him a dirty look but he only flashes me a delighted smile. Denny is absolutely loving this. The traitor! And the others, Sydney and Marla, are laughing too. Me? I’m not laughing. No way. I’m actually starting to freak out a little.

“Wait,” I say, “What are the stakes? I mean, what are we playing for here?”

“I thought we were playing for a threesome,” Denny says with a wink.

“You’re not serious,” I say quietly, leaning over the bar, willing him to be straight with me.

“All I want is a kiss,” he says. He moves closer like he’s going to kiss me, but instead whispers, “Then he’s all yours.”

I don’t get a chance to tell him I don’t want the cowboy to be
all mine
because Cooper suddenly takes over the situation.

“What? No threesome?” He pretends he’s all hurt. “In that case, it’s judge’s call.” He points at Marla. “If I win, what are we playing for?”

“A kiss,” she says with a grin. Cooper nods and my heart flips over.

“A date,” Sydney calls out.

“Two dates,” Denny adds.

“And a dance,” Cooper says, never taking his eyes off me. “Fair?”

I nod. I don’t want to do any of those things. But I’m sure I’ll win so…well, eighty percent sure. “And if I win,” I say, my voice cracking a teeny bit, “you promise not to come back to the Cattlemen’s…
ever
.”

Cooper whistles low. “Harsh,” he says. But he’s smiling with his lips
and
his eyes and my odds of winning slip down to sixty percent.

Some of the other staff members start coming over, asking Syd and Marla what’s going on. The fact that our little bet is attracting so much attention should be deterring Cooper, but it isn’t. In fact, the opposite seems to be true. To the point where he starts playing the crowd. He gives his hat a little twirl on the bar, sets it aside, downs a nearly full glass of water, runs his hands through his hair, rolls his shoulders and says, “Ready?”

All the people standing around shout, “Ready!”

Without another word, he hops right up onto the bar and slides his legs over like he’s a gymnast and the bar’s a pommel horse. He’s so tall, Denny has to look up at him. Believe it or not, Cooper’s got that same fierce, hungry look I’ve seen on his face more than once.

“Fuck me,” Denny whispers when Cooper grabs his shoulders and pulls him up against his big body. He takes hold of either side of Denny’s face and tilts, angling him before leaning down for the kiss.

Oh mama. I know that kiss and it’s even more potent to watch. The fierce passion. Tongues, lips, grunts, grappling. Seeing Denny’s response stirs me more than I could have imagined. Their mouths are wrestling. It’s rough and exciting and too darned hot for words.

By this time, the audience is clapping and whistling.

Denny pulls away first.

“Ho-lee shit.” He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand and winks at me with an irreverent grin. “You are
in trouble
, girl.” Before Cooper has a chance to move away, Denny grabs his shirt. “I say we forget Brooke. Why don’t you come on back to my place? We’ll play a little
Brokeback Mountain
. What do you say?”

“Sorry dude,” Cooper says with a laugh. “I’ve never gotten past first base with a guy. I don’t think I’m about to start now.”

“Oh hell, baseball’s a cinch. I’ll teach you.” 

“If I ever decide to learn, I know who to call.” His grin is wide and smug. Instead of hopping over the bar, he strolls all the way around. Slow. Making me wait. Making me pay for daring him. I lick my lips as he saunters toward me with a cocky smile that takes my breath away. I should run. No good can possible come of this. But my body is pulling a Denny, betraying me at every turn, and every physical part of me wants to stay, no matter what my brain says.

Cooper sits down on the stool and leans back, his elbows propped on the bar behind him. “What’s the verdict?”

It appears there are more judges now than ever and everyone wants a say.

“Seriously, dude. Was that necessary?”

“That was fucking hot.”

“Sorry Brooke, you lose. Big time.”

“Why don’t you and Denny get a room?”

“Brooke, if you don’t want to kiss him, I will,” Sydney shouts.

Kai, the bouncer, pipes up. “So help me, if any of you shit-heads ever try that on me, I’ll kick your ass.”

Once everyone’s had their say, Cooper points to his lips. “It’s unanimous. Kiss me.”

I don’t move. I can’t.

“Come on,” Denny says, egging me on. “Do it.”

“Don’t tell me you’re going to welch on our bet.” Cooper grabs hold of my belt loops and pulls me between his parted legs. “You’ve gotta kiss me,” he says nice and slow. “If you don’t, I’m going to torment the living hell out of you every single minute of every single night until you do.”

I watch his lips while he talks, mesmerized—against my will. For the first time, I notice he talks out of the left side of his mouth. It’s sexy as sin. I’m watching his lips so closely, the next thing I know, I lean in, like he’s one of those gigantic magnets and I’m a big ol’ horseshoe. Then I’m doing it. Kissing him, and lord help me, I mean every second of it.

He lets me take the lead…at first. Until I try to break away. Then he increases his hold on the back of my head and ropes me in with his tongue, chasing mine around, nibbling on one side of my lips and sucking on the other. It’s better than I remember. It’s hotter than watching him with Denny. His lips consume me, fill me, tempt me—giving me hunger pains for more.

“Hot damn,” Denny shouts above the sound of the others cheering us on and that’s when I realize we’ve been putting on a show. It’s weird because, when I was in the middle of the kiss, I didn’t hear a thing.

Coop stops kissing me, but he doesn’t let go of my belt loops. “First date, tomorrow night. Bring a change of clothes and a warm coat. I’ll pick you up after work.”

“But that’s like two in the morning.”

Cooper winks. “Sure is. You have a problem with that, Miss Hamilton?”

Oh no. This is not good. Already I can’t wait for tomorrow night. Already I’m tingly and damp and way too into this. Already I think I like Cooper way too much.

Chapter Three

C
an the night drag on any longer? Tonight, the patrons seem drunker, louder and more obnoxious than ever. I don’t have the patience for it, partly because I’m anxiously awaiting Cooper’s appearance, and this bugs the heck out of me. I’m not sure who I’m more annoyed with, the drunks or myself.

There’s an idiotic part of me that hopes he’ll show early, to torment me like he did last night. But he doesn’t. He doesn’t arrive until just before closing time. The minute I see him, looking fresh and clean in a crisp shirt and jeans, his hat pulled low, my knees go weak and my heart goes
whump
.

“Hey,” he says to me.

“Hey,” I say back, feeling strangely shy and uncertain.

“Coop!” Denny calls when he catches sight of him. “How’s my favorite cowboy?”

“Good.”

“You having second thoughts about my offer?” Denny slides a drink for Cooper down the bar like he’s had it ready and waiting all night.

Cooper grabs the sliding glass and laughs. “Nah, man. Still playing for the other team. But if I ever switch, I’ll let you know.”

“You’re half-way there, brother.”

I don’t know why, but listening to Cooper and Denny sling the banter back and forth makes me feel all warm and mushy inside. I try not to think about why that is but it doesn’t help that it goes on and on, like the two of them have known each other for years. Half-listening to them distracts me and of course it takes me extra-long to balance my cash. Once I’m finally done, I go to the ladies room and change into a pair of jeans and a button-down shirt. I splash my cheeks and neck with cold water and apply some fresh makeup with a trembling hand.

“Darn it,” I whisper to myself when I end up smudging my mascara.

Finally I’m ready to go and I meet Cooper at the front doors.

“You look great,” he says.

With an arched brow, because I know he’s lying, I say, “No I don’t. I’m hot and sticky and my feet are killing me. I probably stink too.”

He leans down and sniffs. “You smell wonderful.” Then he places the softest of kisses on me, barely touching the inside of my lips with his tongue. “You taste good too.”

Splash. There I go.

He takes my elbow and steers me through the parking lot to his truck. “Don’t worry, where we’re going, you can put your feet up and relax. It’ll be nice and cool too. Did you bring a jacket?”

“Yes. By the way, where are we going?” I ask as he opens the door for me and hands me into the truck.

“Wait and see.”

Wait and see? How long does he expect me to wait? We’ve been driving for over twenty minutes taking highway 22 west toward the mountains. I decide to fill in the silence with a little conversation. “So,” I say. “I’m curious. Is Denny the first dude you’ve ever kissed?”

Cooper makes a funny little snorting sound. “Would you believe, no?”

I turn to look at him. It’s hard to make out his features from the dim light off the console. “You kiss guys a lot then?”

“No. Only one other. He was a guy I grew up with. Mitch Harder.” He glances at me and I see the flash of his teeth. “And no, he’s not a porn star. That’s his real name.”

“So, what happened between you and Mitch…
Harder
.” I chuckle at the name and so does he.

“We were kids, just hanging out one night watching a movie or something. Next thing I know, Mitch leans over and plants one on me.”

“What,” I interrupt. “How old were you?”

“Fifteen.”

“Fifteen? What’d you do? Kick his ass?”

“Honestly? I was too stunned. I just wiped my mouth and asked him what the hell he did that for.”

“What did he say?”

“He said he just wanted to see what it would be like. He’d never kissed anyone before. Then he asked me if I wanted to try it again.”

“He didn’t!”

“Oh yes he did.”

“What did you say?”

“I said, ‘aah, no thanks’.”

“So,” I say through my laughter. “What was it like?”

“Like kissing a goat. Mitch was still figuring out deodorant. Plus, he was all slobber and tongue.”

“Eww,” I picture Cooper kissing a long-tongued goat.

“Saw Mitch a few years ago. Turns out he’s gay.”

“No kidding. And you?”

“That kiss pretty much told me I wasn’t.”

“You sure? Because it sure looked like you were enjoying yourself with Denny.”

“Denny’s a good kisser.” He glances over at me again. “Of course, you already know that.” He pauses, and then adds, “You know, we’d already worked out the whole kissing scenario while you were waiting tables.”

“What! You two played me?”

“Denny said you like surprises. As it happens, I like surprising people.”

“So you two planned the whole dare and everything?” I ask incredulously.

“Maybe.”

“But I’m the one who dared you. How is that even possible?”

“Denny said you would. He knows you pretty well.”

I shake my head. I should be angry that I’ve been duped by my best friend and Cooper…but I’m not. What is up with that?

I may not be angry, but I’m starting to get concerned as I see a sign for Bragg Creek and Kananaskis Provincial Park go by. It’s late and the highway’s deserted. I haven’t seen another car in miles. “Speaking of surprises, maybe you can tell me where we’re going now.”

“Just west of Bragg Creek.”

“You’re not taking me down some unmarked road, are you?” It’s a joke but the truth is, I’m starting to freak out. No one knows where we are. I barely know Cooper and I suddenly have this unsettling vision of hikers finding my body out in the woods.  I rest my mobile on my knee, making sure it’s on and has reception and my hand is on the door handle. I’m poised to run, should I need to.

“As a matter of fact,” Cooper says, “I
am
taking you down an unmarked road.” He glances over at me. “Scared?”

I swear he’s a mind reader. “Should I be?”

“Nope.” A little while later he says, “Maybe.” Then he laughs, a low, deep chuckle.

Could that be the laugh of some whacked-out serial killer? Oh God. I am way too trusting. What is wrong with me?

“The only thing you have to be afraid of is bears. Oh, and cougars. Maybe wolves too. But don’t worry, I’ll keep you safe.”