Tying You Down (8 page)

Jo tilted her head as she looked at him. “I thought we were taking things slow.”

He raised his hands. “We can each get our own room.”

“Hmmm.” She put one hand on her hip. “If you promise to behave.”

His lips twitched with amusement. “Promise. We won’t do anything that we both don’t want to have happen.”

She cocked an eyebrow. “Well, that’s loaded.”

He put his arm around her shoulders again and squeezed. “Don’t worry about me.”

In truth, it wasn’t him she was worried about.

When it was getting late, each couple started to leave. After hugs and waves goodbye, Jo walked with Tate to his truck. The cool night made her glad she had her wrap. Ranch scents met her nose and she heard the lowing of cattle. The sky was clear and the stars so bright that they were like a brilliant swath against the darkness of the universe.

He opened the passenger side door and helped her into her seat. The heels and the short dress made it a little harder to get in. His hand moved to her bottom as he helped her in and he gave her a teasing smile before closing the door and going to the driver’s side and climbing in.

“That was fun.” She looked at him as he started the truck then headed down the dirt road leading from the McBride family ranch. “Thanks for taking me to Creed’s birthday get-together.”

“Thanks for coming with me.” He glanced from the road to her and gave her a smile. “Mom and Dad enjoyed seeing you, too.”

“I’ve always liked your parents,” Jo said.

Tate nodded. “Our dad was strict and tough, but he was a good father. Mom’s hand was a little lighter, but she managed to handle all of us, too.”

Jo was quiet as her thoughts turned to Charlee and the man her sister had slept with. Jo had managed to push her concerns aside for the night, but they were back. At least a fourteen-year difference between the two—it was like robbing the cradle.

“Thinking about your sister?” Tate asked, breaking the silence.

Jo met his gaze before he looked back at the road. “How did you know?”

“You’re frowning and you look like you’re thinking on something real hard,” he said. “I don’t blame you for being concerned. That David Smith is a stranger around here and he’s a lot older than Charlee.”

“Exactly what I was thinking.” Jo worked to shake off her worries. “I’m just an overprotective older sister.”

“I don’t blame you one damned bit.” Tate reached across the console between them and took her hand in his. His grip was reassuring, and she squeezed his hand in return. “You haven’t been to my ranch,” he said and she was glad for the change in subject. “I’ll have to take you sometime.”

“I’d like that.” She let herself enjoy the warmth of his hand holding hers. “It’s been a long time since I’ve been on any kind of ranch. Being on your parents’ tonight doesn’t count.”

“We can go horseback riding if you’d like,” he said.

She smiled. “That would be fun.”

It didn’t seem long at all before they reached her home and he walked her to her doorstep after helping her out of his truck. When she reached her door she took her keys out of her purse and unlocked the door.

For a long moment they looked at each other as they stood on the doorstep, the light above them in the archway illuminating the night in a soft glow. “Would you like to come in?” she asked and she heard the vibration in her voice.

“Yes.” He gave her a little smile. “But I’d better not. My control around you is real thin.”

She stepped closer to him and tilted her face to his as she placed her hands on his chest. He was warm and solid beneath her palms.

He slipped his hand behind her head and released the clip that had been holding her hair up and the long, gentle curls flowed over her shoulders. “I’ve been wanting to do that all night,” he murmured as he slipped his hand into her hair and cupped the back of her head.

Slowly he lowered his head and his mouth met hers. She sighed with pleasure as his firm lips took control and he kissed her with such passion that she felt like she could lose herself. She felt desire blossoming through her, starting low in her belly, and she pressed close to him.

The feel of his solid body against hers and the hard ridge of his erection pressing into her abdomen heightened her arousal. His scent, so earthy and masculine, made her want to be even closer to him than she already was. The only way that would be possible was if they were both naked, and that thought caused a throbbing sensation between her thighs.

She was hardly able to think straight as his kiss deepened and her nipples tightened and ached. She wanted him to sink into her, to be deep inside her.

The sound of something hitting the doorstep and a light jangle met her ears and she realized she’d dropped her keys.

He drew away. His gaze locked with hers before he reached down and scooped her keys up off the doorstep then put them into her hand.

She started to ask him to come in, but he said in a rough voice, “I’d better go before I can’t stop myself.”

She gave a slow nod. He was probably right…it was too soon for them to end up in bed together.

He brushed his lips over hers before making sure she was safely in her home. She stood in the open doorway and watched him leave.

Again.

Chapter 10

Tate picked Jo up at eight in the morning on the Saturday of the bull riding event to give them time to make the ninety-minute drive to Phoenix and then to the coliseum where it was being held.

They’d gone out twice since the night of Creed’s birthday get-together. Each night had ended with a kiss that left her sexually frustrated and wanting. Even though she appreciated his gentlemanliness, she couldn’t help but want more. But he’d made it clear that he wanted more than sex.

Charlee, on the other hand, was apparently spending every night with David that he was in town and then he’d leave on Friday afternoons.

As Jo and Tate drove to Phoenix, Jo brushed at a piece of lint on her dark Levis. She’d picked out a pair of leather ankle boots to wear with the jeans and had chosen an aqua blue button-up blouse with rolled up sleeves. She’d pulled her hair back into a French braid and wore a simple pair of small hoop earrings, a gold Figaro chain necklace, and a gold bangle watch. She’d brought a light jean jacket for the cool Arizona fall night.

Tate looked incredible in his faded blue Wranglers, a dark blue western shirt, black boots, and a black Stetson. She loved it when he had a day’s stubble on his jaws that gave him a rough, sexy look.

 “If you don’t have plans for next weekend, why don’t you come on out to my ranch?” Tate interrupted her thoughts. “We’ll go riding and pack a picnic lunch.”

“I guess I have plans now,” she replied with a smile. “I’d love to.”

“Great,” he said.

She situated herself so that she could look at him more easily as they drove, which was never easy when wearing a seatbelt. “Do you raise cattle?” she asked.

“About a hundred head of black Angus,” he said. “I also raise and train horses. I just purchased a new breeding mare that I think will be a fine addition.”

“I’m looking forward to seeing everything.” A shiver of excitement went through her. It amazed her how excited she got about doing things with Tate. It was crazy.

“How much do you know about bull riding?” Tate asked.

“Next to nothing.” Jo shifted in her seat. “Crazy cowboys get on the backs of crazy bulls trying to kill them. That’s about it.”

Tate laughed. “That’s a start. I’ll give you Bull Riding 101 and you can let me know if you have any questions.”

She stretched out her long legs. “I’m game.”

“We’ll start with the bull rope,” he said. “It wraps around the heart girth of the bull and is what the rider holds onto. A bell hangs from the bottom of the rope to give it some weight so that it falls off once the rider falls off or dismounts.” He went on, “The flank strap goes around the bull’s flanks to make the bull want to buck and spin more. It comes off as soon as the bull leaves the arena.”

He added, “The vests bull riders wear are made of Kevlar, the same material used to make bulletproof vests.” Jo nodded as he told her that the men who used to be called rodeo clowns were now referred to as bullfighters.

“What about scoring?” She tilted her head to the side as she thought about the brief flashes of rides she’d seen on TV. “Crazy cowboy manages to stay on crazy bull for eight seconds? By the way, your brother
is
crazy.”

Tate laughed. “The bull is scored, as well as the rider, and then their scores are combined,” he said. “The judges have up to twenty-five points to award the bull and twenty-five points for the rider.” He explained that the riders were judged not only on staying on the bull for the full eight seconds, but also for control and rhythm of the bull rider as he attempted to match his ride with the bull. If a rider was consistently off balance, points were usually deducted. “Style is important,” Tate added.

“Can a rider be disqualified?” Jo asked.

Tate nodded. “A rider is disqualified for touching the bull, the rope, or himself with his free arm, or if his hand comes free of the bull rope anytime during the ride.”

Jo gave a wry smile. “I’d imagine if his hand came free during the ride he likely wouldn’t be riding much longer.”

“Not likely,” Tate said in agreement. “What are your plans with your friend tomorrow?” he asked.

“I’m going to church with Carrie in the morning and then we’re going to lunch,” Jo said. “She’s picked out a Thai place in downtown Scottsdale that she said she’s been dying to take me to.”

The ride to Phoenix went by quickly and when they reached the coliseum, Jo saw that it was packed. Once Tate had found a parking space and they had climbed out, he locked the truck then took Jo’s hand as they walked toward the gates. She liked the feel of her hand in his, somehow comforting and exciting all at once.

Creed had given the family VIP seating tickets, near the center. Loud, energetic music pumped up the crowd as everyone made it to their seats and prepared to watch the event. Mostly cowboys and cowgirls filled the stands, but there were plenty of people not in western clothing who were there to watch, too.

All of the family members who’d been at Creed’s birthday get-together last week were grouped together in the stands.

Even though Danica had been married to Creed for a couple of years, she still looked a little pale and concerned. Jo remembered what Danica had said about being nervous. It had to be hard to be married to a man who rode a nearly two-thousand pound animal that was determined to unseat and maybe even kill its rider.

“Like I said, crazy,” Jo said to Tate over the noise. “I don’t blame Danica one bit for being concerned about Creed.”

Tate gave her a smile. “Creed is good at what he does. Real good.”

“He was almost killed at least once.” Jo let out her breath. “It’s a scary sport.”

Tate squeezed her hand. “Don’t worry. He’ll be all right.”

Jo looked at him. “This is nuts, but thank you for bringing me. I think.”

He laughed and put his arm around her shoulder.

She watched the bullfighters in the middle of the ring getting ready for the first bull and its rider to come out of the shoot.

The bull rider’s name was called, along with the name of his bull. The moment the chute was opened, the bull flung itself out, its rider gripping what Tate said was the bull rope with a gloved hand. The bull spun, twisted and bucked, doing everything it could to unseat its rider.

Before the eight-second buzzer sounded, the rider fell from his precarious seat on the back of the bull. The mammoth beast charged the rider who scrambled to his feet, but the bullfighters were able to capture the bull’s attention and draw him to the gate that led from the arena.

Jo realized she was clenching Tate’s hand tightly and tried to relax her grip as she glanced at him. He smiled, his look telling her he didn’t mind as he gave her hand a light squeeze.

Rider after rider sought to make their eight-second ride. Most didn’t make it all the way, but a good number did.

Jo’s stomach tightened as Creed’s name was announced. The crowd cheered—he was obviously one of the most popular riders there. She glanced at Danica who had her hands clenched in her lap and was biting her lower lip. Jo looked back at the gate to the chute, able to partially see Creed as the animal banged him around against the metal rails.

Creed gave a nod that said he was ready. The gate flung open and the bull shot out of the chute.

Watching Creed was incredible. He had a natural fluidity to his body that matched the bucking and spinning of the bull. He made it seem effortless. A couple of other riders had almost that same synergy, but not like Creed. Maybe she was biased, but to her it looked like he was true poetry in motion—as much as a bull rider could be.

It was amazing how long eight-seconds could draw out. It seemed like it should go by quickly, but it didn’t when it came to bull riding.

Finally, the buzzer went off and the crowd cheered as Creed dismounted, landing on his feet. He dodged out of the way of the bull before the bullfighters took over, then scooped up his hat that had flown off during the ride. He dusted the hat off on his chaps then raised it to the crowd that cheered even more before he put his hat back on and jogged out of the arena.

Jo let out her breath. She wasn’t even sure how long she’d been holding it—no doubt the full eight seconds and then some. She glanced at Danica. Everyone around her was cheering but Danica just smiled her relief as she tucked strands of dark hair behind her ear.

Chapter 11

Tate took a swallow of his Rock Bottom beer before setting the bottle down on the high-top table that he and Jo were standing beside. They were in Wranglers, the cowboy bar where most of the bull riders had headed to the night of the championship. Tate and Jo had stayed behind while the rest of the family had gone back to Prescott. He’d brought Jo here for a night on the town before they headed to their separate rooms at the resort hotel.

Separate rooms were not what he wanted, but he wanted more than just a roll in the hay. He wasn’t sure Jo was ready to give him that and he didn’t want to push her and scare her away.