Rough Riders Bundle 1(books 1, 2, 3) (30 page)

He scissored his legs on the outside of hers, immobilizing her lower half. He encircled both her wrists together in his large hand and pinned them above her head.

Colby’s free hand slid between them. He plunged two fingers inside her wetness. He coated his shaft with her juices, guided his cock to her entrance and drove in.

Channing groaned. Yes. This is what she wanted, what she understood about this man. The primal need.

Body to body, forehead to forehead, he thrust into her. Long, hard deep strokes. Not fast, not slow. Just strong and steady and true.

“Why haven’t you ever let me love you like this? Face to face? Heart to heart? So I can look in your eyes while I’m makin’ love to you?”

Because it’s not lovemaking, it’s just sex.

“What are you afraid of?”

That you’ll see my feelings for you and cut and run.

“Look at me, Channing Kinkaid.”

She angled her chin up an inch.

“What I said the other night? I meant it. Maybe it was crudely put instead of poetic, but I meant every damn word.”

Play it cool, play it dumb
. Breezily, she said, “Oh. Remind me again what you said. I don’t remember.”

A calculating look came into his eyes. “Oh. I’ll remind you all right.”

Channing realized she’d made a huge mistake baiting him.

“I told you that you are mine. You belong to me. Remember now?” He rocked his hips with short, precise thrusts.

Her body softened for his, yet her mouth remained clamped shut as a rusty well cover.

“Maybe I should repeat it. Then you can say it back to me so I know you understand. And remember.”

God. He was relentless.

“Say it. Say you’re mine.”

Channing blinked as he thrust. In. Out. In. Out. In a compelling rhythm as exotic as it was arousingly familiar.

“Say it.”

She couldn’t believe he was doing this. Pushing her emotions as he pushed her body to the limit.

“You’re mine. Say it.”

She stared at him, pretending a detachment she didn’t feel.

No change in his expression. No change in the solid motions of his thrusts. No change or concession in the words he demanded from her.

“Say you’re mine.”

Channing turned her head away.

With his chin he forced her face back level to his and peered in her eyes. “Goddammit, Channing. Say it.”

She watched him warily. Physically, she wasn’t scared of him, but at some point in the last hour, on an emotional level, he’d set out to conquer her. Completely. He wouldn’t be satisfied until he had her total surrender. And she was teetering on the brink of submission.

“Say it.”

Channing shook her head, wanting to distract him with her hands. Her mouth. Anything. But she was totally under his control.

“Say it. Say you’re mine.”

She found her voice. “Why?”

“Because you
are
mine and you’ll damn well admit it. Say it.”

“I can’t.”

“You can. You will. Say you belong only to me.”

“Damn you, Colby. Why are you doing this?”

“You needed a reminder, remember? Say it.”

The repetition of his words
say it say it
was stuck in her head. The repetition of his body plunging in and out of hers struck her pleasure center like a thousand needles.

“Say it. Say you’re mine.”

“No.”

“Say it. I won’t stop fucking you. We’ll be here in this bed, locked together until you admit to me out loud what I see in your eyes, Channing Kinkaid. What I feel in your body whenever I touch you. So say the words to me so I can say them back to you.”

Was she prepared to give in to him? Especially when he hadn’t clarified if he meant that she belonged to him only for the rest of the night? Or did he mean forever?

Maybe she should take a chance and find out.

Channing locked her gaze to his. “I’m yours.”

Fire danced in his eyes. He set his jaw and rocked into her harder. “Again.”

“I’m yours.”

“Again.”

“Yours.” That tingling pressure for release began to build low in her belly.

“Whose? Say my name.”

“Colby.”

Sweat dripped down his temple. “Who do you belong to?”

“You. Colby McKay.”

“Goddamn right you belong to me.”

She arched her hips, wordlessly begging for more.

Colby fucked her with a ferocity that left her breathless. Helpless. Like nothing else that had ever happened to her before that moment mattered. Staring into his heated blue eyes, she saw his determination. His need. His discipline of possession. His utter obsession with her. But she didn’t see love.

“Colby—”

“Mine.” He thrust hard. “Mine.” Another pounding thrust that knocked the bed frame into the wall. “Only mine, Channing. I’ll kill the next man who so much lays a hand on what’s mine.”

The orgasm caught her off guard like a summer storm and burst through her with the elemental power of lightning and thunder.

Colby didn’t yell out his release or miss a stroke as he came silently. She felt the hot bursts of semen inside her pussy and then warm liquid seeped out from where they were still joined.

He simply said, “Again. Another reminder so you don’t forget.”

Colby had taken her at her word; they’d fucked it out. He fucked her until the pleasure was too much, until her body shuddered and quaked, until her brain overloaded on bliss and she passed out in his arms.

‡

C
hanning woke up.
Naked. She rolled over and groaned.

Colby’s side of the bed was rumpled and empty, except for the ticket on the pillow and a note, which read:

Today, we
talk
it out. C U after the perf. Love, CWM

She glanced down her nude body, expecting another set of his marks of passion. She saw none. They were all internal. Mental. But definitely permanent.

After a quick shower she gathered her stuff to head to Gemma’s campsite. She opened the door and a swell of heat blasted her. It’d be blistering hot in Cheyenne today.

As she turned around, Channing bumped into Carson McKay, who wasn’t exactly thrilled to see her sneaking out of Colby’s room.

“Umm. Morning, Mr. McKay.”

His eyes narrowed to pinpoints. “Hey. I know you. You’re that friend of Gemma Jansen. A
friend
of Colby’s, too.” Carson gave her a once-over. “You mind tellin’ me what you’re doin’ slinkin’ out of my son’s room?”

Her first thought was to lie.

Carson stared her down. Letting his gaze wander to the love bites on her neck Colby had given her that hadn’t faded yet. Judging her. Appearing to find her lacking. Just like her own father. Just like everyone else in her old life.

Her back snapped straight. “Your son invited me into his room. You can ask him what we were doing, but since he’s a gentleman, I doubt he’ll kiss and tell.”

No response from Colby’s father. Just another cold hard stare.

“You’re wastin’ your time with him. I know my son. He ain’t—”

“Maybe you don’t know your son as well as you think. And if he chooses to waste his time with me, then I don’t see how it is any of your business. Now, if you’ll excuse me.” Somehow she managed to walk away instead of running like a scared rabbit.

Gemma’s trailer was empty. Channing had a few hours to kill before the rodeo started so she wandered through the vendor stands and the midway. She cruised through the gift shop. Studied the bronze statue of the late Lane Frost for a long time. A reminder that even the best athletes in the world succumbed to forces beyond their control.

Frontier Park was huge, the biggest outdoor rodeo arena in the world. After the Air Force paratroopers sailed in, and the state rodeo queens in attendance were announced, and a barbershop quartet from Riverton belted out “The Star Spangled Banner”, it was time to rodeo.

With so many competitors at Frontier Days Rodeo, the individual events were spread out, instead of all the events running one after the other like at other venues. Rough stock riding was interspersed with timed events. Colby ate dirt on his saddle bronc ride. He posted a decent score of 4.5 in tie-down roping. Unlike other rodeos where bull riding was always last, here they were sprinkled throughout the afternoon.

As she waited, she began to wonder just what his plans were for later. Anticipation made her heart race and she almost missed his name being called.

The bull, Nobody’s Business, hadn’t been ridden in twelve outs. Channing perched on the edge of her seat, expecting a good match up.

The chute opened to the roar of the crowd. Colby looked spectacular as he rode, synchronized to the bull’s movements like he’d ridden him every day. The buzzer sounded. He’d made it the full eight seconds.

For some reason instead of watching the first instant replay on the big screens, she kept her gaze on Colby. He’d gotten hung up. Not his hand in his bullrope, but his spur was twisted around the flank strap.

The bull fighters were trying to get him loose, but the bull hopped and jumped. The next scene seemed to happen in slow motion, Colby’s body sliding under the bull when the bull lunged sideways. Both the bull’s back legs came down on Colby’s left thigh. Then the bull hooked Colby’s vest and tossed him in the air.

The crowd gasped.

Channing leapt to her feet.

Even in the upper tier of the grandstands she could hear one bull fighter screaming for the sports medicine team, while the others chased the bull away. Colby’s leg was bent at an odd angle and he was prone on the dirt.

A dozen people milled around on the arena floor. It wasn’t long before the far gate opened and an ambulance zoomed in, kicking up dust. Colby was loaded on a stretcher, shuttled in the back end of the ambulance and whisked out amidst wailing sirens and nearly complete silence in the arena.

Stunned, she just stared at the churned-up patches of dirt where Colby had fallen. How long she stayed motionless, she didn’t know.

Finally, people behind her yelled, “Sit down!”

She made her deadened body move and she exited the stands in a daze.

Channing had no idea where they’d taken him. She knew if she tried to sneak into the contestants’ area without a pass, she’d get escorted out by security. She wandered along the fence—for how long, she didn’t know. Someone shouted her name.

She whirled around and saw Cash barreling toward her. He grabbed her in a bear hug. “Have you heard anything about what happened to him?”

Channing shook her head.

“You saw it, right?”

She nodded.

“Okay. The bull landed on his leg and broke the femur in his left thigh. A bone fragment caused a rupture in his femoral artery. Very serious stuff. I ain’t gonna lie, Channing; it is life threatenin’, so they rushed him to emergency surgery. They also were talkin’ about a collapsed lung where the bull hooked him.”

“Omigod.” She was glad Cash held her upright because her knees gave out.

“His family is already gone. I’ll drive you to the hospital.”

The truth hit her and she began to shake harder. “Cash, his family isn’t going to want me there. They don’t even know about me.”

Cash placed a gentle hand on her cheek. “It don’t matter if they want you there, Channing.
Colby
will want you there.”

She nodded and ducked her head to hide her tears.

“Cash!”

Gemma ran up, out of breath. “What are you doing out here? You’re up in about five minutes. They’re looking for you behind the chutes.”

“I’m gonna have to forfeit this go. I’m driving Channing to the hospital.”

“I’ll take her.” Gemma’s arm circled Channing’s shoulders. “Colby would be pissed if you didn’t ride on account of him. So get back there and cover that bull. Meet us there later.”

Cash nodded and reluctantly trotted off.

Channing was absolutely numb. She let Gemma lead her into the parking area. The heat from the blacktop nearly scorched her lungs. She didn’t remember anything about the ride to the hospital, as she was too busy praying that Colby would still be alive when she got there.

*

Eight excruciating hours
later the surgeons gave the news to the family. The doctors had stopped the hemorrhaging, which was their first concern. Then they’d fixed his collapsed lung. After that, they began surgery on his leg and inserted an intramedullary rod down the center of Colby’s thighbone.