Trouble With a Cowboy (13 page)

The
spicy scent of his cologne reached her nose. She inhaled the smell, trying to capture
it in her mind. She would forever think of him when she smelled it again.

His
fingers trailed over her cheek, tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear,
and then cupped her head to bring her closer. The muscles of his chest rubbed
against her tight nipples, abrading them with the crisp hair. The sensation
drove her wild with need.

The
tip of his tongue traced the seam of her lips. She opened for him on a groan.
After several minutes of dueling tongues, he left her mouth to trail kisses
down her chest. He sucked first one nipple, then the other before he continued
his journey down her abdomen.

Her
breath hitched in her throat as he settled between her thighs and licked from
slit to clit. It escaped on a heavy sigh moments later with his tongue’s
disappearance. One hand slipped under her butt to lift her hips toward his
mouth. Two fingers lifted the protective hood over her clit. The warmth of his
breath sent tingles down her spine. He pulled the tight bundle of nerves
between his lips and sucked. Tortured whimpers left her mouth as she fought the
spiraling heat zipping along her nerves. With heels planted on the bed, she
lifted her hips, grinding the engorged nub against his mouth, wanting—needing
the exquisite pressure to go on and on. The exquisite torture ended too soon when
she flew apart on a scream of his name as her climax burst through her pelvis.

The
hum of satisfaction drained her muscles of any strength. Tucker kissed the
inside of her thigh, nipped the skin with his teeth and then soothed it with
his tongue. Eyes closed, she basked in the mind numbing, muscle relaxing glow
of total release until he crawled to her side.

"No
sleepin'. You've got one horny man here to take care of."

"Mmm."

"Open
them pretty hazel eyes for me," he said. He grasped her hand and wrapped
her fingers around his already condom encased cock. "Feel how much I want
you."

She
opened her eyes to the heat of his blue gaze that warmed her clear to her soul.
"Appears so, cowboy," she whispered, enjoying the feeling of his
length in her palm.

"Good.
I don't want you to get the idea I didn't want you again because it's the last
thing from the truth." He moved between her thighs and she spread herself
open for him. Every last inch of what she wanted buried inside her, lay hard against
her thigh. "That's it, darlin'. Open for me." The head of his cock
bumped at her opening. "Oh yeah," he groaned as he slipped inside.

Molten
insistent heat stirred in her depths. This man had everything—hot bod, sexy
eyes, drop-dead-gorgeous overall and one hell of a way in bed.

He
gathered her to his chest and flipped them both over so she straddled his hips.
Her hair fell in a thick curtain around them when she leaned over to brace her
hands on his shoulders. Leaning in, she sucked one nipple into her mouth. After
several flicks of her tongue, she swore she heard low growls and hearty groans
spilling from his lips. She wanted to give him this. She wanted to make him
feel the same overwhelming sexual desire for her that she felt for him.

Her
teeth excited, then her tongue calmed the hard nub beneath her mouth. The slow
slide of her tongue from his nipple to his lips brought forth the reaction she
had hoped for. A small lift of his hips enabled the drive of his cock into her
to the hilt giving her what she needed—what she wanted.

He
chuckled low and soft before he slid his tongue into her mouth. Even though she
rode his hips, he took over their sexual encounter, lifting her with his hands
on her waist, showing her the rhythm to bring them both to the brink. His hands
moved so they touched her everywhere. On her breasts, in her hair, down her spine,
grasping her ass cheeks and spreading her open as he drove into her with
fevered desire unmatched by anything she'd felt before. He touched places in
her soul no one had touched.

"God,
I love being inside you." Several pumps of his hips and he stopped.
"Your turn, darlin'. Ride me hard."

She
lifted herself into a full upright position as she ground her groin against
his. The small tip of her hips brought need spiking hard. One of his hands
snuck between their bodies to finger her clit. She almost flew apart right
then. She didn't want to come yet. His unoccupied hand cupped her breast,
rolling her nipple. Good Lord, the man knew how to make love, have sex, fuck
until you can't stop and drive her to the brink of insanity within moments of
burying his cock inside her.

The
rocking of her hips had him moaning beneath her. She glanced through her
eyelashes to see the hard, concentrated look on his face. A situation she
wanted to break. She needed him to come apart along with her.

She
increased her speed. Faster and faster she swayed, grinding her pussy into his
groin. She tipped her head back on her shoulders, thrusting her breast further
into his palm. The pressure of his finger on her clit amplified. Two fingers
pinched the hard nub shooting burning desire from her pussy to her nipples.

His
breath rushed out, ragged and sharp. She could feel his cock swell and she knew
he would explode any minute. Her own climax teetered on the edge of her
consciousness. She bit her lip to keep from falling over into the abyss until
he groaned his own release with a panting, "Yes, yes, yes," with each
thrust of his hips.

"Tucker!"
she shouted when her own climax exploded through her body like a close crack of
thunder during an intense storm.

Intense
seemed the perfect word in her brain to describe what he made her feel. These
feelings were more than powerful. Volatile. Unpredictable. Hot blooded.
Burning. Searing. All those words came to mind as she lay across his chest
trying to catch her breath. But one last word sent her heart dropping into her
stomach and fear racing down her spine along the same path his fingers now
stroked.

Love.

Chapter Seven

Jacie
tried desperately to convince herself the clenching of her heart and the
burning behind her eyes, meant nothing.

Loving
him would be totally wrong, completely ludicrous and insane.
For crying out loud, I've only known him a
few days. I can't possibly be falling in love with him. It's just lust. Yeah, intense,
overwhelming, lust.

A
heavy sigh left her mouth when she rolled to Tucker's side, pulling the sheet
and blanket over them.

"Mmm,"
he murmured, pulling her in closer. "I really need to get up and get rid
of the condom."

She
trailed her fingers through the hair on his chest. It felt soft and springy to
her. He didn't have a tremendous amount, like a furry bear or anything, but
just the right bit covered the impressive expanse.

The
little trail of hair down his abdomen called to her.
Follow me.
Dancing her fingers over his skin, she watched as his
flesh jumped and quivered with each touch.

"Yes
you do, but I'm having fun."

"I
can tell," he said with a chuckle. "Keep goin', darlin', and I'll be
needin' another one."

She
ran one fingernail down the line of hair. "And this is a bad thing,
why?"

"It's
not. I'm only statin' a fact. It doesn't take much for you to wind me up."

"Like
a windup toy? Could be a grand adventure."

A
roar of laughter from his lips had her chuckling right along with him.
"Let me hit the bathroom for a minute, then we will see how wound up you
can get me." He flipped the covers off before sitting up on the side of
the bed. "Too bad the shower is so small in here or I'd say let's make use
of it."

She
propped one hand under her head so she could watch his firm ass leaving the
bed. "I know. It's depressing. I wished the showers at the truck stop were
coed. I would have brought you in there with me. It's been a long time since
I've had sex in the shower."

He
gave her a wicked grin and a wink before he disappeared into the bathroom. "We
should have a chance in Vegas." His voice bounced off the walls as he
spoke from the bathroom. Water ran in the sink. She assumed he was taking care
of the condom and cleaning off a bit before he returned to the bed.

In Vegas? I thought we would be
splitting up once I dropped the bull off?

"What
do you mean in Vegas?"

"You
know. We can hang out, see some of the sights. Do a little gambling. See some
of the shows. I think almost every country music artist around plays Vegas
during NFR."

"But
I thought—"

"What?"
he asked, reappearing in the doorway. All male and certainly gorgeous, she had
a hard time pulling her gaze away from him. "You thought I'd be dumping
you on the side of the road when we hit Thomas Mack?"

"Well,
yeah."

He
crawled in beside her, brought the covers over the top of them and pulled her
against his side. "I've been thinking about our deal."

Oh shit!

"I
could use someone to go to the social gatherings that are required of me while
I'm there. Dinner parties, hobnobbing with the PBR bigwigs, lunches with the
other bull owners—you know all of those public dealings."

She
sat up, staring at his expectant and hopeful expression. "Wait. You're
serious."

"Sure.
You would be perfect for it. You clean up real nice. You know your way around
livestock—"

A
swift punch to his side forced the breath from his lungs before she jumped out
of the bed. "I…will…not…be…your…arm…candy," she forced out between grabbing
her clothes. "Get some buckle bunny to play your hooker."

"Jacie,
wait!"

She
stomped out into the living room part of the trailer and jerked her clothes on,
intent on sleeping in her truck.

He
grabbed her arm and spun her around before he trapped her against his body.

"If
you don't let me go, you'll be really sorry when you need to pee next."

"All
right fine," he replied, dropping his arms from around her. "Will you
hear me out?"

"Fine,"
she growled and gritted teeth.

"How
do you plan on getting your mare home? Your trailer is still in Littleton. And
if I'm guessing right, you had planned on placing at NFR for the money for gas.
Right?"

She
refused to answer, but narrowed her eyes with his direct hit on a nerve.

"All
I'm asking is for you to accompany me to some of these things as my guest. You
know how much I hate worrying about some woman trying to come onto me because
I've got some money in the bank. You know me and we have a bit of an
arrangement, you could say. I don't have to worry about you trying to corral
me." One finger stroked her cheek for a moment and then slipped behind her
neck. "Come on, Jacie. We're good together," he whispered against her
ear. "Another two weeks of hot, sweaty sex sounds good, doesn't it?"

"Maybe."

"When
NFR is over." He licked her ear. "I'll pay your expenses to get my
bull to Texas and get you all the way home."

His
teeth nibbled her earlobe and she fought a shiver racing down her back. She
didn't want to feel the things he made her feel. She hated the way he could
bring her body up to boiling in a matter of seconds with nothing more than a
few words, a lick here and there, or the stroke of his fingers.

"No
fuss, no muss. You go your way, I go mine. What do you say?" He moved away
and looked deep into her eyes.

Problem
was she didn't want to walk away from him.

"Let
me spoil you for two weeks."

If he only knew.

"All
right. But we do this my way."

"Anything
you want, darlin'."

"You'll
be sorry you said that."

* * * *

"Bye,
Pam. Thank so much for breakfast and letting us put the animals up last
night."

"You
are so welcome, baby girl. You know that," Pam replied as she grabbed
Jacie in a hug. "You need to sink your claws in the hunky man hanging with
you, honey."

"It's
nothing. Just a short term thing. He'll be going his way and I'll be going
mine."

Pam's
deep brown eyes looked straight into hers and Jacie feared her friend could see
everything she tried desperately to bury.

"You
can't hide what's in your heart from me, honey. You're already in love with him.
I hope you find happiness in the end."

Jacie
opened her mouth to protest, but Pam shook her head. There wouldn't be any use denying
it. She had to hope when her and Tucker's time together was over, she would be
able to walk away in one piece. Somehow, it wasn't looking too promising right
now.

"I'll
see you later." Jacie couldn't say anything else. She knew it would be
hopeless anyway.

"I
hope you know what you're doin'."

"No,
but I can't stop it," she replied. "Talk to you soon. Take care of
Jack. I'll keep in touch."

Once
she pulled the keys to the truck from her pocket, she climbed into the cab and
started the engine. The animals were loaded and they were set to roll. Vegas wouldn't
be too far. They could make it easily by early afternoon, unload the animals
and find the hotel room he'd already reserved months ago.

The
Bellagio. She couldn't even fathom what the rooms there looked like. Somehow,
she figured Tucker would go in style.

After
she had given into his proposal of spending the next two weeks together, he
proceeded to tell her all about the parties, the fancy room he had reserved, and
the box seats during the events at the arena they could attend. It sounded like
he planned to wine and dine her right out of whatever slinky dress he planned
to buy and buy he would. He already said they would be going shopping when they
arrived. Her wardrobe didn't consist of anything close to what she would need
to attend the functions he talked about.

Small
talk and a non-committal type conversation kept things on an even keel for the
rest of their ride into Vegas. They say everything is brighter in Sin City. She
knew it to be true. Lights flickered pointing to different casinos, wedding
chapels, and eateries. Massive buildings in every shape and size graced the
strip. Pyramids, gold gilded buildings, circus tents, the Eifel tower, and even
Merlin's castle catered to every taste or want a person could have.

The
arena sat off near the airport but away from the strip. Fortunately, she knew
every side street or cutoff to reach the arena without having to go down the
strip in her truck.

"We'll
go around to the rear where they are unloading the stock," she said,
keeping an eye on her side mirrors.

Once
she parked the truck, Tucker jumped out to walk toward the older gentleman
standing off to the side, holding a clipboard. After several minutes of
discussion, laughter and a few backslaps, he returned to the truck on her side,
then motioned for her to roll the window down.

"Pull
around to the side there and back it up to the fence. They are herding the
bulls in through there, but let me get inside to slip the halter on his head
before you do."

"No
problem," she replied before she rolled the window up. Even Vegas had a
chill to the air in late November. She sure felt it with the air coming in. The
sight from her mirrors gave her a nice view of Tucker's ass as he walked toward
the trailer. "Very nice indeed."

Several
minutes later, he motioned for her to go ahead and reverse the rig. With the
trailer in place, she shut the engine down and crawled out of the cab. She
walked toward the rear to get her mare settled while Tucker managed to get the
bull out.

"Hey
girl," she said to the horse as she stroked her nose. "You ready to
get out of there?"

Jacie
popped the gate and crawled inside to hook the lead rope on her mare's halter.
The rear door of her stall opened with a little pressure of her hand and she
helped the animal step out. Brandy’s coat quivered as she released some of the
tension from being inside the trailer.

"Let's
find your stall, shall we? We'll get you all settled and bedded down for the
night."

She
approached the man assigning spots and asked where hers would be. Once she got
her number, she moved toward the large double doors and into the slightly
warmer air of the arena. Animals of every shape and size were herded, led or
otherwise corralled by more cowboys than she'd seen in one place in a long time.
Stetsons and straw cowboy hats in a rainbow of colors graced cowboys and
cowgirls from more states and counties than she knew the names of.

Walking
down the dirt aisle, Jacie searched for the number eighty-six on the stall for
several minutes. On the verge of asking someone, relief washed over her at the
sight of her number on the door. She hated being a helpless female and it irked
her to ask for directions. A snort left her mouth at the thought. Much like a
man—hating to ask for directions.

The
small metal fenced area would be her horse's home for the next couple of weeks.
Thankfully she knew the crew of NFR would be helpful in caring for the
livestock. She would still be required to clean her stall every couple of days
and check on her.

"I'll
be back in a bit, girl. I need to grab you some hay and find water for your
bucket."

"Next
to the bathroom," came the reply from a deep, sexy voice outside the gate.

She
looked up only to lock eyes with one gorgeous blond with startling green eyes.

"Thanks."

"You're
welcome. Names Nick."

"Hi,
Nick. I'm Jacie."

"I'm
assuming your ridin' in the events. Barrels?"

"Yeah.
You?"

"Calf
ropin'."

"Cool,"
she replied, heading for the bathroom with the bucket for Brandy's water.

"Let
me get that. A lady shouldn't be carryin' something so heavy."

"I
got it, but thanks."

He
shrugged his broad shoulders. "Okay."

She
filled the bucket, but he stood right next to her making her almost nervous.

"Did
you just roll in?" he asked, bracing his shoulder against the cement wall.

"Yep.
Green eighteen-wheeler is mine."

"You
mean you rode in with the driver right?"

She
narrowed her eyes as irritation zipped across her chest. "No, I mean it's
mine. I drive it."

"You're
shittin' me."

"I'm
not explaining myself to you." The metal handle of the bucket felt cold in
her hand as the weight almost toppled her over, since she'd misjudged the size
and load with it full. "Excuse me while I water my mare." She wasn't
about to let the jerk know the bucket was too heavy for her to carry. Every
step sloshed water over the side and down her pant leg. The variety of her cuss
words got more colorful with each stride.