Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 16084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16084 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 80(@200wpm)___ 64(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Not for protection this time . . . No.
But because my body suddenly wants.
And what the stranger could not satisfy, maybe this Cowboy can.
3
RICKON
“Honestly, this whole night feels like a fever dream,” Taylor says. “Like I’m stuck on a rollercoaster and no matter how hard I scream, no one’s letting me off.”
We’re at a bar inside. Far enough from the main stage that the music’s thump, thump, thumping doesn’t interrupt us much. Thought it wise to bring her somewhere safe after the events outside.
She’s shaken but who can blame her? Scared, alone, and cornered. Rattled by what that piece of shit was going to do.
But I’m here now, and she’ll never have to feel fear like that again.
“From where I’m sitting, looks like fate’s smiling down on you,” I say, lazily melting into the soft cushion backrest of my bar stool.
Taylor hasn’t left my side since. Followed me to the pisser and waited outside the door. Held my hand through the crowd so we wouldn’t lose each other. Keeps brushing her leg against mine to make sure I’m not some apparition that could vanish at any second.
Glued to my hip, just the way I want her, and all it took was doing what I do best.
“How do you figure?” She asks, angling her face toward me.
As I stare deep into the crystal pools of her eyes, aching want pulses in my loins. Almost placid in the calmness of conversation, but the first stirrings of what’s to come. I’m surprised I’ve managed to hold out this long with how she burrowed her way into my head.
Things are only going to get worse from here.
“I’m a cowboy by day,” I pinch the rim of my hat and tip my head forward. “And a carnie worker at night. Job market as it is, can’t rely on a single income.” Taylor chuckles at the stupidity of my joke. A good sign. “How about I help you off this wild ride and take you on another, instead?”
The subtlest of remarks, so inconspicuous she might not even realize my dirtier intentions. She’s been through too much to dive straight in. Most of it by my hand, sure, but that’s not gonna stop me.
“I’m intrigued,” leaning forward in her chair, I get a glimpse of her cleavage. Salivating at the sight of her soft, milky pillows, I have to force myself to listen to what she says next. “What kind of ride are you thinking?”
She hasn’t looked away from me since I spoke. Watched me staring at her tits and hasn’t batted an eyelash. As if she wants me to gawk, lose my mind for her . . . fall to my knees and worship at her feet.
Good thing I came prepared for the inevitability.
“A moonlit ride. Horseback. You in front, me behind controlling the reigns. Tugging, pulling, steering the show to euphoria.” Closer to admitting my wants, but keeping it tame to gauge her reaction. With porcelain distorting her face, her eyes have to hold the answer. They don’t give much away yet. It’s what I say next that will define where the rest of our night is headed. “But you should know, there won’t be a saddle. It’s bareback or nothing.”
Her eyes widen. If my initial statement didn’t make it clear there’d be no horse involved, the latter would. I’m putting my theory to the test. Seeing if the signals were clear or if I’ve got them mixed. Taking it slow is fine and dandy, but that’s just wasting time if she’s on board for this . . . ride.
As the astonishment of my forwardness begins to fade, her eyes settle in half-narrowed allure. She has to be smiling. Maybe chewing her lip while she pictures all the terribly delightful things I want to do to her.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re more of a desperado than a cowboy?” She asks, a black painted brow raising above her eye. “You know, the Man-With-No-Name type. Here for a good time, not a long time. Drifting into town, dueling at high noon, and rolling out with the tumbleweeds.”
Because I was, until I met you.
“So long as you’re here, I’m not going anywhere,” I say blunt. No more tests. The direct approach worked better than beating around the bush, and I’d rather follow that path than watching my words and being something I’m not.
“Oh, you don’t know that.” She winks, and my heart sinks into my guts. If I wasn’t sure this part of me died a long time ago, I’d think I was getting nervous. “I could be horribly disfigured.”
“Sugar, there ain’t a thing in this world that can pull me away from your side. Not unless the big man upstairs strikes me down with one of his lightning bolts.”
She giggles and the sound is joyful, angelic and pure. “Why don’t we go somewhere quieter? Give me a chance to get to meet the man behind the mask.”