A Real Cowboy Rides a Motorcycle

by Stephanie Rowe

  And with that, he moved past her, flipped back the covers, and dropped onto the mattress.

  For a moment, she stood there in shock, staring at him as he made himself comfortable in the bed she’d been occupying only moments before. “You’re kidding, right?”

  “I don’t have a sense of humor.” He rolled onto his side, facing her. The bed seemed to have shrunk to half the size now that he was in it. His shoulders were broader than she’d realized, and he seemed to literally possess the area he was in. His eyes were dark and unfathomable, so intense she felt as though he were prying away all her haughty facades and seeing her for the broken, exhausted woman she really was. “I’m not a good guy, but I have a sense of honor I’d never break. We could both be naked in this bed, and I’d never touch you unless you asked me to. You’re safe with me.”

  He never broke eye contact when he spoke, and Taylor knew he meant every word. “You’re a cowboy? Like Chase?” She knew it was silly, but she’d always associated cowboys with a sense of honor and morality. They were the men who knew how to be polite to a woman, who wouldn’t hesitate to defend his girl, no matter who came after her.

  Zane, however, didn’t offer himself up as her fantasy man. “I was once. Not anymore.” He offered no further explanation. Instead, he rolled onto his back and draped his arm over his face, shielding his eyes. “Turn out the light when you decide where you’re sleeping. The floor sucks, though.”

  Taylor glanced around the bunkhouse. There was a small kitchen area, the door to the tiny bathroom, and the bed. Nothing else except another door tucked against the far wall. “What’s in there?”

  “Everything that Steen and Erin rejected.” He didn’t move his arm from his face. “Chase used to have this place set up with a bunch of bunks so that he could accommodate all the vagrants who showed up to stay, but we never came, and Erin and Steen redecorated. Now we have one bed.”

  Taylor quickly walked across the room and opened the door. It was pitch-black inside, but she found a light switch by the door. Piled from floor to ceiling were bunk bed frames and mattresses, packed in the tiny room. No bedding, and the room smelled musty and old. There was no way anyone was going to sleep in there tonight. It would take days to get it cleared out.

  Grimly, she pulled the door shut and leaned against it, staring at the bed. Zane was stretched out across it, taking up almost the whole thing, except for a small area against the wall. She’d have to climb over him to get to the free space. With a sigh, she ran her hand through her hair. How could she kick him out? She could hear the rain hammering on the roof, and she knew there was no space up at the main house.

  But how could she just climb in there with him? She didn’t know him, he was mostly naked, and he was…well…a man. Not just a man, but a man she was viscerally aware of as a woman. She’d spent a long time convincing herself that she didn’t need a man, but there was something about Zane that had awakened a part of her that had been long dormant. Yes, of course, seeing him in the flesh was riveting, but there was something more to him, something that called to a part of her that had been broken so badly that she’d never thought it would work again. She’d never wanted it to work again, because to feel things meant heartbreak she wouldn’t survive. Somehow, Zane had touched those chords inside her, and she didn’t want them to wake up.

  He moved his arm off his face and lifted his head to study her.

  She lifted her chin, folding her arms to ward off the chilly, damp air that was beginning to settle in her bones. “I can’t share a bed with you. I don’t even know you.”

  He said nothing. He simply held out his hand to her.

  She stared at his hand, and part of her wanted to just take what he offered and crawl into bed with him, to fall asleep hearing someone else’s breathing for the first time in a very long time. The other part of her wanted to grab her bags, run back to the airport, and get on the first plane back to the life she was used to…the one that was slowly killing her.

  “You’re tired,” he said. “I’m tired. Come on.”

  She sighed, fighting the urge to capitulate, even as her teeth began to chatter. Her feet were ice cold, and she was shivering. “I don’t think—”

  “The heat’s not working in this place anymore,” he said. “Unless you have an electric blanket, you’re going to need me anyway.”

  She barely stifled a giggle. “You’re trying to convince me by presenting yourself as an electric blanket?”

  “For hell’s sake, woman, get your ass in this bed before I make you.” He held up the blanket to make space for her to slide in with him. “Martyrs are fools, and I can’t stand fools. Are you going to wimp out and spend the night freezing, or are you going to get your ass in here?”

  “I’m not a wimp,” she snapped, even as she gave in. She wanted to be in that bed with him, and there was no way to deny it. With a sigh of resignation, she darted across the room to the bed. He was still on the outer edge, and he didn’t move over.

  His eyebrows rose in a challenge, and she thought she saw the smallest hint of amusement twitching at the corner of his mouth.

  “Oh, for heaven’s sake.” She yanked the blanket out of his hand and climbed across him. There was no way to avoid touching him, and her belly tightened at the feel of his body beneath hers as she crawled over him. It just felt good, so crazy good, to feel another human being’s body against hers.

  As she settled into her corner of the bed, she realized that she’d had no idea how much she’d missed physical contact. Just being beside Zane made her want to burrow up against him and breathe deeply.

  Zane moved beside her, and she heard him click off the light on the nightstand, plunging them into total darkness. He shifted again, and the bed creaked beneath his weight as he settled into the mattress, pulling the covers up over both of them.

  “You think this bed will hold both of us?” she asked. She knew it would, but she felt awkward lying in the silent darkness with him, a stranger. She needed to connect with him so it wouldn’t feel so weird.

  “Given what Steen and Erin probably did here, I’d say it’s plenty strong for sleeping.”

  Awareness swirled through her at the implications of his words. “It’s always about sex with guys, isn’t it?” They weren’t touching, but she could feel the heat from his body filling the space they shared beneath the blankets. He was such a strong presence, he made her feel warm and safe. She liked the fact he was between her and the rest of the room. If anyone came in, they’d have to go through Zane to get to her, and she suspected that wouldn’t be an easy task.

  He laughed softly at her question. “Darlin’, it’s never about sex with me. Been there, done that. I got no time for that these days.”

  She snorted. “Give me a break. Every remark you’ve made tonight has had sexual innuendoes.” Well, maybe not every one, but it had been a high percentage for sure…then, as she thought about it, she realized that maybe he hadn’t actually made any sexual references. Maybe she’d just interpreted them that way because she was the one with sex on the brain? She felt her cheeks begin to heat up with embarrassment, and she wanted to sink into the mattress.

  “Is that so?” Zane sounded thoughtful. “You might be right. If you are, then I’d have to revise my answer and say that it’s never about sex with me anymore, unless a certain Taylor Shaw is in my bed.”

  His answer seemed to ignite the darkness, and Taylor caught her breath. So, the chemistry humming between them wasn’t just her being delusional? It was mutual. Oh, wow. “You don’t even know me,” she whispered, rolling onto her side to face him. Of course, she couldn’t see him at all, just darkness. She wanted to reach out and touch him, just to see where he was, but she didn’t. How could she? This weird, middle-of-the-night intimacy wasn’t about getting real with actual touching.

  “Nope, I don’t, but I got some things figured out already.” The bed shifted as Zane turned, and she wondered if he was facing her. “I know you’re a little scar
ed of being in this bed with me, but you did it anyway. Not only is that endearing as hell, but I also appreciate the fact you didn’t tell me to get my ass out into the rain so you could have your privacy. You hit me in the head with a pillow to protect yourself. What guy doesn’t admire that kind of attitude? Vulnerable, empathetic, and a little bit bad ass? And you surprised your best friend with a visit, but didn’t say one bad thing about the fact you got booted to the bunkhouse upon your arrival. That says loyalty to me, and loyalty is damned important. Plus, you look smoking hot in that getup you’ve got on, so yeah, you got me thinking about things I haven’t had time for in a long time.”

  Her heart began to race, and desire curled through her. A part of her wanted him to reach for her and draw her into his arms. Somehow, in this darkness, in this intimacy, it felt like she could do things that she’d never do in real life…like get naked with a man she didn’t even know?

  Oh, God. Really? She rolled onto her back, clutching the blankets to her chest. What was she thinking? Just because Zane was the brother of the man her best friend was going to marry didn’t change the fact he was a complete stranger.

  “And what man wouldn’t fall for that look of absolute vulnerability in those eyes of yours? So bold, and yet soft at the same time. It’s compelling.” Zane said softly, almost so quietly that she didn’t hear it. But she did, and she knew she was meant to.

  “Are you trying to seduce me?” she asked, her voice equally as quiet.

  He was silent for a moment. “Would it work?”

  “It might,” she said honestly. “There’s something about you.”

  “Yeah. I know what you mean.”

  Again, neither of them spoke for a moment, and she waited, nervous, afraid he would break his promise and try to seduce her, afraid that she would say yes. She’d never had a one-night stand in her entire life. She wasn’t cut out for it emotionally, and she didn’t like sex enough to need a quick fix of hot and sweaty to get through the day. But with Zane…something seemed to come alive inside her, something that was powerful and dangerous and made her tread too close to an edge she’d battled against for so long.

  “You dating anyone?” he asked, his voice startling her when he spoke.

  “No. You?”

  “No.”

  Again silence, then he spoke again. “I don’t get involved with women,” he said. “I don’t have time for a girlfriend or anything serious. You should know that about me. I don’t want you to think I’m something I’m not. I’m in town to run the ranch while Mira and Chase have the kid, then I’m out of here. I’m not sticking around.”

  She bit her lip and closed her eyes. “You’re not a family guy? No dreams of a white picket fence and little munchkins running around the yard?”

  He stiffened beside her, as if she’d just tried to shoot him in the head with a gun. “Shit, no. You’ve got to be kidding.”

  She heard the absolute truth of his words, and her entire body shuddered with relief. Zane wasn’t lying to her. He wasn’t a family guy…which meant he was safe.

  “Why?” His voice was wary now. “Is that what you’re looking for?”

  She shook her head, giving the answer she always gave now, the one that she had almost convinced herself was the truth. “Absolutely not. Settling down isn’t in my nature.”

  He moved then, and suddenly, she felt his breath warm against the side of her neck. “No?” he whispered.

  She went still, afraid to move, afraid to face him, afraid that if she turned toward him, if her lips accidentally brushed his in the dark, that it would start a cascade of chain-reactions she wasn’t prepared for. “No,” she said.

  “How long are you here for?” His words sent shivers down her spine. “In town?”

  She could barely breathe through the tightness in her lungs. “Until the wedding, and the baby. Two weeks, probably.”

  “Two weeks.” He said the words like a seduction that caressed along her spine. “Could be an interesting two weeks, Taylor.”

  She swallowed hard. “Go away, Zane. I need to sleep.”

  He laughed softly, a deep rumble that seemed to echo through her body and settle low in her belly. “Good night, darlin’. I’ll see you in the morning. Let me know if you get cold.” He moved away, back to his own side of the bed, which was still dangerously close to her.

  Taylor let out her breath in a shuddering exhale. She was still cold, and she knew he was well aware of it. Not that she would ever ask him to warm her up. She wasn’t that foolish. Or brave. Or whatever you wanted to call it.

  She might have climbed into bed with him, but that was as far as it was going, end of story.

  Chapter 3

  Zane awoke to the scent of a woman. It drifted through him, enveloping him in a sense of primal satisfaction he hadn’t felt in a long time. Then, he became aware of not only the scent of a woman, but the feel of one wrapped intimately around him.

  His eyes snapped open, and he lifted his head. In the dim light of morning, he could see the woman from what he’d thought were his dreams wrapped around him. It hadn’t been a dream. She was real.

  Taylor was using his chest as a pillow, and her blond curls were tumbling across his bare skin. Her feet were tangled with his, and his arm was wrapped around her shoulders, holding her close against him. Her belly was snug against his hip, and her thigh was resting directly on top of his cock, which was hard as rock.

  But what he noticed most of all was that her fingers were wrapped around his wrist, holding on tightly to him in her sleep, as if she were afraid he would leave her. He stared at her hand, amazed by how delicate it looked compared to his wrist. She was all woman, with curves that made him hunger for more.

  He let his head drop back to the pillow, contemplating. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d slept with a woman. Yeah, he’d had a few nights of fun, but he always made sure that when it came time for sleeping, he was alone. He didn’t like people in his space, and he certainly didn’t want to wake up in the morning and owe someone else his time and energy, or even coffee.

  And yet, here he was, so tangled up with Taylor that there was no way he’d be able to extricate himself without waking her up. He was completely trapped by her, and it should feel like a noose was around his throat.

  But it didn’t.

  He was actually damned comfortable right where he was. He liked having her against him, and he really liked the way she was gripping his wrist in her sleep. Was it because he hadn’t had sex with her? He owed her nothing, and she would expect nothing, so there was no pressure to be anything other than who he was. Hell, he’d already made it clear that he had no manners, right?

  A small smile played across his lips as he tightened his arm around her, tucking her even more securely against his side. His hand was on her hip, and he left it there. He had a sudden urge to trace circles on her hip, to tease his fingers across her skin, but he didn’t move.

  Staying where he already was felt like it was within the parameters of acceptable. Doing something else, like running his hand over her thigh where it was draped across his cock, was not, but there was no way to deny he was thinking about it.

  He thought back to how she’d whacked him in the head with a pillow, and his grin widened. She had spunk, and she hadn’t wanted anything from him. He was used to women wanting him for his body or his name, and it was damned refreshing to have Taylor see him completely naked, but then not want to have sex with him. She’d treated him like he was a regular human being, and he liked it. A lot.

  She stirred against him, mumbling something in her sleep, and he went still, trying not to wake her up. He wasn’t ready for reality to intrude. He wasn’t ready for the yelp of horror or an insulting accusation that he’d tried to assault her during the night. He wasn’t ready for that predatory gleam in her eyes when she realized that the man she’d spent the night with wasn’t only the brother of her best friend, but a man who many women had tried to claim.

  His go
od mood faded, and he tensed, waiting for that same crappy experience of being recognized as the three-time bull riding world champion and all the shit that came with it.

  She yawned, and nestled closer against him, tucking herself against his side so intimately that his jaw clenched. It felt fantastic, like the calm before the storm. He probably should get up, shove her aside, and hit the road before she realized her good fortune in who she’d slept with, but he didn’t.

  He waited.

  For some stupid-ass reason, he waited.

  It didn’t take long. He knew the moment she woke up and realized where she was. Her body tensed against his, and her breathing changed. She didn’t move for a long moment, and he knew that she was trying to figure out whether he was awake. He realized, then, that he should probably have moved his hand off her hip. Now that he was awake, there was no excuse for leaving it there.

  Shit. What was she going to pull on him? Was she going to accuse him of manhandling her? He should have gotten up the minute he’d woken up, and at least given himself a chance to get out of bed before she realized what position they’d ended up in.

  “Zane?” Her voice was thick with sleep, and desire raced through him.

  He gritted his teeth, debating whether to pretend he was asleep, but he quickly dismissed it. He’d never run away from anything, and he wasn’t going to now. “Yeah?” He waited for the words, for the challenge, for the accusation, for whatever would be coming.

  She yawned again, making him wait for her response. “Thanks for not getting up,” she finally mumbled.

  He frowned, trying to process what she’d just said. “What?”

  “You didn’t get up.” To his shock, she burrowed even more tightly against his side. She didn’t jerk her leg off his cock, but she also didn’t try to grind it against him either. She made no reference to the sexual potency of their position at all. “I haven’t woken up with someone in a long, long time, and I forgot how good it feels.”