by Cat Johnson
“Yeah, I’m not gonna look down.”
“Good.” He grinned encouragement at the kid and then looked at the camera. “Back to you guys in the booth.”
JW laughed. “We didn’t know we had the Zen master of bull riding down there on the floor.”
Jim agreed. “You’re not kidding, JW. Let’s take a look at Garret James next, aboard Full House. Any thoughts on this one, Mustang?”
“Well, Jim, they’ve got a right-handed rider loaded for a left-side delivery. Chances are that bull is gonna go left out of the chute, away from Garret’s hand. That can be a problem for the younger kids like Garret with less experience.”
“Great observation, Mustang. Let’s see how he does.”
The banter continued as Sage stayed glued to the screen. She wanted to hate him, at least to forget him. But watching how he mentored the younger riders, really seeming to care, softened the heart she hadn’t done a very good job of hardening against him. Hearing his laugh, seeing his smile, only made her miss him more.
There was a lull in the action and Mustang went into the stands and sat down next to none other than Jenna. Sage’s heart lodged firmly in her throat as Mustang spoke, “I’d like to introduce someone to you guys. JW, Jim, America, this is Jenna Block, Slade Bower’s girlfriend. Say hello to the viewers and the boys in the booth, darlin’.”
Jenna was Mustang’s best friend’s girlfriend. He hadn’t been lying. She was just a friend. Sage watched open-mouthed as the woman appeared shocked at being put on the spot on camera.
“Slade Bower is the rider currently ranked second in the world and has yet to ride tonight. Mustang, can you ask Miss Block how she’s feeling about watching her boyfriend get on the bull that put Skeeter in the hospital not long ago?”
Mustang opened his mouth to relay the question when Slade stalked into the shot. “Mustang, what the fu—”
“And here’s the man himself. Slade, turn to the camera and say hello to the folks watching at home.”
The men in the announcer’s booth laughed. “Good job keeping us G-rated for the sensors on Mustang’s part.”
Laughing, Mustang managed to get fairly coherent comments from both Slade and his girlfriend as Sage sat shakily on the bed.
Sage’s mind began to reel. If he hadn’t left because he wanted to be with Jenna instead of her, then why had he? He must have gone because she overreacted. She hadn’t even let him explain.
She had to apologize. Tonight.
Where the hell were they again? Weatherford? She could get there in a few hours. Decision made, Sage began throwing clothes into a bag.
***
About to climb the stairs and unlock the door of his trailer, Mustang felt a tap on his shoulder. He turned and found the last person he’d expected to see. The only person he really wanted to be there. “Sage.”
“I’m so sorry. I should have trusted you. I should have believed you when you called and left the message saying Jenna was just a friend.” She started crying before she even finished the apology.
He pulled her into his arms. It felt really good to hold her. “Shh. It’s okay.”
“It’s not okay. You left. Months before you had to, you left because of me. Because I wouldn’t let you explain about who she was.”
“Sage, I could have gotten you to listen. Hell, I would have made you hear me out, but when I met Jeremy I realized you had a nice, steady guy who should be your boyfriend instead of me. You need someone like him.” Mustang swept his arm to encompass his surroundings. The arena, the trailer, the bar. “This is my life. I can’t ask you to make it yours.”
“You left so I could be with Jeremy? We’re only friends.”
He laughed. “He doesn’t want to be just friends, believe me.”
“It doesn’t matter what he wants because I want you.”
“I want you too, but I can’t be selfish. You have to finish school. You need a guy with a real job and a steady paycheck and a pension plan and, hell, I don’t know, a 401K.”
“I don’t want any of that. I just want you.”
Mustang shook his head. “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Sage. I’ve done some things I’m not proud of.”
She held on to him more tightly. “I’ve done things I’m not proud of too.”
He let out a short laugh. “I seriously doubt that.”
“Look, I don’t care what you did before we were together.”
“You can’t say that because you don’t know.” Mustang shook his head, totally torn.
Jenna had been right. He and Sage couldn’t start a serious relationship by keeping things from each other. On the other hand, Mustang had done most things long before he’d reconnected with Sage.
That stuff didn’t affect him and Sage. The brief thing he’d had with Jenna and Slade would never be repeated and had happened months before Sage had reentered his life. Besides, it wasn’t only his story to tell. Jenna had a reputation to maintain.
But the things that had happened after he’d started building a relationship with Sage, that he would confess.
“Listen to me. I don’t care.” She enunciated each word carefully. “All I care about is you.”
“I care about you too. More than anything else. That’s why I want to tell you what I’ve done. I want to start our lives together with a clean slate.”
Or as clean as his very dirty slate could get.
“Can’t we just go inside and be together. Start our lives over. I don’t want to talk about the past.” She looked frightened. He didn’t blame her. He was frightened too.
“Let’s go inside, but we are going to talk.”
“Okay.”
Mustang opened the door and let her go in before him. She sat on the bed. That nearly distracted him enough to say fuck it to his confession and sink into her. He couldn’t do that. He owed her this.
“You know those two Saturdays I couldn’t see you?”
“Yes.”
He swallowed. This was harder than he thought it would be. She could easily walk away from him and never look back after this, but he had to do it. “Well, when I’d told you it was work, that was the truth. I took a job I’m not very proud of…”
And that began the whole sordid tale. He spared her the worst of the details and kept just to the facts. The bare basics of what he’d done and why were enough. He’d had sex on camera for money. She didn’t need to know any more than that. His having those images in his brain was enough. Sage didn’t need them too.
After he was done she sat in silence for a good minute. To Mustang it felt more like an eternity.
“So you had sex with other women.”
“Yes.”
“After you had sex with me?”
“No. Before. They called and asked me to do another one after I’d been with you and I said no. I couldn’t, I wouldn’t do that.”
“Why?”
“Because I couldn’t be with another woman, even for money, after I’d been with you. I didn’t want to. The only woman I want now is you.” His pulse racing, he added, “If you’ll have me.”
She drew in a shaky breath and shook her head. “I think I need some time.”
“I understand.” He rose. “I’ll see about getting you a hotel room. You probably won’t want to stay here with me.”
He waited, but the response he got was a nod as she rose and headed for the door. He let her go. What else could he do?
***
Feeling ill, Sage headed blindly across the street and into the bar. Ignoring everything as she concentrated solely on getting into the bathroom before she broke down, she kept her head down and didn’t look at any of the other patrons she passed along the way.
She made it in the door before the first tear escaped. She eyed the stiff brown paper in the wall dispenser.
“Here.” A woman she hadn’t noticed inside handed her a tissue.
Glancing up, she recognized Jenna immediately. “Um, Thanks.”
“
Man trouble?”
Sage laughed through her tears. “Yeah. How’d you know?”
“I’ve shed a few tears in public restrooms myself over a certain cowboy, but the good news is now he’s waiting for me outside and things are wonderful.”
She was talking about Slade. Sage wasn’t sure she could see wonderful in her future with Mustang, not as long as she couldn’t see past what he’d just told her.
“Come on. I’ll buy you a drink.”
“I’m not old enough to drink.”
Jenna laughed. “Oh, to be young again. Then I’ll buy you a soda. You look like you could use someone to talk to.”
Sage shook her head. “I should probably just go find a hotel room.”
“That might not be so easy with the competition in town. Did you travel far to get here?”
“I just drove in from Texas.”
“Really? Where abouts? Slade is from Texas.”
“Magnolia.”
Jenna’s eyes opened wide. “Um, this may sound like a crazy question, but your name doesn’t happen to be Sage, does it?”
“Yeah.” How did Jenna know her name?
“I’m a friend of Mustang’s. He’s told me all about you. I’m Jenna Block.”
“He told you about me?”
“Of course he did. Well, I mean he didn’t want to because God forbid Mustang admit he’s fallen hard for a girl, but yeah, he finally admitted it.”
“He’s fallen hard for me?”
Jenna nodded. “Oh, yeah. Do not tell him I said this but he’s got it bad for you. It’s like he’s a totally different man since he’s met you.”
Sage realized her tears had stopped. She held up the tissue. “Thanks for this, and for the talk.”
“You’re very welcome. So, how about that soda? I’m sure Slade would love to meet you too.”
“Thanks, but I think I have a cowboy of my own I need to go see.” She’d waited too long for him to be in her life. She wasn’t going to waste one more moment of it.
“I totally understand. Maybe we’ll see you tomorrow morning. We can all do breakfast, the four of us.”
Sage smiled. “I’d like that.”
Chapter Nineteen
“No availability at all?” Mustang sighed in frustration. “Okay, thanks.”
He’d just disconnected when there was a light tap on the door. Jumping for the door, he flung it open. “Sage.”
“Hi.”
“Hi.” His heart fluttered. “Do you want to come in?”
She nodded. “Did you get a hotel room for tonight yet?” Sage fidgeted with the strap of her bag.
Mustang held up the phone. “Not yet. The two closest to the arena are booked, but I’m about to start calling the ones a little farther into town.”
“You don’t have to. I don’t want a hotel room. I want to stay here with you.” She raised her eyes to meet his.
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah. Very sure.” Dropping her bag on the floor, she took a step forward. “I need you to know it makes me insane even thinking about you with another woman, but I understand why you did it. I know what worrying about your future and working with your father did to you. And I know that having you in my life, no matter how difficult, has to be better than not having you at all. I tried living without you. I didn’t like it.”
He ran both hands up and down her arms and lowered his forehead to rest against hers. “How’d you get so wise so young, Little Bit?”
She pulled back, a wrinkle marring her brow. “That’s another thing. It bothers me how you still insist on calling me Little Bit when I’ve heard you call my sister and Jenna and who knows who else darlin’.”
He laughed. “Ah, Sage. I call nearly every woman I meet darlin’, but you are the only one in the world I’ve ever called Little Bit. Does that make you feel any better about it?”
Her expression softened and he swore her eyes looked glassy. “Yeah, it does.”
“Good. But there’s still something bothering me. This is a tough life, Sage. I’m on the road all the time. Jenna travels with Slade a lot, but you can’t do that. You have school—”
“I take classes online, Mustang. I can do that from anywhere.”
“But your job—”
“Is almost over for this year, then I have a nice long summer break. Besides, I’ve been kind of thinking about switching my major. I’m really enjoying my psych classes. If I do change, I won’t be student teaching anymore.”
“You have an answer for everything, don’t you?” Mustang grinned.
“Not really. I’m not sure what I want to do with school or work. Maybe I’ll take a year off to think about it. All I know is I want to be with you. You have a problem with that?” Sage smirked.
“Not a bit. My only problem is that big bed behind me that I’ve spent too many nights in without you. I don’t intend on spending another one. That okay with you?”
Sage nodded. “Yeah, I’m very okay.”
About the Author
As an award-winning author of contemporary erotic romance in genres including military, cowboy, ménage and paranormal, Cat Johnson uses her computer so much she wore the letters off the keyboard within a year. She is known for her creative marketing and research practices. Consequently, Cat owns an entire collection of camouflage shoes for book signings and a fair number of her consultants wear combat and cowboy boots for a living. In her real life, she’s been a marketing manager, professional harpist, bartender, tour guide, radio show host, Junior League president, sponsor of a bull-riding rodeo cowboy, wife and avid animal lover.
To learn more about Cat Johnson, please visit www.catjohnson.net. Send an email to cat at catjohnson.net or join her MySpace at www.myspace.com/authorcatjohnson or her Facebook at www.facebook.com/authorcatjohnson. Follow Cat on Twitter at www.twitter.com/cat_johnson.
Look for these titles by Cat Johnson
Now Available:
Rough Stock
Unridden
Coming Soon:
Trey
When country boys meet a city girl, everyone is in for a wild ride.
Unridden
© 2009 Cat Johnson
Studs in Spurs, Book 1
Slade Bower and Mustang Jackson are living the high life on the professional bull-riding circuit. The prize money is big, the bulls are rank and the women are willing. But something is missing.
For Slade, waking up in a different city with a different woman each morning is holding less and less appeal. Even Mustang’s creative attempts to shake things up don’t help. Then along comes a big-city author who’s like nothing they’ve ever encountered. Something about her makes Slade sit up and take notice—and Mustang is always up for anything.
Romance writer Jenna Block has a problem—her agent thinks a cowboy book will jump-start her career. A born New Yorker, Jenna doesn’t do cowboys, not on paper, and definitely not in real life. Luckily for her there are two cowboys ready, willing and able to take her out of her comfort zone in every way that counts…and some ways she hadn’t counted on.
Warning: This story contains two hot cowboys, one very lucky woman, hot ménage sex and lots of bull.
Enjoy the following excerpt for Unridden:
Evaluating that night’s possibilities, Mustang’s gaze swept the females in the stands until it landed on one woman who made him stop dead in his perusal.
He jumped up onto the rail of the chute and hissed to Slade, “Second section, fourth row back, reddish-brown hair pulled back in a ponytail, black turtleneck.”
In the process of tugging the rope that stretched beneath the bull and winding it once around his gloved hand, Slade frowned up at Mustang from the animal’s back. “I’m in the middle of taking my wrap and you’re pointing out some woman to me? In a turtleneck, no less? Since when are you interested in women whose chest isn’t hanging out?”
“This woman’s different, Slade. I can tell.” The bull hopped once in the chute and Mustang quickly reached
over and grabbed the back of Slade’s vest, steadying him on the animal’s back.
“Dammit, Mustang, quit distracting me.” Slade settled himself again and then gave a nod. The cowboy on the ground swung the gate open to release both bull and rider into the arena.
“Talk to you more when you get off,” Mustang called after him.
As Mustang watched his friend disappear into a cloud of dust, Chase Reese hopped up onto the rail next to him.
“Slade’s amazing. It’s like he’s glued onto that bull. I wish I could do that. I went two for ten last series.” The kid had been favored for Rookie of the Year until he’d hit a dry streak.
“That’s because you look at the ground.” Mustang followed Slade’s progress while the bull spun around to the left without deviation, from one end of the arena to the other.
The eight-second buzzer sounded and Slade released the rope wrapped around his hand. He jumped off the bull, hit the ground with his shoulder and then rolled to avoid a hoof to the ribcage before the bullfighters redirected the charging animal away from him.
“I do what?”
Seeing his friend was safe, Mustang took the time to answer Chase’s question. Damn, had he ever been this young? The kid probably didn’t even have to shave once a week.
“You’re looking down at the ground while you ride. If you look there, you’re gonna end up there. It’s a fact. Now, ’scuse me. I gotta talk to Slade.”
Leaving the kid with an amazed expression on his face, as if he’d just been handed all the secrets of the universe, Mustang jumped down to go meet Slade behind the chutes.
“Hey, man. Good ride. That bull was one hell of a spinner, huh?”
Slade laughed and pulled the tape from around his wrist where it held the glove on his riding hand firmly in place. “Hell yeah. They weren’t kidding when they said he came out of the spinner pen. Felt like I was on a ride at the county fair.”
“Now we’re both done riding for the night, we have to formulate a plan,” Mustang began.
“For what?”