Secret Pressure (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 4)

by Rhonda Lee Carver

  Shit! Shit! Triple shit! He wouldn’t allow her to make him nervous. “Em certainly keeps me informed of what you’re doing.”

  Her face turned pale as she laid her hands on her hips—nice, rounded hips that he’d molded his hands to so many times that he had palm memory. His body twitched and ached. She had more curves now and his mouth salivated. He hated that she had that control over his body. “What did she say?”

  Did her voice shake?

  He shrugged. “That you’re the same as always. Unfortunately.”

  She blinked. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

  “Figure it out for yourself.” He grew angrier as his dick continued to misbehave.

  “Is your wife here?” Ruby darted her glance down the fence.

  “Wife?”

  “I heard you were engaged. I just assumed by now you’d have made it official.”

  He shook his head. So, she really didn’t keep track of how he was doing. His ego dropped. “Some things just weren’t meant to be.”

  She dropped her hands to her sides. “I’m sorry.”

  Her words scraped his last bit of patience. He didn’t want her concern or empathy. “I’m not. Life is too short to waste it on somebody else. Wish I would have figured that one out three years ago.” Yeah, his voice had turned sour, but he didn’t care.

  “Are you referring to me?” Her lips thinned.

  “Yes.” No reason to skirt the truth.

  She wrapped her arms around her waist. “That certainly sounds bitter.”

  “I’m not bitter, sweetheart. I’m indifferent.”

  “You have some nerve!”

  “I have nerve? Oh lady, you don’t have a clue.” He hauled in a deep breath and let it out slowly.

  “If I had to guess, I’d say you’re still upset over what happened between us.”

  He chuckled—cold and raw. Perfect. “Don’t flatter yourself. I stopped caring the second you walked away.”

  “Mind your manners, Jobe. I’ll begin to think you care more than you want me to believe.”

  “And mind your ego. It’s getting out of hand.”

  “Do we need to separate the playpens, kiddos?”

  Who is this? Jobe moved his attention to the pretty dark-haired woman who interrupted as she edged up next to Ruby. This had to be another Stone. The similar eyes, dark hair, and pert nose gave it away. “I’m Jobe Walters.” He gave a curt nod.

  “I’m Violet St—”

  “Stone. You all look alike,” he said.

  “You say that like it’s a bad thing.” Thin brows lifted above Violet’s curious eyes.

  “Only bad thing would be if you share the same flaws.” He slid his gaze to Ruby who was now frowning.

  “Who’s she?” Cal asked as he sidled up, a dangerous grin curving his lips as he looked from each lady.

  “No one in particular,” Jobe barked, then took Ruby by the elbow, guiding her toward an area away from Cal and her sister.

  “That’s not very nice.” She brought her laser-like eyes on him.

  “And neither are you.” Yeah, he realized his words teetered on resentment, but when a man samples complete heaven and then reality slams him into the gut that he was nothing more than a piece of meat, he has to do what he has to do. She sighed and he settled his gaze on her. The top of her head came just to his shoulder, a head full of dark curls. Her amazing espresso eyes were gold-flecked and watched him through a thick fringe of long lashes that skimmed the tops of her cheeks which were scattered with a dusting of freckles. Against better judgment, he allowed his gaze to slip over the mounds of her breasts not covered by the top, just enough of a peek that would give him hours of fantasies.

  Bringing his eyes back up, a glimpse of an apologetic smile curved her plump, pretty lips. “I guess I shouldn’t have approached you here.”

  He had a strong urge to drag her into his arms and kiss her until they were breathless. Shit, that’d happened before and what did he have to prove for it? A sore spot and a dry spell.

  He needed to get this accidental meeting over quickly. A little voice reminded him that she’d walked away, but his cock was suddenly begging to land in bed again for a tumble. They’d been there, done that. He couldn’t fall back into the web.

  The buzzer sounded, interrupting his sexual reverie. He glanced over his shoulder as another rider shot out of the gate. He couldn’t see anything, or think about anything, but the woman standing near him, staring at him like she could slice him to bits. The breeze kicked up and he got a strong smell of cotton candy. She smelled so good, and it made him want her more. Damn if he didn’t wish for the shit smell of the arena to drown out her tantalizing fragrance.

  “I guess a simple hello never killed anyone.” He groaned, trying very hard for civility.

  She tugged at her skirt. Had it suddenly gotten too short? “I wanted to say hello, yes. That’s all. How long will you be here?”

  “A few more days.” Her smile made his disobedient cock throb. You ain’t getting any.

  Several expressions flickered across her face as if she struggled internally. She took a step back, stopped, then brought her gaze up to meet his. A good three seconds floated by. “I…well, I was wondering, would it be possible for us to meet tomorrow for coffee?” Sweeping her tongue out, she licked her kissable bottom lip. He practically moaned aloud, but thankful he swallowed it back in time.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea, Ruby.” The name matched her. Rubies were one of the most sought after stones, and the most beautiful of all. The deep color of a ruby was compared to silk, and he remembered all too well how every inch of her body reminded him of satin under his calloused hands, and the way she squirmed under his touch. The way she called his name in a throaty whisper.

  A tiny crease popped out on her forehead. “Wow, you really hate me, don’t you?”

  He shrugged, hearing a seam or two break. “I don’t hate you. We had a good time and it came to an end. I believe it’s best to leave sleeping dogs lie.”

  Confusion slipped over her delicate features. “Your attitude toward me is uncalled for.”

  He had to check his invisible guns, wanting to fire away on her with bullets of rage and confusion. “That’s your opinion, darlin’, and mine is the only one that matters.”

  “If I didn’t know you any better I’d say you were a mean man, Jobe.”

  He laughed. “You don’t know me.”

  “You’re right. I guess I don’t.” Her soft voice made his chest ache.

  “Is there something more you need to say?” This was going nowhere fast.

  She hesitated, then finally said, “No.”

  “And neither do I, so now we’re even.”

  “You’re being ridiculous.”

  “Am I? About as ridiculous as someone walking away without saying goodbye.” Yeah, he went right where he shouldn’t have gone. Now the words were out and there was no turning back.

  Her mouth opened and just as she started to say something…

  “Hey, sorry to interrupt, but we’ve got to get going,” Violet said.

  Ruby nodded. “I’m coming. Goodbye, Jobe,” she said and walked away.

  He watched her leave, flexing his hands, wanting to go after her and demand an answer. But pride kept him steady.

  Cal approached. “Hey, Keefer is done. Ready to go?”

  Jobe gave his friend a side-glance. “Where to?”

  “Heart Throbs,” Keefer said as he walked up, a noticeable limp to his walk.

  “Are you sure you’re up for anything but a good dose of pain meds and rest?” Jobe asked.

  “Hell, this ain’t nothin’.” Keefer patted his thigh. Standing at six foot four, weighing in at two-fifty, the cowboy was a giant—a gentle giant. He had a reputation for being tough as nails, but would help anyone and everyone.

  “I don’t know, fellas. I had plans to head back to my room for a steak dinner and a beer.” Truth was, Jobe wasn’t in the mood for socializ
ing. He wanted a cold shower and some time to ease the tension in his body. He glanced in the direction where Ruby had disappeared and frowned. The memory of rejection scorched its way through his veins. If he wasn’t careful, he’d be taking her up on her offer and meeting for coffee. No, wouldn’t happen. No matter how much he wanted to see her and talk to her again, that part of his life was over.

  “Come on, pal. You can’t go back to your room and sit alone. You got to get out, enjoy San Antonio and what it has to offer,” Cal urged. “Heart Throbs is only a walk away.”

  His friend was right. If he went back to his room, he’d have nothing better to do than to think of Ruby. “I’ll go. We need to catch up anyway, Keefer.”

  Maybe good conversation and a couple of beers would ease the tension.

  Keefer smacked him on the back. “You okay, my friend? If you want to pass up Heart Throbs, I’ll understand. I’m sure I can pass your ticket to someone else. I’ll bet there won’t be anything that’ll match that over there.” He nodded in the direction of where Ruby and her sister had gone. “You could probably still catch her.”

  “No, let’s go.” He was fully aware of the strain in his voice.

  CHAPTER THREE

  Ruby kept walking, but her knees threatened to give out.

  The second she was out of Jobe’s sight, she dropped to the nearest bench and inhaled deeply, filling her parched lungs with heavenly oxygen. Every nerve in her body had come alive and many other parts, especially those between her legs, scorched with steamy heat.

  Why had she approached him?

  Why hadn’t she walked on by?

  She should never have allowed Violet to talk her into walking through the rodeo just to grab a lemon shake.

  Once she saw him standing by the fence, a magnet drew her closer, for curiosity’s sake and for other reasons she couldn’t quite explain. She remembered every touch, every moan, how their bodies fit together…two becoming one.

  Her head spun and secret parts of her body throbbed as if they’d been massaged by a sexy cowboy…but that was only her memory working overtime.

  She’d thought about this moment over and over in her head through the years. Wondering what it would be like if she ran into him. Never did she think he would be angry. What gave him the right? His words had immobilized her.

  A flash of her son’s face had washed through her mind. His shock of black hair. Pale blue eyes that matched his father’s in intensity. And before she could control her tongue, she’d asked him for coffee. Thankfully, he’d turned her down flat.

  “You have some explaining to do,” Violet dropped to the bench, sipping her shake through a straw, handing Ruby the other cup.

  “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Ruby didn’t dare look at her sister—couldn’t for fear she’d see straight through into Ruby’s thoughts and feelings. She drank the shake, hoping it eased the heat in her body.

  “Don’t play silly with me, sis. I saw that look on your face and it never lies.”

  Ruby twisted on the hard planks, frowning. “What look?”

  “Like you just saw the other half of your heart. So, he’s the one, huh?” Violet tapped her foot, narrowing her gaze on Ruby.

  “You’re imagin—”

  “That the fellow back there means something to you. No, that’s not imagination, honey.”

  Blinking, Ruby rubbed the bridge of her nose. “It’s a long story.”

  “Yeah, I’d say it’s a very long one that started with nine months of gestation and ended with a beautiful baby boy who looks exactly like his daddy.” The accusation in Violet’s words made tears fill Ruby’s eyes. “I’m right, aren’t I?” Her voice turned soft.

  “Yes, you’re right.” The truth had a way of working its way out. The wall was crumbling and she couldn’t pick up the pieces fast enough to recover.

  “The cowboy has no clue, does he?” Ruby gave her head a quick shake. “Oh, sweetie…why the hell not?”

  “Like I said, long story.”

  Violet moistened her lips. “Okay, I hear you. We are going to discuss this, but for now we have an auction to get to. Are you up for it? If not, I’ll let you ditch it and you can catch up to blue-eyed cowboy.”

  She couldn’t let her sister go alone. Ruby had made a promise and planned to keep it.

  ****

  Jobe stepped into the club, realizing he’d made a fundamental error in thinking this was the right thing to do or that he needed a night out for drinking. He needed this like he needed another hole in his head. The alternative meant going back to his room, popping open a beer and watching a game on TV, which didn’t sound like too much fun either.

  No, what he wanted was to crawl into bed with a curvy brunette who seemed to evoke the deepest and darkest emotion within him. Not just any brunette would do. She had to have the curves of a goddess, smell like heaven, and taste like apple pie…and be named after a gemstone.

  Fuck! He didn’t like feeling like a teenager, balls in a bunch, gut in a bind.

  The curvy, tight shorts high on her ass, waitress stopped at their table, grabbed their orders, and while Cal and Keefer were watching her with tongues hanging out, Jobe automatically recalled the gentle sway of Ruby’s hips and her long, lean legs. He swiped his palm down his face and inwardly cringed. What had he done in life that was so wrong, so bad, that he had to live life tormented by the image of Ruby Stone?

  He considered himself a good guy. He worked hard, went to church every Sunday, give or take a few here and there. Even his niece and nephew, DJ and Pearl’s son and daughter, loved him, although the youngest was barely out of diapers. Jobe guessed whenever Nash and Em had a child, he or she would like their uncle too. He just couldn’t seem to shake the idea that karma was paying him back for some shit he did a long time ago. He just couldn’t put his finger on what it was that he’d done.

  He couldn’t let Ruby get to him. He’d allowed it to happen before and she’d been only interested in using him to scratch an itch.

  Hell, most men would be happy with a free romp with a beautiful woman. He’d thought he could handle sex only with her, but turned out she had been the closest thing to making him a marrying man as he’d ever been, yet he’d asked the wrong woman.

  And why the hell had she asked him to meet her tomorrow? Did she think since he was in town they could enjoy each other’s company in bed? He smiled, couldn’t help himself. He wished the idea repulsed him, but instead, his dick climbed to huge proportions and his zipper etched teeth into his skin—not exactly the teeth he wanted. He shifted in the wooden seat, dragging his mind away from Ruby’s naked body and back to the moment at hand.

  “What did you say they have going on here tonight?” Jobe raised his voice above the loud music playing from the speakers. And it wasn’t county music. Grrr.

  “A bachelorette auction,” Keefer said.

  “What the hell? What’s a bachelorette auction?” Jobe had never heard of it.

  Cal shrugged. “The hell if I know.”

  “Come on, man, you know what it is. We get to bid on a date with a beautiful country-girl bombshell.” Keefer wagged his brows.

  Jobe scrubbed his jaw. “A date as in dinner and a movie? Or a date as in paying for pussy?”

  Cal laughed and Keefer shook his head. “We could only be so lucky.”

  “So when did you, rodeo star and pretty-boy, get so down on his luck that you have to pay for chicks?” Jobe shook his head and chuckled. As far as he could remember, his buddy never had a problem catching the eye of any woman, single or otherwise.

  Keefer tugged on his goatee, winking. “Hey, anything I can do to help a cause, I will. All proceeds raised will go to the Kids with Cancer foundation that benefits the children’s hospital. I’m sure you have the money to spare too, fellas.”

  “Sounds like a real good cause to me.” Jobe would be more than happy to help out, but he didn’t think he’d be paying for a date. He’d fill out the necessary information and d
rop it in the donation box before he left.

  He took the time to scan the interior of the club. He hadn’t been to a bar like this, especially one this upscale, since he was in his early twenties, back when he found excitement in the loud music and participating in the cat and mouse chase with single women. He was never really much into the scene. Sometimes he and his brothers would go into town to the popular country bar, Heathens, have a few beers, throw some coins into the jukebox and watch the ladies from afar. Although none of them had a problem getting the attention of women, they just never managed the smooth-talking charm that some women liked. Jobe always kidded his brothers, telling them he would never understand how they ended up with Pearl and Em. They were the cream of the crop. Truth was, he knew exactly what his sisters in law saw in DJ and Nash. They were the greatest men with hearts of gold.

  The song changed to a popular redneck tune. Yeah, this was more like it.

  Smiling, he spotted two bouncers dressed in all black take their places by the stage. It was definitely a classy club. The owner had put together a very fashionable bar with the pretty waitresses and decor. Tables and chairs occupied most of the polished wood flooring around the large dance area. Framed art hung on the walls and candles were lit on each table, giving the place a peaceful feeling…probably so men would dig deeper into their wallets. The bar ran from one end to other, back dropped with wall to wall mirrors and shelves lined with every variety of expensive liquor one could imagine. Neon signs flashed with popular beer names and the bartender, a tall, attractive blonde, filled the orders of several waitresses standing at the end of the bar, gathering their drinks on trays. There were no bar stools available, only tables.

  Their waitress approached, placing Cal and Keefer’s bottles in front of them, leaning close to Jobe as she reached across the table. Her long red hair brushed his arm and he inhaled deeply. She smelled nice, but the scent certainly didn’t compete with cotton candy. He growled deep in his chest. When the hell would he stop comparing every woman he met to Ruby?

  The tempting little red-head flashed him a wide, inviting smile. Why didn’t his cock respond? “Can I get you anything else, darlin’?” she asked, still close enough that he got a sneak peek of large, tanned breasts caged by the too-tight, green jeweled bikini top. Yeah, not even a twitch. Damn, he needed sex therapy. What man wouldn’t get a rise here, surrounded by stimulating women?