The Bull Rider Meets His Match

by Jeannie Watt

  He once again took her face between his rough palms, bringing his forehead down to touch hers. “What are we going to do, Lex?”

  “We’re going into my house,” she said, her voice husky and low.

  “You’re certain, because if you’re not—”

  She cut his words off with a kiss and once it ended, he took her by the hand and they headed through the garden, up the path to her house. They stopped at the door for another long kiss, and that was when Lex realized that her hands were shaking. Had she ever wanted anyone so badly that her hands had shaken?

  No.

  They stumbled into the house, still kissing, and then Lex led him down the hall to her bedroom, to the place where, if she was honest with herself, she’d known for some time they’d end up. She’d been trying for the past several weeks to get Grady out of her system and failed miserably. The only other option was complete immersion. She was going to experience Grady, and that, she figured, would either cure her or drag her down deeper. She was willing to take the chance.

  Once they were in the bedroom and the door had been closed against the dogs, he stepped back, as if giving her one more chance to say no. She reached up and took hold of the snaps on her shirt, popping the first three in quick succession. His hands came up to cover hers; then he continued what she had started, slowly unsnapping. When the last snap was free, he pushed open her shirt, his fingers brushing against her skin. She shivered but not from any kind of cold.

  “Lace,” he muttered. Lex frowned at him and he said, “Never mind.”

  Never mind indeed, when his mouth was on her breasts, first through her bra, making her crazy, then on her skin as he pushed the lace aside and continued his exploration. Lex’s head dropped back, and then when she didn’t think she could take any more, she lifted his head with both hands, tilting it up.

  “Out of ’em,” she said, pointing at his boots.

  Grady complied, as did she; jeans quickly followed, and then anything else that got between herself and total Grady immersion.

  His body was even harder than she’d imagined, all lean muscle and sinew. And scars. So many scars, some simple white marks, others raised flesh beneath her fingers. She closed her eyes against them and simply let her fingers explore. Never had she touched a guy like this, and she found she didn’t want to stop.

  She didn’t—not until Grady rolled on top of her, positioning himself to claim her.

  “Nightstand,” she said, her hands running lightly over his side as he reached over her to open the drawer, found her one and only condom, tore it open and rolled it on.

  Her breath caught as he slowly pushed into her, inch by glorious inch, watching her reaction. No. Savoring her reaction. He was all about making her feel good, and what she’d assumed would be a quick ride turned out to be a long, slow marathon in which he brought her close so many times that she was almost whimpering by the time he brought her over the edge. Grady soon followed, and she clung to him until his body stilled. Then she buried her face into the hollow of his neck, inhaling deeply. He smelled so damned good.

  A few seconds later he rolled onto his back, pulling her with him. Lex stretched out along his side, resting her head on his chest and feeling his heart beat beneath her cheek.

  Grady brought his hand up to stroke her hair. “Hope nothing got to the ducks while we were busy.”

  Laughter bubbled up Lex’s throat, taking away all sense of postcoital awkwardness. She glanced up at him, and he smiled down at her. A tired, satisfied, found-what-I-wanted smile that for some reason didn’t frighten her as much as it should have. Not right then, anyway, because she found that denial worked two ways. She could also deny that real life was going to come crashing in on them as soon as they got out of bed. At this point in time, it was only her and Grady and the quiet of her bedroom, the feel of his damp skin below her cheek, his hand stroking through her hair.

  His fingers dropped lower to move over her arm in a light caress. “Any chance we might do this again?”

  Lex exhaled, her breath fanning over his chest, and she felt him still as he waited for her answer. “I’d be lying if I said no.”

  His arm tightened around her. “You just made me a very happy man.”

  Chapter Twelve

  And so it went. For the next two weeks, Grady happened by Lex’s place in the early evenings after Annie was home and the girls were fed. Sometimes they talked, sometimes he lent her a hand around the place but they always ended up making love.

  Despite her toughness and willingness to take on the world, Lex had insecurities, which she did her best to hide—even from him. Her lover.

  That was what Grady planned to work on during the time they had together before he had to hit the road again...getting Lex to open up to him. Helping her see that he was an ally, not someone to defend against or hold things from. He was making some headway, slowly but surely. He got her to admit that, yes, she’d thought he was hot even when she was eviscerating him earlier that summer. No, she hadn’t thought he was hot when he was dating Danielle—well, maybe a little, but she’d been really worried about her friend.

  “You had cause,” he admitted as he held her for a few minutes before he had to roll out of bed and put on his boots and jeans and head back to his sister’s place. Annie wouldn’t have cared if he spent the night somewhere, but she assumed he was at Hennessey’s and he didn’t dissuade her. Lex wasn’t ready for people to know about them.

  The rampant rumors that had been bandied about before they actually started sleeping together had cooled down, and when they were together in public, they made it a point to be civil and friendly. No sparks. They sat together during lessons, close, but not too close. Lex made it a point to chat with the parents, and he made it a point not to hang with her when she did that. They looked like friends. Or casual acquaintances. And he was good with that if it made Lex feel better about the situation.

  For now.

  “You and Danielle truly are polar opposites,” Lex said musingly. “Strange that you even got together in the first place.”

  “No—that’s why we got together. That opposites-attract thing. For what it’s worth, I truly thought I loved her.”

  “I know.”

  “But—” he ran a caressing hand over her back “—I didn’t work too hard to preserve our relationship when the hard times came. When I had to choose.” He brought his hand up to tangle in her silky hair. “But then...neither did she.”

  He could tell that Lex hadn’t thought about that angle of his breakup with her best friend—that despite being upset, Danielle hadn’t exactly chased him down to patch things up. “This guy she’s with now? Do you think it’s a good relationship?”

  “I do. I think they’re very well suited.” Lex traced a pattern on his abdomen, following a scar. He’d had to explain to her that not all of his scars were from bull riding or from surgery following bull riding. Some of the ones on his torso and a few on his arms and legs were from when he’d had a nasty encounter with a car while riding his bike as a kid.

  She’d seemed oddly relieved, but he couldn’t believe the scars really mattered to her, other than giving her trails to trace on his body, which he kind of loved. If anyone understood bull riding, it was Lex, and he was glad of that. It gave them a chance, and he realized as the days passed, he really wanted a chance with her. He’d never felt so at peace with a woman, which was something, since Lex didn’t inspire visions of tranquility.

  “I need to get back,” he said, reluctantly pushing up to a sitting position. Lex sat, too, the sheets pooling at her waist, making him want to make love to her all over again. He could not get enough of her, and from the smile playing across her face as she watched him get out of bed, the feeling was mutual.

  He and Lex.

  Go figure.

  But the bond was ther
e. A strong one. Stronger than anything he’d experienced with a woman. It was more than physical attraction, more than being a friend. She challenged him yet accepted him. She made him want to be a better man.

  When he got home that night a little after dark, Annie was sitting on the porch. The sounds of the television filtered through the open window at the opposite end from where she sat, a tall glass of iced tea in her hand. Grady crossed the porch and took the chair next to her.

  “There’s tea in the fridge.”

  “I’m good.” And he was.

  “You haven’t been to Hennessey’s lately,” Annie said casually.

  “Nope.” Busted.

  “A customer mentioned she hadn’t seen you lately, and since her son practices pretty frequently there...”

  Grady spread his fingers on the wicker chair arms. “I’ve been going to Lex’s place. Helping her out.”

  A small smile played on his sister’s face, the kind she used to have just before she leveled him with some zinger when they were kids. “That’s nice of you.”

  “Yeah. She has these ducks that she’s keeping. They needed their fence reinforced.”

  “And everyone knows that Lex is all thumbs and couldn’t possibly do something like that for herself.”

  He smiled a little. “She likes the company.”

  “As I thought.”

  His expression grew serious. He wasn’t surprised that Annie had caught on, but he didn’t want to upset Lex. “People don’t know. Lex wants to keep things quiet for now.”

  “Obviously, since I didn’t know.” But she was still smiling as she fixed her gaze on the garage that he’d finished siding several days ago. Once he finished the shed, he was free to hit the road and maybe a rodeo or two before he started competing in the Bull Extravaganza. He wasn’t yet ready to go.

  “I’m thinking of asking her to go to the rodeo with me and the girls.”

  “Nice idea.”

  “You don’t mind?”

  She turned her head toward him. “If you take the girls to the rodeo, it might be good for you to have some backup.”

  “I take them to riding lessons every week without backup.”

  “Just saying that the rodeo might be different.” She took a sip of tea. “The girls have told me that you spend all your time sitting with Lex at lessons. You shouldn’t fool yourself into thinking that no one is aware.”

  “Good to know.”

  “What’s the big secret, anyway?”

  “I’m letting Lex take the lead here. I think this thing, me and her, kind of blindsided her.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  Grady looked at her, surprised. Annie gave him a pitying look. “When you two were around each other earlier this month, I’m surprised smoke wasn’t rolling off your backs. I think she was aware.”

  “Smoke. Really.” Annie nodded at him. “Huh.” He glanced back up at the sky. Stars were starting to show from between the clouds.

  “When you told me you liked her a few weeks ago...I have to admit that I didn’t think you had a chance. I felt sorry for you because Lex can be—”

  “Formidable?”

  “Yes. Accurate description.” She laughed and reached out to give his shoulder a sisterly squeeze. “I’m glad for the two of you. Who knows, maybe now you’ll have a reason to stay.”

  He smiled back at her. “No matter what, I have a reason to stay.”

  * * *

  ANNIE KEPT LOOKING at her funny.

  Or maybe it was that she wasn’t really looking at her, as if she was afraid that if she did she might smile or something.

  She knew.

  Lex reached across the antique table for another stack of tulle circles. She counted out eight Jordan almonds, set them in the center of the top circle, brought the edges together to make a bundle and then tied it with pale blue ribbon and tossed it into a half-full basket. Wedding crafts were tedious work, but until today she’d rather enjoyed the half an hour she and Danielle and Annie spent during their lunch hour making favors during the past week.

  Had Grady spilled the beans?

  If so, that was fine. Even if she was still self-conscious about people knowing her business.

  Annie met her eyes, and this time she did smile. A nice smile, not a catty one, and Lex exhaled. Forced herself to relax—as much as that were possible.

  The bell rang over the door and Annie excused herself to see to the customer.

  “Just tell her that you know that she knows that you’re sleeping with Grady.”

  Lex’s gaze snapped up to Danielle’s. “Is this common knowledge?” she finally asked.

  “A common guess. Both you and Grady have been in excellent spirits, and he hasn’t been to Hennessey’s much over the past two weeks.” She wrapped a ribbon around a tulle bundle. “And you haven’t said one negative thing about him lately.”

  “Okay...” she said, dropping her eyes to the almonds she was counting out.

  “It’s a good thing,” Danielle said.

  “You think so?”

  Danielle flashed that beautiful smile of hers. “Of course. You and Grady are so much better suited to each other than he and I ever were. I think with us, it was the novelty of being together. I mean...it might have worked out, but—” she wiggled the finger with her engagement ring “—I’m glad it didn’t.”

  Annie came back through the beaded curtains. “Tiffani Crenshaw looking for a statement ring.” She met Lex’s gaze. “I told you she’d be back.”

  “You should probably send her flowers,” Danielle said mildly, thus setting the stage for Lex to confess if she cared to.

  Lex let out a breath. She needed to get over this rampant need for privacy in all things...well...private. She tied a ribbon around tulle, tightening it, then said to Annie, “Grady and I are seeing each other.”

  Annie’s face broke into a wide smile. “I know,” she said happily.

  Lex stared at her. “Apparently everybody knows,” she muttered, mimicking Annie’s tone, but not in a malicious way. “It may not last.”

  “There are no guarantees,” Annie agreed. “Just...enjoy each other while you can.”

  Lex’s gaze shifted from Danielle to Annie, then back to Danielle. A moment later a genuine smile broke free, and she leaned back in her chair, putting the palms of both hands on the table in front of her. It felt good to no longer be harboring a secret from those she was closest to. Or to believe she was harboring a secret.

  “That’s good advice. Thank you.”

  Lex spent the next two evenings alone. Grady had to get in some practice bull rides, and frankly she’d be worried about him if he didn’t. He needed to stay on top of his game. End of story.

  She wouldn’t allow herself to think of anything beyond that; she wasn’t going to dwell on how he got the scars that weren’t caused by the car-meets-boy-on-bike incident when he was eleven. She wasn’t going to remember every bad thing she’d ever seen happen in the bull-riding arena. No. She would focus on the here and now, because that was what they had. The present.

  Besides that, if anyone was prepared to handle bull riding, it was her. So what if she’d almost puked the one time she went to Hennessey’s to teach Grady a lesson? It was her first time near an arena since her father died. It was to be expected.

  She went to bed early the second night, but just after she’d turned the porch lights off, she heard Grady’s truck pull in and met him at the door. He took her face between his hands as he always did when he kissed her the first time. She could smell the arena dust on him and it made her heart rise in her throat.

  “I’m only here for a minute. Regretfully. One of the twins is sick, and I’m sure the other is about to go down. They’re both cranky.”

  “I can imagin
e.”

  “But...” He smiled down at her. “I have tickets for the rodeo in Bozeman next weekend, and I’m going to take the girls if they’re well enough. Want to come along?”

  There was no reason for her to say no, not now that everyone was aware of their relationship, but she could see from his expression that Grady half expected her to say no. Did he think she might be afraid?

  “All right.” She heard the words come out of her mouth, wondered if she’d said them because she actually wanted to go or to prove that she wasn’t afraid.

  “We, uh, don’t have to stay for the bulls. You know...if that would be difficult.”

  “I’m good.”

  “Are you sure?” He held her loosely by the shoulders, his forehead coming close to hers as he said, “Because I totally understand if—”

  “Either you want me to go to the rodeo or you don’t.”

  Grady’s eyebrows pulled together. “I want you to go,” he said quietly.

  “As do I.” She attempted a casual smile, suspected it came off as brittle and forced, but it would have to do. She had nothing more to offer at the moment.

  “I might not see you between now and then,” Grady said. “I’m rustier than I thought and have to put in the practice time. And help out with the girls until they feel better.”

  “I understand.” She was startled to hear her voice become husky as she spoke, to sound as if it was on the edge of cracking, and because of that, when she kissed him goodbye a few minutes later, she held back a little. She had her faults, but being needy wasn’t one of them. Grady needed to understand that.

  After he left, walking down the path to his truck, his shoulders held more stiffly than usual, a wave of anxiety crashed over her, taking her breath, making her knees feel suddenly weak.

  Lex pressed her hand to her chest and inhaled deeply as her heart clutched. What was going on? Was this an anxiety attack?

  She had no other name to put on it.

  Okay, maybe one visit to Hennessey’s arena hadn’t been enough to lay all ghosts to rest. Maybe the thought of going to a rodeo bothered her more than she’d acknowledged, but she could do this. It wasn’t as if she was afraid of bull riding, because it hadn’t been a bull that had taken her father out. It’d been a weak vessel in his heart, not a horn or a hoof.