Passion

by Rachel Kramer Bussel

  It was finally his turn, and the arena practically went silent as the audience waited for the officials to open his gate and free the bull. After another minute of securing himself, Jake slowly raised his hand into the air and the pen was flung open. The bull exploded into the arena, the crowd exploded with noise, and in her chest, Leigh’s heart exploded with anxiety and love for this crazy man taking on this dumb-ass, brave-ass feat.

  The bull kicked its back legs up a few times, and at first it seemed like Jake was going to have an easy ride. But then the bull began jumping up into the air and twisting its entire body left and right, every bull-rider’s worst nightmare. And Jake held fast. Leigh was too far away to see his face, but she knew he wasn’t fazed. She knew that he’d been imagining this since he was a little boy and that he was ready. The crowd groaned in unison as the bull gave a particularly ugly twist-kick combo and for a moment, it seemed that Jake had lost his hold, slipping off to the side, but then he righted himself and continued to be flung back and forth on the bull’s back, like a rag doll. It was misleading, the way he was so easily thrown around. It made it look as though his body was loose, relaxed. In reality, Leigh imagined that his body was wound tighter than a drum as he clung to the crazy, bucking beast.

  And then it was all over. He flipped over the bull’s head and landed on his backside in the dirt, a perfect place for getting gored in the gut. But the rodeo clowns were there in a heartbeat and distracted the bull away from Jake long enough for him to run off the field. As soon as he was out of harm’s way he turned around to look at the clock and even from her great distance, Leigh could see the enormous smile on his face as he saw his qualifying time. Like Leigh, he was headed to the next round.

  “Looks like your boy came out all right,” Effie nudged her. “Gonna go celebrate all night long?”

  “You bet,” Leigh decided and began walking way.

  Effie catcalled and Caroline hollered, “Go get yours, girl.”

  Leigh smiled and felt her pulse quicken, like it did whenever she was facing down a good challenge. She walked out of the arena and back into the barn, trying to decide where Jake would head first. But she didn’t have to look far. She found him just outside of the barns near the trailers, and as soon as he noticed her standing in the light of doorway he took off at a sprint, his big, crazy grin still filling half his face.

  “Leigh!” he crowed when he reached her, and he slipped his hands around her waist, pulling her up into his embrace. Delighted with this outcome, Leigh flung her arms around Jake’s neck and pressed her face to his hair, knocking off the cowboy hat that had stayed in place throughout his entire go-round with the bull. He spun them around, still shouting his excitement at the top of his voice. And then he slowly lowered her to the ground, a new expression taking over his face. It was still exuberant, but there was an edge to it now and Leigh realized it was because they had both become aware of that white-hot heat again, blazing like hell between them. And she noticed that he hadn’t let her go.

  “Great ride, Jake,” Leigh said, suddenly shy. But Jake was staring and she wasn’t sure he’d even heard her. He leaned in close enough that she could feel his breath on her lips, coming quick and not just because he’d just finished riding.

  “Leigh.” His voice was husky. “Leigh.”

  She took one last look at his blue eyes and his handsome face, and then she closed her eyes and kissed him. He was immediately receptive. His hold around her tightened and his lips moved under hers. They couldn’t be any closer. Their noses brushed as they kissed again and again. She unclasped her arms from around his neck and ran her fingers across his smooth cheeks, and then she just held him, her hands spanning from either side of his chin to where rough, curly blond sideburns ended beneath his ears. He rocked back and forth, still clinging to her, his hands flexing and rubbing through the fabric of her sequined button-down. Wherever their bodies met, heat flushed over her skin, and it didn’t take too many kisses before all she wanted was to wrap her legs around his waist and go. She was vaguely aware of the people who’d been standing near the trailers with Jake, congratulating him on his ride, but then Jake was carrying her off into the shadows and she forgot to care who saw.

  His hands slid down her back and over her backside, gently urging her pelvis into his, and now Leigh did pull her legs up and wrap them around his waist. She rubbed against him fast and hard, but he stood straight, withstanding her urgency and reminding Leigh that he was a hard-ass bull-rider. But she bet he’d never moaned on the back of a bull, and he was definitely moaning now.

  “Oh, Leigh, baby.” Leigh felt his low voice vibrate deep in his chest as she kissed his cheek, his neck. “Did you know I always—I always—oh, Jesus,” he groaned as she rolled her hips over his groin. Leigh gasped, too, and then sucked hard at the skin just beneath the sharp corner of his jaw.

  And then all at once he put her down, shaking his head, dazed.

  “This ain’t right,” he said, out of breath. “We can’t do this here, not like this. This ain’t right.”

  “I don’t understand,” Leigh stepped back as if he’d slapped her. “Why’d you let me go on like that, then? If you didn’t want me…” She trailed off.

  Jake paused a second, and then laughter rolled out his crooked smile. “Goddamn, girl. You have to know I want you. Everybody in this whole rodeo knows I want you.”

  “What?”

  He pulled her in again, resting his cheek against her forehead, his hand fitted over the curve of her waist. “Baby, I’ve been crazy about you since the first time I saw you ride. Saw you take off on that horse, your hair flying and your eyes all lit up,” He was rocking her again, as if they were dancing out there, in the cool night air under the moon. “Saw you and I knew I’d be crazy about you. Then we met and I saw your eyes up close.” He looked at her. “Green eyes. Pretty, green eyes.”

  Leigh sighed, her heart beating fast and full and taking up too much room in her chest.

  “So you understand why we can’t do it this way. Not out here, standing in horseshit in front of everybody. I love you too much for that.”

  She pulled back and looked up into his face. The reckless look was gone. It was something steady looking back at her. Something real. She felt herself shudder, and Jake smiled again.

  “And you know,” he continued, “I got some idea how you feel after what happened just now, but if you’re serious—not just hot for me right now, but kinda…kinda in love, maybe you wanna meet me at my trailer? In twenty minutes or so?”

  She nodded, a soft smile stealing over her face. Jake leaned in and kissed her forehead. And then he let her go, saying, “Leigh, tonight I’m gonna love you right, the way you deserve. The way I want to.”

  “Glad to hear it,” she laughed and started to walk away, glancing behind her to find him watching with a smile on his face like he’d just won the lottery.

  As soon as she was out of his line of vision she took off at a trot for her family’s camper. They were still gone, and Leigh felt confident that they’d stay gone for a while, watching the end of the bull riding and then having drinks with their friends at whatever bar everyone was headed to tonight. She ducked into the small bathroom, flipped on the light and looked over her reflection. She had dirt on her face, no doubt left there by Jake, and she smiled as she washed it off. But she didn’t change out of her clothes or put on any extra makeup. If he was in any way repulsed by the way she looked now—wearing dirt from his clothes, sweat from her own outstanding, qualifying ride, and the outfit she felt most comfortable in—they’d never make it. And anyway, he’d said he loved her. That he’d first fallen in love with her when he saw her on the back of a horse. And so, twenty minutes later when she left her trailer for his, she was the same girl, with a little less dirt and a tiny bit of perfume.

  The temperature had dropped even more by the time she left, and the air felt wonderful against her feverish skin. But she didn’t take any time getting over there. She was ready t
o love him right, too, and full of energy. She only stopped just outside his trailer to look up at the stars, the millions of them that lit the sky overhead, and whisper a quiet thank you.

  Only the screen door was shut when she arrived, but Leigh still knocked on the side of the camper.

  “Come in,” he drawled from inside and Leigh did. But she was hardly through the door of the dimly lit room before she was being swept up into a pair of strong arms and crushed by Jake’s mouth against her own. Her heart beat frantically, she was so caught off guard, but she was used to being taken by surprise. Years of experience with horses had taught her how to regain ground in a hurry. She took Jake’s face in her hands and took over, kissing him deeply. She ran her tongue over the sharp edges of his teeth and then withdrew, pausing momentarily. But this second was all Jake needed. He lifted her into the air, his big hands cupping her backside lovingly, one of them darting between her legs to brush her burning center and drive her wild. She struggled for a moment and then slipped her hand between their bodies, dragging her fingers over the healthy erection that was filling the left leg of his already-tight jeans.

  He groaned and his grip on her slipped. They both tumbled to the floor of the tiny camper, laughing hard.

  “You know what I think the problem is?” Jake said. “We’re both used to trying to control the situation. Now we’re gonna have to take turns here or somebody’s liable to get hurt.”

  Leigh giggled. “Well, on that note, I’ll go first!”

  “You think,” Jake laughed and hoisted her into the air again, cradling her against his chest as he carried her over to the little bed, hidden behind beige curtains. He dropped her gently onto the mattress and then climbed in after her. It was a neatly made little bed, sheets tucked in and a sleeping bag unfolded over the top, but Jake mussed it in a hurry as he rolled his long, broad body in next to hers.

  “Since I’m in charge here, first things first,” he said as he began to unbutton her shirt. Soon he had pulled it open, exposing the thin white undershirt beneath. He leaned over her and pulled the undershirt up over her belly, kissing the soft white skin beneath it, dragging his lips slowly and letting his hot breath linger. Leigh didn’t need all this encouragement. She spread her legs and moved to unbutton her jeans, but Jake stopped her.

  “My turn,” he reminded her and returned his attentions to her stomach, even pulling down the waist of her jeans a little so he could suck at the skin over her jutting hip bone, hard enough to leave a mark.

  “Come on, now,” Leigh scolded. “We both know what we’re here for.”

  “I’m here to make love to you, baby,” Jake replied. “Every last inch of you.”

  And he did. He helped her take her shirt the rest of the way off, and then he pulled the undershirt up over her shoulders. In Leigh’s whole life, no one had ever looked so pleased to see her breasts, and after a moment of admiration and soft fondling, Jake took her nipple between his lips and sucked, his tongue darting across the stiff peak at rapid speed. Her back arched and she ran an impatient hand between her legs.

  “Do you, uh,” Jake paused. “Do you like a little biting?”

  Leigh smiled like she’d just won nationals, and Jake took her nipple in his mouth again, this time using his teeth and tugging gently. She twisted with pleasure, her pussy now drenched, and managed to fling her left leg up over Jake’s hip, pulling his lower body onto hers. He obliged her this time, letting her push against him like she had outside earlier that night. She made herself dizzy with the sensation, sure she was going to come, until Jake took hold of her hips and held her still. He unbuttoned her jeans and pulled them down and off her legs. She unbuttoned his and he sat up long enough to kick them off as well.

  “Let me see that chest, cowboy,” Leigh insisted, and Jake pulled his shirt off over his head with a loud rip. When he climbed on top of her again, bare skin met bare skin, her nipples grazing pleasantly over his warm chest and his dick pressed tight against her pussy. He dragged his hips upward, his penis sliding between the folds of her center, and even through her underwear and his she could feel the heat of it, scorching her clit as he built their friction.

  Leigh kissed and sucked at his soft bare chest while he moved, pausing only when he stopped to take their underwear off. She just watched, casually, until he made to thrust into her.

  “Hold your horses,” she blocked him with her hand. “My turn now.”

  “Leigh, baby, I’m so ready.”

  “My turn.” She held fast.

  In the scant light of the tiny table lamp, she could see that he wanted to ride her into the ground, but she needed more than that. She needed a hard, fast, wild and desperate fuck, and the only way she was going to get it was if she teased him until he was about to burst. Sure that he was watching, she spread her legs and touched her clit, tightening her abs as she moved.

  “I want you to touch me like this,” she said. He immediately obliged, dragging his calloused thumb from the bottom of her lips to the top, until it grazed her clit. Then he just made slow, firm circles while she writhed under him. Surprise lit his face when he sank his middle finger into her and felt her wetness. She was warm and slick and ready to take him into her body, but she wasn’t going to let that happen, not yet. She pulled away from him.

  “On your back,” she demanded. Jake hesitated this time, giving her a wild-child look that made her wonder if her turn was over, but then he did as he was told. Leigh sat up and cupped his balls, squeezing just a little as she took the head of his erection between her lips, licking off salty precome as she did. He gasped and then groaned some variation of her name as she took the rest of him into her mouth. She bobbed her head up and down for a few seconds and then pulled back. He was grinning up at her, and she realized for the first time that there had always been something dirty about the look on his face, and it wasn’t just thrill-hungry like she’d originally thought.

  “You’ve been thinking about this for a while, haven’t you?” she asked, and his smile got even bigger as he nodded.

  Leigh crouched over him, her knees on either side of his hips, and with her hand she slowly guided him into her body. As she sank down onto him, she sighed with satisfaction and began to rock back and forth. The tension started building right away for her and she moved faster and faster, loving how he fit inside of her, loving the sensation of her clit against his body every time she pushed forward. When she came, she was exhausted, hardly able to sit up long enough to ride out the last sweet waves. Her arms fell to her sides and the contractions blasted through her, and when it was over she fell forward, kissing Jake’s face.

  But before she could even catch her breath he flipped them so that he was on top again and thrust into her, his thick cock stretching her beautifully. “You know,” he whispered in her ear, “you’re not the only one who rides wild things.” And then he began to roll in and out of her at a breathless pace. Her shoulders slid across the soft flannel comforter as he pushed into her again and again, and she wasn’t surprised when she felt herself coming alive once more, her body tensing with oncoming orgasm. She reached around and squeezed Jake’s tight butt, urging him on, and then the wall broke and she moaned loud enough for the entire rodeo to hear. Shortly after, Jake let out a guttural groan and spilled his pleasure inside her body, collapsing against her, showering her face with kisses of appreciation.

  He held her for a long time after that, still inside of her while he stroked the curls that had come loose from her braid during their romp.

  Finally he spoke. “I want you to know that I’m not a onetime rodeo kind of guy.”

  Leigh pressed a kiss to his chin. “Then I guess it’s a good thing I’m a repeat competitor, as well.”

  He smiled. “So you wanna sign on for future riding events?”

  She shrugged playfully. “I suppose. What kind of cowgirl would I be if I didn’t get back on the horse?”

  Jake laughed rich and loud and hugged her close, and they continued loving on i
nto the night, both of them planning on plenty of rounds to come.

  NO RISK, NO REWARD

  Saskia Walker

  It was when I said good-bye to Cameron that I realized I was in love with him.

  We stood together in the rustic village railway station in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. Emotion and desire swamped me, and I could not comprehend that it was over. Cameron lifted my hands to his lips and kissed my fingers gently then smiled at me. Like a jolt of electricity straight to my center, that smile turned my desire to liquid heat. It made me think about the way he made love to me, the way he locked my gaze as he entered and filled me to capacity, refusing to let me look away from him as he claimed every part of me. It stole my equilibrium, making me vulnerable. It also made every nerve ending in my body yearn for more of what we’d had these past two weeks, but it was over.

  We’d said good-bye.

  “I wish you were coming with me, at least for the weekend,” he whispered, and his eyes filled with mischief and suggestion.

  Why had I said no? Fear of getting any more involved than I already was, perhaps. I put my fingers to his lips, forbidding him to say more.

  Beyond Cameron the platform attendant lifted his hand. It was time for him to go. He kissed me one last time and I turned away quickly, not wanting to watch him board the train, not wanting to wave good-bye.

  Blinking back the emotion, I darted back through the station and into the parking lot, climbing into my Land Rover to find my own private space. That didn’t help; I could still smell his cologne and I could still feel his warm, strong hand reaching over to cover mine on the steering wheel when I had parked there.