“Colt Lawson. How did he know?”
Cooper sighed as the background noise of the magazine office filtered over the line. The dull feeling heaved and thudded in her belly again. She wasn’t ready to be back amongst the hum, click and florescent lights of the cube farm. Not at all.
“I don’t know, Ellie. He threatened my contact and said he’d expose him for putting a shill back behind the chutes to spy on sponsors and have an unfair advantage against the riders when it comes time to negotiate sponsorship contracts.”
“That’s ridiculous. He made it all up. He wants something.”
Cooper went quiet, no doubt debating whether he should tell Ellie the truth.
“He said you’re helping one of the riders by giving him an unfair advantage. If you don’t leave he’s going to expose us all to force you out. Good publicity for our story but my friend will lose his job and no source will ever trust us again.”
“What unfair advantage?” Ellie asked, a stale taste in her mouth.
Cooper responded quietly.
“You’re too much of a lady for me to say.”
… … …
Tears stung as the dry smell of the damned closet finally penetrated the haze of unreality she’d been living in. She’d slowed to a pace unnatural for a New Yorker and ignored her well–honed intuition. How long had she really known she could never belong? Her face flushed, unable to deny she’d imagined herself in the role of some country princess hitched to a semi–reformed bad–ass cowboy.
She’d seen Brody for what he was the first time he got out on a bull after he met her. The buckle bunnies drooled and he ate it up. Did she even want a ’reformed’ bad boy and a lifetime of wondering how reformed he actually was?
No.
Maybe.
Ellie checked her watch for the third time, but the dread in her stomach had already taken over. Brody wasn’t coming. A silly card she’d seen at one of the vendor booths claimed a woman could never trust a cowboy’s kiss. Folding her arms pointlessly in the dark, Ellie waited. Her cheeks flared with bitterness. If Brody wasn’t here, then Rico wasn’t out there keeping guard either. Yes, she’d known he did it; and she knew his brother Abel had done it too, back in Billings. They all wanted him to win.
Ellie was merely their puppet. An outsider. A means to an end.
And she was standing here in a dark closet, by herself, feeling like an idiot.
Anger filled her from her toes on up and she fumbled, feeling for the door handle. She found the light switch instead and flicked it on, squinting. It was barely enough to see by. As she touched the handle to leave once and for all, it turned against her fingers. Breath rushed from her lungs in confusion and relief as she jumped back, ready to forget every terrible thought she’d had and fall into Brody’s arms. But a split second later her heart slammed into her chest.
“Thought I might find you here, darlin’. It’s about time you and I had some fun.”
… … …
“Get the hell away from me, Colt,” she barked, trying to shove past him. He caught her wrists and quickly snaked his arms around her, tumbling her to the back of the closet. Ellie kicked and shouted, but he had her locked down.
“Let’s see how this works, now. We fuck, then I stay on my bulls, is that right? Something sticky between your legs?”
“Fuck you, asshole!” Ellie shoved him again and as she did the door was flung wide and her body was freed with a strangled cry. Brody yanked Colt back by his hair, pulling viciously, as Ellie escaped the closet, breath seizing over and over. Brody threw him to the floor, flinging Colt away, but the sonofabitch rushed back, doubled–over, to catch Brody in the gut with his head. Ellie stumbled back, slipping on the soles of her still–new boots, as Rico and a bunch of others ran forward to separate them, but not before Brody got a wicked shot at Colt’s jaw.
Ellie’s voice was stuck in her throat. She wanted to scream and tell them what a hateful creep he was, that he’d attacked her, but she couldn’t get the words out. As Colt was led away by a couple of other riders, blood dripping from his lip, he glared back at her.
“Go home,” he snarled. “Nobody wants you here.”
Brody looked back and forth between the two. Suspicion flashed across his face. He turned to her, his expression already…different.
“You okay?” he whispered.
Ellie shook her head no, no, no. Don’t talk to me! Please, Brody! No!
The hallway emptied again, except for Rico. Brody removed his protective vest and tossed it to him, then took Ellie’s hand and led her back into that dark place, no longer theirs, no longer a secret.
… … …
Brody tasted salty tears on her cheeks and hugged her. Throat tight and eyes burning, he couldn’t speak even if he wanted to. His rope hand throbbed which he hoped to God meant he’d fractured Colt’s motherfucking jaw. He fought back the foul words which raged through his mind, trying to focus on the only thing he could, to comfort Elsie in the here and now. He didn’t dare ask why it sounded like Colt knew something important about her he didn’t know. Fear pooled in his gut–or was it the head butt he took? He couldn’t tell and didn’t want to think about it.
As she relaxed into his embrace, Brody began their ritual, but instead of undressing her, he placed her hands on his chest, leading them to the snaps on his shirt. He held her hands there a moment, waiting until their breathing had slowed and was in sync.
Elsie sniffled and unsnapped, placing a kiss on his bare chest for each one. She nuzzled in, smelling him, her soft cheek pressed to his skin a moment before continuing on. As his shirt separated she spread her fingers wide, running her hands along the breadth of him, smoothing them down his waist. Except for stroking her hair, Brody held still while she did it. The woman had offered up her body for his comfort and never asked for any more than he was willing to do. Now it was her turn. She could take whatever she wanted. Whoever she was, he owed her that much.
The buttons on his jeans came away and Elsie reached deftly in to release his cock, already thickening. She tugged his jeans down from his hips to mid–thigh and Brody chuckled. She was going to have all of him. She kissed his belly as she lowered to her knees, holding on for balance, then caressed her cheek with his swelling shaft, licked and kissed the tip. He gripped the corner of a shelf when her warm, wet mouth sucked him all the way in. The vibration of her moaning, so clearly a sound of relieved happiness, gave him an unexpected joy in his own heart.
Brody exhaled deeply and pressed his hips forward, filling her mouth. Knowing she was getting a real taste of him, he wondered if she liked it as much as he liked the taste of her. He smiled to himself. He’d never cared about this stuff before. He wanted her to like it. He wanted her to want it more. For the first time in his life, he wanted a woman to need him, and he was ready to let himself need her right back.
He lifted Elsie to her feet to kiss her. He loved her. He only hoped whatever it was Colt knew wouldn’t change that.
… … …
Ellie didn’t want to stop, but she guessed Brody did. Perhaps he wanted to maintain their pattern, despite what had happened. Get things back to normal. The thought made her body settle, and a smile come over her face. She looped her arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, his stiffness poking her belly as she nuzzled in to mark herself with his scent. Dry wood, leather and spice, and the sweat of fighting to protect her. He smelled like a real man and it woke every ounce of femininity she had. Ellie lifted her dress, wanting to feel him against her bare skin. A drip of cum tickled her and she rubbed it in, savoring each new sensation. With all the intimacy they had shared, even the hard slope of his cock and the soft brush of his balls was new. Brody nudged her up for more kissing, a familiar, safe activity.
Yes, he must be trying to hang on to the last bits of their established routine. His restraint, her complicity, their common goal…it gave her comfort.
But in the next moment, Brody edged his fingers along her panties an
d pulled them down. Ellie gasped as a deep rumble began in his chest and her nipples tingled. His fingers sank into her and Ellie groaned, her body already conditioned to know what came next–a deep, satisfying orgasm brought on by the lips and tongue and sweet, hot breath of this man on his knees.
But he did not drop into position. Instead, his thumb and pointer spread her pussy lips and he plunged in with his other fingers, sighing and groaning. He released her and licked one finger at a time until the last, which he pressed to her bottom lip. She opened and tasted herself.
This is what I know of you. This taste. This gift.
Putting words in his mouth was a danger Ellie resisted every time they’d been together. But they had reached a new place, had they not? Was she a fool to think she knew what was on his mind?
Brody maneuvered between her legs, reaching between them for more pussy play, pinching and sliding her folds together. He dropped down and gave her a long, wet suckle, his mouth deftly sliding over the pussy he’d come to know so well. It occurred to Ellie she knew her own body better now too, thanks to all the time he had spent working over every inch of her, tickling, fondling and seeking.
All too abruptly, he stood again, snuggling close, his fingers climbing the back of her neck, into her hair. Ellie let herself feel his powerful shoulders and upper arms and, for the first time, she began to think of them as hers. The arms which held, protected her, ripped a man off her.
Brody leaned back and, bending his knees, ground his hips towards hers, the tip of his cock touching her pussy. With his other hand he angled in, rubbing over her clit, kissing her sweetly on the mouth as he did. It made Ellie want to cry.
The tip of his penis slid lower until he was poised inside her lips. One thrust and he would be in.
“It’s going to be okay,” he whispered and his words so distracted her, Ellie let her thighs relax and tilted her hips. Brody slid in and they both gasped and stilled, clutching each other. Sighing deeply, he stroked, then slowed, until he was still again, a feat of restraint that echoed her own desire to savor the moment, cherish every inch of their connection. Ellie ran her fingers through his hair and kissed him, reveling in the steamy, silky glide of his tongue and lips. As her own muscles clenched and eased, Ellie’s thoughts became a jumble of unspoken fear and wanton desire. Sensations fluttering over her pussy lips and through her core. It was only a matter of time before she lost her grip, grinding against him. As it was, Brody lost his first, with a slam and a deep, guttural groan. He deepened their kiss too, fucking her like he was sharing, giving her something.
A gift to remember him by?
No! She shoved the thought out of her head and reached between them to feel where they connected, moist and warm, her curls and his and her flesh drawn taut around his. Connected. Connected.
Please don’t go.
“More,” she whispered.
“Unnnggh,” Brody moaned as he grasped her ass and lifted her, squeezing. He directed and moved their bodies together in a slow churn which made Ellie’s brain fizz and her mouth water. Grasping the back of his neck, she wished her breasts were exposed but there was nothing for it now. They were lost in it, doing what they had so longed to do. Finally.
“Oh–oh–God.” One hand slid from her ass and slapped the wall behind her, his tummy curling in, his lips in the crook of her neck. He sucked in a deep, stuttering breath then slipped from her, flipping her back to him. Back against the door, Brody slid lower, bending his knees and re–entered her from behind.
Everything slowed.
He took the weight of her. She gave in to him, letting her body sink. A slight shift of his legs and he immersed himself deeper. Groaning, he kissed her back and held her waist, and Ellie sensed the quake building in him. He snaked a hand up to her neck, caressing her breast along the way. His deep breath made her own chest bow out, and just as she let her head drop back beside his, Brody covered her mouth with one hand and reached between her legs to cover her pussy with the other.
Mine.
Ellie wasn’t sure if she’d heard the words play in her mind or out loud, but she didn’t have time to give it another thought. Brody slapped and tugged her pussy and she squealed then laughed into his palm.
He’d done it before, but not with his cock lodged up inside her, throbbing. She wove her fingers over his and felt how slippery wet she was, then touched lower, wanting to see if his balls were soaked too. She couldn’t reach, though. His whole body shivered against her, causing her to shiver too.
Ellie let herself go, falling back against his powerful chest, spreading her legs wantonly, offering her clit up to him, begging to be pinched. At some point, he slipped from her again, but Brody responded by giving her exactly what she wanted anyway. He sucked on the side of her neck as he swept relentlessly back and forth over her clit, exposing the nerves in one direction, and covering them again on the way back. The sensation drove away all restraint and finally, her pussy soaked and swollen, Ellie cried out. Her muscles twitched and she bucked forward as a series of waves seemed to curl and release from her.
Brody quickly covered her mouth and shushed her softly. His palm was moist and smelled of her this time. Ellie’s memory shuffled back to the day they met and the scent of his own cum as he attempted to stop her from screaming.
She nodded and slumped against his chest, but Brody didn’t let her stay there long before he kissed her cheek and straightened them both up. Pushing her forward, he ran his hands down her arms to her fingertips and together they found the back wall. He pressed her hands to it, then bent her forward, deeper than before, and lifted her dress all the way up, exposing her ass. Ellie wiggled it against him.
She thought he’d laugh, but instead he mumbled a very gruff, “mmmm–hmmm” and before she knew what was happening, a sharp spank landed on her left butt cheek. His hand stilled there for a long moment and Ellie’s heart rate jumped higher, not knowing what to expect next. She opened her mouth to speak, but at the same time Brody released her ass and came down on it again. This time he shook it and growled and Ellie thought she’d heard him exhale ’yessss’.
With both hands now, Brody spread her ass cheeks and moaned, almost laughing to himself. The next thing she knew, thighs shaking, he was inside her again, seeking his own release. He fucked her hard and fast, as if he had somewhere to go, and he did. Brody started to tremble, pulling her tight to him, his slick, sweaty chest over her back, nose nuzzling into her hair.
Ellie’s thoughts began to race again and she lost her grip. She had wanted this but…
He grunted softly in her ear as he came, spurting and shuddering and she thought she’d lose her mind, knowing there was only one reason he’d let himself fuck her. He didn’t need her anymore. He was ready to let go.
Chapter Nine
It all happened quickly. Brody bested his bull. She waited for him, watching him sign autographs from a distance, but when he was done, he didn’t come looking for her. He wasn’t at the after party either. The next day, Ellie distracted herself with her work, and showed up at the arena, in their usual spot to wait for him. She stood outside the door, but he didn’t show.
She went up to the Sky Box to see Talia and Holly, who had come down for the weekend to watch Brody ride and hang with her and Janie. When they looked at her with pained sympathy, she knew. He was done with her. She didn’t even stay for the opening ceremony.
Had Colt said something after all? Did Brody know about her? Was he angry she’d lied? None of it mattered, of course. She couldn’t be with a man who’d use her like this and leave her.
A knock sounded at her motel room door, and her heart leapt a moment then fell. Talia lifted a six–pack to the security eye hole, and Ellie opened up, though she remained on the phone with Cooper as her friends filed in.
“Sorry, hon. There’s a huge drop off fee for the rental if you don’t take it back to the airport where you picked it up, plus the change fee on your airline ticket is already…” Ellie stopped
listening as Cooper droned on about why she couldn’t catch the next plane out of Denver. The riders were moving on to Kansas City, Missouri, but Ellie wouldn’t be following.
“…vacation in Montana?” Cooper finished. Like she needed any more time in Montana. There were a million things to see there and yet Ellie couldn’t think of one place she’d rather be than home right now, licking her wounds. Feeling overwhelmed, she got off the phone with her boss, letting him know she’d take care of it. As always.
Holly popped open a long neck and offered it to her. She took it, but quickly handed it back without taking a sip. The beer felt as cold as her heart.
“Come up to Cameron Ranch,” Holly offered. “It’s so peaceful and beautiful. And Brody won’t be there. You can ride my horse, Daisy…”
Midnight.
Could she bear to see his horse?
“You should. It’s a good idea,” said Talia. Ellie briefly wondered if she could handle sitting down to dinner with his brothers, everywhere she looked another pair of caramel eyes similar to Brody’s.
“I can’t listen to his stats or any news about the circuit…” She felt pathetic, but also knew how to take care of herself. As long as no one talked about him, she might be alright. She didn’t even want to know if he’d won this weekend’s invitational.
The women all nodded. Holly slipped her hand into the crook of Ellie’s arm and snuggled in. She was such a tender person. Ellie let her head drop to Holly’s shoulder, and her eyes briefly flutter closed.
Yeah. A little girl time couldn’t hurt.
“Alright. Thank you. That would actually be really nice.”
As much as she liked Janie, these women seemed to have more tolerance for emotional highs and lows. They could move easily between urban and country landscapes, having fallen in love with men who lived a rugged life. They learned to ride horses and birth calves alongside their husbands, but they still knew what it was to be a single girl getting her heart broken by yet another single man. After all, Ellie’s story could have been theirs. They could have been on their way back to Seattle or Los Angeles had things not worked out with their Cameron men.
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