Rodeo Rancher

by Lauren Wood

  My first thought was yes. I loved going swimming, but then I had to remember that I didn’t even really know him. Sure I knew his uncle, but the man was obviously a bad boy, something that I told myself that I had to stay away from. While they were fun, they were also heartbreakers as well, something that I needed to steer clear of.

  “No thank you. I think after last night, I just need to take the night off and rest a bit.”

  He looked like he wasn’t happy with my answer and every part of me wanted to change it. It was in my best interest not to though. That man was trouble and that was all that I knew to be true.

  I walked up the stairs and there was a part of me that wished that I had said yes. When I got into my apartment, I looked around and I was already bored with everything. My quiet night of dinner and a movie didn’t seem all that enticing anymore and I debated seeing if he had left yet. I was fighting with myself and finally I just went to bed early, trying to save myself from doing something that I was sure to regret later.

  Joel was just bad news and I needed to stay far away from him. Why was that so hard to sink in? Even with everything I knew of men like him, something inside of me wanted to play with fire. I wanted to know what it was like to be with a man like Joel. Just once.

  Chapter 4

  Joel

  “Good morning Cameron.”

  The young brunette looked over her shoulder at me and smiled. She had her hands full and I rushed forward to grab one of the bags that she looked like she was going to drop.

  “Thanks. I thought I could carry it all in. I hate making a second trip.”

  She looked like she was in a better mood today and I was going to take it as a sign. I was still working on her slowly, but I wasn’t any closer to getting what I wanted as when I first met her. Today I was feeling a bit luckier.

  “So how was work?”

  Cameron sighed and said she was glad another week was over. I was still surprised how much she worked, but I was happy that it was Saturday afternoon and she was going to be home the next day. I just had to find a way to get her to agree to go out with me. Last time my attempts had failed miserably and this time all I could think about was how I knew I wasn’t going to be able to fail. I wasn’t going to take no for an answer. I just couldn’t be patient anymore.

  “How was your week Joel?”

  “Boring. There is not a lot to do after I got the back ordered fixes done. Not enough is breaking around the apartments to keep me busy.”

  “It seems like there is always something breaking. Just give it time.”

  I kind of chuckled and stopped in front of her door. I was waiting for her to open it and then shoo me away. It was what she had done many times before in the last few weeks, but I kept telling myself, today is going to be different. Today she is going to say yes.

  “Well since I have so much extra time, I was thinking of going out tonight. Do you know of any good places? I still don’t know much about the city. I came here a long time ago when I was younger, but it has changed a lot since then.”

  I was playing to her helpful side that I had learned she had. Cameron noticed things and ever since meeting her, she had become more and more helpful. If that was the angle I had to take to get her to go out with me, I was not above it.

  “There are a lot of good places around here. Are you looking for a place to eat, drink or dance?”

  “I don’t know. Somewhere to eat first I guess. Would you like to show me a good place that you like around here? I am buying.”

  Cameron looked at the groceries that I had set on her kitchen counter. It was like only then did she realize that I was in her kitchen, just feet from here. The door was still open, but no one was in the hallways and it felt like we were alone.

  “Um, well I was going to just make some pasta.”

  “Come on Cameron. You haven’t gone out in a while.”

  She didn’t like the comment or maybe it was the fact that she didn’t like that I noticed. It was hard not to and whether I wanted to or not, I was constantly aware of what she was doing. It was a hazard of the job and the fact that she was always around. How could I not notice such a woman?

  “I guess I could.”

  Although she wasn’t as enthused as I would have liked, it didn’t matter, I would take it how it was. After trying to forget about her in the arms of several others, it was becoming clear to me, painfully so that she had gotten under my skin. All I needed to do was scratch the itch and then I could forget about the sassy mouthed tenant that kept me up at night.

  “Let’s go then.”

  “I have to get ready and put these groceries up.”

  “I will help you.”

  Cameron didn’t look so sure of my skills, but I was already taking things out of the bags and setting them on the counter. I wasn’t going to give her a reason or a chance to say no.

  “Um, okay. I’m going to jump in the shower then. I will be back out in a few minutes.”

  I watched her walk into the bathroom and I felt a tightening in my chest. I was thinking about her naked and soaped up in the shower. It was the first thought that went through my head and it was one that I just couldn’t shake. I couldn’t wait to see what she looked like without her clothes on. Tonight was the night.

  The water turned on and my mind went into overdrive. What would happen if I just went in there right now? Would she turn me away?

  ***

  Without a real idea of what she would do, I didn’t go into the bathroom. I didn’t want to move too far too fast and lose her. It was the last thing that I wanted to do and all I could tell myself was that it was going to happen soon.

  There was a small peek of her in a towel, her hair damp from the shower and that was enough. It was a tiny, tasty tease that was going to get me through until I could peel off whatever it was that she was putting on.

  Unlike most girls, Cameron was done pretty quickly. She looked completely different, sexier then I had seen her before. There was a touch of makeup that I didn’t usually see and I liked the idea that she had done it for me. The woman was beautiful and swallowing my tongue was well worth it to see her like that.

  “You look…”

  Cameron giggled and swished her skirt around. “Do you like it?”

  I nodded my head, unsure if actual sound would even come out of my mouth. It was so dry in there I felt like I couldn’t move my tongue around properly. Yeah, I liked it alright. That dress was going to be the nail in the coffin. There was no way that I was going to be able to walk away from that. She was too much, too beautiful and now I was thinking about naughty things that I wanted to do to her. There was nothing good that was coming out of my mind right then.

  “I am going to take that as a good sign that you like what I am wearing. Are you sure it is not too much?”

  Shaking my head, I told her that it wasn’t. It was something, but definitely not too much.

  “Okay, well are you ready to go?”

  Again I shook my head and just kind of stared at her. Here I was acting like the old me, the version that lost the girl. “Yeah, let’s go.”

  She was no longer hesitant and she gave me a little grin that set my blood boiling in my veins. Cameron knew exactly what she was doing to me and I was more than happy to be her plaything. Little did she know that I was going to have my way soon enough, of that I was adamant.

  When we got out to the parking garage, she asked me where my car was. “I never said I drove a car…”

  Her eyes widened when she got a look at the bike. It was fairly easy to see that she wasn’t too thrilled about the idea of getting on the back of it. I had learned one thing from my cousin Carlos and that was to make sure that I took her on my bike. He had promised that a girl couldn’t resist it and I would be rewarded with a soft body leaned tight against my back. It sounded like a win-win to me.

  Cameron was going back and forth in her mind that much I could see and I waited for her to make a decision. I wasn’t going to
push her into anything. She would come around. I hoped so anyways. I wanted Carlos to be right.

  After a few moments that felt like an eternity, I was starting to question how sure I was of it. How positive was I that she wasn’t going to just flat out deny me like she had so many times before?

  “Okay, but it’s not far at all. We could just walk if you want some fresh air.”

  The temptation to have more time with her was nothing compared to having Cameron smashed up against my body. That was how I was going to get her. I was going to make her think about me the way I was thinking about her. And I just wanted to know what she was going to feel like pressed up against me. Handing her the extra helmet I kept in the black satchel, she put it on and smiled at me in a way that stopped me in my tracks. God, this woman was going to be the death of me.

  Chapter 5

  Cameron

  All I could think about was how I was actually going to do it. I had never ridden on a motorcycle before. I didn’t date men that would drive that sort of thing. I wasn’t dating Joel of course, but I knew that I was going to have to get on the bike if I didn’t want to just back out of all of it all together. While I wanted to do just that, I wanted to spend more time with him as well.

  We talked only briefly in the hallways, Joel always seeming to be out there when I came and went. I had started to like him in more than a physical way and when he asked me out, I was ready to jump at the chance. I really did like him and once I got past the tattoos and the swagger that seemed to come with the territory, I rather enjoyed him.

  When I got on the back of the bike behind him, there was a moment where I almost got back off. It wasn’t the fact that the bike had moved a little underneath me or the way I felt like it was going to topple over at any minute, it was the way our bodies seemed to touch every inch of each other’s that made it hard to breathe.

  He didn’t seem to notice, asking me if I was on. I shook my head, not thinking that he wouldn’t be able to see me from behind. I finally told him that I was quietly in his ear. It was the part of me that was able to speak. The rest of me was lost in the heat that was coming off of him. He felt so hot and all I wanted to do was hold on tighter. When Joel told me to do just that, I pulled my body against him even harder and tried to fight the sound that was dying to come out of me.

  “Are you on?”

  “Yes, I am.”

  He made a growling sound that I didn’t quite understand and then he started the bike up. I could hear and feel the engine underneath me and for some reason, I liked the way it felt. I liked the way he felt against me and I was far more worried about that, than I was about dying in a fiery crash. There was something about the man that made me feel safe and this was the first time that I saw Joel in that way, instead of as the bad boy gangster that I had seen him as before.

  Holding on tight, I closed my eyes and leaned against his shoulder blades. I didn’t want to see everything going by so quickly and I was thankful that I had already told him where the place was. When the bike stopped and we were already there, I was glad that I hadn’t suggested the one across town. That would have been a mess and it would have taken longer than I thought it would.

  Getting off, my legs felt a little wobbly and it took me a minute to get them straight. He held me up a little without making a big deal of it and waited for me to get right. “Did you like it?”

  His brown eyes were twinkling with a look of delight and I wasn’t sure what it was that he was talking about. My mind went to him next to me, rubbing up against me in the way that he had, but I was pretty sure that he was talking about the ride itself. “Yeah, I actually did.” I didn’t tell him that it was the first time I had ridden on before and I certainly wasn’t going to tell him that I was scared to death.

  “You felt like a natural, leaning in when you were supposed to. You just keep on surprising me Cameron.”

  I wasn’t sure what that meant, but I was glad that he seemed pleased. There wasn’t a reason for me to want his approval as much as I did, but when I got it, I realized how much I enjoyed it. I liked that he was happy with me and even though the thought bothered me, I wanted him to like me.

  “Thank you for the ride. I was a little hesitant at first, but I am glad I got on.”

  “Me too. So where is this place that you were telling me about?”

  I looked away and then up to the street where the restaurant was. I had told him where it was, but Monty’s was a place that if you didn’t know it was there, you would never find it.

  “It’s right there.” Pointing he looked the way my finger was going, but I could see that he was a bit confused. I liked the way his face scrunched up like I was joking about it.

  “Where?”

  “Right there. Come on.”

  Taking the helmet off, I fumbled with my hair a bit and asked him if it looked okay. Before I could really say anything, he was nodding his head and moving a hair out from in front of my face. “You look beautiful Cameron. I don’t think there is a way that you couldn’t.”

  I blushed at the compliment and took the hand that was offered to me. This was supposed to be a couple of friends going out and getting a bite to eat and it had turned into something more. The way he was looking at me told me that he was thinking about more than just being friends. I knew that he wanted more, but I didn’t know how much it was that I wanted it as well. What was going on with me lately?

  “Shall we?”

  Nodding my head and feeling clumsy next to him, I tried to pull myself together. This was not the man for me and even though there was an undeniable attraction, it didn’t mean anything but that. I was just showing him around the city since he was still new. That was it.

  When we got inside, it was just how I remembered it. With work the way it was, I spent most of my Sundays relaxing and getting ready for the week ahead. It occurred to me that if it wasn’t for Joel, I would not even be there.

  “What do you think of the place?”

  He looked around and I could tell that he was underwhelmed with it. I was at first when I was brought here new to the city, but I knew that his attitude was going to change when he tried the food. It was the city’s best kept secret and I was sure that he was going to feel like he was in on it when he finally tried some of the food.

  “Well, it is definitely different. Back home they try to class the joint up a little more.”

  I couldn’t help but laugh at him. He really wasn’t interested in being there and it chinked away at his bad boy exterior.

  “We can go somewhere else, but I will tell you now that you will regret it one day if you ever try their food.”

  He still wasn’t sure. I could see it in his eyes that darted around. I wasn’t going to argue with him, wanting to see more than anything the look on his face when he realized that I was right. I didn’t care who he was or where he was from, everyone liked the food here. If he didn’t, it just meant that we weren’t supposed to be anyways.

  “Is it really that good?”

  His nose crinkled up a bit as we sat down. There was no fancy tablecloth on the table and instead of wood it was an old card table that had seen better days. Nothing about the place was right, except the food. The rest of it made me feel like I was back at the kid’s table at my Grandmother’s house. I didn’t know if that was what they were going for, but it worked either way. I had loved the place since I was introduced.

  “It is. You will be converted.”

  Joel’s head cocked to the side and he asked me what I meant. “You will see Joel, not everything is how it seems.”

  “I am starting to realize that.”

  I looked away from the heat in his eyes. I wanted to think that it was me he was talking about. I would have never thought that we would be here, sitting down for a meal together after how we met, but it seemed far more natural than it should have been.

  Chapter 6

  Joel

  “Okay, you win. This is the best, hell I don’t even know what it
is, but damn it is good.”

  The giggle came back and I had to admit to myself at least how much I liked the sound of it.

  “It’s gumbo.”

  I had been surprised that I actually liked the concoction that they had put in front of me. There wasn’t a menu to really look at. Instead there was a list written on a dry erase board when we came in. There were only a couple of things to choose from and since I had no idea what any of it was, I had her order for me. What had come to me was something that I would have never eaten willingly before. It looked a little green and had all kinds of things floating in it that I was sure shouldn’t be even eaten at all.

  But she had been watching me with those big blue eyes and there was nothing I could do but try it. I didn’t want to offend her and her comment about real men still grated on my nerves. It was harder than I thought to keep up the bad boy persona when I felt like I was about to be on a Fear Factor show.

  “Well whatever it is, don’t tell me.” I had a feeling if I knew what the ingredients were I wasn’t going to like it as much.

  “I won’t tell you what is in it, don’t worry. There is some etouffee coming out as well that I think you will like. You just order food and what is on the board is what everyone gets.”

  “Oh, I thought it was the menu.”

  Cameron shook her head and smiled. The dimple on her cheek was back and it melted my heart. “No, old Nann cooks whatever she feels like for the day and you either take it or leave it. It is kind of her motto.”

  “Doesn’t seem like a good business plan.”

  She shrugged and waved her hand around the full restaurant. No one seemed to be bothered by Nann’s choice of the day and if the rest was anything like this, I was sure that I wouldn’t be either. It seemed that it was working here for her and I could see why when more food came out. I couldn’t recognize it, but I think that was half of the charm. Either that or the beautiful woman across from me made everything taste better.

  “So why is it called Monty’s if the owner’s name is Nann?”