by Tessa Layne
Chapter Seventeen
“Is this seat taken?” Cody whispered as he dropped into a seat next to Carolina.
“Shhh,” she whispered, keeping her eyes on the couples up front.
It was his own damned fault for being late. He’d been caught up in a fantasy about bull-riding, which had then morphed into a fantasy involving Carolina playing ride ‘em cowboy in nothing but one of those lacy thongs she liked to wear. He’d missed the turnoff to the vineyard.
A smile curved his mouth at the memory of their most recent tryst in the hayloft. No one would ever suspect by looking at her, but Carolina was wilder than a bull with a burr stuck in his cinch. And so far, she didn’t seem overly concerned with the direction of their relationship, which was just fine with him.
He preferred casual and uncomplicated. The few times he’d seen a woman more than once, it seemed like she immediately started picking out china and curtains. It was a damn relief that Carolina wanted to keep things fun. He had more than enough to worry about with his comeback regimen.
Cody dropped an arm across Carolina’s shoulders and leaned in. “Did I miss much?”
“Shhh,” she said again. Mouth pulling tight.
Was she mad at him? She’d only asked if he’d been planning on coming the day before, and to be honest, he hadn’t planned on it. But if it was important enough for Carolina to ask about it, then he’d put a good face on for her.
He narrowed his eyes, taking a hard look at her. Her hands twisted in her lap, and her nose kept twitching. Shit, was she gonna start crying?
Fucking duh.
Of course, this had to be hard on her. And he’d run late and forced her to sit here all alone. He’d make it up to her. Tell her dirty jokes until she smiled, kiss her until she made that noise in the back of her throat that he loved so much, the one that sounded like a kitty growling. Hell, he’d even drive her into Kansas City for a fancy dinner, and an overnight in a suite with a view of downtown. She’d want to fuck with the curtains wide-open, or in front of the mirror, and he’d be more than happy to oblige.
He shifted uncomfortably in the folding chair. His cock was totally on board with any of those options. In fact, the sooner they got out of here, the better. He leaned in again. “We could go make out behind the barn.”
That earned him a sharp jab in the ribs, a twitch of her lips, and an eye-roll. But at least she smiled. Almost. Sooner than he expected, the brides and grooms were kissing, and everyone stood, clapping and cheering as they walked back down the center aisle. Blake Sinclaire let out a piercing whistle. “Give us just a few minutes to clear the chairs. Buffet’s going to be set up, and then we have a live band after - Alison and the Angels, all the way from San Francisco.”
Carolina turned to him, a curious expression on her face. “You were chatty.”
Cody pulled her in close, planting a kiss at her temple. “You looked about to cry.”
She pulled back. “And now you’re outing us?”
He guessed he was, pulling her in for a kiss like that. It had felt so natural, that he hadn’t given it a second thought. He shrugged, this time kissing her pretty pink mouth. Her lip gloss tasted like strawberries. She broke the kiss with a giggle. “You know what people will say, right?”
“Don’t give two fucks. You have a right to be seen with who you please, Carolina. And if people talk, they can answer to me.”
“Well, alrighty then.” Her eyes lit up as she gave him a smile that warmed his belly. “Let’s go find my sisters.”
Afternoon passed into twilight in a blur of music, food, and wine. Cody’s face hurt from smiling. Today, it felt good to be home. Good to be among family and friends. He never had camaraderie like this on the circuit. Sure, his fellow competitors were family, but not like this.
“Hey everyone,” Macey called from center stage during one of the band’s breaks. “Emma and Millie are going to throw their bouquets, so I want to see all the single ladies out on the dance floor.” A cheer went up as she hopped off the stage and started pulling women onto the floor.
Cody looked around for Carolina, but she’d disappeared. It didn’t surprise him she’d want to avoid this like the plague, but then he saw Macey tugging her out to the center with the rest of the women. His stomach lurched at the sight of her face. She looked like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her. He lost sight of her as the women jostled for position. Millie and Emma stood on two chairs at the edge of the floor. “Ready?” Emma called over her shoulder. “On three.” The guests chanted along.
One.
Two.
Three.
Two bouquets went flying through the air into a sea of outstretched hands, and the next two seconds passed as if in slow motion. One young woman Cody had never seen before hip checked another. “Mine,” another screamed. Laughter rang in his ears. Both bouquets bounced, one ending up in Luci Cruz’s arms. The other bounced off of Sophie, Macey’s little girl, who Carolina held high on one hip. The bouquet landed at Carolina’s feet. The crowd of women parted like the Red Sea, leaving her alone in the center, clutching Sophie.
From behind him, someone snickered. “Why don’t you pick it up?”
“Third time’s a charm, huh, Carolina?” someone else called. “You gonna make it to the altar next time?” another voice hooted, sending a ripple of laughter through the crowd.
She blanched, face pinching, and put Sophie down.
Who were these assholes making fun of her? He’d pound them all into oblivion if it would erase the stricken look from her face. He sure as hell wasn’t going to let her stand there all by herself, the target of more teasing. Hadn’t she been through enough?
His boots propelled him forward, and he bent to pick up the bouquet, pulling out a flower, and tucking it into his buttonhole. “Everyone knows that’s a load of crap,” he said loudly enough everyone could hear. He winked at Carolina, then bent his knees, dropping to eye-level with Macey’s little girl, Sophie. “I think you dropped this, sweetheart.” He held out the bouquet.
Her face lit as she clutched it.
“You’ll make a beautiful bride someday,” he said, tousling her hair. She really was as cute as a button in her little white dress. He stood before more dangerous thoughts entered his head.
“Thank you,” Macey mouthed, but he only had eyes for Carolina, who stood frozen.
He took her hand as the music began again, a slow cover of Long Time Coming by The Tragically Hip, a song he remembered his mother blaring on the kitchen radio. He dropped his mouth to her ear. “Have I told you how beautiful you look?”
Her shoulders heaved, and she made a noise halfway between a laugh and a sob.
“It’s a good thing there were two brides, because you’d have stolen all the attention if there had been only one.”
She snorted, a laugh for sure, this time.
“For real. I had to elbow through a line six deep to get to you.”
She laughed out loud. “You’re so full of shit, I smell it over my perfume.”
He grinned down at her, relieved to finally see a genuine smile on her face. He dropped his mouth to her neck and inhaled deeply, filling his lungs with her sweet, spicy scent. A scent he associated with the promise of long nights and tangled limbs. “I love your perfume. Don’t ever change it.” He wanted to lose himself in her unique aroma until he forgot everything else.
“People are staring.”
“Let’s give them something to stare at, then.” He pulled back, studying her. She needed a distraction. Given her history, it couldn’t have been easy this afternoon. He gave her a dirty smile. “What if I dropped to my knees and pulled your skirt over my head? Had my way with you on the dance floor?”
She squeaked, eyes growing wide, then hungry.
He chuckled quietly. “You love the idea of getting naughty in public, don’t you?”
“Nooo,” she protested, but she blushed.
“You love the idea of my tongue on your clit, and you
not being able to get noisy like you do.”
“I do not get noisy,” she hissed, breathing becoming more shallow.
He dropped his hand to the base of her spine, teasing his fingers across the top of her ass. “It’s a good thing the bunkhouse is so far from your folks. I’d hate to think we were keeping them up at night.”
Her cheeks had gone the most beautiful shade of sunset pink, and she giggled, shaking her head. “Stop.”
“Because I’m making you so wet?” He pressed a kiss to her temple, then lowered his head to nip at her earlobe. “What would I find if I put my hand between your legs. Would your pretty little silk thong be damp? Or would you be so soaked, I’d have to lick your arousal from your thighs?”
She drew in a sharp breath, giving him a heated stare. Oh yes, indeed. He’d hit the nail on the head. And the result went straight to his cock. He tugged on her hips, notching his erection at her apex and rolling his hips as they turned. To any but the most practiced eye, they were dancing.
The little whimper she made deep in her throat about did him in. “We’re leaving. Now,” he growled, ushering her from the parquet tile, and picking up his pace as he led her through the garden and out to where the cars and trucks were parked. Never before had he been so grateful that he’d arrived late, and had to park on the far end, practically in the trees.
“Cody,” she gasped as they neared the truck.
“Hush. I’m gonna take care of you good.” He reached inside the back end and dropped the tailboard. “Bend over and put your hands here, darlin’.” She complied, ass curving sky high, hem of her dress riding up her thighs. “Now spread your legs. Just like that,” he rasped as she widened her stance and he drew a hand up the inside of her thigh. “I’ve been dreaming of doing this to you ever since you made me start coming to yoga.”
“Yeah?” She glanced over her shoulder, eyes lit in anticipation.
His erection strained against his denims, but it would have to wait until he got her back to a bed, where he’d make sure they stayed up all night long, taking their pleasure from each other. He sank to his knees, pushing her skirt up over her hips to bare her ass. He yanked on the flimsy elastic that barely covered her crack, and it disintegrated with a snap. This view - her pussy wet and swollen, peeping out from between her creamy, luscious ass-cheeks, this view might just be heaven. It took all his self-control to not dive in and start feasting. He nipped at the flesh below the curve of her cheek, tonguing the crevice on one, then the other. Then slowly, with a featherlight touch, he drew his hand up the inside of her leg, to her apex, slick with her arousal, then back and forth over her slit, barely touching her clit, until she dropped her head with a groan, rolling her hips in an attempt to find more friction.
“You like that?”
“So much,” she said, voice nothing but a breathy husk. “I could come like this.”
“So sensitive, so sweet,” he murmured, tracing the same path now, with his tongue. Her essence hit him, as sweet and spicy as the rest of her. He worked her over, back and forth until she shuddered with a low moan. But this was just the beginning, there was more inside her. More passion, more ecstasy, and he meant to unleash all of it tonight. Squeezing her creamy mounds, he spread her wider, drawing a line from her soaked entrance to her tiny puckered rosebud and back.
“Cody, what are you? Ohhh.” She writhed under him, giving in to every demand he made with his tongue. When he sealed his mouth around her clit, sucking and running the flat over and over the tight nub, she came undone with a wail that ended in a musical laugh. Music to his ears.
Now, he’d take her home. He dropped her skirt and stood, sweeping her into his arms. “That was just to hold you ‘till we get back to my place,” he uttered, desire roughing up his voice.
She stared up at him through glazed eyes, mouth turned up in a slow, satisfied smile. “I don’t think you can top that.”
He settled her in the passenger seat, the line from the song they’d danced to, running through his head. It’s well worth the wait. “Try me.”
Her grin widened, eyes lighting. “Game. On.”
Chapter Eighteen
Cody stepped up on the mounting block and swung a leg over the suspended barrel, rigged up between three trees as a homemade bucking machine. Parker and Teddy helped keep it stable while he climbed on and adjusted the strap over his left hand.
Cody kicked the mounting block out of the way. “On my count. One. Two. Three.”
The men tugged on the ropes, jerking the drum. It was a good setup, each ride entirely unpredictable, and at first, it had been very slow going. Cody had been surprised at the fear racing through him the first time he climbed on the makeshift bull. But Colt had talked to him slow and easy, and he’d remembered the meditation practice he’d learned in yoga. The fear passed, and his mind cleared.
The barrel jerked, and Cody went flying, tucking as he landed and rolling twice before bounding up. “Better? I think my hips were too tight. Again?”
Colton lounged against a tree trunk, chewing on a piece of straw. “I think you’re ready to try a practice bull. What do you think?”
Anticipation rushed through him. “Hell, yes.” He laughed, shaking his head. “Never thought I’d see this day again.” He narrowed his gaze at Colton, the only one whose opinion he really trusted. Colt wouldn’t bullshit him. It wasn’t his style. “You think I have a chance?”
Colt shrugged. “I think you’re doing all the right things. Your grip is stronger, your balance is better. I think you need to ride a bull and see how this-” he tapped his head, “holds up. You know as well as I do, what separates the men from the boys is what’s in your head. Any asshole can climb on a bull and hang on.”
Cody fisted his hands at his hips. “How soon can we arrange that?”
“Let me make a few calls. Next week?”
“If it can be after the Fourth of July,” Parker interjected, “then I can be there. I’ll have some PTO coming my way.”
Colt nodded once. “Fair ‘nuff. Lydia’s not due until late month.”
“Hey, you done down there?” Sterling Walker called, heading down the hill toward them. “I’ve got some guys who need to blow off some steam.”
“Just wrapping up. Tell my brother we’ll be up to the house for a brew.”
They’d taken to enjoying a beer on the front porch after each practice, something that reminded Cody of the camaraderie he’d shared with his buddies on the rodeo circuit.
Sterling nodded and waved before turning back up the hill. It turned out Resolution Ranch had been the perfect location to set up a bucking machine. They’d discovered the guys on the ranch loved the bucking machine. They used it so much, that after a few weeks, Travis and Colton had found a permanent location for it in a ravine behind the barn. The veterans on the ranch used it to blow off steam and to shoot the shit when work slowed down. Cody was grateful it was an easy walk from his bunkhouse. Popping next door never raised any questions with the women.
Teddy clapped a hand on his shoulder as they made their way up to the main house where Colt’s brother Travis and his family lived. “Hold up a minute?”
Cody slowed his walk. Teddy wasn’t a talker, so if he had something to say, it was important.
Teddy stopped and looked up at the sky. “You know six generations of Graces have worked our land.”
“Sir?” Somehow, this seemed like a ‘sir’ type conversation.
“Seventh generation about to be born, and I’m determined to make sure that baby inherits a legacy that’s been cared for and nurtured.”
“Sir?”
“No need to ‘sir’ me, just tell me your intentions, son. Word’s bound to get out sooner than later that you’re plannin’ a comeback.”
He’d thought about that. Lately, he’d held his breath anytime talk of rodeoing came up. “I know, I know. But I don’t want to say anything and needlessly worry Carolina if I’m no good. What if I suck when I climb on the practice bull?
”
Teddy’s gaze narrowed. “What if you don’t?”
“I know cowboys that have sustained career-ending injuries in the practice ring. Colt, too.”
“Definitely don’t tell Carolina that. She’ll have a fit. Hell, she’s gonna have a fit one way or another when she finds out. You have to be prepared for that.”
Cody blew out a slow breath. “Yeah. I’ve thought about that. I hate not telling her, but I don’t want to upset her. She’s been through enough already.”
Teddy nodded slowly. “You love my daughter?”
Cody gulped. “I don’t know… sir.”
Teddy snorted and waved a hand his direction. “Enough of that ‘sir’ shit. Do you love Carolina?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never loved a woman before. At least I don’t think I have.” How many magnitudes of awkward was this? Cody squeezed his temples and kicked the dirt. “I love my family, but we’re Hansens, we don’t say shit to each other.” He looked up. Teddy stood, arms crossed, a thoughtful expression on his face. Cody scrubbed his jaw. “I love spending time with Carolina. She makes me laugh. And… I respect her. And I enjoy her company.” He would die before he admitted to Teddy how much he enjoyed fucking Carolina. Some things were meant to be kept private.
“Sounds like you’re on your way.”
“Why are you asking?”
Teddy’s face screwed up, a picture of fatherly concern. “Because if you do make a comeback, and if you do decide you love my daughter, then you have to be prepared to make some tough decisions. Love ain’t easy. It’s full of compromise. And sometimes people get hurt. Plain and simple. Don’t let anybody blow smoke up your ass and tell you it’s all roses and candy. It’s not. But with the right person, you figure it all out. And I’m not so sure Carolina’s gonna take to the rodeo life the way Lydia did. She’s always been a homebody.” Teddy’s face softened. “Like her mother that way. Always makin’ sure everyone’s taken care of. Everyone’s safe.”