by Piper Stone
“It’s okay, Montana. I’ve never told anyone that and for some crazy reason, I feel like I can tell you anything.” She took a sip of her wine then a deep breath. “After I was all healed months later, my father had made some huge decisions. He had determined that he couldn’t handle raising a daughter. I was told all the right things, but the truth is, he couldn’t face the fact I’d survived and my mother had been the one killed. So he sent me away.”
I fisted my hand, trying to maintain an even expression. How could any man do that to his child?
“My personality was pretty spunky then and I was full of anger, sullen all the time,” she continued, rolling her eyes. “I’d been a city kid up to that point and the thought of living on an awful ranch was worse than having my eyes poked out.” She laughed, much more at ease. “I think I was a holy terror for my aunt and uncle.”
“I can understand that. After medical school, I interned in a big city and hated it. I was a fish out of water.”
Her smile grew wider. “Then you do get it. My aunt and uncle were patient with me. I wasn’t just a handful. I was a hellion.”
“Imagine that.”
She narrowed her eyes, but her smile remained. “Nothing worked. Chores. School. Discipline. I was miserable, already stealing quarters then dollars for candy and other items that I didn’t need. Then something incredible happened. They got me a little puppy, the most incredible fur ball. I adored Sampson. He was my buddy, never leaving my side. Then they introduced me to other animals on the ranch, creatures I hadn’t cared to look at a second time. My aunt and uncle had cows and sheep, chickens and horses. I finally figured out I had a huge play land in my back yard. That’s the moment I fell in love with animals. They were my friends, my solace. They talked to me and I made up fantasies. When I was twelve my uncle took me to my first rodeo and I was hooked. I really did learn how to ride young. I wasn’t any good. Trust me.”
The lilt of her voice was so damn soothing, drawing me into her in a manner I would have never anticipated. She was opening up like a flower, allowing me into her private world and I had a feeling that had never happened before. “I bet that was wonderful.”
“You have no idea. I finally realized it was okay to go on living, something so many people take for granted.” Her eyes misted, yet her jaw was so strong.
All I could think about was wrapping my arms around her.
“Do you ever talk to your father?” I asked.
“Never. We haven’t spoken since a single visit when I graduated from veterinarian school. I’d seen him at my graduation lurking in the shadows. He didn’t have the balls to talk to me. I extended an olive branch by inviting him, but he didn’t give a shit about his only child. As far as why I’m so jumpy, I think I fear that he’ll actually try and destroy my new life. Out of the blue, he made some threats to my aunt and uncle, which I believe was one of the reasons my uncle had a heart attack.”
“Why would your father do that?” My hackles were immediately raised.
“I was never told, but it nearly destroyed everything.”
“Interesting. What an asshole.” Now I could tell she was purposely hiding a portion of the story. There was something in her father’s background that either embarrassed or worried her. Maybe it didn’t mean a damn thing.
Or maybe her past had come back to bite her in the ass.
“I know. My aunt was devastated. She had to sell the ranch, which is the real reason for my move. I had job offers in several cities, but the only thing that interested me was Mr. Tanner’s ad in the paper. I honestly love being here; the city, the people. I really want my practice to work. No, I will make it work no matter what I have to do. I hope that makes some sense to you.”
I took her hand, rubbing my thumb across her heated skin. “Absolutely, but that doesn’t answer my original question. Is someone threatening you?”
“My fixated rodeo star. Perhaps the little girl side of me would love having a big strappin’ cowboy to keep me safe, but I have to do this on my own. I think my worry and suspicions about the animals might be getting the better of me. I had a single phone call with nobody on the other line. That doesn’t mean anything.”
“And the information your girlfriend found?” She was definitely nervous about the call.
“She’s a reporter. She looks for a story in every situation, conversation, you name it, so she can have her big debut in the spotlight.” Holland smiled, but her eyes were still haunted.
“Here’s my take on it. There’s obviously something going on, but you’re not going to delve into the middle of it.”
“Is that an order, sir?” she threw out. At least she was still smiling. Meanwhile, I was trying to make sense of all the various parts of information.
I weighed my words carefully. “I might not come across as a guy with a conscience or heart, but I don’t want and won’t allow anything to happen to you, even if it means somehow locking you in a room.” I had to add a grin at the end. We weren’t going to solve this tonight.
“I’m not going to do anything stupid, but can we just put that aside for tonight? Have a nice dinner like two adults who maybe don’t hate each other as much as we originally thought?”
She could have no idea how she’d added warmth to a coldhearted man. “Fair enough. I won’t grill you any longer, at least for tonight. Thank you for being honest, for trusting me.”
“I think we both have issues being able to open up. You know what, Montana? I hope one day you can trust me enough to tell me your story. We all have secrets and they eat us alive inside, protecting the world we think we care about when all we want to do is run from it. I think I realized the hard way that you can never run from your past. The devil always has a way of finding you.”
The devil. Her choice of words was interesting and she was right about secrets. Sadly, not all of them were as damning as the one I kept.
* * *
“Can I have your autograph?”
I heard the words from a shaking voice and turned my head, the practiced smile planted on my face. Seeing the woman with three children of various ages behind her, I was forced to admit I adored the fans more than I ever thought I would.
Except they weren’t holding out the pad and pen to me. They were staring straight at Holland.
Holland seemed confused at first, blushing from the concept of any notoriety.
“You’re talking about the Cobra, right?” Holland asked in a much more demure fashion than I’d ever heard from her.
“Oh, no. I mean you’re fantastic, Cobra. My daughters just love you, but Angie here wants to be just like you, Ms. Kennedy.” The woman seemed exasperated as one of her daughters fought to get closer to Holland.
I lifted a single eyebrow, amused given Holland’s trepidation. “I think that’s a wonderful aspiration. Don’t you?”
Holland gritted her teeth, giving me a nasty glare before perfecting the same kind of smile I had. “That’s lovely and I appreciate it more than you know.”
“You’re fabulous, Ms. Kennedy. I can’t wait to get on a bull.” The girl couldn’t have been more than eleven years old, yet there were already stars in her eyes.
“Takes hard work, training, and a lot of patience,” Holland offered as she scribbled her name. “Angie. What a lovely name.”
Angie squealed and I couldn’t help but notice several of the customers were watching the display. I sat back in my chair, grabbing my glass of wine. For all the posturing that Holland had done over the past couple of days, she was unaccustomed to anyone singing her praises. I also gathered a sense of pride, another sentiment that had never fallen her way. What in the hell had her father done to her? My mind wandered, eager to snoop into her life.
It was none of my business. I was well aware of that, but my instincts were working overtime. Whatever secret she was hiding had nearly destroyed her.
“You’re awesome. Can I take a picture with you?” Angie asked, blushing from seeing a star.
; “Honey. We’ve bothered Ms. Kennedy enough,” her mother chastised.
“Nonsense. I would love to have a picture taken with you.” Holland got to her feet, hugging the girl as her mother took a picture.
In my eyes, I’d never seen anything quite so beautiful.
And disconcerting.
My stomach churned.
My heart thudding way too hard against my chest.
I had a terrible feeling something horrible was about to happen.
As Holland sat back down, I could tell she remained flustered, fumbling as she reached for her wine. The same blush remained on her face, the very color of her naked bottom after I’d spanked her. I bit back a laugh. Why the hell was I thinking about disciplining her now?
We both heard a thumping sound coming from another room, then the faint strains of country music.
“You didn’t tell me there was a nightclub here,” Holland half purred.
“I wouldn’t call it a nightclub, more like a honkytonk bar complete with the roughneck cowboys to boot.”
“Could we go?”
She’d had two full glasses of wine and was on her third. I was ready to put an end to the evening.
“You’ve had enough for the night.”
“Are you trying to be my master for the evening?” she asked. Everything about her was now playful, a naughty temptress.
“I think you need one.” My cock stiffened, a hunger refusing to be denied.
“You don’t seem to understand that I don’t need anyone. At least not in the ways you think.”
She threw out the words, no doubt to see my reaction. “Thirty minutes. And I think you’re lying.” As I leaned over the table, she gave me what I would call a rebellious look. She was fighting against everything and everyone.
I could see that even in her condition, I was going to have to teach her another lesson. The thought brought another twitch in my trousers.
“We’ll see. Do you need me to pay the bill?” she asked, already reaching for her purse.
“Sweetheart, when a man asks you to dinner, the only kind of payment that’s expected is a pretty little smile. You can do that, can’t you?”
Rolling her eyes, she eased to a standing position, sliding her finger under my chin. “I’ll be waiting for you, cowboy. Maybe we can have a dance. That is if you actually know how to dance.”
There wasn’t a portion of me that hadn’t exploded in a firestorm, every cell and muscle ignited just like it had been the very first time I’d met her. I’d never forget the day she rushed into the arena, all fire and brimstone, determined to get her way. It had taken everything I had not to yank her over my knee right there in front of everyone.
“I’ll meet you in there. And Holland, be a nice little girl or there will be consequences.”
“I love it when a man threatens me.” The wine had infused her with courage and spunk. As she rolled the tips of her fingers across my cheek, sliding them ever so slowly to my neck, the shift in my cock was instant. “One dangerous, rugged, and very hot man.”
The wine was doing the talking.
I was hot and horny, my libido off the charts. I’d always been a private man, but hell, I wouldn’t mind taking her into the bathroom and fucking her brains out. Now wasn’t that a Neanderthal thought?
I felt her arms wrapping around my neck, the heat of her body and the intensity of her perfume almost too much to handle.
“And what if I was a really bad girl. What would you do to me, cowboy?”
The temptation spiked, my cock thrumming against my pants. I rubbed the pads of my fingers up and down her arms, creating goosebumps. I could almost feel her rapid breathing, could hear it pushing past her ruby-stained lips. “Then I would be forced to whip that rounded bottom of yours.”
“Is that all? So pedestrian.”
Holland had no idea how hard I had to fight her obvious act of tempting me. “Then I’d find a cage, one suitable to a minx like yourself. I’d strip you naked and after spanking you until you found it difficult to sit for several days, I’d lock you away.”
“Mmm... Your prisoner,” she mused. “Every girl’s dream.”
“Are you trying to push me, sweetheart? I have a padlock with your name on it.”
She nibbled on my ear, darting her tongue just inside before whispering, “Bring it on, cowboy. I can handle everything you have to give. And then some.”
As she nibbled on my earlobe, her hand sliding down the front of my shirt, moving dangerously close to the bulge between my legs, I latched down every concept of control. “Given our deal, sunshine, I think you’re going to find out exactly what I can and will give you. Pain. Pleasure. That will be my decision entirely. And only if you’re a very... good... little girl. Do I make myself clear?”
“Crystal,” she purred, her hand cupping my cock. She rubbed up and down, making the most lurid sounds. “Oh, you do, sweet sir, but trust me, I can handle anything you serve up. Why don’t you try me?”
Fuck. Me. I was lightheaded, my pulse soaring. The softness of her lips as she rubbed them down the side of my neck, moaning the entire time, was almost too much to take. The subtle yet powerful strokes of her hand were driving me to the kind of crazed need that could turn me into a beast.
And she knew it.
And she wanted it.
And she needed it.
Recovery or not. Tonight, the woman was all mine. To fondle. To protect. To taste.
To fuck.
And nothing was going to stop me.
She squeezed her hand several times then backed away, her sultry laugh filtering into my ear. Goddamn, the woman knew how to penetrate every crevice in my body, pushing me beyond anything I’d ever known.
I concentrated on the sound of her delicate stilettos clipping against the tile floor as she walked away, taking her time with every step.
My needs were now ferocious.
I chuckled as I reached for my wallet, studying the flicker of candles on the tables outside. My mind shifted to Chicago, the few dates that I’d actually enjoyed. I’d spent so much time on my career that I’d forgotten about savoring life. Four years had gone by in a flash and they only real memories were bad ones.
Ones still haunting me, forever threatening to derail my career.
I wasn’t about to allow that to happen.
Damn it. Why the hell couldn’t I just enjoy a night off? Why did the past have to interfere? Fuck this shit. My arrogance and anger took over and I shoved away from the table, jerking to a standing position.
I tossed a few bills onto the table and polished off my drink, slamming the glass down, envisioning it shattering into a thousand pieces. Maybe a single dance wouldn’t be a bad idea, to rouse the beast dwelling inside. To remind me that I had more to live for. A dance. A ride home. A hard spanking.
Then again, maybe I would take her into the bathroom first. My cock twitched once again at the salacious thought.
Dangerous.
I’d been called worse. A horrible person. An atrocity to the medical profession.
Even a murderer.
There was no escaping the truth.
Chapter Eleven
Montana
Dangerous.
The word lingered like a bad taste in my mouth, a constant reminder of the man everyone from my past thought me to be. Even my father had difficulty looking me in the eye any longer. He still believed the hype, the news articles that had pegged me as a horrible person. We barely spoke, his faith in me not just tested but broken beyond repair. I adored my father, a larger than life man who’d taught me right from wrong, but his lack of faith in me had driven a permanent wedge in our relationship.
Then again, we’d always butted heads. My mother used to say we were two peas in a pod. How I hated the thought, but I was exactly like my father.
But Holland’s life had been a complete train wreck, completely dysfunctional whereas at least my father remained close after my mother’s death. Still, I had the distinct
feeling that her father held some kind of key to her obvious episodes of terror. I was going to make it my mission to find out what.
I took long strides through the corridor, pushing my hands against the swinging doors leading into the bar. While I could tell the place had seen better days, there was a good vibe, the boot-stomping music creating a festive atmosphere. At least for the half-drunk men and women.
Still, all I wanted was two days alone with Holland.
Then she would be mine.
The thought actually caught me off guard. Our deal was for a limited time and nothing more. I had no intentions of keeping her.
I scanned the crowd, noticing there were more cowboys than women, and I could swear all of them were hungering for a sizzling one-night stand. Not with the lady I’d brought.
Over my dead body.
She was nowhere to be seen. Why did I have the feeling she was hiding from me, testing me?
I’d never been one to enjoy a nightclub of any kind, even a honkytonk bar in the freaking middle of nowhere. The darkness. The flashing lights. Even the music was annoying. Just standing inside the bar, I was surprised at the number of people who were already half lit. It was only nine-thirty and the place was packed. Wall to wall.
An unsettling feeling washed over me as I walked through the crowd, bumping against several people in my attempt to get close to the bar. Then I saw her.
All five foot ten inches of mayhem and mischief.
Hot red dress that hugged every curve.
Copper hair shimmering in the flashing neon.
Long legs that could give any man a heart attack.
Yeah, my cock was thirsty to dip deep inside, taking what I’d already claimed as mine. I stood watching, my jaw clenching after only a few seconds.
Holland had already managed to gather a group around her, hard-hitting cowboys who appreciated a sexy woman with a mouth to match. And they thought they could actually tame her. It wasn’t long before jealousy took hold. I’d even broken out into a cold sweat, a far cry from the surgeon who rarely allowed any level of anxiety to interrupt any aspect of his life. I inched closer, still remaining in the shadows. Maybe I wanted to see how far she was going to go with this.