Buck Cowboys

by Elle Thorpe

  I grinned. “Not wearing any. I’ve only got the ugly functional cotton pair I wore at work all day.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think Nate will mind, do you?”

  A little thrill ran through me at the thought of telling him. I could picture so clearly what his reaction would be. “No, I don’t think he’ll mind at all.”

  16

  Nate

  “Come on, Frost. How long are you going to give me the cold shoulder for? I said I’ll be over first thing in the morning to clean off your bulls.”

  The older man took a sip of his beer, eyeing me as he swallowed. “You’d better.”

  He frowned, and I just knew there was more he wanted to say. He’d been my coach for years, and I knew all his tells.

  I raised an eyebrow, waiting for it. Frost wasn’t the sort of guy you could hurry into saying anything. He only spoke when he needed to and wasn’t one for idle chitchat.

  “It’s nice what you’re doing for Hallie. But I’m warning you, she’s like one of my own daughters now.”

  “And if I hurt her you’re gonna get your shotgun out?”

  That earned me a rare smile. “Maybe. Don’t fuck it up. She ain’t gonna give you a third chance.”

  I nodded, taking his advice on board.

  We both stood as Summer cleared her throat from the top of the stairs. She focused in on me. “You aren’t ready for this,” she promised.

  I sucked in a deep breath. Because I was ready now. I hadn’t been, four years ago, when my head had been full of big dreams I’d thought would make me happy. I hadn’t seen what was right under my nose.

  Hallie appeared at the top of the stairs. Glowing. Gorgeous. The long dress hugged her figure, her luscious leg peeking from a split in the fabric.

  I saw her now. Not just tonight, wearing an outfit I couldn’t wait to tear off her. Losing her had made me see what I’d taken for granted.

  I wouldn’t do that again.

  Frost muttered something about death and maiming in my direction, but then Hallie reached the bottom stair, and everything else fell away.

  “Hey, again. Like my dress?”

  She’d curled her hair and left it hanging loose around her shoulders. I brushed it back, letting my fingers rest at the back of her neck, and drew her in. “I do, but I like what’s under it more.”

  She shivered but then turned her face slightly so her lips brushed my ear. “There’s nothing under it.”

  Oh, sweet baby bulls. I groaned, and Hallie pulled away with a wicked glint in her eye.

  “Okay, okay,” Summer butted in. “Quit staring at each other like that before you make a baby right here in the living room.”

  Frost made a sound of disgust, and with a final dirty look in my direction, he stalked off.

  Summer shooed us toward the door. “Go. Have your prom night re-do. But, Nate, can you come over in the morning? I could use a few pointers for my ride next weekend. Pretty sure you’ve ridden the bull I drew.”

  “Which one?”

  “Death Defy.”

  I tried not to grimace, because that bull was no easy animal to conquer. But I knew this was a big meet for her. Doing well this weekend would put her well on track for WBRA. The new season wasn’t far away, and it was about time Summer made it onto the team. “Yeah, I’ve ridden him. I’ll be here in the morning. Be ready. I’m going to push you hard.”

  She nodded eagerly. “Good. That’s what I want.” She shot a glare in the direction her dad had disappeared. “I think he’s coddling me. I need outside eyes.”

  I doubted it. I knew Frost wanted Summer to make the pro tour as much as anyone. It more likely came down to Summer being stubborn, pushing herself too hard, and not wanting to take advice from her old man. But I had advice to give, and if she wanted to hear it, I’d be here. “I can’t wait to watch you be the first woman on the pro tour.”

  “From your lips… But go, we’re boring Hallie with our shop talk.”

  I slipped my fingers through Hallie’s. “I’ll make it up to you.”

  She raised an eyebrow. “You’d better. I’ve had enough bull talk for one day.”

  “Let’s go then. Prom awaits.”

  The low-sinking sun splashed oranges and purples across the sky and bathed Hallie in a gentle glow. It was all I could do to keep my eyes on the road and not just openly stare at her. Instead, I snuck glances at her, my gaze constantly drawn to the bare stretch of thigh the split in her dress showed off.

  “So, where exactly is this prom you speak of? Pretty sure the high school already had theirs, so I’m assuming we aren’t crashing their party.”

  I dragged my eyes back to the road. “Nope. Somewhere a little closer to home.” I turned down the street where Hallie lived, and she frowned.

  “Prom is at my place?”

  “Close your eyes. It’ll be better if it’s a surprise.”

  She seemed doubtful, but she closed her eyes anyway.

  I pulled the car up in Hallie’s driveway and set the brake. “Wait there.” I got out and ran around the car to her side and opened the door for her.

  “Can I look yet?”

  “Nope.”

  I grabbed her hand and led her up the garden path, letting myself inside. It was a good thing nobody around here bothered to lock their doors. It had meant I’d had free rein at Hallie’s place all afternoon.

  “Step up. And again,” I instructed, putting my hand over her eyes, because we were close to my surprise now, and I didn’t want her to get impatient and cheat.

  “You smell really good, Nate.” She inhaled again. “You wore that cologne to our original prom.”

  I blinked. Had I? “You remember that?”

  “I remember everything about that night. The good, and the bad.”

  I guided her inside and took in my handywork for a moment. Everything was as I’d left it. I sucked in a deep breath. “There’ll only be good tonight. I promise.”

  I moved my hand away and was rewarded with a shocked inhale of breath. Wide-eyed, Hallie spun around in a circle, taking in everything I’d created.

  Hallie’s house had a beautiful grand living room on the bottom floor. I imagined one day, she’d fill it with couches, and maybe a table for playing board games, or a fireplace to curl up by. But right now, it had been a dumping ground for her tools and supplies. I’d moved them all to a small room around the corner, where they were still easily accessible but not on display for everyone to see. I’d swept the floors and the cobwebs and replaced them with fairy lights, strung from the ceiling. Candles were perched carefully on each step of the staircase that swept up to the second floor, and a table with a white covering sat in the middle of the room. I’d picked flowers from Jasmine’s garden for the centerpiece, and I’d left soft music playing while I was gone. Now, I picked up a lighter and lit all the candles one by one, and the effect was complete.

  I raised an eyebrow in Hallie’s direction. “Well?”

  “This is way nicer than our prom was. Where are the tacky streamers and cheap decorations?”

  I put a palm on her lower back and guided her to the table. “This is the grown-up version. I did spike the punch, though.”

  “Trying to get your date drunk?”

  I dragged out her chair for her, and when she sat, I kissed the side of the neck. “I have better ways of enticing you to my bed.” My kisses turned open-mouthed, and I flicked my tongue over her skin, enjoying the way she shivered.

  My dick kicked behind my fly, and I pulled back to get myself under control. I didn’t know how I’d ever thought of this woman as just my friend. I had to suck in a deep breath on my way to the kitchen and give my cock a stern talking to about behaving. At least long enough to show Hallie I was serious about redoing our prom night. This wasn’t just a ploy to get her into bed. Though I did want that to happen, too. But I wanted to show her I was past the friendship stage. She deserved an epic romance, and I wanted to be the one who gave it to her.

&nb
sp; From the kitchen I grabbed my spiked punch, as well as a tray of finger foods I’d bought for the occasion. I carried it all carefully out, with Hallie watching me with interest.

  She laughed as I put it down on the table. “Okay, this is definitely more like what I remember from our prom. I love these mini quiches!”

  I dragged the other chair around the circular table so I could sit next to her. “I could have made us a proper meal, but I remember how many of those you ate on prom night. I know they’re your favorites.”

  She shoved one in her mouth and closed her eyes as she happily chewed. “You’re my favorite right now. I never make this stuff just for myself.”

  When she was done picking at the food and sampling the highly alcoholic punch, she smiled at me. “So what time does the bus pick you up on Friday?”

  I winced at the reminder. “Nope. Not talking about bull riding tonight.”

  “I thought this was prom redo? From memory, all we talked about at our original prom was bull riding.”

  I thought back to that night four years ago and realized she was right. I’d been so amped about being picked for the tour that I’d spent the entire night running my mouth about it to anyone who’d listen. Hallie had been right by my side, completely thrilled for me. She’d been proud.

  I’d ruined her prom night by making it all about me.

  I wasn’t doing that again. Tonight would be all about her.

  I put my hand on her knee and squeezed it. “I was such a dickhead, wasn’t I? I’m sorry.”

  She squinted, her head tilted to one side. “You weren’t a dickhead. A huge, exciting thing happened to you. Of course that was going to dominate our conversation.”

  “I hate I wasn’t here for your big exciting things.”

  She laughed. “There’s nothing big or exciting here.”

  “Are you kidding? You bought a house, Hallie. Not even a house, really, because this place is huge. What are you going to do with it?”

  She lifted a shoulder. “Restore it. Turn it back into the B&B it once was. Probably go broke because this isn’t exactly a tourist town.”

  “You don’t want to keep working at the ranch?”

  “I love it there, don’t get me wrong. But the ranch is someone else’s dream. This place is mine. So if I open the doors, and nobody comes, then at least I’ve tried.”

  I nodded slowly. “Can I ask you something?”

  She balled up her napkin and then sat back, her gaze focused on me. “Sure. Anything.”

  “If you tried and it wasn’t everything you hoped it would be, what would you do then?”

  She mused on that for a moment. “I guess I’d stop. Regroup. Work out what was causing the problem, then fix it.” Her forehead furrowed into a frown. “Are you talking about bull riding?”

  “I guess so.”

  Hallie reared back an inch. “Nate, bull riding is your dream. It always has been. And you’re amazing at it. It’s not something you can do until you’re eighty, so you have to do it now, while you still have the fitness. There are so many people who’d kill to be in your position. Summer for one.”

  She was right, and I realized exactly how ungrateful I sounded. I’d been given the opportunity of a lifetime. It was something my dad and I had talked about for years before he died. All he’d ever wanted to do was see me make the pros, and he hadn’t lived long enough to watch me do it. That was something I’d always regret. I’d been given an opportunity to travel the world, on someone else’s dime, and I was sitting here whining about it when Hallie had never even left the state.

  “Do you want to dance?” I asked, changing the subject.

  The frown smoothed out, and she put her hand in mine.

  I pulled her up, and we came together right as the song changed. It was a random playlist I’d found online, and I didn’t recognize the song, but it was slow and sexy and the perfect distraction from my career woes. Hallie wrapped her arms around my neck, and I tugged her close, breathing her in. We swayed together, her head resting on my shoulder, while I committed her body to memory. I smoothed my palms down her back and over the curve of her perfect ass, cupping her cheeks and squeezing them.

  She laughed, her lips against my neck. “You didn’t do that last prom.” She paused for a moment, then reared back slightly to look me in the eye. “I wanted you to, though.”

  My fingers roamed back to her hips and over the sides of her thighs. One slid over silky material, while the other grazed her bare flesh, reminding me of what she’d said earlier about not wearing anything underneath. “What else did you want me to do?”

  Her cheeks went pink.

  “I’m making you blush again.”

  “You do that a lot.”

  “I know, and I like it. Tell me, Hallie. What did you want me to do that night? I want to know everything you were dreaming or hoping for. Because I want to make them all happen.”

  Her cheeks blazed. “Stop, I can’t. It’s too humiliating.”

  I stopped dancing. “Humiliating? Hallie, fuck. Don’t you know how much I want you? I’m not that same boy I once was. And I know you’ve changed, too. We’re running on borrowed time here, we both know that, but I want to give you everything you missed out on.”

  She swallowed hard, but she still didn’t say anything.

  I hauled her back in by her hips, so close that she couldn’t look me in the face anymore. It was easier to tell someone what you wanted when you weren’t staring directly at them. “I can’t tell you I was hoping for anything that night. But every night since, I’ve wished I could be here, right as we are now. Every single night, I’ve regretted not holding you like this. I regret not tipping your chin up and kissing your lips in front of everyone.”

  My lips found her neck and worked their way along her jaw until her lips met mine. I closed my eyes as our mouths touched, falling into the kiss, and putting into it everything I’d lost in the past four years, everything I still wanted to give her. We kissed like it was the first time and the last time, all rolled into one. But it was neither; because I knew in that moment I couldn’t let Hallie go again. Even when I got back on that bus on Friday morning and watched it pull away from her. There’d be no one else like her. I already knew it. I’d spent four years trying to find someone, but it always came back to her.

  But there was no room in my life for relationships, even one I wanted badly. That was all I could think of, ever since I’d talked to Shep at the hospital. I’d be on tour until I was injured, or just not good enough anymore. Some of the guys rode until they were thirty-five. That was still thirteen years away for me. What the hell was Hallie supposed to do all that time? Sit at home and wait for me? When at best, I was home for a few days twice a year? What kind of life was that?

  Not one I wanted for her.

  And she couldn’t come with me. Her B&B wasn’t exactly a portable idea.

  I had to love her enough to let her go. Even if it would kill me in the process.

  17

  Hallie

  Nate’s words ripped through my chest, opening up old wounds and creating new ones. He was saying everything I’d wanted him to say, and more, but all with the knowledge that this feeling was temporary.

  Due to expire.

  Ending.

  His lips trailed to my ear. “If I’d been smarter back then, I would have got you alone. In a dark corner.” His fingers crept up the split in my dress, and when he got to the top, he yanked the slinky fabric up, exposing the bare skin of my hip.

  My breath hitched, his palm sliding beneath my dress, reaching around to cup my naked ass.

  “I would have kissed you. Distracted you with my tongue while my hands touched you here.” He squeezed my ass then slipped around the front to cup my mound. “And here.”

  On instinct, my stance widened, encouraging his touch at my core.

  His voice was barely more than a murmur in my ear as his finger nudged my clit. “All our friends would have been dancing on the dan
ce floor, drinking punch, and taking photos, while I had my fingers inside you.”

  His fingers slid through my building wetness, and he fit one up inside me. My eyes closed at the sensation, and I bunched my fingers in his fitted shirt.

  He pumped in and out a few times, moving back to touch my clit before plunging in again. I held him tighter, whimpering at the sensation.

  “You like it when I touch you here, Hallie?”

  I whimpered louder, rolling my hips. My dress was hitched up and to the side, exposing my pussy, so it was a good thing we weren’t really in a room full of people, but the imagery he conjured up with his dirty words had me so hot. My nipples beaded, and I was suddenly dying to be naked with him. “I like it when you touch me everywhere.”

  His tongue trailed up my neck, tasting me. He found the zipper on the back of my dress and lowered it. He kissed my shoulder, pushing off the straps so the material pooled around my middle. Then he dragged it lower, until it fell away from my hips and down my legs, puddling on the floor around my heels.

  He’d left me completely bare and on show for him.

  His fiery gaze stroked me from head to toe. The blush that hadn’t disappeared since he’d started telling me what he wanted to do to me spread down my neck and across my chest, my stomach, my limbs. It took with it a burning heat that boiled my blood and made the nerve endings between my legs ache with need.

  He was completely dressed, and I was completely naked. There was something so incredibly hot about that. He stepped in and dipped his head to suck one nipple into his mouth. I cried out at his touch, the heat, the wetness, and speared my fingers into his hair. He nipped at me, driving me higher, squeezing my other nipple with his fingers.

  I needed more. More than his mouth and his fingers. I needed all of him. I grabbed at the waistband of his suit pants, undoing the button and zipper as quickly as I could. I shoved his pants and underwear down his legs, freeing his impressive erection.