“Because we keep our mouths shut. No matter what.” Chet’s gaze moved between Keely and Jack.“So can you. Keely never once mentioned being involved with you on a personal level. She played all coy and secretive about her ‘expert’ help.”Jack lifted a brow at Keely. “We’ve been discreet, haven’t we, buttercup? Now we’re engaged and there’s no denying I’m a lucky man.” When he attempted to put his arm around her, she flinched. Damn woman could at least pretend his touch didn’t repulse her. Just to be ornery, he jerked her to his side, keeping their bodies touching. “Come on, Keely, no need to act shy. We are with family.” He kissed the top of her head. “It’s sweet how much she really is the blushing-bride type beneath that blustering cowgirl exterior.”Keely froze, then stiffened with anger.Jack wondered if he should’ve worn a cup.Chet addressed Keely. “Aunt Caro is throwing a big bash for you guys, huh?”“Next weekend. We’d love for you to come, but I’ll warn ya, my brothers will be
Keely’s voice broke and Jack squeezed her thigh.“And now…I can’t imagine Liesl not being part of their family. Cam’s quiet life and pristine house is a thing of the past but he and Domini wouldn’t have it any other way.”“Sounds like they should be canonized.”“I suspect they’re not done adding to their brood. It’s funny. Cam was always ambivalent about being a parent. So it’s hysterical he’ll probably end up with the most kids out of any of my brothers. That said, God knows all my brother’s wives are in some freaky race to see who can pop out the most McKays. Jesus.They’re all pregnant again. It’s an epidemic that makes me want to stay far, far away from their overactive uteruses.”He gently stroked her soft skin, watching her closely. “They’re all pregnant?”“Yep. Channing, AJ and Macie are knocked up. So’s India. And Chassie. And my cousin Quinn’s wife, Libby, is on baby number two. On the West side, Blake’s wife, Willow, is expecting their first. His brother Nick’s wife, Holly,
“How’d you meet?”“He’s Carter’s best friend, so I’ve known him forever. He’s also an architect specializing in restoration and his business is based out of Denver. He’s supervising my building remodel.”“Mmm-hmm.” The doc blew across her coffee. “I suppose that’s why you’ve been gone so much?Hooking up with him in Denver?”“Partially. But the VA consultant f*e is three times what you pay me. Can’t blame a girl for making a living.” She offered an impish smile.“I don’t. I just hope you know what you’re doing.”“With Jack or with the building?”“Both. Now that you’ve begun the process of readying a space for a clinic, I’d hate to see you abandon your dream and move to the big city to be some hotshot architect’s wife.”Keely scalded her tongue with coffee to keep from refuting the statement.The doc asked, “Are Chet and Remy doing the remodel?”“I wouldn’t trust it to anyone else.”“Smart girl. Maybe I’ll swing by and check out the progress. I’ve been debating whether to remodel my kit
Oh. Hello lust. “The thought of nailing you has me equally intrigued.” She offered him a coquettish look. “Are you a breast or a thigh guy?”That caught him off guard enough his gaze actually dropped to her chest. “Ummm. What?”“Or chicken?” she taunted softly.His hot eyes returned to hers. “My favorite food is not chicken. It’s not a nice juicy rump…roast, although I admit to being more of a butt man than a breast man.”Keely blinked. She was quickly losing control of this conversation.“I’ll give you one more chance to nail me,” Jack said with a sexy rasp.“Only one?” she cooed back.Jack’s hungry gaze zeroed in on her mouth. “Playing fast and loose will only encourage me to play the same. Be certain you’re prepared for what that entails.”Yikes. “Speaking of favorite foods, I’m betting yours is some kind of wild game that fits with your personality. Boar?”His lips lifted. “Wrong. This round goes to me. My favorite food is homemade meatloaf. Followed closely by mashed potatoes and
When she opened her mouth to argue, Jack silenced her with a harsh look.“Don’t presume to dissect the way I handle my family life when you handle yours awful damn close to the same way.”Keely’s head fell back into the couch cushion. “We’re never gonna pull this off, Jack. We can’t go five minutes without snipping at each other.”“We managed more than five minutes in the restaurant.”“Pure luck. Lightning won’t strike the same place twice.”“Then let’s force it to strike again.”“Wow. That sounds fun. Not.”Just to be obstinate, he scooted closer to her. “Your middle name is West. What’s mine?”“Jack… Off Donohue?”“Funny. My middle name is Michael.”“Jack Michael. Kinda sounds like—”“Chas Michael Michaels,” they said simultaneously.He grinned. “Maybe we do have a few things in common.”“Name one thing besides lowbrow movies.”“We both like Carter’s kids.”“True.”“What about sports?”“I like rodeo.”“That’s it?”Keely shrugged. “Yep.”“Figures. I watched VERSUS when Justin was on
“Be sure and ask Jack about it when you see him.” Keely winked and sauntered off, feeling…guilty. It was dirty pool dragging his sweet mother into their warring ways.“Keely, sweets, can I see you for a second?”She plastered on a smile to hide her guilty look before she faced her mother. “Sure. What do you need?”“Follow me.” Her mom led them to a small office down the hallway from the main room. After she closed the door, she sagged against the metal desk.“Ma? What’s wrong?”“Nothing.” Carolyn McKay sighed. “That’s not true. With all the party preparations I haven’t had time to talk to you alone.” She pinned Keely with a probing look. “I’d be lax in my mothering duties if I didn’t ask if you’re sure about marrying Jack.”Keely’s stomach clenched. “Why?”“It doesn’t exactly seem to be a love match, and when you’re together…”“Mom. You haven’t seen us together except the one time we told you we were engaged.”Her gaze narrowed. “Maybe that’s why I’m concerned.”Damn. Redirect. “We’re
For some reason, that made Jack smile.“So as long as you’re hidin’ over here, I wanna take the opportunity to tell you if you harm a single hair on Keely’s head, I will gut you.”His smile dried up and he looked sideways at Colt McKay.“We clear on that?”Jack knew his attempts to reassure the assorted male McKays that he’d never cause precious Keely distress would backfire when the “engagement” went to hell. He kept his lie simple. “Understood.”Colt nodded and meandered away.Another two hours remained of the party. If Jack stuck to the crowds, maybe he could avoid the oh-so-fun, one-on-one threat time with Keely’s remaining brothers.As if she sensed him gawking at her, Keely cocked her head and looked straight at him. Her tight-lipped smile was better than flipping him off, he supposed, but not by much.“Funny how my little sis ain’t wearing the googly-eyed look of a woman wildly in love. She looks like she wants to punch you in the face,” Cam McKay commented behind Jack.Fan-fuc
With his every inhalation, Keely’s scent teased him. Warm. Flowery. Womanly. He leaned closer, drawing in a deeper breath. When their gazes clashed and Jack saw raw desire swimming in the amazing blueness of her eyes, he stopped fighting the inevitable. He framed her face in his shaking hands and said,“Fuck it,” before he smothered her mouth with a blistering kiss.She was kissing Jack Donohue. Kissing him like crazy. Kissing him like she’d fantasized about after he’d kissed her so thoroughly at Colt and India’s wedding reception.It was so much better when they were both sober.Keely slid her hands beneath his suit coat up his muscular back. Oh man. Such a hard-toned body.Such an insistent mouth. The hint of cologne on his heated skin wafted up from his open-collar shirt.Drugged. She felt utterly drugged by his masculine scent and the sheer power of his body pressed to hers.Jack wouldn’t let their lips part for more than a second before he dove back in for another mind-blowing ki
He stirred, moaning as his cock hardened. Lengthened.When Ava started sliding his shaft over her tongue, his hand landed on her head.Immediately it snapped back and Chase scrambled upright. “Ava? What the devil are you doin’?” He inhaled a sharp breath through his teeth when she tongued the tip. “Hell. I thought it was a dream.”She pulled off his shaft long enough to say, “Nope. I want to make this buff body to squirm.” She licked him like a lollipop.“Oh, I’ve no doubt you can make me squirm. You probably could get me to beg.” He brushed her hair back from where it’d fallen in her face. “But—”Again, Ava eased off and met his gaze in the near darkness. “But nothing. You don’t get to direct this.”If she thought he’d lovingly pet her, agree, and murmur encouragement, she was mistaken. Chase’s big hands were on her face, gripping her jaw. “Yes, I do.”His answer turned her panties damp. As did his explicit command, “On the floor. On your knees.”As Ava moved, so did Chase. He perche
She loved his reaction to the scrape of her teeth, the sucking kisses, the feather light placement of her lips in random spots on his neck. Goose bumps spread across his arms and up his nape. He shifted on the bed, not thrashing, but wiggling enough she knew he liked what she was doing to him. She reveled in this immense power of worshipping rather than being worshipped.Ava immersed herself in him. The scent of his skin. The tangy taste of his sweat. The way his muscles strained beneath her tongue. She kissed, licked and nibbled her way down the center of his throat, from his square jaw to his breastbone. And could she get a halleluiah that he had chest hair? Talk about manly, masculine goodness. She rubbed her face over the dark patch of hair, breathing him in, listening to the pounding of his heart, warmed by the heat from his skin, and knowing his body’s response to her was echoed in her body.Bracing herself on all fours above him, she watched his face as she tongued his nipple.
She pushed her hips back, meeting his every hard thrust with a soft grunt. The fringe on his chaps swung forward, the leather connecting with her skin.Even as his cock plunged into her fully, even as his balls drew up, aching for release, even as his legs shook and sweat coated his skin, he planned for the next time he fucked her. The next hundred times.Chase closed his eyes; his hands yanking her body back to meet his escalating thrusts. Faster, harder, deeper, the only words echoed in his head as primal need roared. Impossible to hold off his orgasm, no matter how much he wanted to prolong the sensation of sinking into her soft, wet, flesh.He threw back his head, groaning as his cock emptied in hot pulses. Groaning louder when he felt Ava’s pussy contracting around his dick as she came again.Heart thumping, mouth dry, lungs lacking air, Chase fell forward onto Ava’s back, bracing himself on his hands. Although this rendezvous was supposed to’ve been a dare, a fun, wild slap and
“Who are you?” Douchebag demanded.“The guy tellin’ you to get the hell outta my room.”The douchebag looked at Ava. “I thought you said this was your room.”“Hey, fuckface, eyes on me, not her.” When douchebag turned, Chase stabbed his finger at the clothes by the bed. “You’re done. Grab your shit and get gone.”“Nuh-uh.” Douchebag gestured to Ava. “I get gone when she tells me to, not you, little man.”Ava said not one word.Chase’s anger hit the boiling point. Instead of yelling, his voice dropped lethally low. “Get. The. Fuck. Out.”“Or what? You gonna throw me out?” Douchebag sneered. “You’ll have to eat your spinach and grow some first.”Faking calmness he didn’t feel, Chase scooped up the man’s belongings, opened the door and dumped the pile onto the walkway.“What is wrong with you?” Douchebag loomed over Chase.“You have fifteen seconds to get out of my room and out of my face or I will beat you bloody. You’re not the first asshole who’s tried to take me on, believing a short
That vague comment got his back up. Was she trying to get rid of him? Just to be ornery, he said, “I hadn’t planned on goin’ anywhere today. Thought I’d stick around the room and rest up. Hang out with you, my friend.”Panic darted through her eyes. “Oh. Obviously since you’re paying for half the room that’s your prerogative. But I was hoping…”“Hoping for what?”“To have a few hours of quiet time so I can get your rides separated from the other footage.”Quiet time his ass. She wanted nookie time. And he’d be goddamned if he’d just fucking walk away and make it easy on her to bang a total stranger in his hotel room. “I’m not exactly loud, Ava.”“I know, Chase, but I need quiet. Complete silence. No TV. No talking. No cell phone conversations. No fighting.”The sneaky-ass woman knew that lying on his bed, counting the flaws in the ceiling tile for hours would drive him bonkers. But the idea of any man, in here—the private space Chase shared with Ava—touching her, kissing her, fucking
Ava nodded. “I’m new to the world of rodeo. He agreed to show me the inside scoop. That’s all.”“Dollface, that surely ain’t all. Not even close. The man has it bad for you.”Not bad enough to act on it.“I seen how he’s been lookin’ at you.”“And how’s that?”“Like you’re a hot, sweet fried Twinkie and he’d like to lick you up one side and down the other before devouring you completely.”“Except the man seems to be on a sugar-free diet,” she said wryly.Taz chuckled. “Maybe. But I reckon he’s just trying to keep from gorging himself.”“Such an overactive imagination, Taz.”“I try. Better to be one of them colorful characters folks talk about than an average Joe.”The conversation drifted to Ryan. Upcoming rodeos they’d all be attending. Other events. Then Taz took off, leaving Ava alone. It was enough to give a girl a complex about men.Right. She already had enough complexes, although she doubted anyone would look at her and believe that.A guy paused behind the barstool on Ava’s ri
“I’ve gotten up early to work out. I met this rookie kid last week. After I rode, he cornered me, calling me out as Chase McKay.” He smiled sheepishly. “The little shit promised to keep my secret if I gave him bull ridin’ pointers.”“Which you did.”“Not that he listened to me. Kid is such a greenhorn. And stubborn? He won’t turn his foot out, refuses to wear a helmet, won’t consider a trying a different wrap. So I gave up talking to him about bull ridin’ and we watched the slack competition. What did you do—” his knuckles grazed her breasts as he reached for the lanyard around her neck “—besides craft fake press passes?”“I had my assistant whip them up. Realistic, don’t you think? I needed access behind the chutes so I can video you from a closer angle. It’s made a huge difference. You won’t believe the footage I got today.”His rough-skinned hand enclosed hers. “Ava. We need to talk.”The lanky, shaggy-haired young rider inserted himself between Chase and Ava. “Man, that ride was e
“Of course they will. Are you by a computer? Sorry. Stupid question. Go to Faces of Rodeo dot com.”“I’m there. What is it?”“A new magazine I created,” she said with pride.“Seriously, Ava, this is your brainchild?” Computer keys clicked in the background. “The Check back for more details on the main page is vague.”“Which is perfect for my purposes. Anyone who checks it—and me—will believe this is a brand-spanking-new magazine, still working on a web presence. Ooh, now go to Behind the Chutes dot com.”“Why do you need two fake magazines? Why not just one?”“So I have options.”“You’re scaring me. You did all this?”“Yep. Thank God for cheap, quick and easy websites.”“Behind the Chutes—all the news and current standings of the stars of the PRCA. Now that is a great magazine tagline.”“Thank you.” Filled with nervous energy, Ava hopped off the bed. “So what do you say? Can you get these made up this afternoon and Fed Ex them to me by tomorrow?”“I should say no, but I haven’t heard
Wanting what you can’t have will only make this trip miserable. And this trip isn’t only about getting down and dirty with Chase McKay.Also true. Disgusted with herself for wallowing, she focused on the task at hand for today—finding a motel within their budget.Chase wandered to check out the contractor’s rough stock.Ava wasn’t content texting him; she called. “Hey, I found us a room. I actually comparison shopped. This place isn’t as nice as the first one I checked out, but it does have free Wi-Fi.”It amused the hell out of him that she sounded so damn proud of herself. “It’s less than a hundred bucks?”“Of course. Be nice if you had a little faith in me, Sundance. Anyway. I’m starved. I’ll probably try to find something healthy before I head to the rodeo grounds. Did you want me to pick you something up?”“If it’s healthy? Hell no. I noticed a couple of tempting treats as I wandered past the vendor stands.”“We are talking about food treats, right?” she said sharply.“Be nice if