When Ginger Paulson’s horoscope hinted she’d take an unexpected trip, she hadn’t anticipated tripping down a flight of stairs.The wool scarf muffled her shriek as she became airborne. Everything happened in slow motion, yet lightning fast. She twisted her body, colliding with the ground in a bone-jarring thump. Her left shin smacked into the cement step. Heat bloomed as that section of her skin ruptured. Her right leg collapsed; her knee went one direction, her ankle the other. Burning pain shot through her as the cartilage in her right shoulder popped. Screaming in agony wasn’t an option—the impact had knocked every bit of air from her lungs.Can’t breathe, can’t breathe, oh God, I’m dying.Dots swam in front of her eyes. First black, then white, then gray, then nothing.No sight. No sound. No feeling.Was she dead?Immediately her pain receptors came back online, kicked into overdrive and she gasped in lungfuls of air.Oh shit. Oh holy mother of God every inch of her body hurt.Tim
Kane parked in the nearly empty hospital parking lot. He entered through the front doors. After shaking the snow off his hat, he stood there like a dumbass, wondering what the hell to do next.The blowsy blonde manning the information desk looked all of seventeen. But that didn’t stop her from offering him a lewd once-over and licking her shellacked lips. “Well, hello, cowboy. You lost? Or is something broken and needin’ some fixin’?”“Neither. A…friend of mine was brought in a little while ago.”“Male or female friend?” the receptionist cooed.“Female. Her family can’t get here so they sent me to get some information.”“Sorry, I can’t give it out, no matter how cute you are. It was a wasted trip for you Mr….”“McKay. Kane McKay.”“McKay?” Her raccoon eyes lit up. “Any relation to that hot, awesome bull rider Chase McKay? Is he your son?”Son? Jesus. Chase was only ten years younger than him. Even on his worst day Kane knew he didn’t look that damn old. “No, he’s my cousin.”“Omigod I
She blushed and looked away.Interesting.“I’ll cook something when I get there. No pizza. ’Cause I know you’ve got a milk allergy, that’s why.See you soon.” Kane snapped the phone shut and wandered to Ginger’s bedside.“Thank you. I’m sorry if I seemed ungrateful, I’m very grateful, it’s just…I’m not used to needing help, let alone asking anyone for it.”“I know.”“And you’re being so sweet and thoughtful, volunteering to take care of my son, my dad and me.”Really interesting that she put herself last.“I can’t help but worry that you’re getting roped into something you didn’t want and you’re too much of a gentleman to say no.” Tears seeped from the corners of her eyes.Dammit. What was he supposed to do when she cried? Kane had little experience with women’s tears, except the manipulative variety. And these were borne of pain and frustration.He grabbed a Kleenex. “Come on, sugar, you’re breakin’ my heart here.” He gently blotted her tear-dampened face. “You in a lot of pain?”“Ye
He smiled. His damn smile was as sexy as his teasing eyes. “Once we get there, don’t bail outta the truck on your own. I’m here to help you, and that includes carryin’ you into the house if I have to, understand?”“And if I don’t?”“Red, you might learn firsthand exactly how good I am with ropes.”Gulp.Kane grinned and spoke to Hayden. “All buckled in?”“Yes sir.”“Good. Let’s get your mama on home, hmm?”Hayden filled the air with chatter, which Ginger mostly tuned out due to the reappearance of a vicious headache.Once they’d reached her house, she couldn’t wait to crash in her own bed and sleep. She depressed the seatbelt locking mechanism and turned toward the door.“Ah ah ah. My threats ain’t idle, sugar, so stay put.”Dammit.The man lifted her out and wrapped his arm around her waist, holding her tightly to his side.“I can manage.”“No, you can’t,” he argued with entirely too much cheer.Glaring at him didn’t cause his sexy smile to slip.“You’re gonna have to learn to lean o
She raced inside, fearing the worst, since Hayden and Kane were supposed to be on an overnight camping trip—the only reason she’d agreed to a girls’ night out in the first place. Fortunately, Hayden had only forgotten his inhaler. Once he’d gotten home and used it, he hadn’t wanted to leave again so Kane had waited around to talk to her. Which was sweet and thoughtful and made her feel like complete shit.She’d double-checked on her son amidst Kane’s reassurances the boy was fine. In that moment Ginger was grateful that Kane was attuned to Hayden’s unpredictable physical ailments and she appreciated Kane didn’t think less of Hayden for them.Ginger had slumped against the wall across from Hayden’s room, feeling guilty. Feeling relieved.Feeling overwhelmed.Kane moved close enough to her she felt the heat radiating from his body. “Ginger? You okay?”“No. I feel like a horrible mother. Not being here when Hayden needed me.”“He didn’t want to worry you because he really was fine. If I
“You’ve no interest in Ginger at all?”Lie. Lie through your damn teeth, fool.But Kane couldn’t snow his brother. “There’s interest. And sparks. But I don’t wanna do anything to jeopardize my relationship with Hayden.” He swigged his beer. “Ginger is a temptation that I’ve resisted.”So far.“And yet, you willingly put yourself in close quarters with her?”“Yeah, I ain’t exactly the brightest crayon in the box, am I?”Mouth tight, jaw set, Kade stared at him.“Jesus. What?”“Is that part of it? You think she’s smarter than you?”“Think?” Kane repeated. “I know it. I barely graduated from high school, remember?”“So? I don’t think she gives a shit what grade you got in world history.”Kane raised his beer bottle. “That would’ve been a D-plus.”Kade laughed.“Hey, I was extremely proud of the plus. Anyway, in addition to her kid, her daddy lives with her, so ain’t nothin’ happening. Like I said. I’m just helpin’ out.”“How is Dash? You don’t have to like…help him to the bathroom and st
If Ginger was surprised by how quickly she acquiesced, she was even more surprised by Kane’s thoroughness. His gentleness.He rinsed her hair. Her face. Her eyes.“I can take it from here,” she said curtly.“Like hell. I’m gonna help you to your feet whether you like it or not.” He wrapped his arms around her midsection.She sucked in a breath when the muscular backs of his forearms brushed the underswell of her breasts. Her nipples constricted. Her whole body quivered.“Steady. I know you’re cold. Let’s get you upright first. Then we’ll see about getting you dried off and warmed up.” He lifted her with almost no effort. Instead of letting her go, he held her tightly against his body.She whimpered.“Am I hurtin’ you?”“No. I’m just…mortally embarrassed.”“Listen to me. I am here to help you. With everything. Including this kinda stuff. So all you need to do, Ginger, is let me help you. Can you do that?”“No.”He laughed. “Tough shit.”She nearly smiled through her chattering teeth.“
A dizzy, disconnected feeling buzzed through her system and she found it difficult to breathe. “And yet you were a perfect gentleman.”His deep-throated laugh vibrated through her body.“Oh, maybe I looked like that on the outside. But on the inside? I would’ve liked nothin’ better than to lock that damn bathroom door behind me and put my hands and my mouth all over your perfectly lush curves. All over. Every inch. Over and over. Until I knew that body as well as my own.”Ginger looked sideways at the bulge in the crotch of his jeans and then met his dark gaze. “You’re attracted to me after the very unsexy way I mooned you?”“Are you serious? Lord woman. With you bent over like that?” He rubbed his fingers across his goatee, staring at her hungrily from beneath lowered lashes. “’Bout the sexiest damn thing I’ve ever seen.Took every ounce of restraint for me not to drop my jeans and just drive into you. No sweet-talkin’, no foreplay. Just down-and-dirty, hard-and-fast sex.”A wave of
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