Collision (6 page)

Squeezing her thighs together against the throbbing ache
that was working its way from her belly to her sex, she picked up her fork
again, but didn’t take a bite. Finally, she sighed. She couldn’t resist asking
him, “So what did you tell them?”

He leaned forward and the heated gleam in his eyes made her
want to lean back, but she didn’t want to give him the satisfaction. “Worried?”
When Leah just glared at him he laughed. “I told Conner you were smart…sexy,” he
reached out and traced the line of her arm from her elbow to her wrist, “and
sophisticated.” Turning her wrist, he lifted it and placed a soft kiss to the
inside as she held her breath.

Leah blew out the breath she’d been holding. “I thought we
were going to stay friends,” she said, her voice squeaking at the end. Closing
her eyes, she tried to withdraw her hand from his, but he wasn’t letting go.

“I never promised that friends were all we’d be.” Feathering
another kiss on her palm, he began to move up her arm with hot, open-mouthed
kisses. Her heart hammered in her chest and a rush of moisture dampened her
panties. Why couldn’t she steel herself against this man? Her eyes flew open as
Brady straightened in his seat.

Following his gaze, she turned and saw a tall, lean, tanned
cowboy with jet-black hair and eyes the color of dark chocolate saunter toward
them, a smiling woman loping along beside him. The man plopped down next to
Brady, giving him a friendly shove. “Move over. I’m not here to see you. I
wanna see the pretty little lady here.” The woman, who Leah assumed was
Jessica, snorted and slid in next to Leah. He gave her an indulgent smile before
turning back to Leah and sticking out his hand. “Hi, I’m Conner Raub, the
good-looking bull rider.”

Leah couldn’t help but laugh. She shook Conner’s hand.
“Leah, the figure skater who Brady swears he told you wasn’t as frigid as my
nickname implies.”

Conner slid a gaze to Brady and then back to her, kicking up
one corner of his mouth. “Oh, he sure didn’t describe you as frigid, I assure
you, ma’am.”

“Uh-huh…”

“And this here’s Jessica, my fiancée,” Conner said as he
stretched out his long legs to the side of the booth.

“Hi, Jessica, it’s so nice to meet both of you. Brady talks
of you highly.”

Jessica barked out a laugh. “I bet.”

“So what’s for lunch? I’m starving. You buying, Mr. Rodeo
King?” Conner asked with what could most accurately be described as an
up-to-no-good grin.

Before Brady could answer, Leah slid her plate toward
Conner. “Have the rest of mine. I’m sure you’ll want more than what’s left but
at least it’s something.”

Conner looked horrified. “That’s all you’re eating? You need
your strength, girl!”

“I’m fine.”

“Don’t try to convince her to eat more,” Brady advised. “She
eats exactly what she wants, when she wants. Arguing with her is a waste of
time.”

“Arguing with any woman is a waste of time,” Jessica
retorted. In that moment Leah decided she was going to get along just fine with
Jessica.

Leah nodded. “That’s right. It is pointless to argue with
us. Anyway, I really do need to be getting back to the hotel. You guys have a
good time this afternoon catching up.” Rising, she pulled a couple of bills out
of her wallet. “This should cover lunch.”

“You’re making
her
pay?” Conner asked Brady.

“We made a deal, so shut the hell up.”

Laughing, Leah left. The faster she got away from Brady, the
faster she could regain her equilibrium. With all that testosterone focused
exclusively on her, she wasn’t sure how long she would’ve lasted without
jumping him. Instead, she poured her energy into a long, hard workout, which
Brady mercifully left her alone to do, then grabbed some takeout, went back to
the hotel, called James, and curled up with a movie.

Brady debated what to wear to the sponsor shindig for far
longer than any man should ever take to decide on clothes, finally settling on
a pair of black jeans and a black button-down shirt with his black Stetson.
Going with all one color seemed easiest, and he liked the way he looked—sort of
dangerous. Glancing at the time, he saw he needed to skedaddle. He planned to
escort Leah to the arena and wanted to be sure he didn’t miss her. Picking up
his gear bag, he whistled as he headed for her room.

He knocked on the door and stood back. When she answered he
about swallowed his tongue. His dick hardened in seconds to something he
could’ve driven fence posts on his ranch with. She looked unbelievable. His
gaze raking over her from head to toe, he noted her shiny hair fell in soft
waves around her face. She wore little makeup, but she didn’t need it. Her
gunmetal-gray blouse draped over her breasts, giving an enticing hint at
cleavage while not being overly revealing, before gently flaring out toward her
hips. Like him, she wore black pants, and he noticed she’d put on the black
cowboy boots she’d gotten yesterday.

“Wow,” was all he could get out as he swallowed hard.

Leah chuckled, but bit her bottom lip. He had to consciously
restrain himself from leaning in to lave the spot with his tongue. “Is this
okay?”

“Fuck me, darlin’, you look incredible,” he told her. “I’m
gonna have to fight guys off you.”

She cocked her head and looked at him. “I highly doubt that.
Why are you here, anyway?”

“I came to escort you to the event this afternoon, of
course,” he answered, tipping his hat.

“I figured you would be at the arena by now. I was planning
to take a cab. Where are your riding clothes?”

Brady indicated the bag at his feet. “Everything I need is
in there. Come on, pretty lady, let’s get this show on the road.” He held out
his hand, and though she gave him a wary look, she allowed him to pull her out
of the room after she’d gathered her things. He let her hand go once they got
off the elevator, knowing it would make her uncomfortable if he touched her
openly. That was fine—she could run like a scared filly. For now.

When they arrived at the arena they met Conner and Jessica,
and Brady handed over his gear. After grumbling about how Conner had gotten out
of going to this one, he and Leah made their way to the private party. Upon
entering they were immediately greeted by David Nelson. “Leah, Brady, so glad
you could join us!” He drew them both farther into the room and let out a
high-pitched whistle, instantly drawing everyone’s attention.

Brady saw Leah’s face flame and surmised that even though
she was accustomed to being in the spotlight she was probably finding this kind
of attention a bit much. Before he could reflect further, though, David urged
them to stand at his side as a large easel with a covered canvas was brought
out and placed next to the trio. David rubbed his hands together, his smile
getting wider.

“Folks, let me introduce Leah Fitzpatrick, Olympic champion
figure skater, and, of course, you all know Brady Parrish, the number-one-ranked
bull rider on the professional tour.” Applause rang out and both Brady and Leah
smiled and gave small waves to the crowd. “I was fortunate enough to convince
Leah to take some time out of her busy schedule to visit the tour and meet the
fans—take some pictures, sign autographs, that sort of thing. To that end, I’d
like to debut the new ad campaign for Nelson Motors to go along with this
promotional tour.”

He slid the draping off the canvas and Brady turned to look
at it. It was one of the pictures he and Leah had taken during their photo
shoot. The caption read,
Two Worlds Collide—The Rodeo King and The Ice Queen
.
He was afraid to look at Leah, but he could see out of the corner of her eye
that she wasn’t particularly pleased about her nickname being plastered all
over as part of the campaign’s slogan. Before he could think better of it he’d
grabbed her hand and squeezed.

Hearing her gasp, he looked down into her eyes, which
betrayed so many emotions—anger, confusion, hurt. Unfortunately he wasn’t sure
how many were directed at him for impulsively taking her hand and how many were
as a result of the campaign ad. She yanked her hand out of his and then stood
there, still as a statue, as if to prove her nickname correct. He mourned the
loss of her warmth, knowing to the marrow in his bones she was no Ice Queen.

Nelson continued, oblivious to the complete lack of
animation on Leah’s face. “Isn’t it great? We’re going to be featuring the ads
on billboards, in selected magazines, and on the tour itself.” With every word
it was as if Leah drew further and further into herself while Brady could only
stand there and watch, his jaw clenching. “Anyway, both will be around this
afternoon for you to meet and take photos with, and later Leah will be signing
autographs while our champ here gets ready to face his eight seconds in the
ring.”

People began to disperse and Brady heard Leah expel a slow
breath. She turned to him. “I don’t say this very often, but I need a drink,”
she muttered. “Would you get me one, please?” Placing her hand on his arm, she
gazed into his eyes and he had to remind himself where they were before he
kissed her again.

“Of course, darlin’. What’ll you have?” He turned, tucking
her hand into the crook of his arm to lead her toward the bar and away from
Nelson. No way was he leaving her alone right now.

“Wine is good.” As they gained some distance, she glanced at
him again. “Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For getting me away from him. For supporting me. For
knowing it was upsetting me. I feel so foolish.”

“Why do you feel foolish, sweetheart?”

“I’ve been in this business long enough that stupid things
shouldn’t bother me. They should just roll off my back. I’ve been called ‘The
Ice Queen’ for so many years you’d think I wouldn’t even hear it anymore, but I
do. Sure, people can say it’s a play on words because I’m a skater, but you and
I both know it’s an insult.”

Before he could respond they were interrupted by a woman who
wanted to meet Leah. He watched her plaster on her professional smile and shake
the woman’s hand. Amazed she could turn on the charm that fast, he got their
drinks and hurried back to her side. After all, she may be able to turn on the
charm, but he wasn’t sure how long she could keep it up in an environment where
she felt so uncomfortable and he wanted to be there if she needed him. She
accepted the glass of wine, giving him what he knew was a genuine smile, and he
felt ten feet tall despite the smallness of the gesture.

He remained by her side for the duration of the party and was
sorry when he had to leave to get his gear ready to ride. Once back in the
riders’ area, though, he forced his attention to the task at hand. If he didn’t
prepare properly he could be killed. As David had said, he was the top-ranked
bull rider, but that could change in a second if he let his mind wander. He needed
to make hay while he could—a bull rider’s career was only as good as his next
ride and he needed money to be able to keep his ranch. It had taken all his
savings just to purchase and outfit the place and it needed a lot more work
before it would become the ranch he envisioned spending his retirement running.

As he pulled his bull rope and rosin out of his bag, he
blocked everything else out of his mind. When he was satisfied with his rope,
he checked all his other equipment—vest, mouthpiece, chaps, boots and spurs, to
make sure he had everything and that it was all ready to go. Then he took his
bag to the side of the arena near the chutes and found Conner and Jessica.

“Hey, man,” Conner said.

“Did you see what’s going on with Leah?” Jessica asked.

“No. Why? Is she all right?” Brady asked, his question
coming out sharper than he’d intended.

Conner smirked. “Calm down, Romeo. She’s fine. Just getting
mobbed.”

“What do you mean, getting mobbed?” He began to turn in
circles, looking for where they’d set her up.

“I think it’s great. People are really showing an interest
in her,” Jessica replied.

“She’s fine, Brady,” Conner tried to tell him.

“How can you tell? You hardly even know her. She’s not real
comfortable here, especially since Nelson plastered that stupid ‘Rodeo King-Ice
Queen’ shit all over the promo stuff.” He started toward the spectator area,
his bag forgotten. Conner followed.

“Seriously, man, she’s okay. I just talked to her a minute
ago.”

“I’ll believe it when I see it.” He rounded on Conner.
“Where is she?”

“Buddy, calm down.” Conner put his hands up. “Right over
there.” He pointed and Brady whirled around again, seeing a crowd gathered in
one area. He headed toward it as if he were one of the bulls competing tonight.

Excusing himself as he plowed through the crowd, he made it
to the front in record time. Leah looked up at him, surprise evident in her
eyes. They were separated by a table, but he made short work of it, skirting
around until he knelt at her feet. She turned in her chair, her eyebrows knit.
“Brady? What’s going on?”

He took her hand. “Are you all right?”

“Of course I’m all right. Why wouldn’t I be all right?”

“You’re not getting overwhelmed?” Leah glanced up at the
crowd, which Brady noticed was starting to look at the two of them with more
than a little curiosity. Shit. He dropped her hand and stood. “I just wanted to
check on you. I won’t be able to make it out here again until after I ride.”

“Okay…” she answered. “Well, um, have a… What am I supposed
to say? I assume that like in skating, ‘break a leg’ doesn’t really apply.”

Brady laughed. “How about ‘have a safe ride’?”

“Have a safe ride, Brady,” she whispered, her eyes turning
liquid.

“I will.” He scooted away before he did something to cause
further conjecture amongst the fans. Pulling off his hat, he ran his hand
through his hair as he walked back to the chutes.

Conner was waiting there, leaning against the rail with his
and Brady’s bags both on the ground at his feet. “Did you rescue her?” he
drawled.

“Fuck off,” Brady snarled. Conner just laughed. “But thanks
for watching my bag.” Sabotage wasn’t common in the NBT, but it wasn’t smart to
just leave your gear lying around and he silently berated himself for losing
his head so easily.

“That’s what friends are for, man.”

Both he and Conner helped other riders as they got situated
on their bulls. As top-ranked riders they wouldn’t take their turns until the
end of the night. Brady began to think about the bull he’d been assigned. He
had ridden Ace in the Hole before, and the bull wouldn’t be his hardest ride
this season, but certainly wouldn’t be a walk in the park either.

His buddy Randy had ridden Ace successfully last week, but
the bull bucked off all but the most experienced—and lucky—riders. Brady needed
a score in this round in order to get a good placement in the draft for
tomorrow’s bulls. After speaking briefly with Randy about last week’s ride, he
leaned back to wait, still going through possible scenarios in his mind. Points
were important at this point in the season, especially with other riders like
Conner, Randy and Marco breathing down his neck.

Turning, he scanned the friends-and-family area for Leah,
spotting her toward the front next to Jessica, in the exact spot where the
ticket he’d left her would’ve put her. She and Jess were engaged in an animated
conversation, and he couldn’t help but smile. Had she taken his ticket on
purpose or had the others forgotten to get her one? Did she only do it so she
could visit with Jessica? Hell, he didn’t care. She was here, watching him
ride. It was weird, he felt almost as if she was his girl, rooting for him and
him alone. Shaking his head to clear it of that ridiculous thought, he turned
back toward the rail, but not without a twinge of something in his gut.
Loneliness?

When it was his turn to ride, he sank down on the beast’s
back and wound the rope around his hand, pounding on the hold with his free
hand until he was satisfied. Nodding at Conner and then the official, he pushed
off from the rail and began to move with the bull, who immediately twisted
left. Brady shifted his weight with it, being careful to stay on-center and
keep his free hand high and away from himself. The bull gave a good kick, but
Brady was ready for it and held on, squeezing with his thighs. The bull spun
again, to the right this time, and Brady corrected again. The sounds of the
roaring crowd seemed a million miles away, and before long he heard the buzzer.

Disengaging his rope, he was able to hop off and land on his
feet, running for the rail while the bullfighters corralled the bull into the
chute at the far end of the arena. He waited for his score. Eighty-nine point
five. Excellent. He heard the announcer’s voice rumble over the loudspeakers,
“And with that score, Brady Parrish moves into second place behind Randy
Suzan.” Nodding in satisfaction, he climbed over the rail and accepted a slap
on the back from Conner.

“Nice ride, man.”

“Thanks. What place did you end up at?”

“Fourth.” Conner shrugged. “I’ll do better tomorrow.”

“Damn right.”

“So your filly couldn’t take her eyes off you while you
rode.”

Purposely taking a minute to accept his rope and
congratulations from the bullfighter, Brady finally turned back to his friend.
“I like her. Is that a crime?”

“No sir.”

“Then why the teasing?”

“You teased me mercilessly about Jessica. And because it
ain’t often I get to see the great Brady Parrish’s nuts in a vise over a woman.
I kinda like it.”

“I’ll thank you to stop talkin’ about my nuts,” Brady retorted,
but Conner wouldn’t be waylaid.

“She’s got you bad. I guess she must really be something in
bed, huh?”