Collision (8 page)

The water shut off and he scrambled out of bed, searching
for his briefs and jeans. Throwing them on, he put on his socks and was just
shrugging into his shirt when she emerged from the bathroom fully dressed.

“Hey,” he told her, tamping down his irritation and
disappointment at her appearance. Obviously she wanted to return to how they’d
been before; like nothing had happened between them. Like hell. He stepped
around her, ducking into the bathroom to take a leak and use her mouthwash.
Exiting the bathroom, he headed straight for her. She backed up until her ass
hit the desk behind her.

“Brady?”

He didn’t say anything, just planted his hands on the desk
on each side on her hips. Pushing his body into hers, he forced her upper body
backward. Then, grabbing her head with one hand and her hip with the other, he
tilted her head and kissed her. Her gasp of surprise was lost as his tongue
dove in and rediscovered the magic that was Leah’s mouth. She fisted her small
hands in the front of his shirt and kissed him back. He didn’t let up until his
need for her was slaked enough that he didn’t want to fuck her right through
the wall.

Raising his head, he gave her a deceptively lazy smile.
“Mornin’, sugar.”

“Good morning,” she stammered. He dropped his hand to feel
the pulse point at her neck as it hammered.
Good.
He wanted her
affected. There was no fucking way he was gonna be the only one reeling here.
He had absolutely no intention of it being a one-time thing, either. He didn’t
know when or even if his lust for Leah would ever be satisfied, and until then,
she’d be in his bed. He’d make damn sure of it.

Back to my old self, and not a moment too soon. This
uneasy shit is the pits.

“Wanna grab some breakfast after I shower?” he asked,
backing up a tiny bit. He wasn’t ready to release her just yet.

“Um, well, I was going to go to the health center and do
some rehab work on my ankle.”

He sent her a droll look. “You need to eat.”

“I will eat. After I work out.” She wouldn’t look at him,
and it was pissing him off. Did she regret sleeping with him?

He took her chin between his thumb and forefinger and forced
her eyes to his. “Dammit, Leah, we fucked last night and now you won’t even
look at me.” Slowly her gaze met his and his head actually snapped back when he
saw the cool, faraway look in her eyes. “So that’s how it is?”

“How what is?” Her eyes turned wary but she didn’t look
away.

“You’re ashamed. You’re ashamed you slept with me. Well
goddamn. That’s great, Leah.” He paced away from her and then rounded back and
pointed at her. “You wanted me as much as I wanted you.” He knew he was getting
irrationally angry but he couldn’t seem to stop himself.

“I’m not ashamed!” she cried, straightening.

“You are. I can see it in your eyes. You can’t believe you
fucked a lowly cowboy. Well, I’m sorry I’m not one of your banker boyfriends. I
don’t wear five-thousand-dollar suits and drive a Lexus. I’m just a
simple
country boy.”

“That’s not it.”

“Then what?” he roared, leaning toward her. When she shrank
away he ran both hands through his hair, gripped the back of his neck and
sighed. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to scare you, you just drive me crazy. I don’t
know what you expect from me. I am who I am, Leah, I can’t change that.” He
stared at the floor, willing himself to disappear.

Generally speaking he wasn’t ashamed of his background or
profession. Sure, he hadn’t gone to college, but hell, from what he knew,
neither had she. She’d been skating professionally since she was sixteen. When
would she have had time? And his job made him comfortable enough. He was the
top bull rider in the world. His ranch was turning a modest profit. What right
did she have to make him feel as if he wasn’t good enough for her?

She reached for him and he jerked away, turning toward the
door. “I’ll let you go about your business. I won’t bother you anymore. You
don’t have to worry about me trying to get into your pants again.”

He’d just reached for the handle when he heard her sharp
voice. “Brady, dammit,
wait
.” He stopped, but didn’t turn around, not
able to bear the pity in her eyes. He heard her heavy sigh. “This isn’t how I
wanted this morning to go.” In silence, he waited for her to continue. He’d be
damned if he was gonna make this easier for her. There were plenty of fish in
his sea, but for some unfathomable reason, he only wanted Leah.

“First of all, I’m not ashamed of what happened between us.
Are you listening to me, Brady? Do you hear me? Turn around and face me.” He
turned and leaned against the door, crossing his booted feet over each other
and his arms over his chest. “I’m not ashamed,” she repeated. “I’m confused.
I’m not sure where I stand. Where
we
stand. I’ve never been in a
situation like this. I don’t have casual sex.”

“This ain’t casual,” he snarled.

“Then what is it, Brady? Are we dating?”

“I don’t know,” he admitted. “All I know is I don’t feel
very casual right now.” His eyes raked her up and down and she shivered.

“Okay, well, then we need to talk and figure out how we want
to present ourselves to the outside world, where we go from here. For my part,
I don’t particularly want to flaunt our relationship. I think Nelson might try
to exploit it and I’ve worked very hard to keep my private life private. Hence
the nickname.”

He grinned. “Darlin’, there ain’t a thing icy about you.
You’re hot as hell.”

Her face flamed. “Thank you. Anyway, do you agree?”

“Yeah. But—”

“But what?”

“I don’t want all the other guys on tour thinking they can
come sniffin’ around you, either.”

An elegant eyebrow rose. “Sniffing around me? Nice, Brady.
You’re such a barbarian.”

“Fuckin-a right.” Smirking, he crossed to her and plunged
both hands into her hair, staring down into her eyes. “You’re mine, and I
wouldn’t mind my fellow competitors having an inkling about that.” He groaned
with the need to taste her again. Tilting her head, he pulled the skin on the
side of her neck into his mouth and sucked.

“Brady!” she protested, trying to pull away. “You’ll leave a
mark.”

“Uh-huh,” he confirmed before grabbing more and sucking
again.

“Brady! I cannot go out there today with a hickey on my neck.
Do you understand me? We’re not teenagers.” She twisted in his arms and he
finally let her go. Rushing over to the mirror above the desk, Leah inspected
the red mark. “I can’t believe you did that. If that leaves a bruise…” He
couldn’t help the smile that began to creep up but quickly squelched it when
she spun to face him. “I have a reputation, Brady, and it isn’t for being a
brazen hussy.”

He couldn’t help the bark of laughter that escaped. “Brazen
hussy?” She looked as if she was about to slap him and he backed up a step
involuntarily. “I’m sorry, honey. I couldn’t help myself.”

“Why? Why couldn’t you help yourself? Are you some kind of
animal?” She turned back to the mirror again, muttering about a scarf.

“Aw, don’t get so worked up about it. I doubt people will
even notice,” he told her, trying to defuse her anger. He’d known what he was
doing but hadn’t realized she’d be quite this angry. Sure it was juvenile, but
hey, no one had ever accused him of being mature. “Look, I’m sorry. I really
am. Most people won’t even notice the mark, but a man looking to get with you
will and he’ll know you’re taken. He just won’t know by who.”

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at him in the mirror. He
stared back, unwilling to look away. Why he felt so possessive of her he had no
idea, but didn’t have time to reflect on it further—he needed to get the hell
outta here and shower. Not daring a glance at the clock, he’d bet he had an
hour or less to make it to the arena on time.

“Fine. But I want to make a deal with you.”

“A deal?”

“Yeah. If someone makes a comment about it, I get to…” She
looked him up and down and he resisted the urge to fidget. “Pluck one of your
chest hairs.”

He winced. “No way.”

“If no one’s going to notice you have nothing to worry
about,” she answered, all wide-eyed innocence. Fuck. She had him and she knew
it.

“You’re a cold, cold woman, Leah.”

She just smiled. “Why do you think they call me ‘The Ice
Queen’?”

“I gotta go, but before I do, I want another kiss.” He
gathered her in his arms and gave her his mouth, letting her dictate the depth
and pace of the kiss. She nipped at his lower lip and then chased his tongue
into his mouth, playing with it before retreating back into her own mouth
again. He grabbed her hips, pressing his erection into her stomach and
groaning. Pulling away, he pressed his forehead to hers. “I wanna fuck you so
bad.”

She giggled. “Why, Mr. Parrish. What sweet words. A girl
could swoon.” Pushing him toward the door, she reminded him, “You have to go.”

“I know. Just one more kiss.”

She covered his lips with her fingers. “No. Now go.”

He reached around and gave her a hard swat on the ass. When
she yelped, he said, “Don’t take that tone with me, woman, or I’ll put you over
my knee, even if it makes me late.”

She snorted and he gave her another hard spank. “Ow! Brady!”
He gave her two more in rapid succession and watched as her eyes glazed
briefly. She liked that. He filed that information away for later reference.

“Be a good girl or I’ll use my bull rope next time. See ya
later.” With a wink, he left. How he was gonna survive until he could sink his
cock into her warm, wet pussy tonight, he had no idea, but he wasn’t looking
forward to finding out.

The day passed quickly in a whirlwind of hand shaking,
picture taking and autograph signing. She felt like a politician and was almost
surprised no one had made her kiss a baby. Her face hurt from smiling. But
Brady had been right. None of the fans seemed to notice the mark on her neck.
If any of the riders had, they’d been smart enough not to say anything.

Plopping down in the seat Brady had left for her at
will-call, she finally let out a breath. Here in the friends-and-family section
she hoped to get a brief respite from the masses. She had to admit that David
Nelson appeared to be a marketing genius—the fans asked her a million questions
about her skating and wanted to know when she was competing next. She was
certainly gaining fans—ones who didn’t know about her history with the sport
and therefore didn’t have preconceived notions about her. It was kind of nice.
Hopefully she’d have a skating career for a couple more years now so these new
fans would actually get to see her skate.

Leah took the opportunity of a breather to call James. She
knew he was probably on pins and needles to hear how the event was going.

“Hi, James,” she said when he picked up.

“Ooh, I’ve been waiting for your call. How is it?”

“Not bad, actually. A little dirty and dusty for my taste,
but overall, not bad.”

“So what do they have you doing?”

“They set up a little table on the concourse of the arena.
I’m just talking to fans, signing stuff, taking pictures, that sort of thing.
No biggie. The people are really nice and they seem interested in skating,
which I didn’t expect.”

“Me either. Huh.”

“Yeah,” Leah continued, “they’re asking me all sorts of
questions about the sport, when they can see me compete, how do I choose music
and costumes. It’s sort of cool. No one here seems to be judging me with the
whole ‘Ice Queen’ thing, either, which is great in and of itself, you know?
Even with that stupid slogan plastered on everything.”

“I can imagine. So what are you doing now?”

“Waiting to watch Brady ride. I got to see a little bit of
the event but I’ve been pretty busy all day. Brady and his friend Conner are
both riding toward the end. Apparently the highest-ranked riders always do.”

“Sounds like you’ve learned a lot already.” James paused for
a few seconds. “So this is really okay with you? You’re doing all right?”

“James, stop worrying. I’m fine, truly.”

“All right. Well, call me again when you get to the next
event or if anything exciting happens.”

Leah said goodbye and hung up the phone. She watched a
couple of the guys ride, and then it was Conner’s turn and finally Brady’s.
Leah hadn’t realized how nervous she’d been about Brady’s ride until it came
time for him to mount his bull. She felt pain in her hands and looked down to
see that she was gripping the metal bleachers so hard her knuckles had turned
white. Willing herself to ease up, she stared at the chute and prayed. She knew
from talking to Conner and some of the other riders that the bull Brady had
chosen in the draft was described as “rank”. In short, an ornery type.

It meant Brady’s score would be higher if he stayed on, but
that would be harder to do because this bull tended to buck and twirl harder
and faster than other bulls. She’d been right when she’d told Brady it was very
similar to figure skating. You did the hard jumps because they had the greatest
potential to get you a high score, but they also had the greatest potential for
failure.

Conner was standing on the fence rail, leaning over and
helping Brady prepare. Suddenly, the bull jumped in the chute and nearly bucked
Brady off right then and there. He took hold of the sides and waited until the
bull settled and then resumed his preparations, winding his bull rope around
his hand until he was satisfied. The bull snorted, which tossed snot in all
directions, and Leah made a face but couldn’t look away. Brady continued to be
jostled around and Leah had no idea how his legs weren’t being crushed on the
sides of the chute. She bit her lip. Now she knew how people felt when they
watched loved ones skate. She doubted anyone felt this way when she skated,
though. Sighing, she returned her attention to Brady in time to see him nod and
the gate swing open.

The bull immediately spun hard to the right and it looked as
if Brady wasn’t going to be able to compensate, but he managed to right himself
and stayed on. His free hand wasn’t as controlled as last night, and as the
bull bucked and twisted back to the left Brady’s body jerked violently and Leah
could swear his helmeted head slammed into the bull’s hindquarters. She winced,
but still he held on.

Then all hell broke loose. Brady was bucked, but landed too
close to the bull. The bullfighters couldn’t distract the beast in time and it
knocked into Brady as he tried to scramble away, tossing him into the air as if
he weighed nothing. Leah gasped, her hand covering her mouth in shock. Landing
on his side, Brady rolled away and was able to climb up onto the fence while
the bullfighters took care of the animal. He was panting and Leah could see he
was favoring one leg, letting it hang off the rail.

She knew he hadn’t made it to the eight seconds—she hadn’t
heard the buzzer sound. He climbed over the fence and landed on the other side,
still only on one leg. Conner was right there, pointing to his leg, and Brady
was shaking his head. Leah didn’t know what to do. Should she go to him? Would
he want her to? He should see the doctor. She knew that much. As the
bullfighter handed him his bull rope and another rider gave him his gear bag,
he and Conner began to walk back to the riders’ area, which was in the opposite
direction from the medical room. Brady had a noticeable limp.

Before she knew what she was doing, she was on her feet and
following the two of them. She asked one of the riders for assistance jumping
down from the stands so she didn’t have to waste time making her way back up
the stairs and around the back, then began to walk as fast as her injured ankle
would allow. She hit a patch of softer dirt and her ankle turned, sending a
painful jolt straight up her leg. Silently berating herself for her own
stupidity at chasing him like this, she’d worked up quite a head of steam by
the time she caught up with the two men. Spinning in front of them, she put her
hands on her hips. “What do you think you’re doing?”

He raised his gaze to hers and she saw a combination of
anger, pain and disappointment. Being bucked off in the finals meant he
wouldn’t finish in the money for this event, so he was undoubtedly upset about
that, but he needed to have that leg looked at.

“I’m going to the locker room. What are you doing?”

She shook her head.
Men.

“You should be getting that leg looked at.”

“It’s fine.”

She set her jaw. “Bullshit.”

Both Brady’s and Conner’s eyebrows shot up. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Bull. Shit.” She got closer to him and poked
him in the chest. “If you don’t agree to go to the medical room you can sleep
alone tonight.”

He grabbed her finger and Conner cleared his throat. “I’m
outta here, man. Wonder where Jess got off to?” Turning on his heel, he strode
away.

“Chicken,” Brady muttered. Then he focused his attention on
her again. “So if I don’t go let the doc look at what’s undoubtedly just a
little bruise on my leg you won’t let me fuck you? Have I got that right?”

She lifted her chin. “That’s right.”

A rumble sounded. “Hell of a bedside manner you’ve got.”

“If it makes you take care of yourself, I’ll do what I have
to do.”

He regarded her for a moment, and she could practically see
the steam rising from his head. Finally he smiled, but she didn’t trust that
smile for a minute. It was trouble. “Since you’re so fond of deals, let’s make
another one. I go see the medic, and when we get back to the hotel you get down
on your knees and suck my cock.” He leaned in closer and Leah felt his hot
breath tickle her ear. “And when I come, you swallow it. Every. Last.
Drop.
”
His voice was barely more than a throaty rasp, but Leah’s panties were soaked
nonetheless, and her breath was coming in shallow pants. “You got me? I see the
doctor and you suck my dick. Deal?”

“Deal,” she whispered. Why the thought of doing that for
Brady revved her up so much mystified her, but she couldn’t ignore the way her
entire body had caught fire at his suggestion.

He straightened and Leah watched as his nostrils flared. “I
can smell your arousal. Damn, woman, you heat my blood. Let’s go. The sooner we
get this over with, the sooner I get to see your pretty little lips wrapped
around my dick.” Brady traced the tip of his index finger around her mouth and
all she could do was squeak in response. He leaned in and whispered, “You want
that, don’t you? You
want
to take me in your mouth. That’s what’s got
you so worked up.” His eyes closed to half-mast. “I want to fuck you so bad my
cock could pound concrete.”

He tipped up her chin and stared into her eyes with an
intensity that frightened her, but she was powerless to look away. “Fuck. Let’s
do this.” He got to the medical room and ducked his head in. “Can you take a
quick look at my leg? I’m sure it’s just a bruise, but I’ve got an
overprotective mother hen out here who’s making me have it looked at.”

Leah, who’d come in right after him, let out an annoyed
huff. “I am not an overprotective mother hen. I’m a professional athlete who
knows that when you get hurt you should have your injury examined. Now go.” She
nudged him farther into the room.

“Why don’t you go ahead behind the curtain and take off your
pants so we can see what we’ve got going on?” the medic told him.

Brady started for the curtained-off area and Leah began to
follow. He turned, smirking at her and her face flamed when she realized her
mistake. “Um…”

How could I have forgotten myself like that?

She looked around into the amused faces of several bull
riders. Closing her eyes briefly, she willed herself to disappear. When that
didn’t work, she stumbled to the door. “I’ll just be out here waiting.”

“You do that, darlin’,” Brady answered with a chuckle.

Leah waited for him outside. She was mortified, and she only
had herself to blame. The way she’d reacted, both in insisting he go see the
doctor and in trying to follow him into the examination area had made it
abundantly clear that she and Brady were more than friends. So much for being
discreet.

A moment later Brady exited the room. “Ready to go, sugar?”
He slung an arm around her shoulders and she shrugged him off. “Aw, don’t be
like that. I was a good boy and did what you told me to.”

She glared at him. “You’re laughing at me.”

“Never, sweetheart. I would live in fear for the family
jewels if I did.”

“You know what’s going to happen, don’t you?”

“What?”

“The guys in there are going to tell everyone we’re
involved. It’ll be all over this place by tomorrow.”

“Maybe so,” Brady agreed.

“But I guess that wouldn’t bother you, would it? You look
like the big stud while I look like the slut.”

He gaped at her. “Why would you look like a slut for being
involved with me?”

She rolled her eyes. Sometimes men could be so dense. “We’ve
known each other only a few days and already we’re together. That makes me a
slut.”

He stopped suddenly, his hand curling around her upper arm.
His stare was hard when she looked at him questioningly. “I don’t wanna
ever
hear you refer to yourself in that way.” His words were coming out in a
staccato beat. “You are not a slut. You are a grown woman who has the right to
do whatever you damn well please. Conner and Jess dealt with that same sort of
thing when they first got together and I won’t put up with it. If I even get a
whiff that someone has said something like that about you or our relationship
I’ll take them apart with my bare hands. You got me?” He released her and began
to walk again.

Taking a deep breath, she lagged behind him. A rush of
moisture had flooded her sex when he’d spoken. No man had ever cared about her
enough to make a threat like that. There were so many layers to Brady, and
every time he showed her another one she fell a little harder. She couldn’t
afford to want him any more than she already did, but every time she tried to
pull away he sucked her right back in.

As if he’d never made that outrageous declaration, he began
to talk about their travel plans for the next day. Nelson had offered to ferry
her to the next event in a limo, but she’d turned him down. All she needed was
for everyone to think she was some stuck-up bitch who had to travel first-class
all the way.

It had been right around then that Brady had swooped in from
God knows where and announced she would travel with him, Conner and Jess. She
was annoyed by his highhandedness, but if she’d refused his offer it would’ve
looked strange, especially considering they were partners in this promo
campaign. The thought of being cooped up for hours with Brady made her heart
race, and she wasn’t sure if it was in a good or a bad way. She couldn’t afford
to let Brady get too close.

“I’ll stay in the Airstream with Conner and Jess at the next
event. Nelson offered to put me up again but if I keep taking him up on it the
guys’ll start in on me. You’ll have a room, so if we wanna be alone I’ll just
stay with you.” He flashed a quick grin and then went on. “The event’s in
Tulsa, which is about an eleven-hour drive if we don’t stop much. Basically,
you should be prepared to drive all day. That’s the tour, sugar.” He shrugged.

“Do you guys want me to do some of the driving? I’ve never
driven a truck with a trailer before but on the open road I probably could.”

He smiled. “Conner and I’ll handle it.”