Rank (4 page)

We got to the bar at eleven o’clock because Cole was hungry. I knew he hadn’t eaten all day, so we went for dinner first. The band was pretty decent and a lot of people were dancing. I scanned the room for Tawnie, but didn’t see her. What I did see was Tyson and Blake sitting at a table near the back with Lee-Anne, her best friend Rochelle, and Shae-Lynn. Blake had his arm draped across Shae-Lynn’s shoulder. She looked up at me for a second, but when she noticed that I was already looking, and not impressed that Blake was hanging off her, she turned her head to take a sip of beer and watch the dancers.

“Isn’t he a bit old for her?” I asked Cole as we stood at the bar to get drinks.

“Who?”

“Blake.”

Cole checked over his shoulder and shrugged, unconcerned. “He’s twenty, same as you. Isn’t she almost nineteen?”

I frowned and glanced at the table again. Shae-Lynn didn’t seem comfortable. Blake seemed smug. The bartender slid two beers over.

“What are you doing?” I asked Cole. “You know you can’t drink.”

He rolled his eyes like an irritable teenager before he handed me both beers. He leaned over and yelled at the bartender, “Can I get a Coke too? My keeper says I can’t have a beer.” As he waited, he looked at me. “I forgot my wallet.”

I shook my head, not surprised, and pulled out cash to pay the bartender. Cole grabbed his drink and headed towards the table where everyone else was sitting. I downed half a beer before following him. A guy asked Rochelle to dance, so Lee-Anne moved over into her seat and invited me to sit in her chair. I handed her the second beer.

“Thanks.” She tipped it back to take a swig. “You bought a fast horse for Tawnie.”

“I didn’t buy it for her. She’s just riding it.”

“Mmm hmm.” She tilted the bottle up for another sip.

Blake leaned over and whispered something in Shae-Lynn’s ear that made her smile. He placed his empty bottle down on the table and stood with his hand extended towards her. She slid her hand over his and followed him out onto the dance floor. As they two-stepped, I finished my beer and signalled the waitress to bring me another one.

Rochelle was back, and Lee-Anne was telling her a story that had something to do with her boyfriend, TJ. I wasn’t really listening. Blake and Shae-Lynn danced for three fast songs, and based on how much she was smiling, she must have been having a pretty good time. When a slow song came on, she said something to Blake before walking off the dance floor. He followed her to the bar, ordered a beer for himself and a bottled water for her. They stood at the bar for a while, talking. When he turned as if he was going to head back towards the table, she glanced at me. When he noticed that she was hesitating, he reached over and held her hand to lead her back to the table. I downed the rest of my drink and signalled the waitress to bring me another one.

Once they were sitting, Blake draped his arm over Shae-Lynn’s shoulder. She stared at the table. He stared at me. “So, Billy, when are you going to start riding with the big boys again?” he asked.

I was definitely going to get into it with him. I shook my head. “I’m retired.”

“Why? Did you get sick of me always taking home the buckle?” He laughed at his own joke. Nobody else did.

“Check the record books, Blake. You never won shit when I was competing against you.”

He leaned over to shout at Cole. “Hey, who won more when we went up against each other? Billy or me?”

Cole smiled, happy to get into the middle of a disagreement. “You already know the answer to that question. Billy’s the best God damned bull rider in the country. He’s got a case full of buckles at home to prove it.”

“Was,” Blake mumbled.

“When do you expect your collarbone to be healed enough get back to trying to catch my records?” I asked, partly because I wanted to rub it in his face that I was still ranked higher than he was. Also, because I didn’t think he was good enough for Shae-Lynn, and the sooner he shoved off the better.

He shrugged. “I don’t want to rush it. Besides, I kind of like hanging out here with Shae.” He squeezed his arm to pull her into his chest. “Maybe I’ll take the whole summer off. What do you care anyway? You quit.”

“I retired.” An urge to punch the smug look off his face flashed through me and I had to cross my arms to resist the impulse. Cole obviously knew I was on the verge of jumping the table because he grinned and moved his drink so it wouldn’t get spilled when I did.

Shae-Lynn pushed off Blake’s ribs and sat up straight as if she sensed their closeness was what I was pissed about. Interestingly, she was wearing the same old jeans and tank top that she had on when I saw her coming from the concession stand. Her hair was pulled back into a ponytail and she didn’t have any make-up on, except maybe that cherry lipgloss. Her lips did look shiny. Lee-Anne had on dark jeans with rhinestones over the seams, new looking boots, and a sparkly low cut top. Her hair was sprayed to the point that it didn’t move when she did.

Blake abruptly got up to say hello to someone he knew. It was a pussy move because he knew I could take him, and would have, if he hadn’t broken the tension. I leaned in and asked Lee-Anne, “How long did it take you to get ready?”

“Shut up.”

“What? I’m not trying to insult you. It’s a serious question.”

She eyeballed me scornfully, but when she realized I wasn’t joking, she answered, “Forty-five minutes. Why?”

I turned my head back to look at Shae-Lynn, who obviously spent no time getting ready. “I was just wondering.”

“Relax, Billy Ray,” Lee-Anne said. She shoved my shoulder, trying to loosen me up. “You’ve been so serious since —” She checked my expression. “Since, you know.” She took another sip of beer. “Sorry. I shouldn’t have brought that up. I just miss good time Billy.”

“Yeah, well, good time Billy has responsibilities now.” Blake returned to the table and sat on the other side of Shae-Lynn, away from me. I turned so I could have a private conversation with Lee-Anne. “Are you okay with her dating someone older?”

“Blake? Yeah. Why not? He’s a total sweetheart.”

“He’s an asshole.”

“To you maybe. He’s sweet to her. He always has been. He’s been following her around like a puppy dog for years.”

“How long have they been dating?”

“Since tonight. He’s asked her out a million times and for some reason she finally said yes.”

Arms wrapped around me from behind and a girl’s voice whispered in my ear, “Guess what?”

I twisted to see that it was Tawnie.

She kissed my cheek and her chest squished against my back. Her breath smelled like beer. “I got a sponsor. Jordan Outfitters has offered to pay for all my travel expenses for the rest of the season. I also get all the boots I want.”

“That’s great.”

“It’s all because of Stella.” She squeezed my neck and kissed my ear.

“Congratulations,” Lee-Anne and Rochelle said at the same time.

“That’s great news.” Shae-Lynn stood and yanked Blake by the hand. “You can have my seat. We’re leaving.”

Blake tipped his hat at all of us, then eagerly hurried to keep up with her. I watched them leave out the front door. Tawnie sat down in Shae-Lynn’s chair and told us all about how the Jordan rep had approached her at the hotel and had her sign some papers. She was really excited.

After a while, Tyson asked Lee-Anne to dance, Rochelle wandered over to the bar with a guy, and Cole never came back from a trip to the restroom because he was chatting up a cute curly haired girl. Tawnie and I were alone at the table. Her tight black jeans and unbuttoned white top showed off all her curves. Her hair was hanging perfectly straight and it was so shiny.

“You look nice,” I said, because the alcohol had kicked in.

Her smile was sexy. “Thanks. Do you dance?”

“I wouldn’t be able to call myself a cowboy if I didn’t know how to two-step, now would I?” I stood and led her by the waist to the dance floor. When I spun her to face me, the small of her back arched under the pressure of my palm. She smiled and slid her hand over my biceps to rest it on my shoulder. As we moved across the floor, wafts of wild lavender breezed over me. I spun her around and her hair fanned out catching the light. The cowboys loitering around the edge of the dance floor all angled to watch her move.

We spent the rest of the night two-stepping until the DJ announced last call and played a slow song. Tawnie stepped in close and our belt buckles clinked together. She slid her palms up over my abs and let them linger on my chest as she leaned in and pressed her lips to my neck pulse. My heart raced, and she must have felt it because she tilted her head back and smiled. I spun her around, then pulled her body close again. She giggled and it seemed like she was waiting on me to kiss her when Cole came over with the curly haired girl under his arm. He handed me the keys to the truck. “Molly’s going to drive me back to the camper.” He winked, then left.

Tawnie and I finished the dance, and the house lights came on, but she didn’t step away. “Did you drive here from the hotel?” I asked her.

“I took a cab. I can catch a ride back with Rochelle.”

“Rochelle left when Cole did. I can give you a lift if you like.”

She studied me. “How much have you had to drink?”

“I’m fine,” I said, although I was feeling pretty buzzed.

Her left eyebrow lifted slightly and a smile stretched across her face. She tucked her hair behind her ear and tugged my hand to invite me to follow her. We walked outside and I opened the truck door for her. She didn’t talk as we drove. When I pulled up in front of the hotel and parked, she didn’t make a move to get out.

“Which rodeo are you entering next?” I finally asked to break the silence.

“Falkland. How about you?”

“I’m retired.”

“Cole said you were going to be his manager.”

“He’s delusional.”

She looked as if she wanted to ask more, but she just nodded. She turned her head and stared at me for a while. “Aren’t you going to kiss me?”

I smiled at her forwardness. “Well, if we’re going to do that, we should do it properly.” I took my hat off and placed it on the dashboard, then got out of the truck and walked around the front to the passenger side. I opened the door and held her hand to help her out. She ran her palms up my chest and hung her arms casually over my shoulders. I stepped close and leaned in to kiss her. Her full lips were soft and her mouth tasted like peppermint mixed with beer.

After we kissed for a while, she slid her hands down and unbuttoned my shirt. Then she tugged at my belt buckle. She backed into the truck and reclined on the bench seat, smiling. “Get in here,” she said.

“Uh.” My eyes scanned her body. I scratched my head. It only took two seconds for my hormones to decide that it wouldn’t hurt to postpone the official retirement until after one last rodeo one-night stand. “Wouldn’t you rather go to your room?”

She shook her head and took her shirt off over her head. “We can’t. I’m rooming with Rochelle.”

Although doing it in a truck was something I did a lot when I was younger, years of rodeoing, and at least ten serious injuries made me less flexible and less enthusiastic about doing it in cramped spaces. She looked unbelievably hot though, so I knelt in with one knee and angled my other foot on the floor to close the door behind me. She clutched the fabric of my shirt and pulled me down onto her. My back kinked and my hamstring locked up, which made me wince before I was able to readjust and lean in to kiss her. She kicked her boots off and slid her jeans down. There was a blue flying sparrow tattooed above her hip bone. I looked up to see if anyone was around. Fortunately, the windows were steamy. “Do you have a boyfriend or anything that I should know about?”

“No. Do you have a girlfriend?”

I leaned in and kissed her. “No, not at the present moment.”

Her hand reached down and she tugged at my jeans to release the fly, one button at a time.

“Are you sure you want to do this in a truck?”

She laughed. “Stop talking and get to work.”

I smiled and reached down to pull her thigh up. “All right. You asked for it.”

She giggled, grabbed the back of my hair, and kissed me hard. Her back arched and she stretched her arms above her head. I kissed down her neck towards her cleavage, then ran my hand over her ribs. After kissing my way across her collarbone, I stopped to catch my breath. She opened her eyes. The expression on my face, whatever it was, made her smile before she removed her bra and moved my hand down between her legs. I ran my fingers over the silky fabric and slid her underwear down. “Sit up,” she whispered and moved to straddle my lap.

The condoms Cole gave me were in my jeans on the floor, but she didn’t ask me to wear one, so I moved my hands and rocked her hips forward. She leaned her head over my shoulder. Her breath tickled my skin, becoming heavier and faster as she moved up and down. My left hand slid over her curves and she dug her fingers into my neck. She was going too fast, so I held her hips and slowed her down to let her feel the difference between the back and forth rise of riding a horse versus the rock and roll grind of riding a bull.

When she got the hang of it, the expression on her face changed and her breaths turned into soft moans. She pressed her palms against my shoulders and leaned her head back. The visual of her hair cascading down her back and her chest rising made every cell in my body react. Her moans got progressively louder as I explored her body with my mouth. She bounced for a while then curled forward, tensed up, and held her breath. Her body shuddered before she let out a little whimper. After two more shudders, she exhaled and slowly rocked her hips.

We sat there for a while just breathing heavily and I already regretted it. Eventually, I pushed her hair back to see if she felt the same way. It didn’t seem like it. She opened her eyes and slid her hands up along my jaw to pull me in close. I felt her exhale before she leaned in and whispered in my ear, “Thank you.”

Feeling guilty, I kissed her and took one more look at her body before I moved out from under her.

Once she was dressed, she held up her hands. “God, I’m trembling. I can still feel that everywhere.” She looked at me. “That was good — really good.”