A Misplaced Cowboy

by Sotia Lazu

  She scratched her nails down his chest, and Bull groaned. He turned and trapped her between his body and the car. When he cupped one breast, she hissed in his mouth. The contact was at the same time too much and not enough. She wanted to shed her clothes and be covered only in him.

  She wasn’t that kind of girl.

  Bullshit. She spent thirty years not being that kind of girl, and it got her nothing. No relationship. No career. No fun.

  For once in her life, she’d do as she pleased. She’d never see Bull again; there’d be no consequence to giving into the raw need inside her. She bunched her fists in her skirt and tried to raise it higher—here, on the hood of her Polo, outside her former workplace and only a block away from a busy highway—but the damned thing was too tight. She squirmed against Bull, and he grunted.

  “This isn’t what I had in mind,” he whispered.

  Shit. Her cheeks burned. What was she thinking, hitting on a guy she only met a little over an hour ago? He could be married. He could be gay—though probably not. He could be a murderer. He’d said he wasn’t, but…

  “I’m sorry,” she said. “I don’t know what got into me.”

  “Whatever it was, I hope it stays there.” He flicked his thumb over her nipple, where it strained against the lace of her bra and the silk of her shirt. “I’d like nothing more than to take you where we stand, but I’m free all day. Unless you need to get back soon, I’d like to take my time.”

  Back? To work. “No. I’m done.” She didn’t clarify it was for good. He didn’t need to know her any more than she needed to know him. He just needed to keep touching her. Keep kissing her. Sate the hunger he awoke in her.

  Chapter Three

  Elina’d never been to a by-the-hour motel before, but she knew there was one in Glyfada.

  She might find it without having to look up directions, if Bull took his hand from her knee.

  Yes, her knee was apparently an erogenous zone now. As was her wrist. Her ear too, when he tucked a loose curl behind it.

  Her heart threatened to jump out of her ribcage with every lazy circle her drew on her leg with his thumb. A stunning man, the kind you only saw on the covers of romance novels, wanted nothing more than to have sex with her.

  Maybe he was horny and she came across as available and easy. Desperate?

  No. Insecurities wouldn’t ruin this morning. They’d inevitably seep back in, but she’d do her best to keep them at a minimum.

  She spotted the motel and had to circle the block a few times before she found a parking spot. One of the classiest suburbs of Athens, and minutes from the sea, Glyfada was always busy on sunny mornings, with people swarming the cafés and stores.

  Elina was grateful for her oversize dark shades as she got out of the car. All these people having their morning coffee across the street would know she was going to a fuck-hotel with a topless hunk. She already looked disheveled. Her hair had to be all over the place. She tried to tuck the curls back in place but gave up when they kept slipping through her fingers.

  At least Bull left the cowboy hat in the car. That thing would act as a beacon for unwanted attention.

  She reached the sidewalk, and he took her hand. “That it?” He tilted his head toward the motel.

  Elina nodded but wouldn’t move. This was her last chance to bow out. He could easily find a taxi here, and she didn’t have to—

  “We don’t have to do this.” Bull raised her hand to his lips and laid a butterfly-light kiss on her knuckles. “We can get a cup of coffee—breakfast, if you’d prefer—and then go our separate ways. Skip the coffee all together, if you’re uncomfortable.”

  “Why stay, if we’re not going in?” She licked her dry lips.

  He looked at her like she’d asked the stupidest question ever. “Because I find you attractive and I’d like to spend more time with you.”

  It was the right thing to say.

  She felt like a teenager for biting back a giggle as she pulled him toward the motel. Breakfast could wait.

  Her newfound bravado faltered once more when they entered the motel. It looked so very normal. Was it even what she thought it was?

  Bull must have felt her hesitation, because he drew her in for one of those bone-jellifying kisses of his that stole away her reason. “I expected something way seedier,” he said conversationally when they broke apart. “Should have known it’d be classy, judging by the neighborhood. I’m surprised there even is such a place here.”

  “Yeah.” She could have told him it wasn’t uncommon for a by-the-hour hotel to be in a residential place, and that they were for illicit affairs rather than paid love, but her heart hammered in her ears, drowning out her thoughts.

  The winking guy at the reception asked if they wanted a lux room. She and Bull exchanged a look. He shrugged.

  “No,” Elina told the guy in Greek. “A regular room will do.”

  “We’ll have the best you have,” Bull said.

  The guy nodded and took way too long to give them a keycard. “Second floor. Number 20. Twenty-seven euro for three hours. More than that, you pay when you leave,” he said in broken English.

  Bull handed him a folded hundred-euro bill. “We’ll stay till this runs out.”

  “There is water and wine in the refrigerator. Enjoy.” The guy winked again, and pointed them to the elevator.

  Elina felt doubt choking her again when she and Bull stood outside the room.

  He slid the cardkey down the slot, and a click sounded. The green light above the door handle was as daunting as it was inviting. Before she could talk herself out of it, she turned the handle and pushed open the door.

  Elina went in first and turned to say something witty, but Bull grabbed her by the waist and spun her so her back was pressed against the door. A nervous laugh escaped her a second before he slanted his mouth over hers.

  His kiss was harder this time. More demanding. Intimidating. She splayed her palm on his shoulder, and he froze.

  “Do you want me to stop?” he whispered against her lips.

  “I—” She dropped her gaze to the floor. “No. It’s all so new.”

  He cupped her face with both palms and made her look at him. “I want you, but I’m not doing anything unless you’re certain you want me.”

  She did want him, with an ache that wouldn’t be ignored. “I do. I’m just not used to all this. I’m not spontaneous. I only take calculated risks. I don’t rush into things, and I’ve never… You know.”

  “Had sex?” There was no mockery in his voice, and his eyes were earnest.

  “I’ve had sex. Of course I’ve had sex. But with guys I was dating. Not a stranger.” And they never made her heart gallop like he did.

  He nodded. “Should I order breakfast?”

  It’d be the safe choice. They could eat, maybe make out a little more, and then part ways with sweet memories. “No.” She didn’t want sweet or safe; she wanted breathtaking.

  He brushed his lips over her forehead. “Wanna leave?”

  “No.”

  “Elina—”

  “I want to do this. I need to.” Holding his gaze, she undid the top button of her shirt. She was never buttoning that one again. It was too constricting.

  Bull dropped his hands and took a step back, watching as she popped a second button. Then a third. She untucked her shirt and reached behind her, to undo her skirt’s zipper.

  He shook his head. “Turn around.”

  She did. She was used to only putting herself in situations where she had complete control. It was one of the reasons she didn’t date—too many unknown variables. Following orders without thinking about it was weird. New. Liberating.

  He pressed up behind her, and once more she marveled at how hard he was. His body felt chiseled in rock, and she ached to map it with her mouth, but he pinned her in place with an arm around the waist. He kissed her neck, then pulled out the bobby pins from her hair and let them fall to the floor. Not loosening his hold on her, h
e glided his free palm up her thigh, as far as the skirt allowed.

  “It’s tight,” she said with a huff.

  He lowered her zipper and tugged down the skirt with both hands, to let it pool around her feet.

  Elina started to toe off one pump, but he said, “No. Leave the heels on.”

  His every word was a turn on, and his touch set her ablaze. Was she still intoxicated from last night or was Bull made of pure lust?

  Maybe she was dreaming.

  Bull raised the tail of her shirt and drew circles with his thumbs on her buttocks. “A thong. I love thongs.” He gave her ass a light slap, and a fresh wave of want overtook her.

  He slid the slip of lace down slowly, almost reverently, feathering touches down the length of her legs. Cool air kissed her bare mound, and she shivered, expecting his touch. When he caressed her slit with two fingers, a jolt of lightning pierced her to the core. The silence stretched until anticipation threatened to choke her. She glanced over her shoulder, to find him studying her, arms crossed over his chest.

  Her heart skipped a beat. “Is something wrong?” It came out hoarse.

  Bull shook his head. “I’m torn between taking my time eating you out or getting the first round out of the way before I self-combust.”

  “First round? Someone is an optimist.” She turned fully, leaned back on the wall, and mirrored his posture.

  “Well, if it’s a challenge…” He ripped his fly open and closed his fist around his cock.

  Granted, Elina hadn’t seen many of those, but the thing looked huge. She watched a bead of precum form at the tip.

  Protection. “Do you have a condom?”

  “Boy scout. Always ready.” He gave her a lopsided grin and fished his wallet out of his back pocket. He didn’t break eye contact as he took out a rubber, ripped the packaging, and rolled it down his impressive length.

  Elina finished unbuttoning her shirt and let it slide down her shoulders. She felt silly, standing in front of him in only her bra, but his look of admiration boosted her confidence. “Well? Are you just gonna look at me or…?”

  “Or. Definitely or.” He crossed the distance between them and slanted his mouth over hers. He kneaded her ass with both hands and lifted. “Wrap your legs around me.”

  Yes. The word echoed in her mind on repeat as she tilted her hips. The bulbous head of his cock nudged her clit, and she bucked. Bull used his upper body to pin her to the wall and wedged one of his hands between their bodies, to position himself at her entrance and thrust up, impaling her.

  She clung to him, and a moan escaped her parted lips. Yes.

  He stilled inside her, as she stretched to accommodate his girth.

  Yes.

  He glided his mouth down the column of her neck, trailing open-mouthed kisses and nibbling on the sensitive flesh.

  Yes.

  And then he withdrew and drove inside her again. Yes. And again. Yes.

  Elina dug her nails in his arms. In the rippling muscle of his back. She fisted one hand in his long hair and bit at his lips, groaning inside his mouth as he fucked her harder.

  Her head spun when he turned and walked them to the nearest floor-to-ceiling window. The cold glass was a shock to the heated skin of her back, and she hissed but didn’t stop meeting his thrusts—yes—even though her ass was in plain sight, for any passerby who glanced up to the third-floor row of motel windows.

  Bull pounded into her, and she let him guide her moves, her body pliable in his large palms.

  Yes yes yes yes.

  She mewled and panted and lost herself in the sensations spreading out from her cunt and the divine cock pummeling her.

  “Fuck. You’re amazing.” He stepped backward, till only her shoulders pressed against the glass, and edged his thumb along the lace of her bra, to free one breast. He had—like—Superman levels of upper-body strength. When he closed his lips around her puckered nipple and sucked, the last traces of control over her body fled her and stars burst behind her closed eyelids.

  She rode him hard, and the irony of riding a cowboy didn’t escape her. A gurgled laugh built in her throat and then filled the room, when her orgasm washed over her, making her pussy clench and her heart race and her pulse throb in her ears.

  Her cowboy jerked inside her and arched his back, hips pistoning against her with bruising force until he was spent.

  She felt a savage satisfaction at how his legs trembled when he carried her to bed, still wrapped around his cock. They fell on the mattress in a heap of limbs and sweaty flesh.

  Bull slipped out of her and took off his condom. He turned to the side and gathered her close. “Round One—complete,” he whispered.

  Chapter Four

  “How do you like your eggs?”

  Huh?

  Elina blinked heavy eyelids against the pillow. The deep male voice came from behind her.

  Bull.

  She’d fucked a total stranger, and as if that wasn’t enough, she’d also fallen asleep next to him. He could have run off with her purse. Hell, he could have decapitated her.

  And she should stop channeling her mother.

  He’d done nothing to her. Nothing she hadn’t enjoyed, that is.

  And she wanted more.

  She rolled over to see him sitting with his back to the headboard, naked and gorgeous. She dragged her nails up his thigh, and then snaked an arm around him, to close her fist around his cock. “I don’t feel like eating yet,” she said.

  “Never mind, darling. I’ll call back later,” Bull said in the receiver. He hung up and tangled his fingers in Elina’s hair. “What are you in the mood for?” he asked her. His near-amber eyes set her soul on fire as his voice made fresh desire pool between her legs.

  The intensity of his gaze made her want to cower. Hide under the covers. But that was the real Elina, and today, she wasn’t real. She was playing pretend, in a bubble, with a stunning cowboy eager to do her bidding. Heat crept up her cheeks, but she didn’t look away as she lay on her back, threw back the sheets, and spread herself to him. “Round Two.”

  An hour later, two things were clear—not-real-Elina loved sex, and Bull was good at everything.

  “Can we please have breakfast now?” He nibbled on her big toe.

  Elina giggled—seriously—and moved her feet out of his reach. “You certainly earned it.”

  They ate and had their coffee wrapped in fluffy white towels after a hot shower. Beads of water on his eyelashes mesmerized her, and she couldn’t stop staring while he wolfed down two eggs with bacon and a mini quiche.

  For a fuck hotel, it certainly had top-notch amenities.

  “Isn’t there somewhere you need to be?” she asked. She didn’t mean to rush him, but as the clock ticked away the minutes, reality pressed against her bubble, flattening and distorting her happiness. “I’ll be driving back to Anavissos at some point. I can give you a ride to work.”

  He seemed confused, then nodded. “Oh. You mean where you picked me up? I don’t work there every night. I had a gig yesterday.”

  “A gig?” There were several hotels and beach bars along the coast. “Are you a D.J.?”

  “Dancer.”

  She could see him do a square dance, clacking the heels of his scuffed boots and tilting his hat. “Guess it was a theme night,” she muttered.

  He tilted his head and studied her with narrowed eyes. “You realize I’m a stripper, right?”

  Her heart jumped in her throat. A stripper? She’d slept with a stripper? Did he do this for a living? She schooled a flat expression on her face and stood to get her purse. “Sure. Tell me how much I owe you for the morning, and—”

  Bull grabbed her wrist and pulled her back on the bed. “I’ll pretend that was surprise talking, and that you don’t really believe I’d charge you for what we just did.” His voice was quiet, not menacing but humming with repressed anger. “I’m not a prostitute. I take my clothes off for money, I don’t eat pussy for it.”

  She f
elt even more of an idiot. She shook her head and managed a watery smile. “That was stupid. And bitchy. I just…”

  “You don’t do these things.” He brushed his lips against hers. “Neither do I. Before this summer, I was engaged to the woman I dated since high school. She was there when I started stripping. Found it exciting that women lusted after her man. After a while, she got jealous. Paranoid even.” He held Elina’s gaze. “I never cheated. Not once. But she did. I broke things off and followed a buddy here when he booked the wedding season.” He chuckled. “Same buddy who drove off with our rental and left me stranded without my cell phone when he hooked up with a bridesmaid. I’m kicking his ass when I get back to the place we’re renting.”

  She wanted to ask when that would be, but couldn’t think of a way for it not to sound like she wanted to leave. She didn’t. The moment they set foot out of this room, she had to be herself again, uptight and responsible and—oh fuck—in need of a job. She wasn’t ready.

  It didn’t have to be that way. They could go for a swim—but her swimsuit was back at the summer place—or maybe see the Acropolis. Yeah, that’d be nice. She hadn’t been there since she was a kid. Never visited the new museum. They could maybe have lunch in the area too.

  “Any regrets, now that you know the whole story?” Bull ran his palm between her breasts and down her belly, pulling down her towel as he went.

  She shrugged. “Now I still haven’t had sex with a real cowboy.”

  “Oh, I’m as real as they come, baby. Could ride when I was four and ran our ranch with my brother till we had a falling out.”

  Elina saw his face darken for a split second, before he ducked and closed his lips around her nipple.

  She wanted to know more about him, but this wasn’t what they were about. She covered his hand with hers and led it lower, between her legs.

  They’d paid the room for a little over nine hours; it gave them some more time to fool around and explore each other’s bodies.