Cowboy 12 Pack

by Cynthia D’Alba, Paige Tyler, Elle James, Donna Michaels, Shoshanna Evers, Randi Alexander, Cora Seton, Beth Williamson, Sabrina York, Sable Hunter, Lexi Post, Becky McGraw

  Only lately had Isaac begun spending nights at Hardbodies. Tebow’s main house was becoming a bit crowded. After Joseph and Cady got together, there was just a little too much happiness in his own home for him to be comfortable all the time. Isaac realized his attitude was selfish, but bottom-line, he was flat-out jealous. And the worst part was, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it, but to just wait until he worked Avery out of his system.

  Little by little, he had created a haven for himself in the space behind the bar. It was connected by a breezeway, and if you didn’t know what was coming, you were totally taken by surprise. Isaac’s sanctuary fit him to a tee. Like the main house at the ranch, there was a lot of wood and ceramic tile. A small kitchen and den were the first rooms you came to, but behind them he had a huge bedroom and a bath fit for a potentate. In the corner was a hot tub, and the guys who installed the shower had called it a carwash.

  Stripping as he walked, he got tickled at his own pitiful self. Wasn’t this just his damn luck? As he shucked his leather jeans, his cock sprang free. Great…now, he was hard. Looking down at his contrary dick, he had to admit the truth. It wasn’t the naked, horny sub that made him as stiff as a steel beam. It was thinking of that sweet, soft witch of a woman who haunted his every thought.

  Damn! Just picturing Avery had his mind going places which ought to be against the law. How many times had he imagined her naked? Her skin would be smooth and soft, and that hair! God, he’d spent hours just fantasizing about her hair! It was long, dark and hung in the sweetest, fattest, little ringlets, and God as his witness, it bounced as she walked. He would give almost everything he had to watch it bounce while she rode him. “Sweet Jesus, I’m losing my mind,” he lamented as he tugged at his rod with long smooth strokes. Hell, he should just take a cold shower, but he was too weak. What he needed was relief, even if it was by his own hand.

  Hanging the towel he had brought from the playroom over the rack, Isaac turned on the water and adjusted the spray. What he wouldn’t give to see Avery standing here waiting for him to hand wash every inch of her curvy, luscious body. She might dress conservatively, but nothing could hide those magnificent breasts. Stepping onto the dark marble, he let the warm water run over his skin. Getting clean wasn’t his highest priority, Isaac needed release. He was tired of trying to go to sleep with a hard-on. Right now, there was no ignoring his desperation. Leaning back against the shower wall, he began to fist his manhood. “Oh, yeah,” he breathed harshly. “God, Love, I need you so bad. My Avery, so sweet, so lush, you are so hot.” Spreading his legs in a wide stance, Isaac began to jerk himself off. God, it felt good. “Avery, I want you so much.” Throwing his head back, he massaged his length, rubbing it up and down with just the right grip. Lord, what he’d give to be pushing inside Avery right now, his kingdom for her heat. God, yeah. She would be exquisitely tight, because Isaac knew without a doubt that Avery was saving herself, just for him.

  God, his pleasure came boiling up fast and furious from his tight, hard balls. Throwing his head back, he let out a bellow. “Avery!” Jets of his seed shot out from his manhood, spraying the wall of the shower with white ribbons, each a testimony to how much he wanted the one woman he could never have.

  Laying his head on his arm, he rested his entire body against the cool surface. God, what was he going to do? He was caught between a damn rock and a crappin’ hard place. He couldn’t be satisfied with a life of vanilla sex and the one woman he would die to possess would never understand or accept his lifestyle in a million years.

  After washing and drying off, he redressed for work in his signature black jeans, black shirt and a leather vest. This was Thursday, not his busiest night of the week. But there was a biker-rally in town, so his bar would be ground zero for those who needed to unwind, cool-off and get drunk, or were just looking for some tush.

  There might be some tension from the cowboy regulars, but Isaac was ready for anything. He knew how to handle both kinds. In fact, he was no stranger to trouble. He and his family had had their share of ups and downs over the years. And most of it had been his fault. He was man enough to admit the truth. During high school and all through college he had drunk too much, partied too hard and made some questionable decisions. The man who had been sheriff before Kane had gotten him out of more scrapes than he could count. Drag racing, fistfights, you name it and he’d tried it. The only things he’d stayed clear of were drugs and stealing. A man had to have some principles. Padding around the apartment in his socks, he gathered his wallet and keys, and was just about to pull on his boots when his cell phone rang. When Isaac saw the name of the caller, a glimmer of hope flashed in his mind. Maybe Vance could tell him something he wanted to hear. “Talk to me, Brody.”

  “Good evening to you, too.”

  “Is it good? Did you find her?”

  “Well, we’re not sure. We think we saw her.”

  “How in the hell could you not know? I gave you a picture.”

  Vance chuckled. “If it was her, she didn’t exactly look like the picture. She was, uh, dressed sorta differently.”

  “Look, I know she dresses in those little twin sets, matching sweaters and skirts. Avery is a throwback to the fifties. But she’s a sweet girl.” Why did he feel like he had to defend how she dressed? There wasn’t anything wrong with the way Avery looked.

  “We’re going to do a little bit more checking and make sure before we give you a definite answer.”

  Still listening, he locked up his apartment, walked to the bar and went right to work. Vance was still trying to explain where a woman resembling Avery had been seen and by whom. Yet, they couldn’t be certain the report was a hundred percent correct. “What are you telling me, Vance? Either you know where she is or you don’t?”

  Listening to his friend talk, Isaac could admit that the last few months had been wild and he was more than ready for things to go right for a change. Damn! “That doesn’t give me a lot of comfort, Brody. I don’t care how good Heath is supposed to be. Avery is still missing.” Proving he could do three things at once, Isaac poured a shot of whisky, motioned Terence Lee to oust a drunk, trouble-making customer, and listened as Vance detailed the dead-ends his comrade had come up against as he had hunted for one small, innocent woman. The funny part was that Avery was evading a tracker who had been on the seal team that took down Bin Laden.

  “Give me one more day and I promise I’ll have an answer for you, or you can tie me to that funny little table you have in the basement.” The line went silent. Vance Brody had hung up.

  “Hell!” How did Brody know about his playroom? Damn, he might as well put a billboard up on I35. He could see it now: ‘Isaac McCoy – Find your pleasure in leather…at Hardbodies.’ Actually, it didn’t sound half-bad.

  *

  AVERY COULDN’T BRING herself to park in Hardbodies’ main parking lot. She wanted to give herself the few moments of calm a short walk would offer. Instead, she guided her bike to the street behind the club and pulled into an alley between the lumberyard and the feed store. Both establishments were closed for the night and she wouldn’t be in the way of any traffic. Kerrville hadn’t changed since she left and neither had she, not really. Oh, she was more aware of the physical aspects of sexuality, but she was still innocent. Avery was afraid her circumstances were like a fighter pilot who had only trained in a simulator. When thrust into battle, they discovered reality was a thousand times more intimidating than the safety of the control booth.

  Removing her helmet, she locked it in place and climbed off. Glancing down, she made sure there were no runs in her stockings. A tiny smile played across her lips. If her dad could see her now, he would throw the book at her, the Good Book, that is. As she made her way across the lot, she wondered if Isaac would recognize her. When she’d studied her reflection in the mirror, Avery had practiced a sultry look, only to burst out laughing at the image in front of her eyes. She supposed she looked sexy, at least she hoped so. Her hair was long
er, now hanging a couple of inches above her hip. It still had a mind of its own, long dark ringlets that always put her in mind of a Mother Goose character. Mary who had the little lamb would have hair like hers or Miss Muffet who sat on a tuffet or whatever. How she wished she had sleek blonde hair like some of the girls back at the ranch. Men preferred blondes. At least that was what she’d always heard. A wolf whistle cut through the air and Avery jumped, looking around to see who was attracting the male attention. There was no other female in sight, and the whistler lifted a can of beer in her direction. “You are one hot babe, Honey. Are you looking for a good time?”

  He was talking to her!?! “Thank you, very much.” She gave him a sweet smile. “I appreciate the compliment, but I’m on my way in to see an old friend.” Her Pollyanna answer put a quizzical look on the bearded man’s face. Shoot! She had to get her act together or this was going to be a colossal failure. Slowing her walk, she put a swing in her step, making her hips sway seductively like she had been taught. Flipping a strand of hair over her shoulder, she tilted her head upward and tried to manifest a dangerous air of mystery. Fighting back a giggle, she figured she would be okay until she opened her mouth.

  “Sorry, Miss. My mistake,” her admirer said with a confused backward glance over his shoulder. ‘Great’, she thought. ‘If you can’t convince a stranger you’re a bad girl, how will you ever hope to fool Isaac?’

  *

  “IT’S ABOUT TIME you got here,” Isaac growled as he noticed his younger brother Noah coming across the bar. He set a Coors in front of him. “Say something funny, I need to laugh.” That absurd thought alone made him smile. Asking Noah to crack a joke was like asking a lion to roll over and play dead. It just wasn’t his nature.

  “Uh-uh…” Noah thought quickly. “Virginity is like a soap bubble, one prick and it’s gone.” Noah looked so pleased with himself, he smiled. Isaac appreciated the effort, but the topic of the joke was too close to his problem. Avery was the virgin, he was the prick and their future happiness was as fragile and elusive as an iridescent sphere of airy hope.

  “Nice try.” The band had been cranking out one hip grinding dance number after another, but as they stopped for a break, an odd hush settled over the room. A lone voice sounded through the silence. “Holy Shit! Hot Damn! Who’s the babe?” Another male spoke in a hushed, reverent tone. “Get a load of that piece of effing perfection.”

  Noah turned around on the bar stool, looking to see who everyone was gawking at. “Christ! Who in blazes is that?”

  Isaac looked. ‘Sweet Lord!’ A heart-shaped butt encased in black leather short-shorts filled his vision. Knee-high leather boots with a five-inch heel, a short little crop vest and one sweet strip of naked skin. “Mmmmmm…” He couldn’t help but groan. Now, that was one hot little body! Where had she been all of his life? His manhood, unexpectedly, perked up and saluted. Long dark hair hung in ringlets to the middle of her back. Ringlets? He stared. Hell, those ringlets looked familiar. “No, surely not. No wonder Brody was questioning his intel.” Isaac gritted his teeth and watched as the woman was surrounded…no, engulfed by men, and not once did she turn around. But, he did see her ease back from the men as if she thought they were too close for comfort. That one little nervous gesture had him moving out from behind the bar.

  A gruff, bearded biker stood up at the same time. “Man, I gotta go get me some of that, put the five F’s to work. You know what I mean?” He held up his rough hand, fingers splayed, and enough dirt under his nails to plant a garden. Elbowing Isaac, he sought another male’s approval. “You know what I mean, the Five F’s: Find, Flirt, Finger, Fu…”

  “Shut up!” He didn’t give the moron more than a second glance. A man like him would touch her over Isaac’s dead body, not before. It wasn’t Avery, it couldn’t be, but his body was reacting to the possibility. And then she turned, and by God, his throat went dry, his heart jumped and his dick almost filled to bursting. Avery…it was Avery. The leather cropped vest was all she had on and it was cut low enough so all of her generous breast flesh was mounded up like luscious dollops of coffee ice cream. Isaac wanted to lick those beauties to see how sweet they must actually be. He couldn’t help it. His feet started to move; there was no way in hell he could stay away from her.

  *

  WAS IT WORKING? Was he watching? He dang well better be watching, that was all she could say. Avery Rose was scared to death. How much longer could she stand to be ogled by these questionable, smelly men? But showing weakness or distaste for these people would be unacceptable. Isaac wasn’t attracted to good girls, so she never wanted to be described that way again. Okay, yes, her new demeanor was a front, a false front. She could admit the truth. Avery was still as untouched now as she had been before, but she intended for that to change, hopefully tonight. She could do this. Her knowledge of the erotic and risqué was vast. Hands on? Not so much. Still, she looked the part and that was a start.

  “Avery?” She jumped. Hell, her feet cleared the floor. She would know that voice anywhere. “Avery? What in God’s name do you think you’re doing? And what in the hell do you have on?”

  He took her by the arm as if to pull her away from the crowd, when a barrel-chested gorilla protested. “Hey wait a minute! Leave the little lady alone. We were just about to get better acquainted.”

  “She comes with me, now!” Isaac ground the words out, as if they left a bad taste in his mouth.

  Uh-oh, this couldn’t be good. He didn’t seem to be very happy to see her. His grip on her arm tightened. Isaac wasn’t hurting her, but he had taken complete control. Avery was getting a distinct sense of déjà vu. This was going to be an exact replay of their last meeting. He was about to show her the door. “Isaac, you have no right. This is a public place and I’m over twenty-one. And I wasn’t causing any problems, not till you walked up, anyway.” She faced him with what she thought was a determined look on her face.

  With a not-so-gentle tug, Isaac pulled her against his hot, hard body. He buried his face in her hair, and whispered right in her ear. “I have every right, as you well know.”

  Avery looked up at him, to see what he meant. Was he claiming ownership of her? God, please, yes. His next words dashed that hope. “I own this bar, my word is law.”

  Fine. He may not want her here, but that gave him no right to manhandle her. “Let me go, Isaac. I’m perfectly capable of walking out of here by myself.”

  About that time, ape-man decided to intervene on her behalf. “The little lady said ‘no’, Barkeep.” He made the mistake of grabbing Isaac by the shoulder. “She wants to stay here with me. Don’t you Sweetheart?”

  Frankly, both men were getting on her nerves. This had been a mistake. Isaac was never going to admit he wanted her. Stopping in her tracks, she tried to extricate herself from the iron grip of the man she loved with all of her heart. “Why should I go any place with you, Isaac? I wasn’t bothering you. I just came in for a drink like all the rest of your customers.”

  “Yea, she just came in for a drink.” Avery’s self-appointed hero stepped up right in Isaac’s face. Big mistake, but one he might have gotten away with. His next move, however, became his downfall. Before she could react, the bearded wonder had the audacity to reach out and cup her bottom and, as the old saying goes, that was all she wrote. Isaac lost it and knocked the big ape sprawling, and then all hell broke loose. Cowboys, good ole’ boys, bikers—it became a blur. Avery realized she was witnessing, no, correct that, Avery realized she had caused a knockdown, drag-out bar fight. She didn’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.

  The brawl kept growing. Chairs flew, tables crashed, and the sound of breaking glass filled the air. One biker piled up on top of another, they ganged up on cowboys and vice-versa. She put her hand over her mouth and managed to avoid flying fists. Isaac looked up once and cursed. He grabbed her hand and managed to head Avery toward safety, motioning for Crowbar to come get her. She went, reluctantly, dodging a half full bottle of wh
iskey that was tossed across the room. “Avery, I’m Crowbar, it’s nice to meet you. I’ll take you to Mr. Noah.” He gave her a friendly smile.

  “Thank you, Crowbar. It’s nice to make your acquaintance.” Avery didn’t know this big, gentle man, but Noah she would recognize. He was the only blond McCoy. She always thought he looked like a young Brad Pitt. His shoulder length hair and chiseled features made him look like an avenging angel. When they reached the bar proper, Noah intercepted. “It’s good to see you again, Noah,” she spoke politely, realizing she was trying to maintain Southern gentility during the midst of drunken mayhem.

  “Hey, Avery, you sure know how to liven up a party. Let’s get you somewhere safe.” He steered her toward the back door.

  A loud crash and a grunt. “Noah, I think Isaac needs you more. Most likely, I can find my own way out, thank you. I’ve been shown the door before.” She smiled at him sadly. “Tell Isaac that I apologize and will be glad to reimburse him for all the damages.”

  Noah looked at her quizzically, but he didn’t argue. Thankfully, he went over to assist his brother who didn’t seem to have the upper hand at the moment. Avery gave him one last wistful glance and left.

  *

  WHAM! UMMPH! A chair came crashing down on his head. Hell! A voice at his shoulder sounded entirely too amused. “Need some help, McCoy?” Isaac glanced over and saw Kane, sheriff of Kerrville County. He was looking way happier than the circumstances warranted.

  “Nope, I started it.” There wasn’t any use lying about it.

  “Do you need help finishing it?” Kane dodged a blow, but Isaac caught it, unfortunately.

  “Yeah, probably.”

  Weaving through the mass of bodies, Isaac tried to figure out exactly who was on his side. There was no use hitting somebody who didn’t warrant it.