by Jane Jamison
“Really? I was hoping you’d keep me company while I ate lunch.”
She dared to lift her gaze to his. He wore his hair a little longer than she usually liked, but the style looked good on him. Now that she thought about it, the man had to stand two or three inches over six feet. He looked intense with his chiseled jawline and high cheekbones, but his smile seemed to lessen the harshness of his appearance. His nose was long, albeit a little crooked, but that gave his face more personality. She wondered if he always had five-o’clock stubble, long before evening came and went.
Part of her wanted to leave even though she wasn’t sure why. He made her jumpy, but wasn’t it in a good way? So why run? The biggest part of her, her curiosity, took over, and she found herself nodding. “Okay, then. I’ll have a big piece of apple pie.”
“That sounds good to me. I love having dessert first.” He slid into the seat opposite her. “In fact, I just plain love dessert. Don’t you?”
Was he talking about the fruit-filled kind of dessert? Or was he implying something else? Perhaps a more sinful indulgence?
“Got it. Two big pieces of apple pie coming up.” Loren shot Maya a playful glare. “Although where you’ll put it, I’ll never know. Especially after a big plate of fries and two burgers.” She winked at Jamie. “Don’t you just hate a woman who can out eat a man and still have a tiny figure?”
“Can’t say I do. I like a woman with a healthy appetite.”
“Aw, hell, Maya. If you don’t hook up with this guy, I will.” Loren laughed and spun around. “I’m just saying.”
His laugh was as sexy as the rest of him. “Yeah, Maya. Haven’t you heard? I’m the perfect man.”
He has a sense of humor. That’s always a plus.
“Yeah, I remember hearing something along those lines. So tell me about yourself. What do you do, where do you live, what kind of pies do you like? You know. All the important deets.”
And why are you looking at my small boobs?
She snapped her fingers, breaking his focus on her chest, then pointed to her face. “I’m up here.”
He blinked. “Details, huh? Fine. I’ll give you mine if you give me yours.”
Why does this feel like a trap?
Had the girls really set up this meeting? It wasn’t so much what he said that made her as nervous as a cat surrounded by a pack of dogs, as much as how he looked at her. His intensity was unnerving. And yet, if it was a trap, she was ready to get snared by him. After all, she could think of worse things. A lot of worse things. “Deal. You go first.”
“All right. You might say I’m a hunter.”
“Really? A hunter with the name Hunter? I hope you didn’t choose your profession simply because of your name.”
“No. The job came along a long time after I got the name.”
“And what is it that you hunt?” Lions, tigers, and bears? Oh, my. Or does he hunt women? Oh, my!
“I track game and hunt to help others. To feed them when they can’t do it themselves.”
He could hunt anything he wanted. She was sure of it. And probably with his bare hands. “Sounds primitive. Or are you saying you run a food bank? Because the last time I checked, food banks don’t go around tracking their supplies. Unless you’re talking about tracking down contributors.”
The corners of his mouth lifted into a cocky smile. “That’s a clever way of looking at it, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. But hunting’s not the only thing I do. I’m also a bull rider.”
Loren brought their pies and set down the forks. “You’re a bull rider? No shit? That’s amazing. So are you riding in the Passion Rodeo tomorrow?”
“Let me take care of the bill now. I’ll let you know if we need anything else. But keep the change.” Jamie pulled out a wad of cash and paid Loren along with a very generous tip. “And to answer your question, yes. I’ll be there along with my brothers. Are you going?”
Maya couldn’t help but wonder if he’d paid Loren then instead of later to keep her from interrupting them again. But she was probably only imagining it.
Loren scooped up the money. “Thanks. And yeah, I’ll be there.” She stuffed the money into her pocket then pivoted to leave, tossing her words over her shoulder. “I’ll cheer for you.”
“Thanks. I’d appreciate it.”
“I guess hunting and riding bulls pays well.” Maya slammed her mouth shut then blew out a breath. “I’m sorry. That was rude. Pretend I didn’t say that.”
Sheesh! What a thing to say? Eat your food instead of your foot. She scooped a large bite of pie onto her fork and shoved it into her mouth.
Jamie took a huge bite, swallowed it in one large gulp then followed it with two just as enormous forkfuls. Some women might not have liked the ravenous nature of the act, but she liked a man with a voracious appetite. And not just when it involved food, either.
Was his sexual hunger just as big? She shoveled in another bite to keep from asking the question out loud.
“It’s okay, and yeah, it can. But I’m also very thrifty with my money.”
She nodded, chewing as ladylike as she could. Setting the fork down, she patted her mouth with a napkin. “Not that it’s any of my business, of course, but are you a good bull rider? Have you been doing it long?”
His gaze lingered on her lips, and she resisted the urge to ask if she had any crumbs in the corner of her mouth. If she did, would she have enough nerve to ask him to lick them away?
“Not to brag, but I’m very good. My brothers and I grew up on a ranch roping and riding as little kids. Then we got involved in the rodeo circuit in our late teens. As for any other questions you might have, how about I answer those tomorrow when you come see me ride?”
She hoped her surprise didn’t show on her face, but somehow, she knew he sensed the way she felt.
But how do I feel? Excited? Yes. Flattered? Oh, yeah. Nervous as hell? You betcha. “Uh, I don’t know. I don’t go in much for watching men get thrown on their asses.”
“Hmm, then I guess I had you pegged wrong.” His features brightened as though he was trying to hold back a grin.
“What do you mean?”
“I figured you’d love to see me tossed on my ass.”
She couldn’t suppress her grin. “Maybe I would and maybe I wouldn’t. But as for going to the rodeo, I’ll have to wait and see.”
He stood, then flattened his hands on the Formica table to close the distance between them and put his face an inch from hers. “You don’t fool me, Maya Switt. You’d love it.”
She didn’t have time to answer. Not when his mouth was already on hers.
At first the kiss was soft, sensual. Stunned, she didn’t pull away. Instead, she leaned into the kiss and reached out to place a palm on his chest. He increased the pressure then nibbled on her bottom lip as he slipped a hand around the back of her neck. She moaned and clutched his shirt, pushing the voice in her head that told her to cool it away.
“Whoa, excuse me. I’ll check on you two later.”
She jerked back from him at the sound of Loren’s voice. He stared at her, not releasing his hold on her neck. For a moment, she wasn’t sure if either one of them was breathing. Then, forcefully, without apology, he crushed his mouth to hers again. Taking her arm, he pulled her to her feet then wrapped her in his embrace. She lifted her head, giving in to his dominating will, and sighed into the kiss.
This is it. The kiss I’ve wanted for so long.
His hand found the curve of her ass and fondled her cheek. She clung to his shirt even as one hand found the bulge in his jeans. Shoving his tongue into her mouth, he gave her a taste of what it would be like to have his cock thrust deep inside her pussy.
“Ah-hem!”
Tony. Yet still she hung onto him.
“Hey, you two. I’m all for love, but this is my restaurant, not a nightclub. Break it up or get a room.”
She didn’t care who saw them or if Tony kicked them out. If Jamie wanted her, she’d
let him take her. Right there, right then, with pie smeared over her body.
When he broke the kiss and pushed her away from him, she almost cursed him for doing so. Instead, she let him guide her to her seat again as he put his mouth close to her ear.
“Be there. No excuses. Got it?”
She nodded numbly as he stood, gave her a soft smile, and strode to the door. Every eye in the diner watched him leave then shifted to look at her.
Damn. What the hell happened? Did he ask me to go to the rodeo? Or did he command me to go?
Yet she didn’t regret what had happened. She found her purse and scooted out of the seat. Keeping her head high even though she wanted nothing more than to hide her face, she walked to the front door and left.
Chapter Two
“I’m a strong, confident woman, and I can do this,” muttered Maya. She scanned the crowd milling around the arena. The bleachers on the other side of the arena were filled while other spectators leaned on the fences and barricades to watch the show. People of all ages and sizes were in attendance, with young girls in everything from short skirts to Daisy Duke shorts. She wished Tatum had come along with her, but on the way over to the rodeo, her friend had suddenly bailed out, stating she had unexpected business to attend to. She promised to pick Maya up later on.
“Uh-huh. I’m not buying it, Tatum,” mumbled Maya after she’d gotten out of the car. More than likely, Tatum had set her up to be alone with Jamie. But then hadn’t he said something about his brothers being at the rodeo, too? Would she get to meet them? She couldn’t complain about spending time with Jamie, but she might’ve felt more at ease if her friend had helped her by making the rest of the introductions.
Although Western wasn’t her usual style of dress, she’d donned her favorite jeans, a new pair of red boots, and a red cowboy hat, trying to fit in. Aside from the rare cowboy club that didn’t have much in common with a real Western bar like Passion’s favorite bar, Saddles, she hadn’t had any need for those kinds of clothes in New York City. But jeans and boots, along with either a ball cap or a cowboy hat, was standard issue in Passion. Even the rich and famous made a point of fitting in whenever they were in town.
“Why couldn’t Shay come with me?” But she hadn’t thought to call Shay, especially since Shay had seemed intent on leaving town soon. She slammed her mouth shut as an older couple walked by. “Great. Now I’m the crazy lady talking to herself.” She caught her reflection. “And I’m still doing it. Damn it.”
Blowing a curl off her forehead, she pulled herself to her full height then smoothed down her shirt. She’d taken two hours to get ready, changing from one outfit to the next, and had finally settled on the tight white T-shirt. Now, watching the billow of dirt flying in the air, she wondered if she’d made a mistake. But there was no turning back.
She made sure her cell phone was in her hip pocket and started walking. Why am I doing this? The man ordered me to come and I ask when and where? What next? Asking him how high I should jump when he tells me to?
She’d wrestled with the same questions all night and had always come back to the same answer. Didn’t all macho men give orders? Wasn’t that what she wanted? A he-man to take charge? But there was a fine line between being a masculine, take-charge kind of guy like she yearned for and a bossy, overbearing jerk. Problem was, she couldn’t figure out which kind of man Jamie was. But that was why she’d come. To find out more about him. Not because he’d ordered her to.
“That’s my story and I’m sticking to it, Jamie Hunter.”
“What’s your story?”
“Oh, shit!” She stumbled at the closeness of the voice behind her, and if strong hands hadn’t caught her, she would’ve ended up face first in a patty of horse dung. The same sense of intense heat and lust that she’d experienced in the diner whipped through her, unbalancing her more. Pushing the hair out of her face, she turned and looked deep into eyes exactly like Jamie’s.
“You’d better watch where you’re stepping. I’d hate to see a pretty face like yours mucked up by horse shit.”
His voice could melt a block of butter with just a whisper. “You startled me.”
“Did I?” He shrugged, turning her loose. “I didn’t mean to.”
His hair was shorter than Jamie’s but as thick and rich. The copper in the deep brown sparkled under the afternoon sun. Tanned skin covered arms filled with bulges of muscles while a kind face showed the beginnings of laugh lines that would only get better with age.
She glanced at the place on her arm where his fingers had been and wished they were still there. “I guess I’m kind of on edge.”
“Jamie will do that to people sometimes. Especially women.”
“Jamie? So you know him?” It was a question she didn’t need answering. Any fool could see they were related. Hadn’t Shay said something about his hot brothers? As with Jamie, the word hot didn’t cover it. She couldn’t think of a word that could. “How did you know I was looking for Jamie anyway?”
“I heard you talking to yourself.”
Great, Maya. You’re batting a hundred with first impressions. First Jamie hears me talking about him at the diner and now his brother catches me doing the same thing.
“I’m guessing you’re related.”
“Jamie’s my older brother.” He pointed at another man standing by the concession. The deliciously impressive African-American was surrounded by four women. “And that’s our younger brother, Hamilton. We call him Ham for short.”
She followed his direction. Ham looked up at that moment to find her staring at him. Although he wore dark glasses, she had no doubt that he saw her. His shaved head glistened in the sunlight and dark hair covered his upper lip and jawline. His brown skin made his white, tight T-shirt even whiter. But that was nothing compared to the white of his smile.
“I can see he’s already gotten you under his spell, too.”
She shook off the allure of his broad smile. “What?”
“As you can see, Ham has a way with the women. Beats me why, but there’s no arguing it. Fact is, we don’t call him Ham because his name is Hamilton.”
“You don’t?” She tried not to gawk at him again but failed. Instead, she shifted her attention between the two gorgeous brothers.
“Nope. We call him Ham because he’s always the center of attention. You know. As in acting like a ham for a camera. And he doesn’t even need the camera. He whips out the charm for every woman he meets.”
One of the girls next to him pressed her lips to his cheek. He looked at her then took her hand and kissed her palm.
Jealousy, plain and simple, coursed through Maya. She wanted to tear out the curvy brunette’s long hair, strand by strand, then kick her to the curb. Shuddering with the need to do so, she did the only thing she could. She focused on his brother.
“What’s your name?”
He stuck out his hand. “I’m Case Hunter.”
The second they touched, she forgot about the brunette. Desire burned between her legs and lit her pussy on fire. She tightened her pussy as she squeezed his hand. If someone had asked her, she would’ve told them the truth. If she had her way, she’d never let him take his hand away.
He stared at her, his dark eyes somehow lightening with bits of the sun’s bright amber in them. A spark of humor mixed with the heat and the tiny lines around his eyes deepened.
“So I was right. You’re Maya, aren’t you?”
He pulled his hand away, and she fisted hers. She still felt the warmth from his skin and didn’t want to lose it even if she had to keep her hand clenched for the rest of her life.
“How did you know?”
“Jamie described you.”
“He did?” An overwhelming urge to ask him what his brother had said was blocked only by her determination to not appear foolish.
“Yeah, but he didn’t do you justice.” He slipped his arm around her waist and led her toward the stands. “He said you were beautiful, but you’re more than
that. You’re sexy as hell.”
She almost stumbled again but managed to stay on her feet. Although she’d had her fair share of dates in her life, she’d never had any man say that to her.
Sexy as hell? With my body?
Fortunately, she managed to merely think the words instead of letting them spill out of her mouth.
“Uh, thanks.” She glanced back to find Ham watching them and loved the way that made her feel. He tipped his sunglasses down to peer over the top of them and shot her a dazzling smile. “Jamie didn’t say anything about you and Ham. Other than to mention you’d be at the rodeo, too. But I wasn’t sure I’d get to meet you.”
Does that sound like I was hoping to meet them? Yet wasn’t I?
“That’s because our brother is a selfish prick.”
She sputtered. “A prick?”
He laughed, drawing admiring looks from several of the women they passed. “Naw, not really. He’s all right. But don’t tell him I said that or I’ll have to deny it every which way to Sunday. I mean, yeah, he can be a prick like anyone can, but for the most part, he’s not. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have told us you were coming.”
She got the impression that Case liked to talk. But that was okay since she liked the sound of his voice almost as much as the feel of his hand.
They made it to the bleachers and took the only two available seats front and center. “Here you go. I had my buddies reserve these seats for us.” He lifted his hand in thanks at a couple of men in the rows behind them. “I wanted to make sure you got a good view. I’m thinking you didn’t get to see many rodeos while in New York.”
“You’re right about that. Manhattan isn’t known for its calf roping.”
She sat down on the hard metal and searched for Jamie. “Did Jamie already ride? I hope I didn’t miss it.”
“No, the bull riding’s up in a few minutes. And Ham will come around soon enough now that he’s seen you. All three of us were looking forward to you showing up.”
She wasn’t sure why, but his shoulder against hers was the most sensual thing she’d ever felt. She took deep breaths and forced her mind away from the naughty acts she’d like to do to him. If she had the nerve, she’d ask him behind the bleachers. Once there, she’d yank his jeans open and pleasure his cock with her mouth, her tongue, and her hands. Then she’d turn around and let him tug hers to her ankles. He’d rip away her thong as she bent low and offered him her ass. She could almost feel his cock pressing its way into her dark hole.
