“How bad is bad?” Ash asked, watching Jazz guzzle the wine like it was grape juice.
“Pretty bad.” She drew a circle across the countertop with her manicured nail. “We barely do it, and when we do?” She raised her eyes and made a face. “Bleh.”
“Surely it can’t be that bad.”
Jasmine’s face lost all its sparkle. “It is.”
“Is that why you kissed Curtis?”
“Probably.” She paused. “I needed to know if it was me.”
“Oh, Jazz. It’s not you.” Ash leaned over and hugged her friend as Jasmine made sad snuffling sounds against her shoulder.
“You know, I might not have even realized how bad things were until I saw you and Colton.” Jazz moved back, wiping tears off her cheek, leaving dark mascara streaks in her wake.
A lump formed in Ashley’s throat at the mention of Colton’s name. “What do you mean?” she asked, her own voice quivering.
“He’s always touching you. Kissing you.” Her perfect nose wrinkled. “Even sniffing you, for God’s sake.”
“Oh, Jazz—” Ash said, putting her hand on Jasmine’s arm. “Please, don’t compare Colton to—”
“It’s the way he looks at you.” Jasmine just carried right on. “Like he wants to eat you up.”
Ash groaned inwardly.
“When you weren’t looking, he’d watch you, like he was imagining all the things he’d do to you later...”
“Stop.”
“Parker never looks at me like that.”
“Jazz...about Colton...”
“It’s so obvious he loves you. With Parker—”
“Jazz.” Ashley had to raise her voice to get her friend to stop talking.
“What?”
Ash took a deep drink of wine. And then another. She set her glass down and stared into the clear liquid. “Colton doesn’t love me.” With a sigh, she met Jasmine’s gaze. “Colton’s not even my boyfriend.”
“Oh, no. The two of you broke up? That’s terrible.”
Ash shook her head. “Hard to break up when we weren’t even going out.”
“What are you talking about?”
Shutting her eyes for a second to bolster her courage, Ash blurted out. “It was all a lie.”
“What was a lie?”
“Colton. He was fake. We weren’t dating. I coerced him into playing my boyfriend.” She paused to rub her forehead. “No, it’s worse than that. I paid him to be my boyfriend.”
“What?”
“Stupid, right?”
“But...why would you do that?”
“To impress you.”
“Me?”
“Yes.” Ash shook her head. “You have this amazing life.” She gestured toward the room at large. “You always have. And I have...nothing.”
Jasmine stared at her for a moment and then started laughing. There was a touch of hysteria to it. “We are quite a pair, aren’t we?”
“Yeah.” Ash tried to laugh along, but it was halfhearted.
“Well, let me tell you something. Maybe you and Colton didn’t start out having feelings for each other, but looks and actions don’t lie.” Jasmine covered Ash’s hand with hers. “That man loves you, Ashley, and you’d be a fool to let that kind of love go so easily.” She patted. “Text him.”
* * *
ASH DIDN’T TEXT Colton. She couldn’t. What would be the point? He had his stuff going on and she had hers. She wasn’t about to drop everything she’d worked so hard for, for a guy she wasn’t even sure liked her or had the ability to commit to any kind of relationship whatsoever.
I’m no good at commitment or relationships, Ash...
Though being at the Chicago Invitational Bull Riding Event made not thinking about him impossible. Particularly when she saw his name on the contestant roster. So he’d qualified for the pro tour; good for him.
Her stomach twisted as she glanced around the crowded arena, hoping for a glimpse of his familiar stance, his familiar gait. The breadth of his shoulders. God, she could feel him. Practically smell his spicy aftershave.
She took a look at her contact list, tapping in Colton’s name.
Best Boyfriend Ever.
God. So tempting. Just a quick little “Hello! You’ll never guess where I am!”
A horn sounded, and Ash reminded herself that she had a job to do. Her job was to take pictures and then immediately post them to Twitter and Instagram. She was the event’s social media photo specialist. Just for the day.
Ash connected the camera to the tablet she’d been given and found the best ones of Olsen Hammer, who’d just ridden, and posted with the commentary, “Things are getting wild at the Chicago Invitational.”
Once done, she stuck the tablet back in her bag and wiped her hands down the front of her jeans. There were only two more contestants until Colton. The first, a cowboy from Kentucky, got thrown right out of the gate. The second hung on for the entire eight seconds.
It was Colton’s turn, and her heart was in her throat. Using the telephoto lens, Ash brought him into focus. God, she could see every line on his face, the groove between his brows as he climbed atop the bull in the chute. She had no idea how many pictures she took; her finger depressed the shutter all on its own while she watched him, like she was right there. His focused expression. His determination. The simple nod to show he was ready.
Her heart pounded between her ears as she waited for the gate to open.
The second the door swung wide, the bull shot out like the chute was a cannon: running a few steps before its hind end moved as if quite separate from the rest of it. Was she even taking pictures? She couldn’t tell as she followed the sporadic movements around the ring from behind her camera.
Eight seconds seemed impossibly long.
Finally the buzzer rang, and Colt dove for one of the horses that rode out to flank the bull, easily landing on his feet as the other cowboy corralled the livestock out of the ring.
Click.
Ash checked the final image, Colton standing near the gates, his hat in hand waving to the huge crowd. To her, it looked as if he was staring right at her. Like he could see her amidst the throng of people. Like his cocky grin was just for her.
Without realizing what she was doing, she kissed the image of him on the little screen, making the camera slip from her fingers. Thank God she wore the neck strap; otherwise her most valuable piece of equipment would have shattered on the cement floor. That would have been a tragedy.
Wiping her palms once more, she lifted the camera to her face and looked through the lens again, trying to locate Colton as he left the arena.
“Best Boyfriend Ever?” she said with a chuckle as she caught sight of him climbing the bleacher stairs behind the chutes. She zoomed in even closer. “Doubtful. But the nicest ass in town? Oh, yeah. Definitely.”
18
COLTON WAS WALKING on air. His feet didn’t even touch the ground as he made his way up the stairs to the bleachers after his ride.
His very first pro ride and he’d nailed it. Now he just had to wait to see how his score compared.
Somehow, his dream had come true. Finally.
“Colton, up here!” He glanced up. A few rows over was a pretty, dark-haired woman.
“Daisy?”
The woman excused herself to the others in the row as she made her way toward him. No easy feat when she was pregnant and well past her due date. She was breathing heavily when she greeted him in the aisle.
“Hey, little cousin! That was an amazing ride. I’m so proud of you!”
Colton grabbed Daisy and lifted her up. It wasn’t something he’d planned to do; it was just something he needed to do to expend some of this adrenaline and excitement.
“
Where’s Jamie, that ugly husband of yours?” he asked after setting Daisy down.
“He’s getting me ice cream and a hot dog. Oh, and popcorn.” Daisy tapped her lips. “And donuts.” She smoothed her hands over her basketball-sized belly. “His son is hungry.” She made a face. “Oh. And he’s restless.” She rubbed some more as a beatific look came over her features. “Want to feel?”
“Sure, why not?” He let Daisy guide his hands over her stomach where he felt the strangest sensation of movement beneath his hands. “Oh, my God.”
“It’s crazy, right? It’s like I’ve got an alien in me.”
“When is the alien landing on Earth?”
“Supposed to be last week.” She winked. “Things must be a little too cozy up in there.”
Colton was happy for Daisy. In fact, Colton was happy, period. Life was good. He was on the pro tour now, his cousins were happily married and about to have a baby. His brother and sister-in-law were the same. When things were this good it was important to take a moment to appreciate it, which he did by leaning down to kiss Daisy on the cheek.
And then things just got better.
“Ashley Ozark to the announcer’s booth on the mezzanine level. Ashley Ozark to the announcer’s booth.”
Colton couldn’t believe his luck. It was like the universe had orchestrated all of this: the ride, her presence, this town, this place. It was all meant to be, and now it felt like the universe was telling him through the damn loudspeaker that it was no coincidence that Ashley—the woman he could not stop stalking online—just happened to be here on what might very well be the best day of his life.
“Hey, Daisy, I’ll catch up with you and Jamie later, okay?”
“Where you going?”
“I have to go see about a woman.”
“Oh? Anyone special?”
“Yeah.” Colton patted his hand over his heart, mimicking a heartbeat. “Very special.”
She waved him off. “What the hell are you waiting for, then? Get going.”
* * *
ASHLEY WALKED LIKE a zombie to the announcer’s booth: dragging her feet and making soft moaning sounds with every step as she made her way up to the mezzanine level. Once there, the man told her to wait, and he disappeared inside. Ashley leaned against the wall feeling...numb.
Maybe she’d made a mistake. Maybe it wasn’t him.
Attaching the cord of her camera to the tablet, she downloaded the latest pictures and then enlarged the last two.
It was him all right. One with him lifting up a woman—much like he’d once lifted her—before kissing her. Another photo with his hands on the woman’s belly, practically a carbon copy of the photo she’d taken of his brother and sister-in-law where the joy between the two was palpable.
A different woman in every town. Kids by different mommas in every other state.
Why did Brandi have to be right about Colton?
Ashley’s phone pinged. She closed the images on the tablet and checked her messages.
Oh, God. No.
The message was from Colton Best Boyfriend Ever.
“Asshole.”
She opened it.
I heard your name announced. You’re here? We have to meet up. There’s something I need to tell you.
“What? You want to introduce me to your girlfriend and child?” She pinched the bridge of her nose.
Ash supposed that was exactly how guys like Colton operated, not thinking twice about the fact that if you slept with a woman, she was going to become emotionally attached. He didn’t care how she felt, which was how he managed to live the way he did.
She was an idiot.
The door to the announcer’s room opened, and Linda Tomlin, the head of publicity, appeared. “Ashley, great to see you.”
“Is everything okay?” Ash asked. The only reason she could think that they would be calling her up here in the middle of the job was to fire her.
Which pretty much made this the worst day of her life.
“Everything is amazing. We’ve just learned that your Tweets and posts are getting way more hits and interaction than we’ve ever had.”
“Really?”
Linda smiled. “Yeah, really. So, we want to offer you a six-month contract to keep doing what you’re doing. If you do well, we’ll talk about extending it even more.”
Ash gave her head a shake. A contract? To work for the NBRA? To get paid to do the thing she loved most?
It was a dream come true, which was probably why she gasped in utter shock.
“Shall I take that as a yes?” Linda chuckled.
Ash glanced around, feeling ecstatic and...trapped.
Accepting the contract would mean she’d be on the tour with Colton. What if he tried to seduce her again? Would she be strong enough to resist?
Hell, no.
Even now she wanted him. Desperately. But then what? It wasn’t like he’d want her around full-time.
I’m no good at commitment or relationships, Ash. I’ve never understood it.
The worse thing Ash could imagine was having to witness what she’d seen here tonight in town after town. Colton talking to other women. Colton flirting with other woman. Colton becoming a daddy, for fuck’s sake.
“So,” Linda prompted. “What do you think?”
Ash blinked away the flashing images of Colton inside her head. “It all sounds amazing.” She met Linda’s gaze. “But I can’t do it. I’m sorry.”
* * *
COLTON DIDN’T GET IT. He was dressed in his gym clothes and had made another visit to his cousins’ private gym. Working on the heavy bag, he completed a jab, jab, cross combo.
What the hell happened?
Pretending the bag was an opponent, he turned on autopilot, pummeling the thing while in his mind, he reviewed the series of texts that had been sent between himself and Ashley last night.
I heard your name announced. You’re here? We have to meet up. There’s something I need to tell you.
He’d waited half an hour for her to reply. When she didn’t he sent another one.
Ash? I know you’re here. Let’s meet up.
Nothing.
He’d tried calling but the call went to voice mail.
Ash? I really have to see you.
Ash, I need you.
Finally, a reply came in. Stop texting, Colton, and go live your life.
It made no sense. Unless...
Was it possible that Ashley had no feelings for him? When she’d said goodbye, did she really mean it? He let go of a flurry of punches, knocking the bag off-kilter so that it swung at him sideways. Wrapping his arms around it, Colton hugged it to get it to stop swinging.
“You know that bag doesn’t hit back,” Colin, his other cousin, said. “You feel like sparring?”
“Only if you feel like getting the shit kicked out of you.”
Colin laughed. “You’re in a fine mood.” He gestured toward the now-empty ring. “I’m pretty sure a good fight is exactly what you need.”
Colt climbed into the ring after his cousin. They went to face each other in the middle, bumping gloves first before dancing away from one another. Colin threw a couple of tentative jabs, just to test Colton’s reflexes and his blocking.
“You going to tell me what’s wrong?” Colin asked.
“Nothing.” Colt jabbed twice lightly with his left before releasing his right uppercut.
Colin blocked it easily, sliding away before Colton could get him up against the ropes. “Is it a woman?”
When Colton answered with a flurry of crosses, most of which landed on Colin’s arms, not Colt’s intended targets, Colin chuckled. His mouth guard fell out of his mouth on to the floor of the ring.
“What is wrong wi
th women?” Colt asked as he waited for Colin to wash the plastic mouth guard off with a spray from a water bottle.
“Not sure there’s a general ailment for all women.” Colin smirked over his shoulder. “What’s the deal with this particular one?”
“She won’t respond to my messages.”
Colin groaned. “Do you know what the all-time worst invention for relationships is?”
Colt shook his head.
“Text messaging.” Colin squirted a shot of water into his mouth. “My advice? Go see this woman. In person. Talk to her, the old-fashioned way.” He settled his guard back into his mouth so his next sentence came out sounding garbled. “In the meantime, focus on the fight, because if you don’t, I’m going to kick your scrawny ass all the way back to Half Moon Creek.”
* * *
AFTER A TEARFUL farewell with Jasmine, Ashley made the drive home to Half Moon Creek. The thing about driving for hours and hours on end, listening to a playlist she’d created—every sad and angry song in her library—meant Ashley not only knew all the words to all the songs by the end of the twenty-one hours, she’d also had plenty of time to think.
She’d been mad. Fuming. Her foot heavy on the gas pedal as she sang along to Carrie Underwood’s “Before He Cheats.” But somewhere between Bismarck, North Dakota, and Miles City, Montana, Ashley realized something important.
Colton didn’t owe her anything.
He had always been her pretend boyfriend and nothing more. Well, there was the very short friends-with-benefits stage. But she had to put the emphasis on friends. That was it. That was all they’d ever had.
It’s because he’s the first guy to ever make you fall apart, a voice that sounded suspiciously like her sister’s whispered in her head.
“That’s a lie,” Ash said aloud. “It was more than that.” At least for her it was.
On the other hand, Colton had never once said he wanted more from her. He’d never claimed that he didn’t see other women. He’d never committed anything to her.
Maybe if you’d told him how you felt...
Would that have changed things? Ash doubted it. Except for maybe scaring him off. How could she expect Colton to be anything except the man he was? She couldn’t. But neither could she be anyone else, either, and the truth of the matter was, she was in love with him.
Wild Seduction Page 18
