As she walked toward the front door, she heard Owen say something softly that sounded like “That’s what I’m afraid of.”
When she and Chloe reached the music hall, their friends had already staked a claim on a table in the corner. They made their way through the crowd to join Keri, India, Skyler, Elissa and two women Linnea didn’t know.
“Hey,” Keri said, catching Linnea’s attention. “I convinced my sisters-in-law to join us. Linnea, this is Grace and Brooke.”
After a round of hellos, Chloe and Linnea slid into the two chairs that their friends had been saving for them.
“Perfect timing,” Chloe said as a huge platter of hot wings and cheese fries was delivered to the table.
“I hear this bunch is trying to talk you into becoming the newest citizen of Blue Falls,” Grace said.
“Yes. It’s definitely tempting.”
“Well, take it from two gals who uprooted and moved here,” she said, gesturing between herself and Brooke. “It’s a great place to live.”
“The abundance of hot cowboys doesn’t hurt, either,” Elissa said with a grin before she chomped down on a fry.
Skyler shifted her attention to her friend. “Honestly, you’re the only one here who didn’t marry a cowboy.”
“Pete still looks good in jeans, boots and a Stetson. And out of them, too.” Elissa wiggled her eyebrows, drawing laughter from everyone at the table.
Even Linnea laughed, too, determined to have a good time tonight. And as she talked with the other women at the table, she felt as if she belonged. While she had good friends in Dallas, this felt different, as if she’d come home even though she’d never lived in Blue Falls, had never even had the urge to live in some romanticized small town.
“This looks like the place to be.”
They all looked to where a tall, lanky cowboy stood next to the table.
“I find myself with an impossible question to answer,” he said. “Which of you pretty ladies should I ask to dance?”
Elissa leaned forward. “Well, that’s an easy answer. The only one who isn’t married.” She pointed at Linnea.
The cowboy smiled and extended his hand. “What about it?”
For a moment, Linnea hesitated, wondering if she was really ready to do this. But the urging of her friends propelled her to her feet. She took the man’s hand and allowed him to accompany her to the dance floor. By the time he’d led her around the floor a couple of times, he had her laughing. Even so, a part of her kept remembering when it had been Owen dancing with her.
The memory was still there in the front of her mind when she glanced toward the bar and saw him standing next to his brother watching her. The moment their eyes met, he turned his back to her. A sharp pang pierced her chest. Irritation that it even mattered how Owen Brody acted toward her quickly followed, and she threw herself into another dance with her handsome dance partner, and then two more songs with another man who cut in. She laughed when she heard hoots of encouragement from the corner table.
She would not let it bother her that Owen had vacated the bar in favor of talking to a pretty brunette in a different corner of the building. Nor the fact that he was leaning so close to the woman that they had to be breathing the same air.
When the song ended, she aimed to take a break and rejoin the girls. But she felt yet someone else take her hand. Okay, maybe another dance would take her mind off Owen. She turned and gasped when she came face-to-face with Michael. And the look in his eyes froze her more thoroughly than an ice storm sweeping across Texas.
Chapter Eight
Owen tried to pay attention to what Sarah Finch was saying, but his mind was elsewhere. Like out in the middle of the dance floor where Linnea was dancing with anyone who asked. He should have stayed at home. Linnea would be safe in a crowd this size. But it wasn’t just concern for her safety that had brought him to town, was it? No, he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her proposition the night before. He’d had to use that “other way of dealing with desire” before he was able to fall asleep. And all day, while Garrett and his dad had been out taking care of the herd, it had been impossible to stop thinking about marching into the house and taking her up on her offer, consequences be damned.
No matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t figure out why his feelings toward Linnea had changed. After all the years he’d known her, spent time with her, why was he suddenly thinking about stripping her naked and licking her up one side and down the other?
Movement from the opposite corner drew his attention. Chloe had shot to her feet and was striding toward the dance floor with a determined look on her face. A wave of cold went through him as he jerked his attention to the crowd of dancers. His heart stuttered when he couldn’t find Linnea, but then a couple danced out of the way and he saw Michael pulling Linnea close.
Without a word to Sarah, he strode toward the dance floor, bumping into several people along the way. Owen had sworn to himself that if that bastard ever touched Linnea again, he was going to make good on his promise of making Michael wish he’d never crossed paths with him.
“Owen,” Chloe said when he got close to her.
“I see him.” He didn’t stop walking.
Owen gave Michael no warning this time, just pushed him away from Linnea so hard that he stumbled into another guy. Released so suddenly, Linnea lost her footing, as well, but Owen reached out to steady her without taking his eyes off Michael.
“I told you to leave her alone.”
Michael took a slow, deliberate step toward them. “We were just talking. She hasn’t given me a chance to explain.”
“There’s nothing to explain,” Linnea said. “You’re married. Go home to your wife, and leave me alone.”
“You heard the lady.” Owen put himself between Linnea and her ex.
Michael leveled a look so cold and calculating at him that Owen wanted to slug him just for existing. Then he shifted his gaze to Linnea. “You say I can’t possibly love you, but I guess I could say the same about you if you’re already spreading your legs for some common cowboy.”
Rage flooded Owen, not at the insult toward him but for how the bastard was treating Linnea. She deserved so much better than that uppity piece of trash. The rage hit a boiling point, and Owen slugged Michael so hard that the other man flew off his feet before landing on his back in the middle of the dance floor.
Gasps and sounds of alarm came from the crowd as they all took several collective steps back. But Owen wasn’t done. One punch wasn’t nearly enough for what Michael had done, for the insults he’d spewed. Owen stalked toward Michael with every intention of kicking him while he was down. When someone caught hold of his arms from behind, he fought to free himself.
“Stop,” Garrett said with that authoritative tone of an older brother.
“Let me go.”
“No.” Garrett’s fingers bit into Owen’s arms even harder. “Not here.”
Owen still struggled until Linnea placed herself in front of him and laid her palm against his chest. She met his gaze with a pleading look.
“Thank you, but that’s enough.”
It wasn’t nearly enough, but a sliver of common sense found its way through, making him realize that the middle of the Blue Falls Music Hall wasn’t the ideal place to dole out some much-needed punishment. As if to put an exclamation point on that fact, Simon Teague stepped into the middle of things just as Michael got to his feet.
“You’re going to pay for that,” Michael spat past his bloody lip.
Simon held out a hand toward both of them. “That’s enough out of both of you. Now, what the devil is going on?”
Keri walked up next to her husband along with Chloe. “That’s Linnea’s ex,” Keri said.
“And she’d already told him to stay away from her,” Chloe added.
Simon probably knew all the details from Keri, but he still looked at Linnea. “Is that true?”
Linnea didn’t even acknowledge Michael’s presence a
s she nodded.
Simon turned toward Michael. “Then I suggest you vacate the premises.”
“He’s the one who punched me. I was just talking to my fiancée.”
This time, Linnea did look at Michael. Even though he wasn’t touching her, Owen could feel the anger radiating off her. “I am not your fiancée. You’re married.”
“Not for long.”
“Ask me how much I don’t care.”
Owen didn’t like the anger he saw on Michael’s face as he slowly turned and headed toward the door. It was an expression that promised payback. Owen touched Linnea’s shoulder, letting her know he was there and would do whatever it took to protect her as they watched Simon follow Michael out of the building.
“You want to go back to the house?”
Linnea took a deep breath and stood up straighter. “No. I came out to have fun, and that’s exactly what I intend to do.”
As if on cue, the music started again. Owen didn’t want to release her, but he did. He’d protect her however he could, but the last thing she needed was to get tangled up with another guy who couldn’t give her what she deserved.
Thankfully, the rest of her girls’ night crew surrounded her, and he drifted back to the bar. He caught Linnea’s eyes, and the smile she gave him nearly made him have to hide his lower half behind the bar for a while. Sarah made her way back to him. Though he’d much rather be spending time with Linnea, he’d told her, and tried to tell himself, that it was a bad idea. So it wasn’t fair to ignore Sarah, who was nice enough and pretty.
But she didn’t get his blood pumping the way Linnea did.
Trying to shove thoughts of Linnea out of his head, he escorted Sarah to the dance floor.
“So, what was up with that guy you punched?”
“He’s been harassing my sister’s best friend.”
Sarah looked up at him with an expression that said she knew more was going on. If he was being that obvious, he really needed to rein in his feelings. If he wasn’t willing to act on them, he had to find a way to banish them.
But as he and Garrett followed Chloe and Linnea back to the ranch later, he still felt as if an electric current were joyriding on the blood pumping through his body.
“What’s with you?” Garrett asked from the driver’s seat.
“Nothing.”
“Right. So how do you explain the fidgeting? This have to do with Linnea?”
Before he could catch himself, Owen jerked his gaze to his brother. He realized his mistake when Garrett shook his head slowly.
“Don’t go down that road. Chloe will have your hide.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Garrett snorted. “I’m a man, too. I know what it looks like when a guy’s amped up over a woman.”
It was Owen’s turn to make a sound of disbelief. “Really? When was the last time you even went out with a woman?”
“Kind of hard to find someone you haven’t already dated.”
Okay, that stung. And even considering how much he dated around, it was a gross exaggeration. “Sounds like an excuse to me.”
“And this conversation isn’t about me. I’ve seen how you’ve been looking at Lin, and it’s not a good idea.”
“You think I don’t know that?” And honestly, it ticked him off that his past decisions were coming back to haunt him right when he wished they didn’t exist at all.
When they reached the ranch, he hopped out of the truck almost before it stopped moving and headed straight for the barn. The way he was feeling right now, one part angry and one part horny as a deer with a full rack, he couldn’t even be in the house with Linnea. As he stalked into the barn, he wished he was the sort of guy who had a punching bag hanging from the roof, because he could sure use a way to burn off some of the agitation and need vibrating within him.
Instead, he settled for checking on the horses and some planning for his training business. No matter what he did, however, the buzzing inside him didn’t go away. If he didn’t think it might put her in danger, he’d wish Linnea would go back to Dallas so he wouldn’t be tempted by her all the time.
He sank onto a pile of hay bales stacked against the small room that served as office, tack storage and bunk room all in one. Wyatt had spent some time living in the space before he and Chloe were married. Owen was beginning to think he’d be better off there than under the same roof as Linnea, but then he’d have to explain to his dad why he was sleeping in the barn when he had a perfectly good bed in the house.
Owen was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t hear the footsteps approaching until someone walked into the end of the barn. He leaped to his feet, ready to give Michael a real thrashing he wouldn’t forget any time soon. But it wasn’t Linnea’s ex but rather the woman herself.
“You okay?” he asked.
“Yeah, but I can’t seem to fall asleep.”
He knew he should keep his distance from her, but as she approached, it was as if the bottom of his boots had adhered to the ground beneath his feet. As she got near, he’d swear he could smell the same flowery scent he had when he’d stood next to her at the music hall earlier.
Linnea stopped an arm’s length in front of him. “Thank you for earlier.”
“I’m surprised you approve of me punching him.”
“Truth is if you hadn’t, I might have. And I’m guessing your fist got the point across better.”
He lifted an eyebrow.
“That surprises you?”
“Yeah. You don’t seem like the type to go around punching people.”
“I don’t typically have a reason to.”
“Do you think you should take out a restraining order against him?”
Linnea took another step toward Owen, sending his pulse into overdrive. “I don’t want to talk about Michael.”
“Okay.” Damn if his voice didn’t sound strangled.
Another step brought her so close it took all his effort not to pull her into his arms. He tried to remind himself of all the reasons getting involved with her was a really bad idea, but it proved harder than it should be.
“Lin, don’t.”
She lifted her fingers to his lips. “Stop telling me why we shouldn’t satisfy the yearning we’re both feeling. I’m not asking for commitment. I just want to be held, to feel good.” She looked deeply into his eyes. “To satisfy my curiosity.”
“Damn it, woman, you’re trying to kill me.”
Linnea ran her hand up his chest. “That’s not what I’m trying to do, and you know it.”
A man only had so much willpower. With a growl of pure animal need, he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. As the last voice telling him to stop was silenced, he captured her mouth with his.
* * *
LINNEA WOULD SWEAR she’d been swept up in a wildfire as Owen’s mouth took possession of hers. Somehow, beyond the ecstasy of his kisses, she noticed the hard length of him pressing against her stomach. It caused a rush of fresh warmth to flow through her. Her fingers dug into the flexing muscles of his back as he lifted her and sat her atop a stack of hay bales. When he stepped in between her legs, an intense yearning started pulsing in her center.
“Make love to me, Owen,” she breathed against his lips.
“Someone might come out here.”
“Garrett and your dad already went to bed.”
Owen made a sound low in his throat, as if he were trying to be good but failing against her determination to feel every inch of him.
She was tired of simply daydreaming about making love to him, sick of feeling rejected and adrift, frustrated by his need to be noble where she was concerned.
Owen seemed to lose the battle with himself as he dipped his mouth to her neck and his hands made their way below her shirt. Her heart thudded faster as his calloused palms skimmed over her breasts on their way to her back to unclasp her bra. When the bra fell open, his hands returned to her naked breasts. She threw her head back as his ta
lented mouth took a tour up to her ear, then down and around her neck. In the next moment, he pulled the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. The bra joined it in the next breath.
His gaze met hers for a moment, and she saw such fire there that her body throbbed with need. She ran her hand through his hair and pulled him down to her mouth for another mind-melting kiss.
“You taste so good,” he said, his breathing rough.
It felt so wonderful, so empowering to have this effect on a man like Owen, a man so full of testosterone that it oozed from his pores.
Again, his mouth started exploring. When that wet heat settled over one of her breasts, she nearly bucked off the hay bale. His tongue joined the party, and she thought she might climax before she got the rest of her clothes off.
Owen pulled back just enough to catch her gaze. “You like that, huh?”
“I’d think that much was obvious.”
Even his chuckle made her hot for him, wanting to feel more of the man.
“Take off your shirt,” she said.
Owen didn’t immediately comply, instead setting his mouth to work on her other breast. Just when she thought she might explode, he stepped away with a mischievous grin and started to unbutton his shirt slowly, drawing out her desire to see what lay beneath that cotton fabric.
When he finally finished with the last button and let his shirt hang open, her breath caught at the tempting flesh. She grabbed the open panels of the shirt and tugged him toward her, dragging the shirt down his arms and letting it fall to the floor.
“Impatient, Miss Holland?”
Instead of answering with words, she brought her mouth to those finely toned pectorals and licked one of his nipples. She looked at him and grinned. “Does that answer your question?”
She didn’t know where the saucy, adventurous side of her was coming from, but it was thrilling. She’d never been this way with Michael, and now she wondered if somewhere down deep inside herself, some part of her had known it wasn’t right. But at the moment she wasn’t looking for right, just right now.
Her Cowboy Groom (Blue Falls, Texas Book 5) Page 10
