COWBOY, INTERRUPTED

by MISSY HARPER

  “Stop it, Ethan!” Rylee demanded. Ethan stepped back, smacked her on her bottom and then rubbed his hand over it. He felt her stiffen and try to pull away but he held her close and ground the bulge in his jeans into her stinging bottom.

  “Bad Bunny.” He said in a breathy voice against her ear. He licked the sensitive spot just below her ear and felt her begin to tremble. “A good bunny never tells her cowboy to stop. We’ll have to work on that, Rylee. A good bunny always wants to please her cowboy, and this cowboy wants to know what’s up here between these tight little thighs.” Ethan told her as he ran his hand up her thigh again. She squeezed her thighs tighter and began to shake all over. He hated treating her this way, but it was for her own good. If she pulled this with the wrong cowboy, she’d be getting the crap beat out of her about now. He couldn’t stand by and allow her to get hurt.

  Rylee’s mind was reeling. She couldn’t believe this was happening. She’d saved herself for him, all her life, and now he was going to take her gift from her like this! The tears began to slide down her cheeks as she felt his hands moving against her skin. His hand moved under her shirt and into her bra while the other hand found her panties. She heard him moan and felt her skin tingle all over, but it brought her no pleasure.

  She’d spent her entire life wondering what it would feel like to have his hands touching her this way. She’d always imagined his touch would make her fly, and then all those things that happen in the romance novels she’d read would happen to her. Instead, she just felt cold, and empty… disposable. He’d ruined her fantasy about their first kiss and now this. It wasn’t that his hands didn’t feel good, because they did. He knew how to touch a woman and make her tingle in all the right places. The problem was she knew it would be a thousand times better if he actually gave a damn. He was right. This certainly wasn’t what she wanted.

  “I don’t wanta do this, Ethan.” She whispered as she gently pushed at his hands.

  “Sure ya do, Darlin. It’s what you’ve been askin for. Who better to give it to ya than me? I’m gonna teach you everything you’ll need to know.” Ethan said as his hands continued to roam.

  “No, I didn’t.” She insisted gently.

  “I want cha on your knees, my little baby bunny.” He sank his teeth into her ear, trying desperately to push her beyond her breaking point.

  “Fine! Ok! Maybe I was asking for this, Ethan, but its not what I want, okay? Please just stop. I don’t want it like this… not with you…” Her voice cracked and she covered her face with her hands, abandoning any attempt to stop him or hide the fact she was crushed.

  “Thank God!” She heard him whisper as he turned her around and pulled her into his arms. He held her close and comforted her with the hands that had only seconds before been ravishing her.

  “Shh, it’s okay, Rylee. It’s over, don’t cry, baby. I’d never hurt you. You’re my Runt, remember?” Ethan assured her as he wiped at her tears, and brushed her hair away from her face. He couldn’t seem to touch or comfort her enough. The thought of how this night might have ended for her, if he hadn’t found her, assaulted his brain and he felt himself starting to shake again.

  “I had to make sure you understood what a dangerous game you were playing, baby. I know you don’t understand. If you had left with Sam… no way you’d still be my sweet little Runt right now. He’d a had you five different ways by now, baby.” He told her as he held her in his lap kissing the top of her head as her tears slowly slid down her cheeks.

  Rylee knew he thought she was crying because she’d been so frightened, but that wasn’t it at all. Her tears were not from fear, but from yet another loss. She’d dreamed of this night so many times, but in her dreams he’d always wanted her. He had never said such crude things to her, or been demanding and cold. And he’d certainly never thanked God for helping him to avoid having to continue.

  “I’m fine.” She said, pushing off of his lap and walking toward the bar. She pulled her cell phone out of the back pocket of her skirt and started to dial when she felt him gently place his hands on her shoulders.

  “Who you callin?” His voice was soft, almost as soft as the kiss he dropped on her shoulder.

  “Tanner… no, he had plans… Oliver.” She said as she scrolled through her contacts looking for her brother’s cell phone number.

  “These things make you stupid, ya know?” She said, giving her phone a shake because she felt like she needed to say something to distract from the way his hands felt as he rubbed her shoulders. Damn girl parts! This was the way she’d thought he would make her feel, this was what she’d dreamed of all those times. Too bad it was tainted with his Thank God comment so she knew not to waste her time enjoying it.

  “Yeah… why ya callin Oliver?” Ethan asked as he planted a tender kiss at her temple.

  “I’m ready to go home, and I’m sure my friends won’t be ready to leave, yet.” She said as she found the number. Ethan reached over her shoulder and took the phone out of her hand.

  “I’ll take you home.” He said, sliding her phone back into the back pocket of her skirt.

  “It’s okay, you don’t have to. Oliver will come get me, I think he’s in town tonight anyway.” She assured him as she reached back to pull out her phone again, but Ethan gently grabbed her wrist to stop her. She turned and looked at him for the first time since he’d started touching her tonight. His eyes looked sad and full of regret, much the same as she was sure hers looked about now.

  “I’m sure Heather’s patiently waiting for you to come back.” She said, tongue in cheek. Everyone knew Heather Wild had been properly named and would leave with just about any cowboy that struck her fancy.

  “And she can keep waiting, Runt!” He teased her back, hoping he hadn’t killed all there was to their relationship. It would destroy him if she told him she never wanted to lay eyes on him again. He knew he could never have her the way he really wanted her, but not to have her in his life at all would be unsurvivable.

  “You sure you don’t mind? I can call Oliver.” She asked with a smile she didn’t feel. It hurt to even look at him and she really wasn’t looking forward to a long ride alone with him in his truck, but she would die before she let him know that.

  “You live next door, Runt! You’re such a pain in the ass, you know that?” He repeated the words he’d been saying to her his whole life, hoping they would still have the same effect on her. She rewarded him with a smile and batted her eye lashes at him like she always had, but it was different. He’d killed something in her tonight and he hated himself for it.

  Ethan’s truck came to a stop in Rylee’s driveway. He turned to face her as he shut off the engine. Her heart was in her throat, and all she wanted to do was get away form him. She was equally hurt, humiliated and desperate to hide it all from him. She needed to get in the house and up to her room before she desolved into a puddle of tears on the floor of his truck.

  “Thanks for the ride.” She said as she reached for the door handle and scooted closer to the passenger side door so she could escape. Her heart fell when his arm stretched across her body and grabbed her hand, stopping her from opening the door.

  “Rylee…” His voice was tender and unsure. She’d never heard him like this before, but she still couldn’t make herself look at him for long. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying not to cry in front of him again. The look in his eyes… that was the look she’d always expected to see when she offered him the gift she’d kept for him all these years.

  “I need to say something…”

  “What?” Her nerves were raw and her breathing so rapid it wouldn’t allow her to let him finish his sentence. She cursed herself when she heard the desperation in her voice, but there wasn’t anything she could do about it.

  “Tonight… I ah… it was, um…” He reached over and turned her chin so she had to face him. He saw the tears in her eyes and also saw she wanted nothing more than to get away from him. It broke something inside him.
He was sick to his stomach, wondering how many other women he’d left in the same shape. In that moment, he hated who he’d become and decided he no longer wanted to have anything to do with his former lifestyle. He wanted Rylee, but then again, people in hell surly wanted ice water.

  “You’re so beautiful, Rylee, and you felt so good tonight. You’ll never know how much I wish things could be different.” He said just before he leaned in and pressed his lips to hers. He nibbled at her lips and teased the seam of her mouth with his tongue until she opened for him. This was the kiss she’d always dreamed about, but then it was over before she could truly embrace it and she felt cold again.

  “What was that for?” She whispered with her head down. She couldn’t look at him and she was terrified she was about to hyperventalate.

  “That was for you, Sweet Rylee.” He said as he played with her hair. “That’s the kind of kisses you deserve, baby. Please don’t ever accept anything less.”

  She thought about all the things that had happened that night, and all the things that had been said, and it just gave her a really big headache. This was obviously a goodby, a heartfelt one that she should just accept and move on, but none of it made sense, and she was tired of it. Tired of loving a man that didn’t love her back. Tired of said man ruining all of her firsts, not to mention her best fantasies! More than anything she was tired of not mattering. It was a ride she decided she just didn’t want to be on any longer. She lifted her face to look at him, and he kissed her softly again, as if she was the most important thing in the world to him, but she knew better. Thank God. Would she ever forget how those words had made her feel?

  “Ethan, I don’t want to sound ungrateful or mean or uncaring, certainly not jaded, but… I think I want you to never touch me again, okay?” Her words came out in a broken whisper and packed one hell of a punch. They hit him hard and low. It was in that instant he knew he’d made the biggest mistake of his life. He knew he’d never hold her or touch her or kiss her again, and it seared through him like a branding iron, burning all the way through his heart.

  He touched her cheek with a shaky hand and stared as deeply as he could into those beautiful tiger striped eyes. The thought of someone else touching her soft cheek and looking into her eyes as they made love to her tore him apart. In that moment he wasn’t sure he could survive letting her go. He was certain his heart wouldn’t survive it. But even more terrifying was the thought she wanted nothing to do with him at all.

  “Are you cutting me out of your life all together?” His question came out sounding grave. She shook her head no as her eyes swam in unshed tears. He leaned his forehead against hers and fought the hardest battle of his life, but in the end, he respected her wishes and didn’t kiss her one last time.

  “Get in the house, Runt, before your momma starts flicking the porch light at you like she did when you were in high school.” He said in a forced brotherly voice and popped a lip smack on her forehead… just like he used to do when she was twelve.

  “Like you know what my momma did when I was in high school. You were off ridin those stupid bulls remember, Einstein!” She quipped as she stepped out of the truck, just as she would have if nothing had ever happened between them.

  “Hey, most of those bulls are smart animals, you little Runt!”

  “Oops, I think you may be right. Must have been the rider that was the stupid one in the arena.” She said as she closed the truck door with a big fake smile and walked into the house with tears streaming down her face.

  He watched her go and the ache in his heart grew with every step she took. He squeezed the steering wheel as hard as he could, and it still didn’t help. He wanted to jump out and tell her he wanted to try to be a better man, one like she deserved. He wanted to hold her and touch her and kiss her over and over, but he knew, from this moment on, he’d have to settle for her smart mouth and gorgeous smiles, however fake they may be. She was certainly right about one thing though, he was definitely the stupid one in this arena.

  “Maybe someday that smile’ll reach your eyes again, my sweet little Runt.” He said aloud as she flicked the porch light on and back off a few times. “I’m sorry I’m not a better man, Runt. Hopefully, someday you’ll know how much I wish things could be different.

  Chapter 13

  Not You Again!

  Two Weeks Later

  Ethan sat at the Van der Brook’s kitchen table shooting the breeze with Tanner, Oliver and Thor, when head lights shown coming down the driveway.

  “Wonder who that could be?” Oliver said as he got up to look out the kitchen window.

  “I bet it’s just Earl. I asked him to bring some paperwork over when he got finished for the day.” Ethan said a bit sheepishly. “There are a couple of things I need the Runt to help me with.” He admitted as Thor and Tanner chuckled. He’d told Rylee, more than once, that he didn’t need her help running his ranch. However, every time he reminded her of it, he came across a problem he couldn’t solve on his own.

  “She know about this yet?” Thor asked as he took a sip of his coffee, spilling a drop down his chin, due to his wide grin.

  “Of course she don’t know. If she did she’d be down here talkin to him like she does us.” Tanner assured his father. Thor and Tanner shook their fingers at each other in mock of the way Rylee often fussed at them over business. Their laughter almost drown out the sound of boots on the back porch and a soft tap at the back screen door. Thor turned his head to yell ‘come in’ when he noticed Oliver’s face.

  Oliver pushed open the screen door and Bart Kyle stepped into the kitchen. He had a smile on his face, was wearing his best jeans and shirt, and had his hat in his hands… hair combed. That said a lot.

  “Evenin” Bart announced to the suddenly quiet room.

  “Bart!” Thor was the first to recover. “Sorry, about that, we were just expectin someone else.” He said as he turned in his chair to face the man. “What brings ya to the Yellowbrook this time a night? Everything’s all right I hope?” Thor asked, half rising to offer his hand.

  “Oh yes, sir. Everything fine. I didn’t mean to scare ya.” He smiled as he shook Thor’s massive hand. “I’m just here to pick up Rylee.” He said as he faced a firing squad of Van der Brook and Hawkins eyes.

  “Is that so?” Thor shook his head in that nonchalant way of his.

  “There’s a carnival over in Pryor. I promised I’d buy her a corn dog.” He explained to her father as he rocked back and forth on his boot heels with a big grin on his face.

  “Oliver.” Thor said without taking his eyes off of Bart. “Tell your sister her date’s here to pick her up.” Oliver stared at his father for a minute and then disgustedly chuckled as he shook his head.

  “Yes, sir. I’ll let her know.” Oliver mumbled as he walked past his father and climbed the stairs to find Rylee, shaking his head the whole way. He knew the fireworks were about to begin. This guy was bad news. He could feel it in his bones.

  Ethan, thankfully, was sitting at the back of the table with his back against the wall, and both Tanner and Thor blocking his path to Kyle. His blood was roaring through his ears, and all he could see was red. He wanted to rip the man’s throat out!

  “A Corn Dog?” The words came out quiet and dangerous as Ethan’s eyes moved from the table, up to the man he truly hated at the moment. “Your gonna buy her a corn dog!” Ethan asked with his pulse pounding in his ears. He hadn’t given up the most precious thing known to mankind so this asshole could buy her a corn dog! Hell, he could do that!

  “She mentioned something about there bein a carnival over in Pryor when we were havin lunch the other day. She agreed to go with me, but only after I promised to buy her a corn dog while we were there.” He grinned and shrugged his shoulders. “What’s a guy to do? She drives a hard bargain.” Bart raised his eyebrows and smiled at her father, effectively dismissing Ethan altogether.

  “I’ve seen the end of a few of those bargains. Kinda like lookin down the barrel
of a shotgun, ain’t it?” Tanner chimed in, only because he wanted to lighten the tension between the two men. He figured that keeping Ethan from having the opportunity to open his mouth was the best solution. He couldn’t even imagine how pleasant Rylee would be to live with if they allowed Ethan to beat up her date again.

  “You’re takin our Rylee out and you think a damn corn dog is gonna be good enough for her?” Ethan spat out as he glared at the man and clenched his hands into fists on top of the table, making everyone in the room a little nervous.

  So much for Ethan keeping his mouth shut. Tanner sighed and exchanged a worried look with his father.

  “And just when the hell did you have lunch with her?” Ethan continued his interrogation. Bart maintained his smile but his posture stiffened, likely remembering the last time the two men had discussed Rylee.

  “To answer Ethan’s first question, no, a corn dog simply will not do. I’ve made reservations at a restaurant in Pryor. She’ll have a nice dinner before we go to the carnival for that corn dog.” Bart smiled reassuringly at Thor. “I assure you I will not allow her to go without her needs being met.” He said as he looked at Thor. Ethan narrowed his eyes at the man’s double tongue and clenched his fists so hard he thought his hands were going to crack.

  “You won’t be meeting any of Rylee’s needs!” Ethan sneered.

  “To your second question, we’ve had lunch a few times since you left her cryin in the hall at the nursing home. So, you may have to be a bit more specific as to which time you’re askin me about.” Bart narrowed his eyes at Ethan, but never lost his smile while completely ignoring Ethan’s statement about Rylee’s needs.

  Ethan slowly rose from his chair at the back of the table. Tanner and Thor stood to their feet to head off any trouble. Ethan’s nostrils flared and his hands opened and closed into tight fists as he stared the man down.