Fastening his mouth on the tiny hollow behind the delicate shell of her ear, he sucked. Her head fell back to give him better access and he took it, dragging his teeth down the narrow column of her neck. Feeling her shudder, he pushed his still-hardening cock into the juncture of her shapely thighs and groaned. He let out a vicious curse as he stepped back.
“Much as I wanna fuck you ten ways to Sunday, my parents are waiting.” Willing his dick to subside, he ran a hand through his hair. Leah was panting, and his resolve was thinning as he watched her breasts heave. “Leah, babe, we’ve gotta go.” His hands itched to reach around, grab her ass and pull her into him again. He swore under his breath.
“Uh-huh…”
Walking farther into the room, he looked around and saw her purse lying on the bed. “Is this all you need?” If he didn’t get her out of there soon he’d throw her on the bed and have his way with her. He doubted that was really how she wanted to make a first impression with his parents, though—arriving at the restaurant with a wrinkled dress and all flushed and glowy from the orgasm he’d wrench outta her. She nodded and he took her elbow, handing her the purse.
When they arrived at the restaurant he took Leah’s hand. She gave him a strange look and he realized this was the first time they’d ever held hands in public. They reached his parents’ table and he pulled out a chair, seated her, and then sat himself.
“Mom, Dad, this is Leah.” He watched his parents’ reaction to her. They’d looked her up online, he knew, and he wondered how much they’d read about her “Ice Queen” persona.
Leah smiled and Brady could tell she was nervous. This wasn’t her usual “stranger smile”. It was genuine, but strained. “It’s a pleasure to meet you both. I’ve heard a lot about you, and I have to admit I’m very jealous of Brady’s upbringing. It sounds like you guys had a blast.”
Brady’s mom smiled. “It’s nice to meet you too, Leah. Brady hasn’t been quite as forthcoming about you, but then I don’t ever expect him to be.” She gave him an indulgent smile and he shook his head, chuckling. Brady’s mom leaned toward Leah and said in a stage whisper, “You can’t trust a man to just hand over information. You’ve gotta pry it out of him.”
Leah laughed. “You’re right.”
The subtle tension in the air cleared. The waiter came to take drink orders and then they all concentrated on their menus. Dinner was delicious and the conversation flowed back and forth easily, though Leah remained quiet. He noticed her watching the interaction between him and his parents, a wistful expression flitting across her face before she was able to school her appearance once again.
He’d never understand why you’d bother to have a child unless you were going to love him or her unconditionally. Leah’s parents had treated her horribly, and he wasn’t surprised she didn’t keep in touch with them. It was a shame, though. He vowed with whatever time they had left together to make Leah see what an incredible woman she was. Maybe if he kept saying it she would finally start to believe it.
Chapter Eleven
After taking care of her promotional duties Leah sat with Brady’s parents to watch the event. As usual, she was nervous, but the way Brady’s mother was clasping her hands together on her lap and chewing on her lip only made the problem that much worse. By the time Brady’s turn came up Leah’s stomach was churning. Thankfully he stayed on for the required eight seconds. The next night Leah sat with his parents again, her gut clenching when she saw him drop onto the bull in the chute and not letting up until he rode without incident and his score was announced.
He finished in first place and his ranking held steady. Leah could tell he was proud to have done so well in the competition when his parents were in attendance, and when a group of riders decided to go out, he asked Leah if she wanted to go. She considered going to bed since they had another early-morning drive, but then decided to throw caution to the wind. How often did one get to check out an honest-to-goodness honky-tonk, anyway?
Leah sat on the barstool and watched Brady as he laughed and talked to some of his fellow competitors a short distance away. He was in a great mood. She sipped her water, knowing it made her look totally out of place since everyone else was pouring beer and shots down their throats at an alarming rate, but she’d never had much of a taste for alcohol past a glass of wine or champagne. Brady was having a good time, though, and that was all that mattered.
He glanced over at her and their gazes held. The heat in Brady’s eyes made her breath catch. She couldn’t wait to get back to the hotel room so she could touch him. Now that she’d had him she couldn’t get enough. Brady was a real man—a man’s man. She’d had no idea what she’d been missing all these years with those prissy metrosexual banker types and she had every intention of making up for lost time.
One of the other bull riders slid onto the stool next to her and ordered a beer. “Hey, Leah.”
“Hi, how are you?” She pasted on her best friendly smile, but all these cowboys started to look alike after a while, and she had no idea who he was.
He smiled. “Flynn. We met a coupla days ago when I came back on tour.” He gave her a true good ’ole boy Southern smile. She’d gotten to know that look well over the past few days. “You’ve probably met a whole ton of people on the tour, huh?”
“Yes, I have.”
“Better you than me. I can’t remember names to save my damn life.”
Leah had been in the public for so long she’d developed her own way to remember names, but even that wasn’t foolproof, as attested by this interaction with Flynn. “It’s not easy.”
They were soon joined by others as more riders came up to the bar to order refills. Most stuck around after getting their beers and they all began to make small talk. One of them, a tall, lanky man named Randy, jerked his head toward Brady. “So, tell us, Leah. You two an item?”
Leah’s face flamed. A million different thoughts vied for her attention. How did they know? Was it that obvious? They tried to play it cool in public, but maybe they weren’t fooling anyone. Maybe someone had seen them at the restaurant with Brady’s parents. What would Brady want her to say? What did she want them to know? “Um,” she stammered. “Brady and I have become friends. We spend a lot of time together since we’re doing the tour.”
“Uh-huh,” he nodded, a smile playing at his lips as he took a long pull of his beer.
She willed the red in her face to subside. “So, how did you guys do tonight?” she asked. A change of subject was definitely in order.
They grunted. “None of us finished in the money like your boy did,” Randy answered. “Did he tell you about him and Conner?”
“What about him and Conner? They’re good friends.”
Randy and the others laughed, but it was obvious it was at her expense. “Oh, they’re good friends all right. Very generous with each other.”
Leah didn’t know where this conversation was going, but they were definitely trying to get some sort of rise out of her. She didn’t like being played. Pasting on a cool expression, she said, “Look, all I know is that Brady and Conner have known each other for a long time. As far as I’m concerned that’s all I need to know. If there’s something you guys think I should be aware of, just tell me. I don’t appreciate being the butt of jokes.”
Randy put his hands up in mock surrender. “No need to get angry, little lady. We’re just trying to warn you. Brady and Conner share everything.” He looked her up and down. “Everything.”
Her brows knit together. Surely he didn’t mean…
“Everything,” he repeated, raising an eyebrow. “Just thought you ought to be warned.”
Picking up her purse from the bar, she turned to the men. With as much dignity as she could muster, she said to them, “Thank you for the warning, unnecessary as it was. I’m tired, gentlemen, so I’ll bid you all good night.” Hopping off her barstool, she forced herself not to run out the door. But one word echoed in her brain…everything. Had Brady only seduced her to
get her into bed with the both of them? Did they share Jessica? She’d never seen Brady act like anything but a friend to Jess, but she’d only known them a few weeks. Maybe she’d missed the signs. And why did she instinctively believe the other guys?
Leah stumbled outside, hand covering her mouth. She hated being lied to. Looking around wildly, she realized she had no way to get to the hotel—she’d arrived with Brady. Swearing, she’d just pulled her cell phone out of her purse when she heard a noise behind her. Before she could process what was happening, she had been picked up and turned around. She looked into Brady’s bewildered eyes. “Where are you going?”
“Anywhere but here,” she got out through clenched teeth. Her mind was replaying the past days—everything Brady and Conner had said or did. Was it all just a lie?
His face turned stone cold. “What did they say to you?”
She laughed, but it sounded anything but amused. “Oh, they said plenty. When were you going to tell me you and Conner share women? Right around the time he crawled into bed with us? Or when I caught you in bed with him and Jessica?”
Brady’s eyes closed briefly, and when they opened again, she saw myriad emotions reflected in them. Anger, regret, pain. He swore. That was all the answer she needed. Turning on her heel, she marched toward the road. Before she got ten feet, though, he’d grabbed her arm. “Let go of me!”
“Not ’til we talk about this. It’s not what you think.”
Whirling around, she poked him in the chest with her index finger. “How can it not be what I’m thinking?”
He caught her finger and held it to him, grabbing her chin in his other large, warm hand. “Because it doesn’t happen anymore, not since Conner met Jessica. It was a choice the women made, not something we ever forced on them. Plus it didn’t happen all the time.”
“Right. You expect me to believe that?”
He blew out a harsh breath. “I never lied to you, Leah.”
Leah snorted.
“I never lied to you,” Brady repeated. “I didn’t tell you about it because it didn’t seem relevant to us, but I never lied either. Did I try to deny it just now? No.” When she continued to try to pull away, he tightened his hold briefly before releasing her. “Dammit, Leah, listen to me! At least lemme take you back to the room and we’ll talk about this. I’m not letting you go back there alone to sit and stew.”
“If you never lied to me, then why did I have to hear about this propensity for sharing from someone else? You made me look like an idiot for being in the dark about it. And obviously we’re not hiding this thing between us very well if they thought to issue this warning.”
“They were just dicking with you because they’re dicks.” Brady rubbed his forehead. “Look, can we just go? I don’t wanna do this here.”
“Fine.” Knowing she had no other way of getting back to the hotel, Leah strode to Brady’s truck and got in, folding her arms over her chest. He got in the other side, turning the key in the ignition and backing out of the parking lot in silence.
She didn’t know what to think. After all, she didn’t know Brady well enough to be sure he was telling the truth. And he hadn’t denied he and Conner shared. But did he want to share her? Was this whole thing some elaborate seduction scheme to get her to fall in bed with both of them? Or, since Brady had said Conner didn’t take part anymore, with him and someone else?
Propping her elbow up on the doorframe, she leaned her head on her hand and stared out the window. She saw Brady glance over at her a couple of times through the reflection in the window, but he didn’t speak to her.
They reached the hotel and she hopped out of the truck. When they arrived at her room, she unlocked the door and went inside, Brady following close behind. Sitting down on one of the chairs surrounding the small table by the window, she waited for him to begin.
He sat opposite her and pulled his hat off his head, tossing it on the table. Blowing out a breath, he pushed his hand through his hair. “I’ll be honest and I’ll tell you everything, but I’d ask you to reserve judgment until you’ve heard me out.”
Leah nodded. “That’s fair.”
“It’s true sometimes Conner and I shared women.” He glanced at her. When she didn’t speak, he continued, “But we don’t anymore. Conner is a one-woman man now that he has Jessica. He’s crazy about her. At no time was the objective with you to try to get you to agree to be shared. It never even entered my mind. Not once. If you told me it was something you wanted, a fantasy of yours, I would consider it to make you happy, but never, ever, did I seduce you with the intent of trying to get you into bed with anyone but me.” He reached over and grabbed her chin. “Leah, I want you to look at me.” When she did, he said, “I’m a lotta things, but I’m not a liar. Do you believe me?”
Leah looked into his eyes. He stared back, not blinking, not wavering. He was telling the truth. She’d dealt with enough liars in her life to know the difference between a man being honest and one who was feeding her a line. “Yes, I believe you,” she whispered.
Picking up her hand, he kissed her knuckles. “Thank you.”
“I’m sorry I reacted like I did. It’s just—I’ve been lied to so many times by so many people. My parents, managers, coaches, it’s hard to trust anyone. I’m sorry I ruined your evening.”
Brady grinned then. “You didn’t ruin anything, darlin’. We’ll just have a private night is all.” He waggled his eyebrows and Leah couldn’t help but laugh.
They fell into bed together, their bodies moving of their own accord as each sought the touch of the other. Brady’s touch was almost reverent as he used his hands and mouth to bring her over the edge before finally sinking inside her. He was uncharacteristically quiet as they both strained for the ultimate release, coming together in a chorus of low moans and sighs. She and Brady stayed curled up in each other for long moments before he headed into the shower. A short time later he emerged, a cloud of steam billowing in his wake. As he stretched, Leah watched the play of muscles over his strong back and shoulders as she bit her lip. Pulling on a pair of boxers, he slid back into bed with her.
“Night, sugar,” he said, kissing her shoulder. He pulled her close, spooning into her back.
“Night…” Soon she heard his deep, even breathing and knew he’d fallen asleep. Unfortunately, sleep didn’t come so easy for her. After he’d gotten into the shower it had hit her. She and Brady had just made love.
* * * * *
The next night, Brady and Conner sat in lawn chairs outside the Airstream, having a beer. Brady’s head fell back as he stared up at the stars above. “What the fuck am I gonna do?”
Conner slanted him a look. “About what exactly?”
“About the fact I’m in love with Leah.” There, he’d said it. Out loud. And lightning hadn’t struck him down where he sat. He felt a weight lift from his shoulders. “Dude, I love her.”
“So what’s the problem?”
“This is her last event. She’s flying outta DFW International day after tomorrow.”
“Well, here’s an idea. Tell her how ya feel.”
Brady laughed, but there was no humor in it. “You make it sound so easy.”
“It’s exactly what you told me to do when I was chasin’ Jess all over Texas. I’m just giving your own advice back.” He took a long pull from his beer and then leveled a steely gaze at Brady. “Don’t fuck this up. Women like Leah don’t come along every day.”
Brady groaned. “I know.” He took another drink, draining the remainder of the contents. “The thing is, I have no idea how she feels about me. What if she just wants to have a good time with a cowboy while she’s ducking her real life? She called our relationship an affair not so long ago.” He couldn’t keep the bitter tone out of his voice, much as he tried.
Conner looked at him as if he were an imbecile. “Have you ever noticed the way she looks at you, man? It’s actually kinda nauseating, and that’s sayin’ something, considering how I’m sure Jess and I
look at each other.” Brady snorted, using the beer he’d just grabbed out of the cooler to hide the smirk creeping onto his face. “Believe me, bud, she’s as into you as you are into her.”
“Maybe,” Brady conceded. “But how the hell would we make a relationship work? I don’t fit into her fancy life. Besides, she’s gonna be back in Stamford training and competing and I’m gonna be on the road with the tour.”
“That I can’t tell you. You’re gonna have to figure out your own way to be together.” Brady could only grunt in reply. Figure out a way? Yeah, right. Shaking his head, he watched as Conner rose, stretching. “I’m gonna turn in. See you tomorrow?”
“Yep.” He continued to stare at the sky above as if it held the answers to the questions swirling in his mind. Finally he went over to Leah’s hotel room and after sinking into her warmth until both of them were sated, he tried to sleep as best he could. A tired, distracted bull rider was a dead bull rider.
* * * * *
Her last days on the tour were upon her before Leah even realized. She was leaving tomorrow, going back to Stamford and her regular life, but she couldn’t muster up much enthusiasm for it. Sure, she wanted to get back on the ice, but somehow it didn’t mean as much without Brady to push her, to encourage her. And she certainly couldn’t count on that—he’d made no declarations.
Truth be told, she wasn’t sure what she would say if he did. She loved him. That much had become clear over the past few days. However, she didn’t know where he would fit in her life. She had her skating, he had the tour. Both involved extensive travel. When would they even see each other? And more importantly, she’d never been in love before. She recognized it for what it was, but what if she did something wrong? The last thing she wanted to do was hurt Brady. Maybe it would be better to cut and run.
She was meeting everybody at the Airstream, and when she approached, the heavenly aroma of coffee practically pulled her inside. Conner appeared to be the only one up, sitting at the table with a steaming cup of coffee in front of him, reading a book.
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