Chapter 10
lina
Luke, the bartender from Joseph, pulled his SUV up to the big house, the headlights cutting across the driveway.
As if he heard the sound of the motor, a figure stepped out from the fifth wheel that was now hooked up to his Dodge Ram.
The lights illuminated him as he stood there like a hulking, domineering shadow. Reed.
Of course! I heaved a sigh before turning to Luke in my seat, plastering a smile on my face. “I had a great time tonight. Thank you for the drink.”
Luke put his car in park. The guy was cute, I’ll give him that. Tousled hair and only a shadow of scruff along his square jaw. He had dimples on either side of his mouth, and it turned out he had a witty sense of humor that had me in stitches all night as we sipped drinks at The Rooster.
“I’m glad I reached out when I got into town.” He turned toward me and stretched to rest his hand on my headrest, his dimples deepening with a smile. He had a great smile.
My eyes flicked back to Reed, who stood in the dark, his arms across his chest, watching us like an overbearing father. Irritation skittered beneath my skin like a thousand little bugs.
Luke followed my gaze before looking back at me. “Seems like we have an audience. Brother?”
I shook my head against the seat. “Ignore him.” I reached out, resting my hand on his cheek.
Luke’s eyes heated, and his tongue flicked out across his lip in anticipation.
“Thanks for the date.” I leaned forward, pressing my lips to his. They were plush and soft, which didn’t surprise me because the guy applied ChapStick as if it were part of his personality.
He smiled into the kiss, but he didn’t deepen it, pulling away. It was a nice kiss, but it didn’t heat my veins.
“I’ll tell my buddies about your suggestion to hike Thomas Rock,” he told me.
I grabbed my purse, putting it over my shoulder before opening the door. “You won’t regret it. The views are incredible when you get to the top.”
“Not sure I’d regret much concerning you.” He flashed a flirty smile. “Can I text you?”
I nodded. I wouldn’t mind a second date. “I had fun. See ya, Luke.”
“Bye, Lina,” he said, getting ready to put his car in gear.
I hopped out, closing the door behind me. Stepping away from the SUV, I stood in the headlights to wave goodbye. My back was to Reed, and I could almost feel the heat of his eyes. I continued to wave as Luke backed out of the driveway and down the gravel road.
Reed huffed behind me. “Cowboy killer,” he murmured softly.
I spun around to face him with a glare. His arms were crossed, his face cast in shadows, but his eyes looked like two smoldering pieces of coal burning into me.
“Except he isn’t a cowboy.” I gave him my most evil smirk before turning away to walk toward the quiet house. My feet were killing me in these heels. “He’s a bartender.”
“Fucking worse.”
I brushed past him. “At least he isn’t just some fucking cowboy.”
A growl released from Reed’s throat at my taunting words. His hand whipped out like the mouth of a rattler, latching on to me and swinging me back to him. He stepped into me, sending me backward until he had my back pressed against the side of the camper.
“Aw, you found yourself a pretty boy. I bet he’ll even thank you after you let him come. Newsflash, sweetheart. He can’t—and won’t—be able to give you what you need and want. He’ll want it gentle, while you’ll want it rough.”
Perhaps that was true. I had yet to meet someone who could give me what I wanted, but I was always willing to try.
I raised my chin, stubbornly staring him in the eyes. Challenging him with a sly smile. “Oh, and you think you can give me what I want, cowboy?”
“Baby …” His other hand went to my throat, squeezing lightly. His heavy gaze dragged down my face until it settled on my lips.
My eyes widened. He leaned in. My breath caught. He was going to kiss me.
Reed fucking Ownstead was going to kiss me.
Did I want it? Yes, right now, I fucking wanted it. I leaned into his grasp, my body betraying how much I wanted it.
“You need a man who is willing to let you explore every hidden desire.” His voice went deep, quiet, and sultry.
Yes. I swallowed hard, feeling his hand only tighten.
“Who you can submit to.”
Yes. I was tired of being the dominant one in bed. It meant my needs were never taken care of, and I was always left unsatisfied.
“And still make you feel like you are powerful and in control.”
Fuck yes. I needed to feel worshipped, not just desired. I wanted to feel like I could completely let go while also feeling seen and empowered. No one had ever done that for me. I thought I’d felt that once with Reed, before it all went to shit.
My heart sped up, my lips parted, and I hoped he could read my face because I was pleading with him to do it.
“Who said I’d submit to you?” I dared.
He leaned even closer. My eyes shuddered closed as his lips brushed mine.
I could feel the air leave his lungs in heavy puffs.
His hands tightened even more at my neck and arm, the rest of his body pressing into me.
His hips shifted slightly until I could feel his hard cock press into my belly.
Desire pooled between my legs. Fuck, I was in trouble if this was how it was going to be on the road.
“Fuck,” I breathed out loud, lifting my face even more until my mouth was perfectly lined up with his. Wishing he would just close the distance already.
“You can’t lie to me, sweetheart. Your body is telling me everything you want, and it’s this,” he said as he slowly pushed his dick against me even more. I bit back a moan. “I bet I’d find you soaked between those pretty thighs of yours—and not because of the pretty boy who just drove away.”
I inhaled heavily through my nose. He was right. My panties were growing damp, and I fucking ached for him. Luke hadn’t even made my pussy flutter.
“Kiss me,” I practically begged, my eyes still closed.
But he was quiet. I waited, but he still didn’t close the distance. I frowned.
My eyes blinked open. My heart dropped when I saw him pull back, then felt him loosen his grip.
His eyes jumped between my lips and my eyes. “No, I don’t think I will.”
“W-w-what?” I stammered, confused, the rejection tightening my throat.
He let go of me then, taking a step back. “I’m not kissing you, though I think you need to be thoroughly kissed and by someone who knows how you like it. But there is no fucking way I’m kissing you, tasting some other man on your lips.”
The feeling of rejection quickly turned to anger. “Oh, fuck you!”
“Only when you quit dating these fucking douchebags.”
I spun on my heels, flipping him off over my shoulder as I stormed toward the house. “Fuck you if you think I’m ever going to let you fuck me again.”
Reed’s soft chuckle followed me in the front door. I was lying to myself—and to him—and I knew he could see right through it.
“We’ll see about that,” I heard him say in the dark.
I slammed the door behind me. Ugh! I hated him so much. This was going to be the longest circuit in the history of rodeo circuits.
Reed was officially my fucking shadow. By the end of our six-hour drive the next day, we pulled up to the campground at the Big Basin Buckeroo in Idaho.
While I was unloading Mushu, Reed didn’t waste any time setting up the temporary electric enclosure beside the trailer, filling his water bucket, or dishing him out a flake of hay.
As soon as I left to check in, he hovered like a damn hawk, ready to dive, talons primed, if someone so much as looked at me wrong.
Of course he was glowering and brooding the whole fucking time.
“You got the fancy shit.” Kale whistled when he saw us walking through camp. “So does that mean we’re partying at your strip?”
“Hell yeah,” I said.
At the same time, Reed said, “No.”
I gave him a glaring side-eye. “Back off, daddy.”
His eyes only darkened at that. Shit, that’s hot. It was like a warning, but I liked playing with fire.
“I see you brought a bodyguard with you. Shit. Christian told me what you’re dealing with. I’m so sorry, Lina. We’ll keep a lookout for this asshole.”
“I got it handled,” Reed said firmly behind me.
I rolled my eyes so only Kale could see. “Thanks, Kale. You’re both welcome to come by and chill tonight.”
Kale looked at me, then Reed, then back at me.
Whatever he read on Reed’s face made him take a step back.
I chanced a glance toward him. He was taking his job here a little too seriously.
If he kept this up, I wasn’t going to have any fun while I was out here.
So much for letting off some steam with my friends.
“Uh … I’ll text you later,” Kale said before walking off.
I shook my head, storming back toward our fifth wheel camper, not even taking the time to see if Reed was following me. From the sound of the boots behind me, he was right on my tail.
Mushu glanced up from his feed as soon as we approached, his eyes curious.
I stopped at the side of his pen, spinning around to face Reed. Surprised, Reed skidded to a stop, his head lifting to stare at me beneath his cowboy hat.
“Look.” I folded my arms across my chest, staring him square in the eye.
“If you think you’re going to run my social life while I’m here, I can promise you that we’ll both end up miserable.
If you’re here to make sure that creeper doesn’t get anywhere near me—which I appreciate—you’re going to need to back the fuck off.
I also have a job to do, and if all I have is you breathing down my neck every second of every day, you’re going to stress me the fuck out.
I need quiet and calm when I’m preparing for an event.
And when I’m not, I need to be able to let loose and throw shit to the wind. You got it?”
Reed’s jaw ticked, his brow furrowing. He didn’t seem to like what I had to say very much. “Got it. Spoken loud and clear.”
He walked around me, heading up the steps of the camper to press the button to extend the window where his bed would be—in the convertible kitchenette.
I shook my head. There was no way anyone was going to want to party at our RV strip with this party pooper glowering in the corner the whole time.
I’d just have to go elsewhere to unwind, but how the fuck was I going to lose Reed?
But even the thought of being out without his protection scared me a little.
Shit, this was so fucked up.