Chapter 11
reed
Lina dropped her hands, giving Mushu his head as they sped through the alley into the arena.
She sat atop the saddle like the fucking queen she was—long and lean, and stretched out low on his neck as they moved to the first barrel.
Leaning back in her saddle, she looked over her shoulder at her next target.
They were magnificent together as they moved as one, looping around and heading toward the second barrel at breakneck speed.
It was hard to drag my eyes away from her.
My stomach twisted up in knots watching the timer tick up while scanning the crowd for threats.
Not knowing what the fucking creep looked like had me on edge during the entire race.
He could be anywhere. It made me want to rage that I couldn’t keep him from watching her.
Lina and Mushu had already rounded the third barrel and were heading home when my eyes returned to her, so I readied myself at the gate to meet them.
She flew in, stopping the timer and locking in her time. She pulled up on the reins and let out a whoop as Mushu slowed to a near-skidding stop. The saddle creaked as she turned to check her time. I gripped Mushu’s bridle, helping to steady him.
“I did it! I hit my old record, baby!” She was beaming, her face bright and her brown eyes dancing.
My breath hitched in my throat. Fuck, I wanted her to look at me that way, but she was leaning down to stroke Mushu’s neck and whisper praises in his flicking ear. I never thought I’d be jealous of a horse, but here I was—for more than one fucking reason.
“You back on track?” one of her fellow contestants and friends asked while she and her horse waited in the hole.
Lina sat up straight in the saddle, her smile never faltering. “Back in the running, Viv. Good luck, Paige!” she called cheerily to the next rider at the gate.
But Paige, who was on deck, shot her a bitchy glare before turning her attention back to the arena while her trainer helped hold her horse steady.
Lina only shrugged, turning her smile on me.
I couldn’t help my lips from tugging at the corners.
God, she was beautiful. One brow raised in question, probably wondering why I was staring at her like a fool.
She shook her head as if she didn’t want to know, a soft laugh escaping her throat.
“How’d I do, cowboy?” Her mouth settled into a flirty smirk while her eyes turned playful.
“You burned the breeze,” I told her.
“Oh.” She laughed. “You’re good.” Then she shook her head again.
“What do you mean?” I asked, confused.
She continued to shake her head while she chuckled. “Don’t start flirting with me now, cowboy. Not unless you intend to do something about it.”
It was my turn to shake my head with laughter.
She wasn’t wrong. I wanted to fucking do something about it.
It had taken everything in me not to kiss her the other night when she came back from her date.
When she more than begged me to kiss her.
I cleared my throat to keep the words from spewing out.
“Okay, sweetheart.” I heaved a sigh. “Let’s get you and Mushu—”
“You were incredible out there!” Kale yelled as he and Christian strode toward us. Their chaps flapped in the wind as they walked, their numbers pinned on their vests, ready for their event.
“Thanks!” Lina called back, dismounting. “Don’t get bucked off!”
“Don’t plan to,” Christian said as they met up with us.
“Good because we’re going to turn up tonight.” Lina handed the reins over to me while she hugged her friends. “Break a leg, guys!”
They parted ways while they headed to the chutes, and we walked Mushu away from the arena.
“Where are we going to get drinks?” I asked, since the fairgrounds only had a beer garden that closed at ten.
Her head swiveled to look at me, her gaze narrowing. “What we’re not going to do is manage my social calendar.”
“I heard you, Lina, but I’m here to do a job.”
Both of our smiles faltered, and I cringed inwardly at how harsh my words sounded.
Fuck, I was an asshole. But how could I tell her I didn’t want to just be here because I was being paid to protect her?
She was the one who had to remind me that was the only reason I was here in the first place.
There was no way in hell she actually wanted me here with her. She couldn’t stand me.
“Jesus fucking Christ,” she said under her breath as she stormed off, leaving Mushu and me to follow behind.
“Fuck you!” she said, grabbing her drink out of my hand.
Well, that didn’t take long. I was just waiting for her to curse me out. Especially with the way the night was going. She was in rare form.
The dive bar in town was seedy and full of cigarette smoke.
Christian and Kale were surrounded by women who flocked to them as soon as they walked in.
The buckle bunnies all shot Lina scathing looks as she easily pulled the guys’ attention away from them.
I couldn’t help my own spike of jealousy blazing through my chest while I watched her laugh and flirt with every man in her vicinity.
Even the good ol’ boys sipping their beer bottles at the bar turned on the charm for her.
Neon lights cut through the haze, making her look like a sexy demon, bathing her in a red glow.
The stereo speakers were so loud, you could barely hear anyone talk.
Everyone had to lean in to yell into each other’s ears, and the way she was leaning toward every man who bought her a drink had me on fucking edge.
Was I a jealous man? For Lina, I was all sorts of things.
Jealousy was at the top of that list. If I had to watch one more jackass offer to buy her a drink, I was going to end up knocking someone on their ass.
“You’re drunk,” I told her.
“So fucking what,” she shouted in my ear, her hot breath sending shivers down my spine. “Just do your job and leave me alone. My stalker isn’t even here.”
Oh, so that was what this was about. “I’m not leaving you alone, Lina.”
“You can do your job from ten feet that way.” She gestured to the entrance with her drink in her hand. The whiskey and soda sloshed over her fingers and dripped onto our boots.
I frowned. “Maybe we should call it a night.”
She pulled away to shake her head, like an obstinate child. “Too late for you, old man?”
“Thirty-seven ain’t old, killer.”
Lina rolled her eyes. Fucking brat. “Oh, okay. Well, you can go if it’s past your bedtime. Christian and Kale are here, and I can head back to camp when they’re ready.”
I wasn’t about to leave her, especially when she was wasted. I crossed my arms over my chest and gave her the stern look that worked on Penn when she didn’t want to pick up her toys. “I’m not going anywhere.”
She didn’t seem at all fazed by my tone. Instead, she seemed emboldened by it, ready to play with fire.
Her glossy lips circled around the straw in her drink, her eyes peeking at me from beneath her dark fringe of lashes. Fuck. That look while she sucked on her straw went straight to my cock.
“Fine. You’re a stubborn asshole. Guess I’m not going to get any dick while I’m on circuit, am I?” She whined in a slightly lowered tone. “God, I’m so fucking horny right now.”
I gulped. “Fuck, sweetheart. You can’t say shit like that.” My cock throbbed painfully as her eyes coyly flitted up to mine.
“No? Why not?” She took a step forward, her toes bumping mine, her eyes challenging me.
I ducked my head down to talk in her ear, my cowboy hat shifting to allow her head to invade my space. God, she smelled amazing. Like vanilla and flowers. “You’re right. You’re not going to get some while I’m on circuit with you.”
She turned her head, her lips brushing the shell of my ear. “Because you’re a … Cock. Block?” She enunciated the last two words with a click of her tongue.
I nearly shuddered with how her breath caressed my skin, but I couldn’t help chuckling at her question. “Guess I am. We both know there’s only one cock you should be riding.”
Lina pulled back slightly to look me in the eyes. “If you think you’re talking about your own—”
“No more douchebags, remember?” I cut her off. “You deserve better than that.”
“And you think that’s you?”
My chest clenched. I didn’t know if I was better for her, but I’d do everything in my fucking power to prove to her how sorry I was. “I can treat you better than any of these fucking pricks.” I gestured to the bar where men had approached her and bought her drinks all night.
Fire burned in her eyes, and she looked even more like a succubus from hell with the neon reflecting off her. “You haven’t so far, asshole.”
“Lina, I’ve apologized. When are you going to forgive me?”
“When you stop killing my vibe and give me fucking space to breathe.”
I wasn’t about to argue with her when she was drunk. Her words were starting to slur.
“Ugh!” She threw up her hands in irritation when I didn’t attempt to move. “Can you at least get yourself a drink, loosen up, and go sit somewhere else?”
“I don’t drink, Lina. I’ve been sober for 386 days.”
Narrowed with annoyance, her eyes appeared to soften as I watched her do the mental math … 386 days of sobriety … 386 days since I fucked up … 386 days since I met Lina Larsen. And 386 days of trying to convince myself that I wasn’t such a horrible person, but rather, someone worthy of redemption.
I don’t know what I was expecting from her, but silence wasn’t it. I sucked air through my nose, disappointed. “Fine. Fuck it. I’ll give you your space.”
Her face fell, making my own heart go with it, while I walked away to post myself up at an empty high-top table by the door.
She stood there for a moment, staring into her drink as if she didn’t actually want me to give her more space.
She had to realize I hadn’t had a drink since Joseph—over a year ago now—when I fucked things up with her.
I had to clench my fists on my thighs to keep from going back over there and tugging her into my arms until she melted for me. Because that’s what I fucking wanted more than anything.
I wanted to see her go soft for me, to run my fingers through her hair until I could pull her head back and line her mouth up with mine, kissing her until she went weak in the knees and gave in to me. I didn’t know how much more of this I could take without touching her the way I really wanted to.