Chapter 9
CHAPTER
NINE
Savvy.
I was exhausted and dirty. And exhausted ! Dust floated through the air, mixing with the scent of horses, and fried food from the vendors lining the entrance but I barely noticed.
I was too busy trying to keep up and also distracted. Most men were annoying but Destry Callahan was fucking infuriating and for some reason, I liked it.
The first full day of the rodeo was a beast, and I was right in the middle of it, running from one task to another. I had already lost count of how many stalls I’d cleaned, how much tack I’d prepped, or how many times someone barked out a last-minute job I had to handle.
It was chaotic, fast-paced, overwhelming, and somehow, I loved it even if I was running on pure determination at this point.
I brushed dust off my jeans, adjusting the hem of my denim shirt as I made my way back toward the holding pens, scanning for the next task that needed to be completed. Cowboys moved in and out, gearing up for the next event with their voices loud and attention focused but mine wasn’t because somewhere mixed up in everything going on around me, I knew Destry was nearby.
I hadn’t seen him in hours since he’d cornered me, stole another one of those addictive kisses, and dropped the hint that there was more to come, but I felt him.
I hated how much that had been sitting in the back of my mind, tugging at me even as I focused on my very chaotic day. The man was relentless, sexy, and starting to get to me.
I finished stacking the last bit of tack for the night and rolled out the tension in my neck and shoulders. My body ached, my jeans were covered in dust, and I could still feel the sweat drying on my skin but I did it. I survived my first full day at the rodeo. I turned to head out and nearly ran into Lou, who stood there, arms crossed, squinting at me like he was surprised I was still standing.
“Didn’t think you’d last the whole day,” he muttered.
I lifted a brow. “That your way of saying I did a good job?”
He grunted.
I’d take it.
“Am I done for the day?” I asked.
Lou gave me one more long look, grunted again, and walked off without another word. I laughed, taking that as a yes, and dug my phone out of my pocket.
I pulled up the schedule, scanning it quickly. The last rounds of barrel racing were about to start.
I had spent the whole day working, barely getting a chance to actually see the events. This was my chance to watch the reason I was here in the first place. I took off across the fairgrounds, weaving through the thinning crowds toward the smaller arena where barrel racing was happening.
The tie-down roping arena was right next to it with only a metal gate separating the two events. I dodged a few cowboys with my eyes already searching for a spot to watch from the gate but instead found the last person I expected to see over here.
Destry leaned against the gate, arms crossed with his hat tipped low, looking like he had been chilling all day. My eyes lingered on the tattoos that covered his forearms and moved up his neck and I groaned, enjoying the view a little too much before I moved in beside him.
“Didn’t take you for someone who liked barrel racing,” I said, adjusting my hat.
Destry tilted his head, glancing at me with that smug ass grin in place. “I’m not watching the barrels.”
I frowned, confused, but followed his gaze. He wasn’t looking at the barrel racers, he was watching the tie-down event on the other side of the fence.
Specifically, he was watching Titus Cole, a new roper I had heard people out here praising but didn’t know much about because he wasn’t from Millers Pointe. What I did know was that he was fast and had been making a name for himself lately.
“Titus,” Destry said, nodding toward him. “He’s got talent. I’m watching him figure out his rhythm.”
I studied the cowboy for a moment as he curled his rope with his eyes locked and focused. He was damn sure efficient, and when he rode out, lassoed the calf, and had it tied in nine point six seconds I knew why people were whispering about him.
“Not bad,” I admitted.
“Not bad at all.”
The crowd cheered and I glanced toward the barrel racing side, noticing the next group of riders getting ready. The second I saw the barrels lined up, my attention snapped away from Destry and I was hooked.
The first racer came shooting down the lane with the horse moving tightly and controlled as she rounded the first barrel with incredible speed.
I was stuck and every part of me was locked in, following every turn, every powerful movement, every calculated shift in the rider’s weight. I wanted this so badly.
I barely noticed when Destry turned his attention to me instead of the race but I could feel him watching and studying me, not the horses. I didn’t care.
This was my dream and I let myself absorb every detail. The race ended with a solid time, and as the rider slowed her horse, my pulse was still racing.
Destry chuckled beside me. “Didn’t think you could sit still long enough to watch something like this.”
I finally looked at him. “If it’s important to me I can.”
He smirked, catching my meaning that he wasn’t.
“And I’m learning, not just watching.”
His eyes left me and moved to the arena.
For a moment, we just stood there with the sound of the announcer calling the next rider’s name filling the space but the energy shifted again when the next rider took her place at the starting line. The announcer’s voice rumbled through the speakers and the crowd started in again, but my focus wasn’t on the barrels anymore.
It was on him...
He was still leaning against the gate, arms crossed, one boot propped on the bottom rail, watching me like I was more interesting than the actual competition.
I raised a brow. “What? You forget where the barrels are?”
His smirk deepened. Lazy, cocky and sexy. “Isn’t my fault they can’t hold my attention like you.”
“I won’t cry if you share?”
He grinned. “Not even a little?”
I rolled my eyes, turning back toward the arena, but I still felt him there, his presence so damn loud and dominant beside me.
“You ever gonna stop staring at me like I’m your next ride?” I muttered, smirking to myself.
Destry chuckled. “You’re saying that like I don’t already have the saddle picked out.”
I snapped my head toward him with my mouth opening, but no words came out.
He laughed and winked while I groaned, shaking my head. “I should be surprised that left your mouth, but I’m not.”
“You haven’t walked away so I’ll consider that a compliment.”
“I’m exhausted and comfortable. It’s not about you. Trust me.”
Destry tilted his head. “You sure about that?”
I lifted my chin. “Very.”
He moved so close I could feel the heat from his body and surprisingly a hit of his cologne even out here with the potent smell of the rodeo overpowering everything.
“Then why’d you come stand next to me?”
I squinted up at him, trying real hard not to notice how good he looked under the arena lights, exuding easy confidence and that damn smirk that made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t want to acknowledge.
“I thought you were watching the barrel races,” I muttered.
He leaned more. “Nope, done with that. I’d rather watch you.”
Fine. Two could play this game. I turned toward him, placing a hand on my hip, tilting my head just a bit. His eyes dropped to my chest quickly, subtle but I caught it.
“You talk a lot of shit but I’m starting to think it’s just talk.”
His brows lifted. He was clearly entertained and I was playing with fire. “Yeah?”
I shrugged, looking him over, letting the silence settle between us. “You don’t know what to do with a woman that isn’t falling all over you.”
Destry’s smirk widened. “You sure about that?”
I held my ground. “Positive.”
He studied me for a long moment and his amusement deepened. Then, just as relaxed as ever, he reached out and his fingers barely grazed my neck. I was so distracted by the move that when his other hand landed on my ass and he squeezed, jerking me forward until his dick was pressed firmly against me, I was completely thrown off.
My breath caught.
“I will fuck the shit out of you because I always know what to do, Savvy,” he murmured. “Question is, do you and can you handle that?”
I hated the way my body reacted, the way his voice sank into my bones and heat blazed my skin.
I stumbled back but only because he released me. Destry chuckled again, tipping his own hat. “That’s what I thought.”
I narrowed my eyes. “I hope your next bull throws you so far you land in the next county.”
He threw his head back and laughed. “You care about me that much?”
“I care about you face planting in the dirt, so if that counts, then yes.”
Destry grinned, shaking his head. “That’s real sweet.”
I groaned, turning back toward the arena before I said something that gave him even more to push whatever this was between us. My body was overly sensitive and aware of him which had a heavy pulse between my thighs. The next rider burst out of the gate, her horse kicked up a cloud of dust as she rounded the first barrel.
I focused real hard on the race instead of the cowboy standing way too close, still watching me like I was his favorite event of the night. I kept my eyes on the barrel race, determined to ignore the man who had my body humming, but that didn’t last long.
Destry shifted, adjusting his hat before turning toward me. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I have a few things to take care of.”
“Ah damn, I thought I was the only one privileged enough to be harassed by you?”
He chuckled lightly, but he didn’t take the bait. Instead, he asked, “You know where my ranch is?”
“Everyone knows where your ranch is.”
“Yeah, probably.”
I lifted a brow. “Why?”
He studied me for a second, then said, “Give me about an hour. Then come meet me out there.”
I frowned. “Why?”
He leaned close. “I have something for you later.”
I folded my arms because that was suspect as hell. “You know I was just joking about being your next ride?”
Destry’s smile surfaced and made my stomach tighten. His eyes dragged over me intently, taking his time like he wasn’t in a hurry to answer.
Then he shook his head. “Not tonight.”
Heat crept up my neck, but I ignored it and him.
“Just meet me at my ranch,” he said, smooth and confident like he already knew I would bet there.
Then he tipped his hat, and walked off, leaving me standing there, stuck between frustration and something I didn’t want to acknowledge…
I wanted to ride him!