Chapter 2
Cash
Crowds don’t bother me. Neither do rules. Both are meant to be broken.
I’m still buzzing from the ride—heart pounding, blood hot.
I spot her standing by the gate. Too polished for this place.
Black blazer, red lipstick, eyes sharp enough to cut through the dust. Her hair catches the sun, the kind of shine you only notice after you’ve been living on the road too long.
That pouty full mouth is pure painted trouble.
She’s not a buckle bunny. This must be the new marketing manager. Whoever she is, with those dangerous curves to ride, she’s something else.
The other cowboys are slapping my back, laughing, telling me I made it look easy. But my attention’s already glued … to her.
She’s watching me like I’m a storm she’s been sent to study, not survive. I tilt my hat in her direction, just to see if she’ll flinch. She doesn’t. I watch her cross her arms and narrow her gaze, like she’s already unimpressed.
That does it. Hell, I don’t even know her name yet, but suddenly I want to make her smile. Or blush. Or curse. Maybe all three.
If she’s the new public relations arm of my career, Marlene just sent me the gift I didn’t know I needed.