1. Atmospheric Reentry
ONE
ATMOSPHERIC REENTRY
Jules
Spinning. So much spinning.
Lights flash beneath my eyelids and the temperature of my surroundings heats to an uncomfortable level.
My lungs struggle for breath. When the end comes, it’s violent in its abruptness.
There’s a sudden loss of time and space perception before my ass is slapped like a bull about to buck in the arena.
My dance partner grunts in appreciation and raises his hand to get another brief feel of my ass, but I swerve beyond his reach. Keeping in time with the beat, I continue out of his path and off the dance floor in search of a drink.
I like to dance. I like to dance with my eyes closed even more. It reminds me of reentry inside the claustrophobic Soyuz capsule. Dancing and speeding through the atmosphere toward the planet we call Earth are both beautiful in their carefully orchestrated violence.
At least the way I like to dance is.
Or live, for that matter.
“Jules!” My new friend Rose waylays me as I head to the bar. “Damn, girl, you can dance. I swear, if this were Vegas I’d make a move on you.”
I hook my arm in hers and continue to where I can get some much-needed alcohol. “Why just Vegas?”
She shrugs, her constant mischievous grin in place. “I don’t know. It seems to be where my latent lesbian tendencies dwell.” She looks me up and down from the corner of her eye. “But I could always give you a go. Maybe Big Texas will resurface some hoo-ha fantasies.”
Laughing, I rap my knuckles on the bar, getting the attention of one of the bartenders. I’ve been gone a few months, and though I stopped being surprised by how the world continues to spin while I’m in zero gravity, this time was different. So much of my world has changed.
At the far end of the oak bar top, Jackie’s perched on the lap of a hot piece of ass. Flynn. Apparently, my best friend took my recent pep talk, a.k.a. blackmail, to heart and found herself a social life. A social life complete with hot mechanic sexy times.
I can’t complain. It’s obvious Jackie’s new boyfriend worships her genius brain as much as her long, long legs, and her new friends welcomed me home like I’d known them all my life. Like real family should.
“What can I get you, sweet cheeks?”
Before I can open my mouth to answer the cute bartender smirking my way, Rose pipes up.
“Sweet cheeks? Oh, Billy, you need some new material. Sweet cheeks may work on the bleached-out, rhinestoned-up cougar clientele you usually associate with.” She waves toward the crowded mass.
“But this here is the living legend, America’s sweetheart, Astronaut Julie Starr. ”
Billy takes a long look at me, eyes and mouth widening.
“Show some respect and get some new material for the recently returned to Earth hero, will ya?” Rose snaps her fingers at Billy’s slack jaw.
I laugh and wave away Rose’s words. “Really, no need. Sweet cheeks works.” I twist to look down at my ass. “After all, my ass is pretty damn sweet.”
Billy recovers, as does his smile. “Well, ladies, this calls for a drink on the house.”
“Beer for me,” I say. But he gives me a funny look and places three shot glasses on the bar.
Rose elbows me in the boob. “Hey, if the man wants to give you free liquor, you take the free liquor.” As if she didn’t just give me an inverted nipple, Rose fluffs her wavy blond hair and adjusts her bra, leaving her plentiful cleavage just this side of indecent.
I shrug, not even bothering to touch the chaos on top of my head. I’m back in the land of humidity and already sweaty from spinning on the dance floor; no telling what my mop-top of curls will look like if I try a come-hither hair flip. I’d probably look like an electrocuted poodle.
“Think Jackie wants one? Or Trish?” I ask, looking down the bar again.
“I think Jackie’s too busy sucking my brother’s face off.” Rose rolls her eyes. “Ugh, so gross.”
I glance over at the couple making out like it’s her last night on Earth.
And for Jackie, I’m sure that time won’t be too far off.
She was recently promoted to astronaut and her training starts soon.
I can’t wait for us both to be on the ISS together.
I’m going to angle hard to be on her first mission. “Where’s Trish?”
“Probably trying to lose her tail.”
“Tail?” I straighten up. “Someone hassling her?”
“Calm down there, bruiser,” Rose says, patting my arm.
“I meant Ian. Ever since the dude locked eyes on her, he’s been following her around like a puppy dog.
” She snorts. “Well, a really fine-looking puppy dog who tries to pretend he isn’t infatuated when in reality he’s one step away from stalkerville. ”
A chill races down my spine at the word stalker. I focus on the three shot glasses in front of me, trying not to think about the stockpile of disturbing messages that I’m sure awaits me in my social media accounts. I’ll deal with that later. Or not.
I vote not.
I don’t even ask what’s in the shots. As soon as Billy lowers the shaker, I pick up the glass closest to me and knock it back. I knock back the next as well, but when I reach for the third, Rose blocks me and snatches it up.
“Back off, astro-girl. This one’s mine.”
While Rose shoots her shot, I wink to Billy in apology for taking his. He smiles and winks back. “I can always pour myself another. Perk of the job and all.” He leans over the bar and into my space, his slow, drawn-out smile making no bones about what he wants. “You want a third, Astronaut Starr?”
“No, she’s good.”
The warmth from the alcohol has nothing on the fire streaming through my veins at the sound of the deep voice behind me. Taking my time, I turn toward the speaker, knowing exactly who I’ll find.
And yep, there he is, pure sex poured into cowboy boots.
Boots that have actually seen a hard day’s work on a cattle ranch and aren’t just for show.
Dark blue Levis topped off with a tight black T-shirt that looks surprisingly new.
The front is tucked behind a modest-sized belt buckle, scratched and dull instead of shiny and decked out in bling.
An honest-to-goodness cowboy hat acts as the cherry on top of this sexy-man sundae.
Not one of those stupid, bigger-than-a-Cadillac, ten-gallon things that a lot of these cowboy posers wear, but a low profile black hat that’s worn well and hard, just like the man sporting it.
Yummy.
I bat my lashes and bring my hand to my chest. “Why, Holt West, I do declare.”
Holt
I try not to smile at the Southern syrup dripping off Miss Starr’s words.
But with my mind on her tall, lithe form, it’s kind of hard.
When I first saw Julie standing at the bar next to my sister, all I could see was her firm rear end pushing the limits of her tight leather pants.
That’s right, we’re in a Texas saloon and the lady is wearing leather pants. God love her.
Her Ziggy Stardust T-shirt looks like it’s been through a meat grinder.
It drapes over one shoulder, showing off a thin black bra strap, and the bottom of the shirt is tied at the waist. The knot in question rides up, giving me a glimpse of her navel as she leans back, both elbows on the bar behind her, crossing her shit-kicker biker boots at the ankles.
My sister has no such qualms and she openly snorts at Jules’ sarcastic Southern twang. “Nice, Jules.” Rose looks at me. “What’re you doing here? A bit far away from Lonesome Dove, isn’t it?”
A long-suffering sigh escapes me. I know I don’t leave the ranch very often.
I can’t. I’ve got a business to run and people depending on me.
But now that I’ve patched things up with my brother, and him being all but attached at the hip to his new girlfriend, Jackie, I want to make more of an effort to be involved. With Rose. With Flynn. Their friends.
Rose leans in and gives me a quick hug. I don’t tell her enough, but for all her smart-mouth ways, I love her the most. She’s the most positive force in my life.
Always has been. Even after Gramps’ death and then our parents’, her smiles light up the room.
Hell, even when Flynn and I acted like grade-A jerks, her positivity was the glue that kept us from becoming completely unhinged.
“Miss Starr.” I nod in Julie’s direction.
“You can call me Jules, hot stuff.” She lifts her chin at someone behind me. I turn to catch some guy with a pseudo mullet leering in her direction.
“Friend of yours?” I ask, hoping she doesn’t hear the tightness in my voice.
“That’s Doug. I let him twirl me around on the dance floor a while ago.” She watches the guy walk away. “Good footwork, but too handsy for me to give him a second round.”
I swallow the jealousy I feel toward douche bag Doug. She can dance with whomever she wants. I don’t care. After watching my father second-guess every glance between my mother and another man, I’m determined never to let a woman have that much control over me.
Jules lifts her chin at yet another douche bag. This one with actual rhinestones on his belt buckle. I step up to her, cutting off her line of sight to the rest of the crowd. One of my boots on either side of hers.
All I get in response is a raised eyebrow.
“Geez, caveman much, bro?” Rose swivels in place and raises her hand in Flynn and Jackie’s direction.
I guess the lovebirds finally came up for air.
“While I truly enjoy you metaphorically banging your fists on your chest, I’ve already witnessed this ride with Flynn.
” She blows a kiss at us before walking away.
“Good luck, brother dear,” she calls out over her shoulder.
I’m grateful for the dim lighting. For a guy, I blush easily, and it’s annoying as all get-out.
I turn my head back to Jules to find her slugging back a beer, her wide mouth wrapped around the opening. Another twitch in my pants has me shifting in my boots.
“Where’d that come from?”