9781631052323ForeverKindofCowboySullivan (9 page)

He
pushed himself up on his hands and rolled to his back beside her. “Sorry.”

With
his arm slung over his eyes and his body splayed out like a god sunning himself
on a rock, she wanted to run her tongue all over him, from his luscious mouth
to his cock anyway.

“I’ll
be ready for round two in a minute, or maybe we should watch television for a
bit.”

His
cock bobbed against his stomach like it had a mind of its own.

“Would
I mind having sex again?
Hell no.”

He
moved his arm slightly to peer at her with those gorgeous stormy grey eyes.
“You are insatiable, woman.”

She
giggled as she rolled to her side next to him before tracing a finger through
the curls on his chest. “I try.”

“Let me
get rid of this condom so I can put some clothes on.”

“If
we’re going to make love again, why are you putting clothes on?”

He got
to his feet and headed for the bathroom. “I thought we might get something to
munch on, watch a little television, and see where the evening leads.”

She
shrugged as she sat up and pushed the hair out of her face.
“Sounds
good to me.”
After she managed to get into her clothes, she padded on
bare feet to the small couch in front of his television. “What do you want to
watch?”

“Oh, I
don’t know. There are movies there or whatever is on TV is fine.”

She
watched as he walked back toward her in all his naked glory. No doubt about it,
the man was fine. Sculpted chest with just the right amount of chest hair, six
pack abs, lean legs, strong calves, and his cock was impressive even in its
flaccid state.

“You
keep looking at me like that we’ll be back to
testin
’
the bedsprings sooner rather than later.”

“I’m
game.” She looked him up one side and down the other. “I could use another roll
in the hay.”

He
didn’t look happy or content even after just having mind-blowing sex. Something
was up.

“We
should talk.”

“Oh
great.
The ‘we should talk’ thing.”
She crossed her arms over her
chest while she watched him pull his jeans over his hips.

“I
don’t want you reading too much into this, that’s all.”

“I
think we fit pretty
good
together.”

“Me
too, but I’m not ready to settle into a relationship, Callie. I’m still working
on my future.”

“What
about dating?”

“We can
date.”

“Why do
I hear
a but
in there?”

He slid
a T-shirt over his head, slipping his arms through the sleeves. “I don’t think
we should be exclusive or anything. You know. If you want to date other guys to
see if things are
the real deal
with
someone else, then I’ll go along with it.”

“You
didn’t like me out with Brad tonight. What about that?”

After
buttoning his jeans, he took the seat next to her on the couch. “Brad is an
idiot.”

“So?”

“You
can do better.”

“Better
than what?”

“Better
than him or me or any other guy in Bandera.
You should date some guy from
San Antonio or something.”

“Why
are you trying to get rid of me?”

“I’m
not. I just don’t want you putting your hopes and dreams on us when I’m not
ready. I don’t know if I’ll be ready for a long time.”

“I’m
not asking for a relationship, Jeremiah. I don’t know if I’m ready either.”
You are such a liar!
“But thank you for
thinking of me. If you’re okay with me seeing other people, then I will.”

His
eyes narrowed like he contemplated what she said and it left a sour taste in
his mouth.

Good. I don’t want to date anyone
else, but if that’s what I have to do to get him to see we should be together,
then so be it.

“I
think it’s the best option. I don’t want to be tied down.”

“Me
either.” She nodded. “Good plan, Jeremiah.” She stood and walked to the edge of
the bed to slip on her shoes. “I think you should take me back to the bar.”

“Why? I
thought we were going to hang out?”

“Well
if I’m going to date other people, I might as well get started. Pickings around
Bandera can be scarce. I’m thinking I’ll start hanging out in a few bars in San
Antonio.”

He
climbed to his feet and walked toward her. When he tangled his hand in her
hair, she almost lost her battle to give into making love again.
No, it’s not making love, at least not to
Jeremiah. To him, I’m a fuck buddy.

“I thought
we could still see each other. You know, sometimes.”

“Sure,”
she whispered, loving the feel of his hand in her hair. Her breathing sped up.
Her heart hammered in her chest.

“Are
you going to be fucking other guys?”

“Well.”
She glanced down until he tugged on her scalp to bring her gaze back to his.
“We aren’t exclusive, so yeah.” Not like she really would. She only wanted him,
but he didn’t need to know she didn’t care to be with anyone else. She almost
cried when he let her go.

“All
right.”

That’s not what I wanted to
hear.
“I
appreciate the ride.”

He sat
on the side of the bed to pull on his socks and boots. “No problem.” After a
moment, he slipped on a T-shirt over his head, hiding his chest from her view.

This
wasn’t turning out like she’d hoped when he’d thrown her over his shoulder to
take her out of the bar, but what the hell. She’d get him to realize they were
meant to be together somehow.
Damn
stubborn cowboy.

Several
minutes later, he pulled up next to her car in the parking lot of The Dusty Boot.
Several cars had already gone, leaving hers solemnly sitting by itself in the
back corner. When he shut the engine off on his truck and popped open the door,
she figured their night was over.
Not that she didn’t want it
to continue
, she really did, but apparently he got what he wanted and
was done with her.

She
felt like shit.

“Thanks
for the evening, Jeremiah. I appreciate—” Her words were cut off by his mouth
on hers as he cupped her face.

“I’m
not done with you. Remember that when you’re seeing someone else.”

“But
you said you weren’t ready for anything but friends with benefits or whatever.”

“I know
what I said.”

“You’re
confusing me.”

“Me
too.
You do
what you have to do.” He stepped back, leaving her cold.

She
watched him climb back into his truck and drive away without a backward glance.
After she exhaled forcibly, she pulled the car keys out of her bag, unlocked the
door and slid behind the wheel.

Why did
men have to be so damned difficult?

Chapter Eight

Jeremiah
sat in the corner of the bar watching Callie as she flirted, danced, played
pool, and generally had a good time…without him. He took a sip of his beer
barely hearing the woman sitting next to him chatter on about shoes or some
shit he didn’t care about.

This
whole situation with Callie seemed to be slowly driving him nuts. He wanted her
so why the hell was she there at the bar without him?

Callie
threw back her head and laughed at something the guy next to her said before
she leaned over to shoot another ball. She stood up abruptly when the guy ran
his hand over her hip, and then across her right butt cheek. The shy little
look she gave the guy pissed Jeremiah off. He knew she was no inexperienced
virgin. The woman knew how to wind a man up to explosive with her perfect
little mouth. He could attest to her prowess in the bedroom.

When
she leaned in and kissed the guy on the mouth, Jeremiah about lost his mind.
The mouth that was supposed to be wrapped around his cock, not some jerk’s she
picked up at the bar.

He knew
just exactly how many men she’d been out with since their little split and how
many times he’d asked her to come over for a bit of a romp. She’d always been
too busy going out with someone else when he’d asked.

Damn her.

“Are
you even listening to me, Jeremiah?”

He
cranked his head around to look at the brunette next to him. What was her name
again?
Didn’t really matter.
“Yeah, I’m listening.”

“Then
what did I say?”

“Something
about shoes.”

“I was
telling you about a particularly cute pair of pumps I bought today at the mall.
You should pay more attention.”

“Okay.”

Her
voice melded with the music being played as he glanced back at Callie. She’d
wrapped her arm around the cowboy she was playing pool with and kissed him full
on the mouth. His gut knotted. She wasn’t supposed to be kissing anyone but
him, right?

He
didn’t know anymore. She’d done tied him up in knots with this dating other
people thing. It had gone on long enough, he figured.

“Excuse
me.”

“Where
are you going?”

“I need
to talk to someone. I’ll be back.”

“
Wha
—” The girl sputtered next to him as he slid out of the
booth and headed toward Callie.

When he
got close he heard her laugh again. The sound went right through him, curling
his toes in his boots only to center in his balls seconds later. “I need to
talk to you.”

“Oh
hey, Jeremiah.
I didn’t realize you were here,” she said as the guy next to her stood behind
her, kissing her exposed neck.

“Can we
talk?”

“Um.”
She giggled when the guy licked
her ear. “I’m kind of busy.”

“I see
that.”

“Maybe
later?”

“Now.”
He grabbed her hand, dragging
her across the bar to a dark corner.

“What
the hell? I thought we had this manhandling thing taken care of. I mean
really.” She jerked her hand out of his grasp. “The caveman behavior isn’t
becoming of you. I thought you were more sophisticated than this.”

“What
are you doing?”

“I’m
not doing anything.”

“You’re
letting some guy climb all over you.”

She
threw up her hands before settling them on her hips as she gave him a glare.
“What do you care? Remember, ‘let’s date other people,’ you said. That’s what
I’m doing, dating other people.”

“He’s
treating you like a whore.”

“I’m
not a whore, Jeremiah.”

“I
didn’t say you were.” He paced a few steps away from her, and then back toward
her. “How many guys have you been out with this week?”

“What
difference does it make to you? You didn’t want to be exclusive, remember? Your
words, not mine.”

“How
many?”

“Six.”

“Six
different men this week.
How many have you slept with? And don’t lie to me, I’ll know. You aren’t a very
good liar, Callie.”

She
pressed her lips together, dropping her gaze to the floor.
“None.”

“None?”

“None.”

“What
is going on here then?”

Her
head snapped back up. “I’m doing what you wanted, dating other guys. You are
dating other women. I know. I saw you with Melissa at the table in the corner.”

“That’s
her name?”

Her
mouth fell open before snapping shut. “You don’t even know her name?”

“She
probably told me, but I forgot.”

“You’re
a jerk, you know that?”

“What?”

“Exactly
what is your problem? You drag me over here away from my date, who by the way I
do know his name. It’s Craig. We were having a good time, and yeah, I might let
him have some tonight if it’s okay with you, but really I don’t give a damn if
it is or not because we,” she moved her finger between the two of them, “are not
a couple!”

“We
should be.”

“You
started this shit. I’m doing what you wanted so back off, Jeremiah. I’m done
playing your games. You don’t want me. I get it. Well, other guys do, so I’m
going with that.”

She
spun on her booted heel and headed back toward where her date stood leaning
against the pool table waiting for her.
If
I was her guy, I would have decked whoever dragged her away from me.
“Well,
guess what? You aren’t her guy.”

He
glanced back at the table where he’d left the girl he had a date with tonight. What
was her name? Oh yeah, Melissa. The table stood empty.
Maybe she went to the bathroom.
He walked over and took his seat as
he waited to see if she came back. Nope. He saw her talking to some other guy
halfway across the room. Oh well.

His
beer had grown warm, but he didn’t care, he needed the alcohol. He signaled for
the waitress to bring him another. Maybe he’d go home with someone tonight. Ah,
who the hell was he kidding? He tried that on a few occasions in the last
several weeks without success. The one woman he wanted was dating other guys at
his request. The beer went down his throat with a sour aftertaste. Warm beer
sucked.

“Here
you go, Jeremiah.”

“Thanks,
uh…”

“Allison.”

“Allison.
Thank you.” He looked her up one side and down the other with an appreciative
eye. “How late do you work tonight?”

“Midnight.”

“
Wanna
go home with me?”

“Are
you asking me to sleep with you?”

“Yeah.”

She
pulled back her hand and slapped him hard across the cheek. “I’m not a slut.
The least you could do is
buy
me dinner before fucking
me.” She dumped the beer in his lap. “I’ll find you another waitress.”

“Well,
shit.” He stood up as beer soaked through his jeans. “Damn it to hell!” Several
people around him laughed while he fished the keys to his truck out of his pocket
and headed for the door. “Screw it. I’m going home.”

“Hey,
Jeremiah!”
Peyton motioned him to the bar. “You okay?”

“Yeah.
Just a little
wet and not the good kind.”

“I see
that. I’ll have Dan talk to the waitress.”

“No
biggie.
My fault.
I approached her all wrong.”

“Seems
you’ve had a problem with that a lot lately.”

“Yeah,
I guess so.” He glanced down at the front of his wet jeans. “I’ll see you
later.”

“Be
careful.”

“I
will.”

He
pushed out the doors and walked to his truck. Tonight would be a long, lonely
night because the woman he wanted was laying it on pretty thick with some other
guy in the bar right now.

When he
slid behind the wheel of his vehicle, he stopped for a moment to watch the
front doors. He could go back in there and demand she come home with him, but
no, he couldn’t do something so caveman-like. Well he could, and he had, but it
wouldn’t get him anywhere with her now. She’d already made things pretty clear.

What
was it about her that made him want her so much? She wasn’t beautiful in a
model sort of way. Her beauty came from within. She had a heart of gold. He’d
seen it on a few occasions when she’d volunteered over Christmas to be Santa’s
helper at the elementary school. The chance to observe her good deeds only came
once in a while, but he knew she volunteered a lot at the nursing home in town
too.

It took
a lot to keep her dad’s shop running as well. She did that. She worked on cars
when she didn’t have to. She had the brains to do anything she wanted with her
life, but she chose to help her dad keep his garage open. That took guts,
determination, and a soul of a woman, the kind of woman he’d like to get to
know a whole lot better. How though? She wasn’t the pushover type. She didn’t
go for his lines or his smooth words. She wanted something out of life. What
did she really want from him?

She
said she didn’t want a relationship. Neither did he, right?

He
wasn’t so sure anymore. He wanted to be stable financially before he got
serious with a girl and started a family. Did several million in the bank make
him stable enough? His family needed to be there too, although they didn’t have
as much as he did, they were doing pretty well.

He
needed to talk to his parents. Maybe by letting them in on what he’d done with
their money, it would make the whole thing seem less significant.

Maybe Mom and Dad will have some
words of wisdom for me.

He
nodded to himself, started his truck, and pulled out onto the road back to the
ranch. A discussion seemed to be the right thing to do in a situation like this.

The
ride home left him time to think about Callie. Maybe his mom could give him
some insight to his situation with her as well. He didn’t know what to do
anymore.

Several
minutes later, the gates of Thunder Ridge Ranch came into view. The large
double wrought iron gates were home and had been since he was born. His parents
had bought the place when his older brothers were little. He loved living on
the ranch, watching the sun come up over the horizon from the front porch while
he sipped hot coffee. Dreams of his future always plagued him though.
 
He had plans, big plans, but the
illusiveness of who would share those plans eluded him. Callie’s face seemed to
be taking the place of those illusive dreams more and more.

The
numbers came easy as did the money, but was it enough? Would it ever be enough?

He
rubbed the fingers of his left hand. The numbness had returned much to his
annoyance.

The
lights of the main lodge came in to view as he pulled up into his parking spot
in front of his cabin. His place only sat a few hundred yards from the big
building housing the dining facilities of the ranch, the huge gathering hall
with the pool table, dart boards, massive fireplace, and big leather couches.
The comforting feelings of home always calmed his restless soul, well, most
days. Today, he wasn’t so sure.

He
turned the truck off, popped open the door then slammed it shut behind him
before he headed up the cement walkway to his cabin. He needed to shower and
change clothes before he talked to his parents. He glanced up at the inky
black, cloudless sky, wondering what Callie was doing right now.
I can’t think about her. It’ll drive me
crazy.

Off in
the distance he heard giggling children. The ghosts of the kids were out wandering
the ranch tonight. He’d never thought about why they were trapped at Thunder
Ridge before, but there had to be a story there somewhere. He opened the door
to his cabin as the giggling faded into the night.

Darkness
surrounded him. Not even a small light in his room to illuminate the black space.
Just how he liked it.
When the sun rose in the
morning, it would drag him from his dreams like it did every day. He enjoyed
the quiet time on the porch sipping coffee as the ranch came alive around him.

With
two fingers on the lamp, he twisted the knob until the light came on. Scenes of
the night with Callie came rushing back. She’d been there, teasing him, coaxing
him, and loving him for a short time. He hadn’t been able to forget that night
for more than a few moments since it happened. Her body cradling him as he
drove her to heights of
ecstasy,
haunted him day and
night. His cock stirred to life. This he didn’t need when he planned to talk to
his parents about money, but it was there nonetheless.