Buck (Rope 'n Ride #1) (5 page)

The strain was a real buzz-kill, especially when his desire to have her in bed was ten times hotter. He didn’t have blue balls anymore—they were purple.

“Team Calhoun-Franklin!”

Buck grabbed Havoc and steadied the horse as he swung into the saddle. When he clutched the rope, he stopped thinking about the crowd, Asher’s problems, his own mess and even Channing. His heart throbbed heavily, and he regulated his breathing to match it.

When the steer burst from the chute, he followed blindly. He threw and roped the steer right around the horns. It jerked its head and tried to run another direction, but he herded it back into place for Asher to snag it by the back legs.

Asher threw—and missed. In a blink he’d recoiled his rope and tossed again. The bucking steer didn’t come down inside the circlet, though.

“Goddammit!” Asher yelled.

Buck released the rope he was holding and someone came out to free the steer and drive it back into the barn where it would get some good vittles for its hard work. Wheeling around, Buck trotted up next to Asher.

“Don’t say a fucking word.” Asher jammed his hat lower and rode off. By the time Buck got Havoc situated and had given the film crew a cursory “shit happens, you can’t win ’em all” statement, Asher was nowhere to be found.

He searched the crowd for the faces of his people. The Calhouns were all there wearing sympathetic expressions. They’d been in this business long enough to know sometimes you had a bad ride.

Except he was relying on his partner, who was off his game.

As he walked up to his siblings, he caught sight of Channing standing off to the side, her arms wrapped around her middle and looking as unhappy as he’d ever seen her.

Dammit, he couldn’t win today and all the fight was out of him. When he neared his family, they gave him words of support. Buck barely heard because he was too distracted by the camera hovering near his left ear.

When he looked up again, Channing was gone and Asher was still nowhere to be seen. Buck wished his siblings good luck on their events and went off to find his heeler. Asher had to be beating himself up over this loss, but it could happen to any team—and did. Even those without the family struggles he faced.

After searching the stables and motel he ended up at the bar. Asher wasn’t here either, but the stool looked mighty inviting, so Buck dropped his weary ass onto one.

The bartender gave him a smile of recognition and he said, “Whiskey.”

“Sure thing, cowboy.”

When he got the glass in his hand, he stared at the liquid and wondered if he was doing anything right. The best thing for Asher would be to drop out and take care of his family, even if he had to take a crappy job to pay the bills. Having insurance would help with his wife right now. And his kids needed him.

But Buck needed the income too. And dammit, he hated the idea of quitting in the middle of the season, even if it was early. He tossed the shot back and exhaled as the alcohol blazed a path to his stomach. One would never be enough to anesthetize his brain, so he ordered another.

“Make that two.” Silky tanned arms slid around him from behind. His breath hitched as he sucked in a breath of Channing’s perfume. His heart spasmed and, dropping his head, he closed his eyes.

She simply held him for a minute, her warm curves molded to his back. The bartender set two whiskeys down, and Channing reached around him to take hers. He caught her hand and covered the engagement ring with a fingertip. A shiver ran through her, and then she raised the glass and drank the shot.

Still leaning against her, Buck tossed his down his throat too and then turned into her arms. She pulled him tighter against him. All sweet and fragrant and God, he wanted her.

He rested his head just above her breasts, nuzzling her warm cleavage. “What are you doing, Channing?”

“Making sure you’re all right.”

He lifted his head and pierced her with his gaze. “Is that all?”

She swallowed hard and shook her head. Soft blonde hair swished over her shoulders.

With his pulse pounding and his cock as hard as steel, he got off the stool and took her by the hand. Leading her out of the bar and into his room took longer than he wanted, and by the time they were inside and the door closed, he was on fire for her.

Faced with all of his fantasies, though, he didn’t know where to begin. Their rocky relationship had no rules of engagement. He didn’t know if he could touch her or if she’d slap him in the face.

But she was here and looking at him with those big blue eyes…

“Why’d you change your mind?” he grated out.

She lifted a slender shoulder in a shrug. “It’s too hard to stay away.”

He took a step toward her. She didn’t back off, just opened her arms. A noise of surrender sounded from his throat as he wrapped her close and lifted her off her feet. She rubbed her soft cheek against his rougher one, her long lashes covering her smoldering gaze. “Take what you need, Buck.”

“What about you? What do you need?”

“I need you,” she whispered, turning her mouth into his with a desperation born of weeks apart.

He claimed her lips, his growl erupting. She parted her lips for his searching tongue, and the kiss turned carnal. She dragged her teeth over his lower lip. His cock lengthened another inch as he whirled to the bed.

Bearing her down on the mattress and covering her with his body felt as natural as breathing. When she parted her thighs and he sank against her scorching hot pussy, they shared a fervent groan.

He yanked his mouth free and, sucking a path down her neck, roamed his hand over her breasts. Kneading them to fit his palms, tweaking the hard nipples. She cried out, arching into his touch.

“I need you, Buck.” Her plea sent him spinning. Shoving back onto his haunches, he striped her in seconds. Then it was her turn. She tackled him, just about popping all the pearl buttons of his western shirt in her haste to get at him.

He gazed up at her, taking in her mussed hair and the pink high on her cheekbones. Her hands trembled slightly and her breasts jiggled as she unhooked his belt and jeans. When she reached into his boxers and curled her fingers around his erection, he threw his head back.

Sweet heaven.

She slid her finger around his swollen cock head, and pre-come oozed from him. If he didn’t stop her, he’d lose it too soon.

Hooking an arm around her back, he whipped her into the sheets and hovered over her, panting for control. “I hope you don’t need me to use a condom. I’ve been faithful to you.”

She cupped his face and looked into his eyes. “No. Just take me.”

He kicked out of his boots and the rest of his clothing in a split second. All he wanted was to drive into her tempting body, but first he had to taste her. He’d been craving her delicious flavor for weeks.

“Spread your legs.” His command made her quiver, but she did. Letting her knees fall apart to reveal her tantalizingly wet folds. Moaning, he covered her mound with his hand. “This is wet for me.”

“Y-yes. Buck—”

“Draw your thighs up and back.”

She writhed as she did his bidding. He loved ordering her to hold various poses while he pleasured her out of her pretty little head. Dark need gripped him as he prostrated himself between her thighs, his lips poised over her slick folds.

“Look at me while I eat your pussy.”

“Oh God. Buck…” She looked straight into his eyes as he snaked his tongue out to taste her. Oh God was right. His cock throbbed against the mattress at the first lick. Holding her gaze, he lapped her from bottom to top, and then zigzagged across her juicy opening.

She twisted the sheets at her hips. When he covered her hard nubbin with his mouth, she jerked into him. He latched on to her clit and teased it with his tongue.

Just when her stomach muscles began to twitch, revealing she was close, he released her clit and sank his tongue into her pussy. Driving it as far as he could, need blasting him. Small cries left her and she let go of the sheets to dig her nails into his shoulders.

They shared mutual gasps. He moved his attentions back to her clit, swirling his tongue around and around it while thrusting two fingers into her tight, wet sheath.

“B—” She stopped breathing before his name had left her lips. He watched her face contort, her lips open on an O of ecstasy.

Her inner walls slammed around his fingers and juices spilled from her as she began to come. He didn’t have to tell her to look at him while she released. No, she knew already.

His chest walls seemed to cave in as he dragged a long, stuttering moan from her and coaxed more and more juices out with his tongue. While she still shook under his hands, he slowly raised his head. Then he did a pushup, moving forward and guiding his cock like an arrow to its target.

“Keep your legs back.”

She mewled and held the pose he wanted. But as soon as he leaned down to kiss her, she wrapped her lush thighs around his hips and he was helpless against her. Grunting, he filled her with one hard shove.

Extreme heat crawled through his cock and flooded his entire body. She reared up and kissed him. His heart rate spiked as he shared her flavors with her. Teasing her lips with his tongue and then drinking deeply from her.

He withdrew with exquisite slowness, wanting this to last forever. If he never had her again, he wanted to remember it as something amazing. And she sure as hell would feel his imprint forever.

He eased into her tight walls inch by mind-blowing inch. She yanked him down with a fast jerk of her heels on his spine. Growling, he looked into her eyes. “Naughty wench. For disobeying me you have to hold completely still. Feel my cock pulse inside you but you cannot move.”

She made a noise of wanting that nearly made him eat his words again. But watching her squirm and fight to remain still was too damn good.

Her eyes were blue fire like sparks off a torch. Catching her lower lip between her teeth, she waited for him to give her what she needed.
Damn right. Nobody can give you this.

He plunged into her hard and fast. She gasped. Her pussy clutched around him as he withdrew and sank in again. When his head bumped her innermost spot, they called out together.

Uncaring of the paper thin walls, he reached back, caught her ankles and lifted her legs to rest on his shoulders. The new angle gave him another fraction of space and he took it. Filling her, his balls resting against her body.

“Buck, I’m so close. Please.” Her raspy words shot him with extreme pleasure. Fuck, he loved being responsible for her orgasms. For every single cry escaping her sweet lips.

“You want to come on my cock, darlin’?”

“Yes. Please!” She pushed into him. Started to shake.

“Come. Come for me.” As her release gripped her in its iron fist, he watched her beautiful face for a split second before his balls clenched tight and he was spurting into her body. Hot jets of come that claimed her fully as his, and not a single second of it felt like a farce.

* * * * *

Channing came back to herself all at once, aware that her sanity had been on pause for the past ten minutes. Beside her, Buck lay red-faced and handsome as hell. She stole secret peeks at him, feeling a little shy and wondering why things had to be so screwed up between them.

In bed he was a different person. But out of it, he hardly acknowledged her existence. When he’d ignored her after his ride and gone to speak with his family, it had cut her to the quick. She didn’t resent him taking time for his family. She understood completely.

But would it be so hard to smile at her? To let her see that she meant something to him?

He gave that low rumble that sent goose bumps skittering all over her body and pulled her against him. She rested her head on his bulging chest muscle and inhaled the spicy scent of his flesh.

When she drew a breath to speak, he said, “Listen.”

She strained to hear but detected nothing but the sound of the ice machine outside the building.

He relaxed again, but his chest moved with a chuckle. “I thought it was the film crew.”

A giggle left her. “How horrible.”

“I think we escaped before they spotted us. Damn, I hate this whole show and it’s only been filming for about six hours.”

“Are they prying into your business so much?”

His dark eyes flashed with amusement. “Can hardly take a piss without one following me into the restroom.” Smoothing his hand down her side, he said, “How about you, darlin’? They bugging you much?”

“No. They only came by when they were following you.”

“That’s good. I worried…” He broke off for a long minute. “Well you had a strange look on your face when I found you that last time and I wondered.”

She’d just gotten off the phone with her brother. Then Buck had pushed her between the vendor booths and stole her mind with his sweeping kisses.

She wiggled closer. He nudged his leg between hers, and her wet pussy adhered to his furred thigh. Before she could even moan at the pleasure it gave her, he had her flat on her back and his stiff cock at her folds again.