If she was honest, part of her felt out of her element. She didn’t run with famous bull riders. She was just a regular physical therapist assistant—as common as they came. She’d been lucky enough to steal some amazing moments with him, but could she step into some high heels and give her and Juss a different kind of chance?
Maybe he just wants me to come as his friend
. Either way, her mind was made up. She was going to that gala with Juss Rossie, if only to treat herself to a look into his deep chocolate-colored eyes once more.
* * * *
Candlelight glinted off every piece of silverware, wineglass, and water goblet in the room. Women decked in diamonds and pearls laughed with men in tight collars and shoes that probably pinched their toes.
Hell, Juss’s did. He’d been wearing cowboy boots since he could walk. His feet were permanently shaped for a boot, so being in these gleaming dress shoes irritated him.
No, I’m annoyed because Lilly isn’t here yet.
He paced the long hall between the coatroom and the main ballroom. He’d already snagged a waiter and asked if there was another door she might have entered by, but this was it. She either walked through those double doors at the end of the hall, or she wasn’t showing up.
Juss’s sigh didn’t ease his anxiety. What would he do if she ignored his invitation? For the tenth time he thought he should have called her. Or showed up at the rehab center. Made amends face-to-face.
He rubbed a hand over his clean-shaven jaw. Tonight he’d gone all out to impress her. He’d spent a small fortune on a tux and shoes, refusing to give her a man in shabby rented attire. The only thing he’d forgone was the regulation bow tie. He wore a Texas string lariat like a true cowboy.
Too bad he didn’t have his hat. Of course, Lilly had never seen him in a hat.
Juss strode the length of the hall back to the ballroom. Standing just inside the door, he scanned the crowd, looking for a head of whiskey-colored hair. Loose waves over her golden shoulders.
He glanced back toward the coatroom. No one there. Dammit, she wasn’t coming. His last chance to make things right with her, and it was going to slip away.
Running through his fingers like sand.
“Fuck.”
A couple nearby shot him a strange look, then moved off to their table. Juss’s friends were already at his table—guys he’d competed with for many years. Together they’d pitched in and given as much to the cancer event as their wallets would allow.
At first he’d considered ditching the gala this year. But then he thought of Lilly. It seemed like a good opportunity to apologize and show her his world.
Depression weighted him. Between missing the Tour and longing for Lilly, he was a mess.
He scraped his fingers through his hair, not caring anymore if it was mussed. The urge to rip at it was huge. Fighting the wild panic in his chest, he glared at the tables filled with laughing people.
There wouldn’t be any laughing for him tonight. All he’d wanted was one more night with Lilly—to work her out of his system so he could get his head back into bull riding.
Yeah, keep trying to convince yourself.
Pressing his lips into a tight seam, he paced toward the coatroom again.
His heart hitched as he glimpsed the female figure, tall and slender in a sparkly black column dress. The neck was high, and she wore gloves to her elbows. Her hair was piled on top of her head and gleamed red in the warm lights.
Lilly?
His heart galloped.
She looked up, and their gazes locked.
A stuttering breath left him. Juss had known it was her even if his brain hadn’t registered the changes in her appearance.
She paused midstep and he rushed forward to meet her. As he neared, nervous lines creased her brow. By the time he reached her, his stomach was knotted. She’d come, but she wasn’t exactly grinning at him.
“Lilly.”
“Hi, Juss.”
He drew up before her, battling the need to pull her against him and kiss the hell out of her. To shove her against a wall and mark her as his. Instead, he skimmed her gloved hand with his.
She blinked up at him through a fringe of dark, curling lashes. The mascara and red lipstick were all she wore, and it transformed her from beauty to bombshell. He wanted to smear that red lipstick all over both of them.
Whips of need lashed at his core.
“I’m so glad you came,” he said.
A smile tilted the corners of her mouth. “I’ve been sitting in the car for half an hour, working up the nerve to come in.”
A rough sound broke from his throat. He captured her face in his hands. Her eyes widened at the abrupt move.
“Whiskey, I’m sorry for the way we left things.”
Her whole face softened. “It was as much my fault. I knew how to reach you and didn’t.”
“I was a dumbass for saying what I did. I know you’re not the type of woman who flits from relationship to relationship. It’s why I said you’re not just another in a long line of conquests. Whiskey, you’re so much, but not that.” Didn’t he want her to be just another girl though? Didn’t he secretly hope that tonight would purge her from his heart and mind forever so he could move on?
He tugged her close.
Tears glinted in her beautiful hazel eyes. “Oh Juss.”
He grinned. Part of him wanted to steal away with her to the decadent suite he’d reserved, but he didn’t want her to believe he only wanted her body.
Although he did want it pretty damn bad. He swished his fingertip over the sensitive spot behind her ear that always turned her to mush.
She swayed toward him, pushing her breasts against his chest.
When he placed a hand on her back, he sucked in a sharp breath. Peeking around her shoulder, he was rewarded with a glimpse of her bare back revealed by a plunging V. The point ended just above the crest of her buttocks. If he slipped a finger inside the fabric, he’d find the cleft of her ass.
His cock rammed his fly. Fierce want pulsed through him and he didn’t know if he could be the gentleman he wanted to be for her.
“Come in with me. I have a table and wine for you.” He gained a hint of precious control.
Her eyes shone as she ran a finger down the front of his starched shirt. “You look amazing in a tux.”
Shaking his head, he said, “You look better than amazing tonight, Whiskey. Now don’t get far from me. I don’t want to have to break anyone’s neck for hitting on you.”
A genuine smile stretched her lips and lit her eyes until they sparkled like the gems dangling from her earlobes.
He caught her arm in the crook of his elbow and led her into the ballroom.
“You’re all healed,” she said.
He glanced at her. “Thanks to you.”
Something dark passed over her face, but he didn’t have a chance to ask her about it because his friend Waylon barreled toward them, grinning like a rodeo clown.
“This must be yer date,” he drawled, extending a hand to Lilly. She took it and Waylon pumped her hand. “I’m Waylon Knight. I’ve heard a lot about you from Juss.”
“Have not.” He rapped Waylon on the arm so his friend would release Lilly’s hand. Juss grinned at her. “Don’t believe anything he says.”
“Nice to meet you, Waylon.” She sank her teeth into her lower lip, nibbling it. Was she worried that Juss had made their time together into just another locker-room brag-fest? He studied her features. What was going on behind that beautiful facade?
Juss knew so much about how she thought and acted when they were alone. But he didn’t know if she was shy around crowds or if she even liked wine.
The gulf between them seemed wide, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t going to find a boat and cross it.
If she’d allow him.
He entwined their fingers and stared at her profile.
“You’ll see more of Waylon at the table. Come meet the rest of my crew.” Enthusiasm rippled through him as he towed her to the table. He’d brought her here as a thank-you. He wanted to wine and dine her.
Hell, who was he kidding? He’d wanted to see her out of those scrubs and in a fantastic dress. Except now that she was drawing every male eye in the vicinity, he wanted nothing more than to tuck her under his arm and hide her from the world.
He pulled out her chair for her. Five people gaped. He felt like telling them off. He could be classy even if they’d never seen it.
She dropped her gaze and sank to the seat. He slid it in for her.
“Everyone, this is Lilly Hall.”
“Nice to meet you, Lilly,” chorused around the table. Juss introduced her to his four fellow bull riders and the one wife among the group. Waylon returned to complete the table. Lilly said her hellos in a soft voice, shy as Juss had guessed she might be.
Miranda, the other female at the table, leaned forward and said, “We’re surprised to see Juss here with a date. He never brings anyone.”
Shit
. If he was trying to get Lilly out of his system, maybe bringing her around his friends wasn’t such a good idea. It made her look like his girlfriend.
Stop trying to pretend you don’t want that.
He glanced at Lilly to find her smiling.
With a nod at Miranda, he passed a wine goblet to Lilly. She accepted and sipped.
“This is good.”
“The event is pretty upscale.”
“I can tell by the surroundings. I’m glad I chose this dress.” She smoothed a gloved palm down her belly.
“Me too. Seeing your bare back is driving me fucking crazy,” he growled into her ear. He ran his palm from her nape to her ass.
She shivered. He leaned in and stole a kiss—just a quick brush of lips that was over too quickly. Her scent lingered in his mind, and he wanted nothing more than to roar like a caveman and throw her over his shoulder, bearing her off to their suite right now.
Flushed at the kiss, she covered the moment by drinking more wine. Damn, she was gorgeous when out of her element. In the rehab center, she was all control even when it came to sex.
But here he could really play with her. Get her flustered and then whisk her away to a dark corner and kiss her until her knees buckled.
From the moment he walked into the rehab center, she’d pushed him out of his comfort zone. From the killer exercises to her sexual demands. Now it was his turn to tip the scales.
Leaning close to her ear, he let his breath heat it. “Later, you’ll dance with me.”
Out of the corner of her eye, she shot him a look he couldn’t read. “You seem healed, but would it be a good idea to dance so soon after your surgery?”
He eased away a fraction. “You might have to hold me up.”
“Yo, Rossie. You see that last ride of Jacobs’s?”
Reluctant to divert his attention from the gorgeous woman at his side, Juss turned to his friend Terrence. While they talked, Lilly listened closely. She pressed her shoulder against his, and he wound an arm around her waist—an action that wasn’t lost on his friends.
Miranda asked her a question about her work, and Lilly took off on that tangent. When she finally said she’d helped Juss on the road to recovery, Waylon jumped in.
“So the slick cowboy snagged up his therapist? I’ve heard of that happening more than once.”
Anger flooded Juss’s veins. He didn’t want Lilly to believe this happened all the time, let alone with him.
Feigning calm, Juss leaned back against his seat. “I’ve never been injured until recently, so I wouldn’t know.”
“Of course that happens, but there are plenty of good, solid men in the PBR, Lilly. Guys who don’t dally.” Miranda hooked an arm around Billy’s neck and hauled him in for a smooch.
Juss shifted close to whisper to Lilly again. “Cute, aren’t they? They’ve been together for five years. He spotted her in the crowd, and the rest is history.”
Lilly nodded but didn’t reply. She’d hardly said a dozen sentences to Juss. Worry chilled him. He opened his mouth to tell Lilly to be herself when the speaker took the podium to thank everyone for attending and for their generosity.
After that, the meal was served. He watched Lilly push her food around, not eating much. In fact, he’d never seen her eat. At the rehab center, she’d grabbed meals when he was resting. He longed to get her alone—on a picnic blanket with finger foods between them. Why hadn’t he planned that instead of this ball where she was obviously uncomfortable?
By the time the entertainment began, he was so keyed up he had no idea if he could actually remember how to dance. The band struck an old classic tune, and Juss grabbed Lilly’s hand.
“It’s time, Whiskey.”
Everyone at the table smiled and elbowed one another as Juss and Lilly turned to walk away. He shot them a comical look, and they laughed.
When he led Lilly to a space on the crowded dance floor, he reeled her into his arms. “I’m sorry for that.” He started to sway with her.
She jolted. “For what?”
He gestured with his jaw toward the tables. “For my friends. I never planned to make you uncomfortable.”
“I wasn’t uncomfortable. Just didn’t have much to say. I’m sorry if I was out of my element.”
He tugged her closer and dropped his nose to her hair, twirling her in slow circles now. “I’m so damn glad to see you, Lilly.”
A shudder ran through her, and he tightened his hold. “I couldn’t wait to be with you again,” she admitted.
A flame of hope leaped in his soul, but he quickly staunched it. “We come from different places, but that doesn’t mean we can’t bring those worlds together tonight.”
She stopped dancing, her eyes clouded, but he lifted her off her feet and spun her in a 180-degree circle before setting her down. She gasped. “Don’t do that again! Your shoulder—”
“I’ll do what I damn well please, Whiskey.” He gripped her waist and hand and guided her into a series of loops across the dance floor, moving his feet in ways that blew her mind.
“Where did you learn to dance like this?” She shook her head.
“You didn’t believe cowboys can ballroom dance?” He kicked up his efforts, whirling and gliding, spinning her out, and twirling her back against his chest. He planted a kiss on her full lips before turning her so that her back pressed his front. The heat of her bare, silky spine against the cotton of his shirt tormented the hell out of him.