Beauty and the Bull Rider (Hotel Rodeo #3)(15)

“C’mere.” He jerked his head in a beckoning motion.

“What for?” she asked warily.

“I think it’s time for a little test. We can end this whole debate here and now.”

“What kinda test?”

“The kiss test,” he said. “It’s real simple. I’m gonna kiss you. If you can stand there and do absolutely nothing, you win and I lose.”

“What’s the point?” she asked.

“Sexual compatibility,” he said. “If we kiss and I don’t do it for you, I’ll drop any ideas of sex with you and submit to the test tube.”

“That simple?” she said. “You’ll donate your sperm if I let you kiss me?”

“As long as you don’t respond. That means no sounds. No kissing back. No touching.”

“Just one kiss?” she said.

“One kiss.”

“How long a kiss?” she asked.

“A standard breath hold,” he replied.

“No tricks?”

He held out his bare arms. “Nothing up my sleeve.”

“Okay, Zac. I’ll let you kiss me.” Slapping his wet shirt down on the counter, she upturned her face.

He’d promised himself he’d take the next opportunity that came along, but now that the moment had come, Zac’s heart hammered a pounding drumbeat against his breastbone. He’d never been nervous about a kiss, but then again, a kiss had never meant all that much to him. That wasn’t to say he didn’t like kissing. It was a pleasant enough pastime, but mostly it just served as an appetizer to the main course.

He suddenly realized he didn’t know if he was a good kisser or not. He’d never had to try all that hard. Most of the women he’d been with were already primed for a tumble well before the first lip lock.

“Shut your eyes,” he said. He’d never suffered a crisis of confidence with any woman, but this wasn’t just any woman—it was Delaney McCall, the woman he hoped to spend the rest of his life with. He couldn’t afford to be random or haphazard in his approach.

She complied, only to have them pop open wide when he lifted her onto the breakfast bar. He stepped in close, gently nudging her knees apart. “I thought this was just a kiss?”

“It is,” he said, palming her head with one hand while the other cupped her jaw. “But if I only get one chance, I want to be sure and do it right.”



Delaney realized she was a fool for accepting his challenge. She’d already made one colossal mistake and was now about to compound that error with interest. She’d played right into his hand when he’d tauntingly accused her of being afraid of her attraction to him. She was, but there was no way in hell she was going to admit it to him. So, she’d accepted his damned “kiss test.” The whole thing had seemed simple enough in theory, but knowing something in theory and putting it into practice were two very different things.

Kissing him would be admitting her attraction. Kissing him would make herself vulnerable. Kissing could only lead to trouble. But the vision of him standing in her kitchen half naked, had sucked the breath out of her lungs like a super-powered Hoover. Scars and all, Zac made her pulse race like she’d run a marathon. She told herself all she had to do was keep her mind focused on anything but his big, strong hands cupping her face, the heat of his body, his broad, well-muscled shoulders, tanned, taut torso, and his musky, manly scent as he moved into the V space between her thighs. It was even harder, however, to ignore the hardness in his jeans as he pressed himself indecently close.

“Wait, Zac,” she said breathlessly. “This is too much. I need to set some ground rules.”

“To late for that.” He grinned. “You already accepted the deal.”

“But I thought we weren’t supposed to touch?”

“You aren’t supposed to touch me,” he replied. “I don’t recall saying anything about me touching you.”

“But I’m not comfortable at all with this.”

A smug grin spread slowly over his mouth. “That’s the idea, sweetheart. This isn’t supposed to be comfortable. If I do this right, it’s gonna get damned unsettling—for both of us.”

Her heart leaped into her throat as he brought his face within a hairbreadth of hers. Intending to create more distance, she pressed her hands against his warm, hard chest. She was shocked to feel his heart hammering rapidly under her palm. He might act all cool and confident, but underneath he was as nervous as she was.

Their eyes met. “Relax,” he said and slowly removed her hands from his chest.

Delaney planted them on the countertop beside her butt, willing herself to keep them anchored there, no matter what. It’s just a kiss, she told herself. It means nothing. She took a breath, wet her lips, her every nerve stretched tight in anticipation. But instead of his warm, soft lips on hers, he shocked her senses with his hot breath and abrasive whisker stubble as he nuzzled his face into her neck. The combined sensations evoked an answering ripple deep in her womb. Dear God. What am I in for?

“Is that it? Are you done?” she gasped, hoping he was.

“Done?” He withdrew a few inches with a chuckle that vibrated through his body into hers. “I haven’t even started yet.”

“Then get on with it,” she snapped. “We don’t have all day.”