Back in the Saddle (Jessica Brodie Diaries #1)(28)

He scanned the area, completely at ease. His gaze touched each of the boys, Sara for a half second longer, then lingered on Candace.

“Oh sorry, these are my friends...”

Ty nodded with each introduction, but paid special attention to Candace, who responded with an embarrassed look at the ground. I smirked.

Ty turned to the mountain. “This is Moose. Well, his real name is Carl, but we call him Moose.”

“Did you say Carl, or Lennie?” I quipped, then instantly regretted it. I hoped no one would catch on that Lennie was the large, lumbering “Of Mice and Men” character that had the strength of three men but the brains of a flower pot.

Ty looked at me with a furrowed face.

Please don’t get the reference. Please don’t get the reference!

JP, jelly to my peanut butter, tried to stifle his chuckle so as not to give me away, but Ty caught it. He looked back at Moose for two beats, before he doubled over, screaming with laughter. His body heaved, hands on his stomach, guffawing in the stands. Everyone else, not having got the joke—story of my life—adopted the crooked grins and random chuckles usual when someone was laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes.

After a moment, when Ty got his bearings, he straightened up, took a look at Moose, was received with a “What’d I miss?” and then doubled over again.

“What’s up?” Adam asked, coming up the bleachers, Apollo following along behind.

Ty just pointed at me, shook his head, and said, “Better watch her.”

The barrel racing was finished and people were getting ready for the next event, which was bull riding. Judging by the crowd, this was the highlight of the day.

Adam, Moose and lastly Apollo followed Ty down the stands. I walked to JP and was just about to say a big thank you to all the boys when Ty yelled up, in a thick, cartoon-like accent, “Hey! Ain’t y’all cumin’?”

All four of the retreating men stopped at ground level. Adam asked, “Y’all want to watch the bull fights from our gate? Ty here is gonna ride.”

I shot a startled glance at lit up faces. Dave looked like he was going to pee himself he was so excited. Candace looked really red, (haha!) and JP was looking at me intensely.

Before I could ask JP why the scrutiny, we heard, “I still owe you a beer.”

My feet were moving before my brain could process the wonderful tickle down my spine. Which was actually bad news, because while it felt like I was floating, what I was actually doing was stumbling. Apparently the day would not end before I bounced down a flight of steps.

After a walk in which JP basically escorted me like a senior citizen with a cane, the procession stopped beside a white, new-looking trailer attached to a gigantic, shiny, midnight-blue truck. One of the truck tires came up to my mid-thigh! I had seen a lot of this sort of thing in the parking lot, but not quite this glossy. Did rich rednecks exist?

“Like it?” Apollo asked beside me as the others wandered toward the arena fence.

“Uh...it’s fine. I dunno. Why?”

He turned his gaze on me. “It looked like you were inspecting the truck.”

“Oh. Well, it’s big. Tall, I mean. You know, the tires. Is there a reason it is this big? Tall? How do people actually get into it?”

“Very carefully.” He smirked.

“How old are you?” I asked with sarcasm.

He looked surprised and shuffled his feet.

“Because of that joke, I mean,” I said in a hurry. I didn’t want the guy thinking I was planning to stalk him or anything. I was, but I didn’t want to be anticipated. “My grandparents used that one all the time...”

He threw his head back and laughed. “Ah. Got it. Yeah, mine did, too. Guess it fits.”

“Is this your trailer?”

“Yup.”

“It’s nice. Big. It looks luxurious.”

“Luxurious?”

“Yeah, like on Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, Country addition. It looks like a yacht on wheels.”

He laughed again and grabbed my hand, starting toward it.

I soared at his touch! His hand was course, but gentle. In size, it was like a Kodak Grizzly bear paw compared to mine. What affected me most was the electric current running through his skin, my hand, and directly into my mid-section, collecting in a puddle of sex in my groin. My lady bits answered with a purr.

With a fluttering stomach, I allowed him to lead, stopping shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the trailer door. He looked at me with a huge smile, as if I was still included in the joke, his flawless features closer than they had yet been.

My brain shut off, allowing my animalistic senses to fully feel the connection that body contact afforded. I was mesmerized. All my focus was on him; on his impossibly broad, beefy shoulders; on the muscles moving in his arm as he held my hand; on his deep blue, glittering eyes.

His brow scrunched up as his smile slipped, his eyes roaming my face. The deep blue became hypnotizing as they looked deeply into mine. Into me. They started to pull me in, reaching ever deeper into the center of my being. It felt like he physically clutched my soul with his dominating presence. The world condensed into that one moment, my spectra of view down to this one person and the proximity of his radiating body.

I got light-headed. My feet felt like they were lifting off the ground. The only things I could focus on was that touch. His hand on mine. The searing heat in my groin. The angel kisses on my heart. The overwhelming urge to fall into him.