Roped In (Armed & Dangerous, #2)(24)

Chuckling, he brushed the hair off my face. “Nightshade won’t let you.”

“Sure he won’t. Famous last words.” I shook my head.

He kissed my forehead. “You’ll be fine. I promise.”

“Hey, are we okay?” I needed to clear the air.

His brows furrowed. “Why wouldn’t we be?”

I shrugged. “I don’t know. After Robert’s phone call last night, it was like everything changed. You seem a little distant.”

“I know, I’m sorry about that. There’s just a lot on my mind.”

“Anything you want to talk about?”

He shook his head. “It’s not important. Now come on, I’ll help you up.” Gripping my waist, he waited for me to put my foot in the stirrup before lifting me in the air.

Once I was secured in the saddle, and he’d placed the reins in my hands, my heart raced. It felt like I was a mile high off the ground. “Are you sure you don’t want to come with us?”

“You’ll be fine. Tyla’s an expert rider. I’ll be back here watching you. Just click your tongue when you want him to go, and use the reins to guide him in the direction you want to head. Pull back like this,” he showed me the motion, “when you want to stop.”

Taking a deep breath, I sat up straight and tightened my legs around the horse. I’d watched enough movies to hopefully have an idea of what I was doing. With a click of my tongue, Nightshade trotted out of the barn at a slow pace and headed straight for Tyla.

“Looking good,” she said as we approached.

Gritting my teeth, I tightened my hands on the reins. “Thanks. Just as long as I don’t fall off, I’ll be fine.”

“The only way you’ll do that is if you let go.” She glanced back at the barn before continuing. “So what’s the story with you and Blake?”

“What do you mean?”

She laughed. “I mean, there’s some serious tension between you two. I’ve known Blake for a while now and never have I seen him flustered over a girl.”

“Really? Not even Rayna?”

Her eyes went wide. “Please don’t tell me you met her?”

“I did. And I kind of told her we were dating. It was the first thing that came out of my mouth.”

She giggled. “That girl is pathetic. Just a heads up though, she’ll probably be at the bar tonight.”

I shrugged. “No worries. I can handle her.” Tyla started off toward the pasture and I kept up with her. “So you’ve never seen Blake serious about a girl?” I asked.

She shook her head. “Not since you showed up. I kept wondering when he was going to get his act together.”

“What about you? From what I gather, he seems to be a ladies’ man. How come you aren’t interested?”

A smile spread across her face. “He might be easy on the eyes, but he’s not my type. I prefer older men.”

“Ah, I see. I guess that’s my preference too,” I laughed.

“Then why the tension? I was drowning in it back there. Have you two not . . .”

I huffed. “No, never. I thought I made it clear I wanted to, but he hasn’t followed through.”

Tyla bit her lip, grinning mischievously. “What he needs is a little nudge. I’ll make sure he gets that tonight.”

“What are you going to do?”

“You’ll see. By the end of the night, he’ll be all yours. I know how the men around here work. The last thing they want is for another man to encroach on their territory. And believe me, by the way Blake was looking at you, you are his territory.”





Hadley

I was never good at playing games. I might be shy, but when I wanted something, I wouldn’t beat around the bush to get it. Why did Blake have to be so difficult? Once I was dressed, I glanced at myself in the mirror. My long, blonde hair was braided to the side and I had on a white sundress and cowgirl boots. It was strange because I didn’t see the same Hadley in the reflection. I saw a girl who wanted a different life and different things. The only problem was that it wasn’t possible.

“You will never be normal,” I said to my reflection. “You never have been.” Turning on my heel, I left my room and went straight to the kitchen. I held in my gasp the moment I spotted Blake. He sat at the bar, all cleaned up with a nice pair of jeans and a snug black T-shirt with his hair in messy spikes. No wonder all the ladies loved him; he was sex on a stick.

“I’m ready,” I announced.

His gaze lifted, then darkened as he took me in. “Ho-ly f*ck. You’re going to get me kicked out tonight, princess.”

“Why?”

“Because every guy in the bar is going to try to put their dick in you.”

“Many have tried and all have failed. You have nothing to worry about. Are you ready to go?”

His eyes raked over my body again. “No, but it looks like I have to be. Just do me a favor and stay close.” He started for the door and grabbed one of the light-weight jackets off of the coat rack, slipping it over my shoulders as we walked out the door. “It’s supposed to be chilly tonight. Maybe you should keep this on.”

“Are you sure you’re not trying to cover me up?” I asked jokingly.