Layers Crossed (2 page)

“What
guy?”

“The
cowboy.”

“Honey,
they’re all cowboys here,” she laughed.

Only then did
I notice the field of hats. Yet the man with shining blue eyes had
been the only one to capture my attention during the dance.

I grabbed the
first piece of fabric that caught my hand, draped it over my
shoulders, and pushed past Grace saying, “I’ll be right back.”

As soon as the
side door swung open I bumped into a stone-hard chest, and was hit
by the natural smell of him, mixed with a blend of burning leaves
and Aqua Velva. I knew the scent from my father – to this day he
used that old-fashioned cologne each morning. And where was the
hint of leather coming from? The man grabbed my wrist, pulling me
to the side, his brutal force catching me off guard.

“Hey, watch
it!” I tried to twist away but his hold was tight. Just as I was
ready to knee him in the crotch and flip him over the way my
brothers had taught me, I looked up into the deep blue eyes of
wonder.

“Oh, it’s
you,” I said as if I’d known him for years. Distracted by the scar
that cut through his left brow, I just stared at the mark that
added another layer to the level of sexy he sported.

“Why are you
coming out here with nothing on?” he asked.

Startled, I
looked down at my silk robe and the two gems poking from
underneath, which made it look like my nipples were stones, which
they were

“I’m wearing a
robe. And it’s none of your business.”

“It is my
business when a girl, who is obviously smart, is selling her body
to a bunch of perverts.”

“Are you
calling yourself a pervert? I doubt anyone forced you to come
here.”

“I have
nothing to do with your job.”

“Exactly. And
for your information, this is not my job.”

“Good, because
if it was I’d have to burn this place down just so another man
couldn’t look at you.”

Wow!
This was the oddest conversation with a stranger I’d ever had. The
moment I saw him, I felt like I was his, which was even worse. No
man had ever had such an impact on me. He was so annoying, yet the
power behind his voice, his confidence and domineering way,
intrigued me. No matter what he said, the concern was clear –
intent yet to be determined.

“Why are you
judging me?” I fought the urge to smooth my finger over the white
ripple in his brow.

“Because
there’s no excuse for a woman to do what you’ve just done.”

“So, you’re
saying you didn’t enjoy it?” I asked, watching his jaw tense the
same way it had earlier. I knew he’d liked what he saw when he was
watching me, adjusting his crotch before he’d left.

“You’re a
hypocrite, Mr. Cowboy. If you don’t want to watch, you shouldn’t
come to places like these.”

He reached
into his back pocket as his phone buzzed and frowned. “I was
meeting someone here, but it looks like my meeting’s canceled.”

I never
believed anyone this quickly; in fact, in my job, assuming I’d
heard a lie was only natural. I operated the smaller branch of our
private investigations company, where most of my clients were
crying wives whose suspicions of cheating husbands I had to
confirm. I truly hated what I did. It was depressing because the
moment one stepped into my office to hire me, I knew she’d end up
leaving with mascara streaking down her cheeks, and the reason was
simple: if you suspected it, it almost always meant he cheated. A
woman’s intuition was rarely wrong – something I’d learned from my
sister-in-law, Allie.

I’d been
begging my brothers to entrust me with something different; in
fact, I’d threatened I’d leave the firm and join a circus if they
didn’t. My rebellion in taking the stupidest dares and bets Grace
could come up with was becoming suspicious, and more than once my
brothers had stopped me from fulfilling my end of the bargain. Last
week I’d barely had enough time to put my clothes back on after
skinny dipping in a stranger’s pool before they found me. I swear,
sometimes having a family of private investigators sucked
balls.

“I’d like to
take you home.”

“You’re a
stranger. I don’t do rides with strangers, and I have a car.”

“Don’t roll
your eyes at me,” he said.

I hadn’t
realized I’d rolled them. “Why?”

“Because it’s
not polite.”

“Ah, so now
you’re a polite cowboy?”

“And talking
back is not polite either. Go change and let me at least watch you
get in your car safely. Please.”

The way he
asked me, his eyes begging – I just couldn’t say no. Would he
follow me? I didn’t think so, but I was eager to get dressed and
find out more about this man who had captivated me. There was no
way I’d just get in my car and leave.

“Okay. Wait
here.”

For the first
time tonight, his mouth curved up slightly and I swear my insides
began dancing. Pleasing him was an emotional reward I didn’t
expect. My need to make another man happy had been asleep for two
long years and I didn’t think it could be revived. Well, I knew how
to make men happy, but a man like him, who actually cared about me
and what I did – I’d never thought I’d meet anyone like him ever
again. The Cowboy was so not New York, and so intriguing.

I pushed the
side door to go get changed and try to rip the twins, Lisa and
Lilly, off the tattooed body guard. And what the heck was Lilly
doing? She was married for goodness sake! Shaking my head, I
couldn’t wait to introduce them to the Cowboy. Hopefully they could
tell me that I wasn’t going crazy over nobody. Just as I pulled my
jeans on, I’d heard a familiar voice.

“What the hell
are you doing here, Emma?” Julian, the older of my two brothers
scolded from behind me, and then added with sarcasm, “Ah, Grace,
how lovely to see you again.”

I whipped my
body around, startled. “Uhm, we’re just having some fun.”

“Please don’t
tell me you were going to strip.”

My gaze flew
to Grace, who sat down in a chair, obviously nervous about the
inquisition that would inevitably take place.

“Of course she
is.” Tristan, my other brother, came in from behind a curtain.

“Why are you
following me? This is really getting old.” I tried to figure out
how they’d tracked me, but I couldn’t. I’d dismantled every single
device they could have used. I even left my cell phone at Grace’s,
changed into her clothes, and we’d rented a car to come here –
there was no way.

They looked at
each other as if unsure whether they wanted to give away their
secrets – which I knew they wouldn’t.

“Once you
start acting your age and stop getting into shit all the time, we
won’t need to track you. Will we?”

“How did you
track me?”

But of course
they ignored my question.

“Do you know
what happens to girls in places like these?”

Julian knew
too well about the kidnappings, drug use, and mistreatment of women
at bars and nightclubs. Ten years ago his wife, Kendra, had been
kidnapped and held captive by a cartel, treated like a sex slave.
She’d literally gone through hell and back. I was thirteen at the
time but knew enough to understand what she’d endured. Julian had
made it his mission to ensure I didn’t follow her lead. I’d always
looked up to her. She’d gotten me through some hard times.

“It’s time to
go home, Emma,” Julian said.

“I’m here with
someone.” I lied, secretly hoping that for once I had a steady man
in my life, like the Cowboy, who could stand up to my brothers. The
memory of what could have been, had my life turned out differently,
coursed through me like liquid nitrogen.

“Grace is
coming along,” my brother said.

“I’m not
talking about Grace. Let me just tell him I’m leaving, at
least.”

Their brows
rose by a fraction, somewhat intrigued. I hurried through the door,
expecting my Cowboy to be there but… he wasn’t.

Great! He
stood me up already.

But I wasn’t
one to give up. I left a note with the barman, asking him to pass
it along to the Cowboy, trying to describe every beautiful feature
I’d remembered, including that sexy scar above his brow. Why didn’t
I get his name?

And before I
knew it, we were driving home. All I could think about was the man
who had captured my attention for longer than two minutes. That was
rare. Due to my line of work and my past, my belief in
happily-ever-afters had dwindled. The irony was that the only
examples I’d seen of happy relationships were those of my parents
and my two brothers. Maybe I should start showing more
responsibility after all, so that when the Cowboy called, we could
start with a proper introduction. Little did I know I’d never get
the phone call I was waiting for.

C
HAPTER
2

Eric

I’d never in
my life seen skin as creamy as that of the woman who owned the
stage at The Grill. With the glistening moisturizer that must had
covered her entire body, it looked as if she were wearing a layer
of silk. The way her hips curved, her silhouette held that
beautiful pear shape – not skinny, but perfect, with enough flesh
on each hip for a comfortable hold. And those muscles on her thighs
and arms – I could only imagine the different ways in which she
could wrap herself around me.

What the
fuck was I doing?
She was a stripper, and I was already
thinking about being balls deep inside her. I felt my sack contract
at the thought of her warmth around me, and my cock pulsed for the
fourth time since she’d walked out on that stage. My jeans were
beginning to run out of room. Each time she moved, gripping that
pole, spreading her perfect legs in a way that still hid her wet
core, a surge of pure testosterone flew through me. I wanted to
mount her, claim her, and mark her all at the same time. But first,
I had to find out where she’d gotten those light marks on her legs.
They appeared as faint scars, barely visible, making her absolutely
stunning. I imagined trailing my lips over every single white spot
on her body as she writhed underneath me.

For the love
of God, how long can I sit here before I explode?

Those colorful
gems on her breasts and pussy didn’t leave much to the imagination,
and I fought the urge to jump up on that stage and cover her up. I
didn’t want another man seeing her. Especially in a place like
this, where every second douchebag was probably jerking off while
watching her.

Yet I myself
couldn’t keep my eyes away. This was not an establishment I came to
willingly, but it was the halfway point between my ranch and New
York – one where I’d agreed to meet my temporary employers and hire
them at the same time. The deal worked out great. I’d done them a
favor, and they would do one for me. In truth, the only reason I
agreed to the deal was because I owed a life debt that needed to be
paid off and was here as a favor to a friend. And if it happened
that I got something out of our arrangement, well, that was a
bonus. Except that now, looking at this beautiful woman, all I
wanted to do was to break the deal I struck to babysit some spoiled
brat, and get to know that dancing temptress.

Seeing her
perky tits when she flipped upside down on that pole – God help me.
There was no way I’d walk out of this joint straight and without a
phone number at least. I was a gentleman by nature and pick-up
lines or one-night stands weren’t my thing, but I had my limits
like any other man, and this gem-covered beauty would be mine. She
was the perfection I’d dreamed about while in the military. She was
the muse in my thoughts I didn’t know about, and the adrenaline in
my veins I needed to survive the missions. I might not have known
it at the time, but she was the reason I was alive. And why was I
feeling like a fucking fifteen-year-old seeing his friend’s hot
mother bend over in her mini and figure out she was going commando?
Well, the truth was that I didn’t know the answers to those
questions, but as long as I got to see her again, I didn’t really
care. I was ready to succumb to anything she’d ask of me.

I inhaled the
smell of her freshness that was still drifting around me. She must
have washed her hair only hours before I saw her. The bounce of her
dirty-blonde curls released an aroma that drove me crazy. I
wondered whether she’d used it all over her body, and couldn’t wait
to smell and lick each curve and nook of her skin to discover so
for myself. During the few minutes we spoke, the sass, wit, and
confidence of that woman captivated me. I couldn’t take my eyes
away from her mouth for two reasons. First, I was still hard for
her, and my cock kept pressing against the zipper like it wanted to
jump right out and into her perfect round hole rimmed with luscious
lips. Second, if I looked down at the robe she was wearing and
imagined what was underneath it, my jeans would rip, or get soaked
at the least.

Standing here
now, waiting for her to come back like she’d promised so that I
could watch her drive away safely, felt like an eternity. And my
bladder was beginning to misbehave. When she came out, the first
thing I’d do was get her name. There was no way in hell I’d let her
leave without knowing who she was and when I could see her again.
Although our initial conversation didn’t sound the way I’d
practiced before she came out the side door, it felt so natural;
like we’d known each other for years, not seconds. I still couldn’t
believe I could talk to a woman so candidly – ever. Especially one
I was so devastatingly attracted to.

I looked down
at my watch. The minutes standing here felt like hours. The text
that came in canceling my appointment was a blessing. It meant I
could postpone the business I came here to do and concentrate on
her. While I’d need to reschedule the meeting, I couldn’t help but
gloat that I’d get a chance to know the spray-tanned beauty. Part
of me felt guilty. Should I have insisted on the meeting anyway?
Would it have changed anything? This trip was taking longer than
I’d expected, keeping me away from my horses, but the people I was
supposed to be meeting came highly recommended. They needed my
help, and I needed theirs.