Pressure Point (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 3)
Read Pressure Point (Rhinestone Cowgirls Book 3) Online
Authors: Rhonda Lee Carver
PRESSURE POINT
2015 Rhonda Lee Carver
Copyright © 2015 by Rhonda Lee Carver
All rights reserved.
Published in the United States
Published by Rhonda Lee Carver
Cover Art by
Bookin’ It Designs
Editor
Todd
Tinker
Pressure Point (Book 3, Rhinestone Cowgirls)
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without the written permission of the author except in the case of brief quotations used in articles and reviews.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and events are products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual events, locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely coincidental.
This book contains material unsuitable for readers who are 17 and under.
Dedication
To my family. They are always by my side.
To a fabulous street team. Rhonda’s Rowdy Readers.
To a group of friends who are true and amazing
Table of Contents
Other Books by Rhonda Lee Carver
Cowboy Paradise Excerpt (Chapter One)
CHAPTER ONE
EMERALD STONE AWOKE to warmth against her hip. She snuggled deeper into the inviting nest as prickles feathered across the back of her thigh, tickling her. She whimpered in protest, scratched her leg, and rolled to her stomach.
Her blankets had grown hair. The bed had turned lumpy and the sun’s rays were unusually bright coming through the bedroom window. Had she forgotten to shut the blinds?
Squeezing her lids tightly, she groaned in irritation, refusing to give in to the restlessness. She wasn’t ready to welcome the day. After last night’s shindig, her temples ached and her tongue felt like a cotton ball. Her stomach gurgled loudly in validation that she’d drunk too much—way too much. However, it wasn’t every day her sister got married.
Yup, she’d definitely need another good three or four hours before she faced the world.
Throwing one arm over her head, she welcomed another sexy dream of a cowboy. Not just any cowboy either, but one in particular. Nash Walters. She’d had no idea her next door neighbor had those kind of moves…on the dance floor.
She smiled and started to drift. Birds chirped loudly. Were they right above her head?
“Go away,” she mumbled.
Who let a bird in the house?
If her sisters did this as a joke, Em would pay them back tenfold!
The downshift drumming of a truck engine sounded on the lane and the distant hum of a lawnmower vibrated her eardrums. The strong scent of freshly mowed grass floated under her nose—and something else….
Shifting to her side, she threw her leg over the body pillow. Rubbing her cheek against the surface, she expected softness and the scent of fresh rain fabric softener. Instead, her favorite pillow smelled like spice and leather, felt hard—and had a heartbeat.
A heartbeat?
Every muscle in her body tensed.
What had she done? Scrolling through the fuzzy memories of last night, she thought over each one. Dancing…drinking…laughing. Nash naked.
A naked Nash?
Oh no!
Slowly lifting a finger, she jabbed her pillow. Pillows don’t have nipples! And they don’t moan when poked.
Cocking one eye open, she stared into an explicit, bright sky.
Sky?
She jerked up as her heart skipped a good ten beats. “Where the hell am I?” she whispered.
Another deep moan sounded from beside her. She closed her eyes shut.
This must be a dream.
Counting to ten, forward then backward, she finally opened her eyes.
Oh shit!
The stark reality that she wasn’t alone smacked her in the face. She wasn’t at home in her bed. She was in the bed of her truck, a horse blanket covering her, with the horse trailer hitched to the back.
Panic crawled down her spine as she peeked over her shoulder. Her mouth fell open and her skin scorched. Lying beside her, stretched out in all his fine, naked glory…Nash Walters.
She jerked her chin away as a scream worked its way up her throat and she slammed her mouth closed. Her stomach twisted and her head swirled. A breeze swept over her, cooling her arms and shoulders. She realized she wasn’t wearing anything on top except for the scratchy blanket. Holding her breath, she peeked underneath. Thank God! She wasn’t completely naked! Good sign, at least she hoped. She still wore her strapless bra and panties—a small relief under the circumstances.
However, the mystery remained. Why was Nash laying naked in the bed of her truck, sleeping beside her?
She buried her forehead in her palm, forcing her mind down each grueling memory of last night again. She waded through the paths of her brain and the aching at her temples. After Pearl and DJ had married in a small, backyard ceremony at Rhinestone, the guests celebrated with a roasted pig over the fire while a local country band played on a makeshift stage. There were two kegs of beer and a cocktail bar. Then she remembered dancing most of the night with Nash.
After a few too many, she’d needed to get away to sober up.
A whimper fell from her lips. They’d ended up here at the pond.
Oh damn!
Truth, and a hangover, made the throbbing in her temples turn into an agonizing pain.
Breathing in and out, calming her nerves, she knew she didn’t sleep—as in have sex— with Nash. No. Possible. Way. He was nice to look at, but not her type. She glanced at him, just to confirm this fact. Wow…yes, he did have a nice body.
Tearing her eyes away, she fanned her face.
The last thing she remembered…they were skinny dipping in the pond. They were laughing about something…oh, that he’d lost his boxers at the bottom of the water. Then he’d kissed her.
A nice kiss that had left her body craving more. Her inner thighs warmed even now.
Damn! Did the kiss lead to more and she somehow blocked it out?
She looked at Nash again.
He still wore his worn black Stetson lowered over his eyes and his unshaven jaw jutted out. She ticked her gaze over his tanned, smooth chest and flat, pink nipples. Finally to his flat stomach and…
Holy mother of all that is good!
He was hard—unbelievably hard. From what she could remember, erections weren’t unusual for men first thing in the morning, but not every man could relate to having that ‘big’ of a problem.
She turned away, embarrassment—and excitement—flooding her.
They didn’t have sex! There’d be evidence, chafing at least. She dropped a hand between her thighs. Nope, no indication of foul play. She blew a relieved breath through tight lips.
Then a thought came to her.
What if he wore a condom? He better have damn well worn a condom if they were intimate! She scanned the bed of the truck. No used condom in sight. She didn’t feel any better.
How would she get out of this with the least amount of emotional and mental shrapnel?
Whatever, she just had to get it over with—quickly.
Scooting to her knees, she shook his shoulder. He moaned and grumbled.
“Nash! Wake up!” she whispered. No one besides the two of them would hear so lowering her voice didn’t make sense. “Nash!”
He jerked and rubbed his jaw. The raspy sound of his stubble made the hair stand on the back of her neck. Now was not the time to imagine beard rash on her body!
“Wake up!” She stood, dragging the blanket with her, holding it tight against her body as she gently nudged his arm with her toe.
“What the hell?” He pushed his hat back on his head and sat up, staring up at her with squinty eyes. “Who are you?” His husky voice would have been sexy any other time.
“Seriously? Get up!” She jumped off the open tailgate. The dew still covered the grass and wetted her bare feet. She darted a glance at the sky and, gauging by the position of the sun, guessed it was almost eight.
She had a feeling she missed something…
“Damn!” The horse trailer was hitched to the truck for a reason. She scanned the grass, looking for her clothes, or anything to cover her besides the itchy blanket. “Where the hell are they?”
“Where the hell is what?” Nash mumbled.
“Get out of my truck! I have someplace to be!” She shot him an annoyed glance. A look of disbelief marred his sluggish features.
“Am I having a nightmare?” He rubbed his eyes.
She sighed and irritation needled through her patience. Tolerance didn’t come easy with a hangover and a load of embarrassment to boot. Her gaze naturally fell to a part of him that still saluted the sky. “Can’t you control that part of your body?” She forced her gaze upward, swearing she’d never look again.
He glanced down and chuckled. “This is some mess, huh? Should I say I still respect you?”
Her nipples tingled, making her anger triple. “We didn’t do anything!” she snapped.
“Are you sure?” One thick brow came up.
“Very sure.” She shook her head, turned away, and went back to looking for the bridesmaid dress she’d worn at the wedding.
“Yeah, I wouldn’t go there.”
She gritted her teeth. “And I wouldn’t go
there
either.”
“It didn’t seem that way last night,” he teased. “You were as hot as a Texas mid-summer afternoon. You were definitely interested.”
“I’m sure I was back when I was sixteen. Boys do nothing for me now.” Her frustration grew as she looked at him. Why couldn’t she help herself?
“You sure didn’t mind this boy when we were dancing.” He knuckled his hat and his eyes sparkled as blue as the sky. “What do they call those dance moves? Dirty dancing? You became a female version of Patrick Swayze.”
Her lips thinned. “I don’t have time for this. For the last time, get out of my truck!” She couldn’t even look at him without warmth squirreling its way down her spine. Rounding the corner to the passenger side of the truck, she looked through the open window, spotting her dress and cowboy boots on the floorboard. Thank goodness she’d planned ahead…a little.