Texas Two-Step: Cowboy Shuffle (7 page)

She moaned and he swelled within his jeans. This was really going to happen. And if they didn’t get to his truck, and to his apartment, it was going to happen here. He ran his hand down her back, to the rounded curve of her ass and groaned. Maybe here wasn’t such a bad idea after all.

The sound of someone clearing her throat had him pulling back and willing his dick to go down.

“Sorry. I just needed to get in here to feed…” The young girl who fed the horses on weekends stood by awkwardly, a wheelbarrow full of feed buckets in front of her.

Ellen was bright red now and looked as if she wanted to crawl into the stall with Bucky and hide.

“No problem. We’ll get out of your way.” Shooter reached down and grabbed Ellen’s hand. He tugged her from the spot where she’d become planted and pulled her toward the exit. Time to move this somewhere more private.

He opened the truck’s passenger door for her and waited for her to climb up. Once she was seated, he went to close the door, then hesitated. “Not that I’m not happy and I sure as hell don’t want you to change your mind, but why?”

“I could ask you the same thing. Why the sudden change in you? Why now? Why me?”

Shooter stood for a moment then let out a laugh. “I have no idea.”

After one more glance to make sure Ellen was safely stowed with all limbs inside, he slammed the door and walked around the truck. He had the definite feeling it was best not to think or talk too much about this, for both of them.

It wasn’t a long drive, but with his hand laid casually on Ellen’s knee, and his dick waiting not-so-patiently and hard as a rock in his jeans, it seemed an eternity. Then again, so did the path to his door as he attempted to kiss Ellen and walk, and then kiss Ellen and unlock the door, all at the same time.

Shooter thought he slammed the door behind them, but he wasn’t going to wait around to see if it actually latched. He was already on the way to the bedroom where that big bed waited for them to get naked and sweaty. He crashed into the doorway because he was too busy kissing Ellen to watch where they were going, but it was all good. They kind of bounced right off the wooden frame and stumbled to the bed where they tumbled down onto the mattress.

He landed on top of her, trying to make sure most of his weight hit the mattress rather than Ellen. When he was sure he hadn’t crushed her beneath him, he angled his mouth over hers, kissing them both breathless.

The conscience he couldn’t ignore anymore poked at him until he pulled away. “You sure about this?”

Ellen let out a breathy laugh. “Are you seriously asking me that now?”

Yeah, it was pretty nuts. He had to admit that, but he also felt he’d had to ask. This was Ellen, Wes’s sister. She could have been like a sister to him too, but thank God she wasn’t, since he wanted to fuck her so badly. “I wanted to be sure.”

“I’m sure. Now shut up and kiss me.”

“Gladly.” Shooter grinned and then complied. For once, her bitchiness suited him just fine. In fact, he went one better and while kissing her, he unfastened her jeans and began the laborious task of wriggling them down her legs while trying not to give up her lips.

Ellen reached down and helped, shoving the denim down to reveal her long, lean, muscular legs. Shooter found himself abandoning the attempt to kiss her to instead stare at the newly exposed skin. Sure he’d seen her in shorts before, but this—seeing her in lace panties—was very different. He throbbed with the need to bury himself inside her. His hands itched with the desire to touch every inch of her, both the soft curves that made her all woman and the firm muscles that showed years of being on horseback.

In the midst of all Shooter’s swirling thoughts and emotions, memories of his dream managed to insinuate themselves into his brain. Dream had become reality and if he didn’t watch out, he’d make it an exact reenactment and shoot off too early like a teenager.

No way was he going to let that happen. As Ellen began to undo his belt buckle, apparently as anxious to get him undressed as he was her, he pulled his pelvis away. He’d delay coming any way he could. At least he could make sure she came before he did.

When she reached for his belt buckle again, he slid down her legs until he was eye-level with those sexy panties and tempting thighs. “Nuh, uh. Not yet.”

Ellen let out a sultry sound of protest low in her throat that had Shooter grinning. She wouldn’t be upset with him for long. He slid the panties down her legs and ran his hands back up between her thighs. Then he went to work to show her his tongue was good for a whole lot more than talking smack.

With eyes squeezed shut, she reacted to his every touch. He teased her clit and felt her shudder. He stroked two fingers inside her, and her hips rose off the bed. Combining his hands and mouth, he had her shaking and crying out and abandoning all semblance of being immune to his charms in mere minutes. He made sure her orgasm continued, long and hard.

While she still panted on the bed, and looked like she couldn’t move even if she had wanted to, he ditched his boots and clothes. He was naked and tearing open a condom wrapper when he heard Ellen’s, “Hmm.”

Not a word a man wanted to hear when his manhood was exposed for the first time to the woman he was interested in. He glanced up as he slipped the latex over his erection and frowned. “Hmm, what?”

“I just never assumed you were the safe sex type of guy.”

Shooter shook his head. “One day, woman, we’re going to discuss where you got all these wrong ideas about me. But that day is not today.”

He grabbed her by the ankles and pulled her to the edge of the mattress as she let out a squeal. “What are you doing?”

“I’m taking you in a manly fashion.” With a grin, he pulled her onto her feet, spun her around and pulled her tightly back against him. He turned her face toward the mirror and pressed his mouth close to her ear. “Look at how good we look together.”

As she met his gaze in the reflection, he pressed her down toward the mattress. With Ellen bent at the waist, watching them in the mirror, her hands braced on the bed, he gripped her hips and slid inside her with a shudder and a groan of pure amazement.

He expected it to feel amazing. What he wasn’t prepared for was Ellen’s wild side. When he tried to take it slow and gentle, she rocked back against him until the room was filled with the sounds of slapping flesh and her moans. When he came, sooner than he would have wanted to, she barely waited for him to stop throbbing inside her. She spun around and stripped him of the used condom. She pushed him onto the bed and crawled between his legs, where she drew his still sensitive and twitching cock into her mouth.

“Holy crap.” He hissed in a breath as she sucked in his over-sensitized cock completely. Pleasure bordering on pain shot through him as Ellen worked him with her teeth and tongue, bringing him back to a full hard-on in minutes. Before he knew it, he was covered with a fresh condom and she was straddling his hips.

Her cheeks flushed, her hair mussed and sexy as hell, she hovered above him. “I like being on top.”

Of course she did. He had no doubt. Ellen in bed wasn’t much different then the hellcat he knew in daily life. She always liked to be in charge. Shooter should have realized that.

“No doubt.” He drew in a shaky breath as she rose up and angled his cock toward her entrance. “Be my guest.”

Still wet, she slid down over his shaft easily. As her eyes drifted closed and she let out a low moan, Shooter found he couldn’t drag his gaze from her face. Then Ellen began to ride him hard and fast until his eyes closed as he became absorbed by the sensations she caused.

He couldn’t say if it lasted a minute or an hour, he was so overwhelmed by the time Ellen brought them both to another orgasm. Her muscles gripping his cock inside her dragged a shaky cry from him. He grabbed her hips and held her still while he shot off into her. She let out one more full-body tremble before collapsing over him in a panting mess.

Now that he’d had her, Shooter wanted this woman more than ever. He couldn’t help himself as he said, “Go out with me.”

“What?” Still breathless and flushed from his loving, Ellen pushed herself up to frown at him.

“Let’s go on a real date. Just us. No Wes or Maryann. Just you and me and a nice dinner somewhere.” Shooter smiled. He liked the idea. Then after dinner…well there were plenty of things he craved from Ellen that would be far better than dessert.

She frowned. “I never even imagined you’d want to go out. I thought you’d just want one night and then we’d go back to the way things used to be.”

He raised a brow. “You thought wrong.”

Ellen shook her head. “Shooter, you and I can’t go out.”

Or maybe it was Shooter who had thought wrong. “Why not?”

“Well, for one, there’s this guy I met online. His name is Buddy and I kind of wanted to see where things would go with h—”

Shooter’s eyes flew open wide. “A guy online? You’d go on a date with a perfect stranger, but not with me?” He fought the urge to laugh at the ridiculousness of the situation he’d created himself when he’d created Buddy. The irony wasn’t lost on him. Shooter was now competing against himself for this girl.

“Shooter, he’s really nice and I want to give it a chance.”

Now he did let out a laugh, but it was filled with bitterness, not humor. “Fine.” He drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Get dressed. I’ll take you back to your car.”

“Don’t be mad.” The expression in her eyes told him she was sincere.

He guessed she really was sorry she’d just spoiled him for all other women and then told him she didn’t want to date him because she was into the fake guy he’d invented online. God, his life was fucked up.

He sighed. “I’m not mad.”

It was the truth. How could Shooter be angry with Ellen? He’d made this mess. He had a lot to think about, such as how to straighten it all out. He stood and, annoyed with the world right now, yanked his jeans up his legs a big harder than necessary.

Chapter Seven

After nearly two weeks of wooing Ellen online as Buddy, avoiding her whenever possible and trying to act like everything was all right as Shooter, he’d had enough.

He sat at the computer and opened yet another message from Ellen to Buddy. She confided in her new online interest about everything. Work. Life. Riding. Wes. She’d even hinted about him, Shooter, in one message. It was surreal. It was annoying. Time to end this shit. She’d written to him that maybe at the next rodeo, which was still two weeks away, they could meet. Fuck that. He glanced at the time in the corner of the computer screen. Three-thirty in the afternoon. No time like the present.

Why wait? I want to meet you now. Today. You said that you’re off. Meet me in the parking lot of the diner in the middle of town this evening at five. Nothing serious. We’ll just have coffee, if that’s all you want.

It didn’t take long and a reply flew back to him. Holding his breath, he clicked to open Ellen’s response.

Okay.

Shooter let out a shaky breath. That was it then. They finally had a date. Well Buddy and Ellen had a date, but it was Shooter who would be meeting her.

He arrived early at the predetermined meeting place in the mostly empty parking lot behind the local diner where they’d promised to meet for coffee. There were a few cars parked there, most likely belonging to the employees inside working their shift. He knew the place didn’t get hopping until later in the evening, and most people parked on the street out front until there were no more spaces, then they drove around back. This would be private enough for whatever happened. He figured the chance of her beating him with her fists was pretty good. It would be preferable it that happened without an audience.

Second guessing the wisdom of this meeting more with every second, he was out of his truck and leaning against it, arms crossed in what he hoped was a relaxed pose, when her car pulled up. He knew the moment she saw him.

Even through the glare of the windshield, the expression on her face was clear, and it was about as surprised as he’d thought it would be. He braced himself for impact.

She got out of the car and, keys jingling in one hand, walked up to him. “You’re Buddy, aren’t you?”

“Yeah. Sorry. Disappointed?” Shooter steeled himself for her answer, or her anger, which was also a good possibility.

Ellen didn’t answer right away, and then she laughed. “No.”

“Really?” He took a step forward and dared to reach out and run a hand up and down her arm.

“Yeah. Actually, it explains quite a lot.”

He frowned. “Such as?”

“Such as how Buddy could know so much about me. How he and I could have so many interests in common.” She shrugged and her gaze held his. “It wasn’t he and I, it’s you and I…we have a lot in common. I guess I just never noticed before.”

Shooter pursed his lips. “We were both too busy bickering with each other to notice.”

“You’re right. You know me. Better than I ever wanted to admit.” She took a step forward and put her hand on his. She laughed. “It’ll be kind of nice to not have to go through the new-guy awkward stage. I mean, hell, I can eat all I want in front of you.”

He grinned. “Hell, you can load up on all-you-can-eat barbecue and then burp at the table if you want.”

“Thanks, I guess.” Ellen laughed. “And you’ve already seen all my clothes so I don’t have to worry if what I’m wearing is good.”

He glanced down and noticed how low cut her shirt was. What she was wearing was good from his view, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let her go into the restaurant like that. She’d have to fasten at least one more button. But relief that she wasn’t pissed and slapping him right now kind of overshadowed his need to cover her assets from other men.

Shooter nodded and enjoyed the feel of her hands holding his. “Yup. You’re right. All that is very true. And don’t forget, there won’t be that awkward first kiss, or the first time we…you know.”

“Mm hmm. We were pretty good at the
you know
part.” Ellen leaned closer until they were pressed together from thigh to chest. They knew each other well, but having her in his arms still felt new and a bit strange, but nice and very right.