“How dare you!” I chase Ryder down the moment the camera is off and my producer back at the studio gives me the all clear.

He stops and turns to me. “How dare I what?”

“Oh, I don’t know—make me look like a fool on live television? Air my dirty laundry in public? Screw with my head?” I step right up to him and poke him on the chest. That rock hard, muscle-bound chest that won’t give no matter how forceful I am with my pokes. Damn him and his sculpted body.

“I was hoping you’d find it romantic if I declared my feelings for you in front of the world.”

“Well, it wasn’t romantic. Not at all. It was…it was…rude and…confusing…and…and...not very professional!” I spit out.

“I’m a bull rider. I don’t have to be professional.” He takes me by the waist and pulls me to him, then lowers his mouth to mine.

“Let go of me!” I say, even though I make no move to get away from him.

My entire body goes weak at his touch, and I find myself unable to push him away. He’s so close to me that I can smell his aftershave. His lips are so near that they’re reminding me of how amazing they felt on my skin. His grip tightens and he pulls me to him a little more so that now my breasts are pressed against him. I let out a little gasp. I know I should tear myself away from him. I shouldn’t let him do this to me again, but I can’t help it. I’m wild with desire, my chest heaving, my panties soaked already. I have to come to my senses. “Please, just leave me alone.”

“Are you sure that’s what you want, darlin’? Because your mouth is saying one thing, but your body is saying something entirely different.” He brushes his lips against mine and I nearly melt into a puddle right here in the arena.

“It’s what I need. I can’t let you fuck with my mind like this.” My voice comes out sounding weak and breathless instead of strong like I hoped it would.

“It’s not your mind I want to fuck.” He crushes his mouth with mine, thrusting his tongue inside, showing me what he wants. I return his kiss, meeting desire with desire, wanting him to take me here, right now. He pushes me up against the metal gate, pressing his big, strong body to mine.

I snap to my senses and pull back, then slap him hard on the cheek. Ryder looks shocked as he lifts his hand to his lip, that’s now bleeding a little. I’m just as shocked as he is.

A voice interrupts us. “Everything all right here?”

When I turn my head, I see T.J. Heston standing on the other side of the gate, his eyes narrowed.

“Yes, fine, T.J,” I say. “I was just leaving.”

I push away from Ryder, then rush out of the stadium, almost running so I can get as far from Ryder as possible. If I don’t, I’m going to make a huge mistake. My cell phone rings and I pull it out of my back pocket, then see it’s my producer, Teresa. Sighing, I answer the call, knowing I’m likely in crap for how the interview took such an unexpected turn.

“Hello?”

“Julia! I can’t believe you and Ryder West are an item! After all the athletes we’ve thrown your way, you pick a bull rider? Wow. I did not see that coming.”

“We’re not an item, Teresa. It’s was just…it’s not…” I trail off not sure how to explain it. My gut twists with worry. What is this going to mean for my career? Even though I don’t want this job, getting fired certainly won’t help me move up in the world.

“Well, whatever you’re not doing with that guy, keep it up. The hits on our website are through the roof—everybody wants to see you and Ryder together.”

“They’re going to be very disappointed then because he means nothing to me,” I say, as I walk into the back alley. It’s night already and I’m a little startled when the door shuts behind me, leaving me alone in the dark. About a block from here, I see the strip, lit up and filled with people. I hurry toward the light.

“I don’t really care what he means to you. What I do care about is ratings. Can you imagine the buzz we’ll get off this if he wins this thing? I mean, seriously. People are tweeting about it. He’s got new fans everywhere who want to see love triumph.”

Not wanting to continue discussing Ryder any longer, I cut her off. “I have to go, Teresa. I need to find my way back to the hotel from here.” I hang up before she can say anything and shove my phone into the back pocket of my jeans. My feet feel sore in these stupid cowboy boots and I can’t wait to get to my room so I can order room service and have a long, hot bath.

A group of guys starts toward me, drinks in hand. When they get close to me, one of them yells, “It’s that hot chick from the sports channel!”

They all stop to stare at me, talking over each other to get my attention. I give them a quick smile and try to rush past them. "Have a fun night, fellas. I'm in an hurry so..."

The short, stocky one in the group grabs my hand and says, “Come on. Be nice! You have time for a quick picture with us. We’re your biggest fans.”

The tall guy next to him grins at me. “Yeah, we’d love to get some on-air time with you, but only filming something other than sports news.”

“Very flattering guys, but I really have to run. My boss is expecting me at a meeting right now.” I tug my arm away from the short guy, but he grips it tighter.

“Come on, Julia. Show us your fun side!”

They crowd around me, and I suddenly feel really frightened in a way I never have before. I freeze up, not knowing how to get out of this. The world starts to spin faster, and I struggle to find a way through them.

I hear the crack of his jaw before I see who’s responsible for it. Short guy hits the ground with a smack and when I turn, I see Ryder, his fists a blur as he throws furious blows at the tall guy, bringing him down fast. The rest of their friends back up, clearly not wanting to be on the receiving end of what Ryder’s got to give them.

When he sees they’re not going to fight back, he takes hold of my arm, then steers me out of the dark alley and onto the street. A sob escapes my throat as I realize what was about to happen. I feel my knees going weak and I slow to a stop.

Ryder pulls me into his warm, powerful arms and holds me close. I cling to him, terrified.

“Shh, it’s okay. I’m here,” he says, his voice thick with emotion. “You’re safe now.”

I nod, then take a deep breath, trying to calm down.

“Which hotel are you at?”

“The Parisian.”

“Okay, let’s get you back there.” He keeps one arm wrapped around my back as he guides me in the right direction. Using his other arm, he shields me from the crowd of drunk tourists.

Tears roll down my cheeks as we walk. I lean on him, my hand gripping the front of his shirt. “I’m sorry I slapped you,” I say finally.

“I deserved it.” He turns us to our left and we walk into the massive hotel lobby.

“Nobody deserves to be slapped.” I stop and turn to him, looking up. “Good night. Thank you for…” I can’t bring myself to say what he just did for me without starting to go weak again.

“I’m not leaving you alone tonight. Not unless you force me to.” He reaches up and gently touches my cheek.

I nod, gratitude filling me. No matter how angry I was at him, no matter how confusing he is, I know he’d never do anything I didn’t want him to. He’d never hurt me. Not in that way.

Within a few minutes, we’re up in my suite. The room is lit by a single bedside lamp that the maid must have left on. Silence fills the space as soon as the door clicks shut behind us and we’re alone together. I want to shut out the world. My job. My producer. Those men out there. I sob, thinking of them.

Ryder pulls me to him and holds me in his arms, kissing the top of my head and rubbing my back with one hand. There’s nothing sexual about his touch right now. He’s offering comfort and protection, and I’m going to take it from him. He picks me up under the knees and carries me to the couch, where he sits down with me on his lap. I curl into him and cry until I fall asleep.