It wasn’t a very good night for either one of them, but it was Clint who found himself unable to sleep. His friend’s words ran in his mind and he was not left heart broken, but hard in his pants and throbbing with a need that was not going to be tended to. When he finally did get to sleep, it was Mia that he dreamed about, but she was gone when he got up the next morning.
“Hey man, I was wondering if you were ever going to get up.”
“Yeah, I think we drank too much and you were out before anyone else.”
Trevor nodded. His head telling him that he had drank too much. “All well. Trying to keep up with Mia was never easy. I think she has gotten better since she went to college.”
“Where is she?” Clint’s eyes darted around until he heard his friend laughing.
“She has flown the coop and is headed back home. I see that you were sleeping in bed with me when I woke up and not with her.”
Clint shook his head and got up, his hands rubbing his face until it was red. “You were right, as you usually are.”
Trevor felt bad for him, but at least it was just a little crush that she had broken. Trevor had been head over heels in love with her and truth was if she ever changed her mind, he would be right there waiting again. “Sorry Clint, I tried to tell you.”
Clint wasn’t ready to give up. “There is always next time. It’s not like I will never see her again.”
Trevor had the same hope that his friend carried, but he was trying to move on. Clint was just getting started. There was just something about Mia.
***
Mia went back to school soon after the rodeo. She was trying to decide what she was going to do with herself, but her decision was made for her when her mother had an accident. She moved back home to Texas the day after she graduated and helped her with her physical therapy. She had fallen off of her horse while she was riding, the horse spooked from a snake. The result had been several broken bones and a lot of pain.
It was good to be back and she went to a few rodeos that Trevor was in. She seen Clint every time and even thought it was clear he wanted more than a kiss, there was never a moment like they had shared before. It was a fluke she assured herself, but then again, he crossed her mind every now and then. Mia even found herself comparing first kisses to his and never once did she get the same level of heat that they had shared. In a way, Clint had ruined her dating life. It was hard to settle for mediocre, when she knew there was better out there and no one else was giving her the same spark as Clint.
Trevor was in a rodeo twenty miles from where she lived and since her mom was doing better, Mia decided to go see him. His girlfriend Ana was supposed to be there and she told Trevor that she wanted to meet her. In reality, she was curious to see Clint again. The last time they had seen each other, he had tried to pull her to the side, but they had been interrupted before he could say or do anything. She was still wondering what it was that he was going to say.
She dressed up a bit more than she usually did in tight jeans and ever wore a cowboy hat. Her shirt was tied in the front and she left her hair down for once. It was the kind of girl that Clint would look at when they passed in the arena and she wanted to make him see her that day. Mia liked flirting with him and his smooth words, but what she really wanted was another kiss like before. She had convinced herself that it hadn’t been that great, just built-up in her mind. When she saw him coming towards her in the stands, she started to question her own theory.
“I thought I saw you up here underneath that hat. You are looking beautiful as always Mia. Are you here to see me?”
She saw the hope in his eyes. “No, I was supposed to meet Ana tonight. Have you seen Trevor?”
“Not yet. He will be here though. I see him less and less since the two got engaged.”
“They are engaged?”
“I was supposed to keep that a secret, so don’t tell him I told you.”
She zipped her lips. “Mum’s the word. But that is great right? Do you like her?”
“She is alright, treats him good, but what can I say, she is no you though.”
“I hope not. Me and Trevor drive each other crazy.”
“Do you mind if I sit down for a while? If I stay up here, I won’t get recognized as much.”
“Sure, the adoring fans are bothering you?”
He sat down next to her, the wooden bench bowing slightly under his weight. His hard bicep brushed against her upper arm and she felt warmth spread from the touch. “I just want one.”
Mia looked away and scanned the crowd looking for her brother with a hot face. “Why do you play so much Clint?”
“Why do you think I am playing?”
She glanced back at him. “Because you look at me like I am the only woman here.”
“You are the only woman here to me.”
Mia saw Trevor and was thankful for the distraction. She waved the couple over and she had to admit that Ana looked more like her than she had expected. Standing up, she shook her hand and then hugged her when he introduced her as his fiancée. There were congratulations in order and they promised to meet at a local bar when they were done competing. Ana sat up in the stands with Mia and by the time they were headed out for a drink, they were becoming fast friends. Ana was nothing like Mia once she got to know her and though she had been worried about meeting her, Mia could see why he was going to marry her. Ana had a great personality and it made Mia more relaxed to know that like Clint had said Trevor was in good hands.
They all rode to the bar together, Clint driving and her in the passenger seat. The two lovebirds didn’t pay them much mind, but it got Mia thinking about the kiss with Clint and what it would feel like to have Clint pressed up against her again. She looked over at his profile in the darkened car and tried to ignore the way she felt so breathless around him.
She looked behind her and the two were making out. The car stopped and parked and Clint looked over at her finally, their eyes meeting. He wanted it as much as she did. “Why don’t we go in and give them some time to be alone?”
Mia agreed, trying not to laugh at the fact that they didn’t even seem to notice that he had said anything. She followed Clint in and set next to him at the bar. He had that look on his face again, the one that made her heart flutter. “So Ana seems nice.”
He nodded. Ordering a drink for both of the, Clint looked back at her and moved closer. “When are we going to admit it?”
“Admit what?”
“That you are meant for me.”
Mia laughed, but it wasn’t taken well from Clint. “I’m serious Mia. You are all I can think about. You can’t tell me that you haven’t spent time in bed thinking of me.”
She wasn’t going to agree or disagree, but Mia was getting uncomfortable with the way he was looking at her. “I don’t think I need to tell you what is going on in my bed.”
He leaned in. “It’s all I can think about Mia.”
The bartender came back with the drinks and she thanked him, trying to forget what Clint had just said. Mia didn’t like cowboys, but like everything else, she seemed to make an exception for Clint. There was something about him that she just couldn’t shake.
“Do you like thinking about me lying in bed, naked and touching myself thinking of you Clint? Is that what you want to hear?”
He groaned while she giggled and took another sip. “Hey guys, I was wondering when you were going to stop sucking face enough to come in.”
Ana was embarrassed, but Trevor’s chest seemed to inflate with the talk of it. He smiled back at his girlfriend and Mia had a moment of jealousy for their love. She wondered if a man would ever look at her like that. Not just lust, but actual love.
Clint didn’t say much else, but once he saw that the couple was not going to stop, he asked Mia if she wanted to dance. She too was finding it hard to be around them, especially when it had been so long since she had felt the touch of a man. The soft gasp from Ana made her agree and she took his hand as he helped her up.
As soon as he pulled her body to his and started to move her around, Mia decided that it was far worse than watching her friend make out with the his fiancée. Clint held her too close, his knee sliding in between her legs to dip her and then pull her back up to splay against his chest as she moved to put her arms around his neck. “You dance like you ride a bull.”
Clint bent down and nipped her earlobe. “I like intensity in everything that I do.”
She shivered and he pulled away, moving her out and then back in. He was quite the dancer and she was having trouble keeping up. It seemed that Clint was full of all kinds of surprises and Mia was delighted with them all. When he pulled her back in once last time, his lips came crashing down on hers with the same intensity as everything else. She moaned from the touch, pressing herself against him and hearing his own growl deep in his throat as she tried her best to pull him down to her more.
It was Clint that pulled away, not wanting to lose his cool in the middle of all of those people. “Let’s get out of here Mia.”
“We just got here Clint. I thought you wanted to dance?”
She turned around and pressed her back to him, one arm going around his neck. Mia wanted to drive him as crazy as she had been feeling. He had been right about sleepless nights with him on her mind. As she danced against him slowly, the hardness that grew behind her made her squirm. “Please tell me this is not just a tease.”
Mia turned back towards him, her own body screaming for more. They kissed again and then she finally agreed to be pulled along out of the bar. Forgetting the two that they had ridden with, Clint was trying to make it to a hotel, but instead drove towards his house. He wanted her in his own bed, not a strange one. It seemed too impersonal. Clint wanted it to be perfect.