Chapter Six
“Now you can see how we end up naked by the end of the race, baby,” Shayne drawled.
“A foot race involving hot dogs shouldn’t be so provocative, but yes, I do see how everyone ends up naked.”
She looked stunned to see the hot dogs were carried in the runner’s mouth and they had to hand it off into a bun in the other runner’s mouth and race it to the end. The teamwork and the symbolism got under everybody’s skin.
The Boot Knockers milled around the area that was sectioned off, laughing and joking. The females were usually still standoffish at this point in the week, but this ice breaker always kicked things off and things got crazy by week’s end.
She watched a couple grinding against each other, in the throes of a deep kiss, and blushed a soft pink color that glowed against his vest she wore.
The corner of his lips quirked up. She hadn’t signed up for any of the perks of the ranch when she’d come looking for him. But he’d bet any amount of peanuts that after today, she’d be jumping right in like any other female visitor.
Except she wasn’t just any woman. Not to Shayne.
He could smell her on him, those delicious scents driving him to distraction.
Wyoming and Nolan demonstrated how the race would work. Wyoming running up with a hot dog sticking obscenely from his mouth. Everybody cracked up laughing. And Nolan, who was taller than Wyoming, had to dip down to accept the dog into the bun. He held it lengthwise in his mouth, but it kept trying to slip out. Sometimes the soft buns broke off completely, and you lost the relay.
Wyoming angled his head to fit the tip into the slot of the bun. Jolie plastered her hand over her red face and peeked through her fingers at the happenings. Shayne slung an arm around her waist and tugged her against him for moral support. She might be a lady in public but she was dirty girl between the sheets.
Or in the barn.
Or empty cabin.
Wyoming fitted the tip into the bun and pushed the weenie slowly into the parted buns. A sound of amusement and embarrassment burst from Jolie, and several other women were looking just as red as she was.
Nolan helped by easing down onto the hot dog. The Boot Knockers chuckled at their antics. One lady actually turned away from the sight and Rock put his arm around her and spoke to her quietly.
“I don’t blame her for looking away,” Jolie whispered to Shayne.
“Why?” He studied the bridge of her nose. The freckles stood out sharply against the redness.
“Sex is private.”
“This is a hot dog assembly line.”
She giggled but it came out as a mortified hiccup. “Some people aren’t as open as you Boot Knockers.”
“Not many are. But you have to admit we break you out of your comfort zone. And isn’t that what coming to the ranch is all about?”
He paused, their gazes connected. Her reasons had been very different and his reminder made her high color drain from her face. He wished he could take back his words but it was too late now.
Applause broke out, and he tugged his gaze free of hers to see Nolan and Wyoming had successfully filled a hot dog bun using only their mouths and had just run together to the finish line.
Wyoming took a short bow and Nolan looked around for a second before giving an exaggerated curtsy that made everyone howl. Wyoming took the hot dog and bun from him and broke it in half. He handed part to Nolan and stuffed the other into his mouth.
A few steps away stood Lil, wiping tears of mirth from her eyes. She glanced over at Shayne and smiled. Jolie tensed.
“Have you met the ranch owner?” he asked in her ear.
She shook her head but he felt her relax a bit. He took Jolie by the hand and led her over to Lil.
“Jolie, this is Lil. She owns the ranch and puts up with us Boot Knockers squattin’ on her land.”
Lil gave a small wave at Shayne’s introduction. “They help immensely, and my daddy would be proud to see their hard work has created. Nice to meet you, Jolie.”
They smiled at each other.
“The land is beautiful up here,” Jolie said.
Lil wrapped her arms around herself and looked into the distance at the beauty of the grazing land leading up to the foot of the mountains. “I never want to leave.”
“I don’t blame you.” Jolie looked up at Shayne, and he felt her gaze moving over his features as he stared at the mountains too.
“Are you two participating in the relay? It’s good fun.” Lil broke into his thoughts, which was good. He’d been about to wander down the path of whether to leave Montana and go to Texas.
“Yes, we are,” he answered before Jolie could reply. He wanted her to have this lighthearted memory to take with her when she left the ranch. Her life had been difficult the past couple years on her own with the responsibility of a pregnancy and then a child. She deserved some fun. Soon she would return to her life and be on her own again.
Unless she married that asshole Owen.
A growl threatened to rumble out of his throat but he checked it. Now wasn’t the time to voice his opinions on the subject. She knew what he thought about it. But did he have any say over her life?
“Line up, weenies!”
“You want to be the bun or the weenie?” he asked with a smile.
“Um, I don’t know.”
Lil leaned close to her. “You want to be the bun. Believe me.” She winked and walked off to the front of the group to get a better view of the games.
“Guess I’ll meet you halfway,” he whispered to Jolie. When he walked away, he thought of the leap of hope in her eyes. What had put it there?
He sauntered to the head of the line and Elena was there to fit a hot dog into each Boot Knocker’s mouth. When she got to him, he arched a brow and opened his mouth.
“Don’t you dare wink at me like last time, Shayne.” Last time she’d dropped the hot dog into the dirt at his feet. She shoved the dog between his lips.
She moved on down the line and he half-pivoted to see Jolie. He smiled around the hot dog, keeping it in his lips so he didn’t chomp through it. She shook her head but a smile stretched over her pretty features in return.
The bun people were called to their positions. He watched one of the Boot Knockers who wasn’t playing place a bun just so in Jolie’s open mouth and a flare of jealousy caught Shayne off guard.
Before he could question it, he was told to get ready. He stared at Jolie twenty steps away. She was waiting for him, her mouth stretched with bun.
“Go!” Lil called, and they all surged forward. He hadn’t thought to tell Jolie what they got if they won. She’d die if they presented her with the dildo wrapped in a padded cloth bun.
The dog flopped in his mouth and he tried to suck it in deeper to keep it from breaking off or falling. Both had happened to him at least once in the past. He focused on Jolie. Her eyes crinkled into a smile and the bun slipped. Somehow, she managed to hold onto it though he could see the shake of her shoulders as she laughed.
He rumbled with his own laughter as he strode as quickly as possible to her. He reached his woman second and began feeding the wiener into her bun. She giggled around the bread bulging from her lips and he grabbed her side to steady her.
Bit by bit he eased the hot dog into the bun. She wobbled side to side, and he wrapped his arms around her to keep her still. But the dog slipped out completely and he had to start over.
“Wurrreee,” she tried to say against the bread.
He grunted in response to her “hurry” and shoved at the bun again. He worked for what felt like five full minutes before he got it halfway in. Just a few more shoves and he’d have it. But the couple next to them was already running together, trying to time their footfalls in rhythm so the bun didn’t break off before they reached the finish line.
With one desperate shove, he fitted the weenie right where he needed it. He caught the end of the bun and his gaze met Jolie’s. Amusement bonded them as they began to run.
* * * * *
“How was it?” Shayne asked.
“Though embarrassing and one of the most difficult outdoor games I’ve ever played, even worse than the slippery peeled egg on the spoon race, I’ve never had so much fun.”
He beamed down at her, and she shoved him playfully.
When the other woman was granted the prize of a dildo on a bun, she laughed as hard as everyone else.
“I’m sorry I didn’t win that for you,” Shayne murmured next to her ear. The skin on her neck rose in reaction to his deep voice and nearness.
“Are you kidding? I don’t want that parting gift.”
He caught her cheek and spun her head to kiss her square on the lips. “I’ll give you a parting gift to remember.”
She shouldn’t like the sound of that. And she couldn’t wait to be alone with him again.
“Maybe I’ll just head back to the cabin,” she said.
He cocked a brow. When he did that, every manly line of his body seemed to follow suit, each one determined to rip away her self-control.
“Why don’t you want to play poker?”
“I’m no good at cards. Don’t you remember that time with your buddies that summer?”
A far-off look took hold of him, equally as alluring as the brow cock.
“You don’t have to play. I don’t either. I’m usually the dealer.”
She shrugged. “I feel like I should be checking on Belle or throwing in a load of laundry or writing a paper for school. Anything but hot dog races or…” She trailed off, thinking of their steamy encounter in the empty cabin.
He lifted a hand and trailed it over her cheekbone, his gaze intense on hers. “I read that when a baby naps, the mother should too. I think that translates to when a baby is being taken care of and you have time to unwind, you should.”
She narrowed her eyes. “Where did you read that?”
“In that magazine.”
“Along with how to make your own organic baby food.”
“Well yeah. I know you already know how to do that sort of thing, but I have a lot to learn.”
She couldn’t voice how touched she was that he would even want to. But she found it hilarious that he was under the belief that she knew how either. “I don’t make my own baby food, Shayne.”
Both brows rose, giving her the double-whammy—the mother lode of all sexy man expressions. The man was pure walking sex. He could probably make being eaten by a hungry grizzly look good.
Damn, she really was smitten by him. She had to find some stable ground or risk the quicksand again. Falling for Shayne made her feel helpless, especially when he didn’t return the feelings.
“What does the baby eat then?”
“Baby food from a jar.”
“That’s full of preservatives.”
“Not all brands are. You have to read the labels, but there are many that are more natural. Now she eats mostly table food, though.”
He cocked his head. “Is that enough nutrition for her? I read that her mind’s growing so fast right now, doubling—”
“She’s very healthy.” She rested a hand on his chest. Under her palm, his heart drummed a steady beat that made her recall its sound in her ear as she drifted to sleep in his arms.
His brows relaxed as he stared down at her. “I trust you, Jolie. You know what you’re doing. From the photos, I can tell she’s healthy and happy. I just…”
She waited for him to continue. When he didn’t, she prompted, “Just what?”
“I’ve missed a lot.” The expression of anguish on his face was the most beautiful thing she could ever imagine from him. He cared. And that stunned the hell out of her. Never in a million years had she expected to come here and present him with a child that he was actually interested in.
Right now, it seemed a child he wanted.
She swallowed against the rising lump in her throat. “I called this morning before coming out to the construction site.”
“Did you? Everything okay with the baby?”
“Yes, she’s fine. She keeps asking for me, though.” Guilt penetrated her words. She hated being away from her child, but Shayne was right about the idea of taking advantage of down time when she had it.
Still, she would return home soon. Right after she got him to sign.
She couldn’t deny the stab those words sent deep into her heart. The idea of him relinquishing rights to the little girl they shared hurt. Why did this all have to be so tangled? It was better this way, better if he stepped aside and let her move on with her life.
Why was it so easy to picture the baby in Shayne’s arms if Owen was such a fantastic choice?
“Did you ask your parents to bring Belle here?”
She wasn’t about to answer that question. It felt like waving a red flag in front of a bull. She turned the subject. “If you’re the dealer at the poker game, what do I do?”
“Play. Or sit on my knee.” He gave her a wolfish grin.
She pushed out a small laugh. “We’ll see. I’ll decide once I see what I’m getting myself into. I’m quickly finding that even a simple poker game won’t be so tame around here.”
He melted her with one quirk of his lips. Oh damn. Three words: bad boy smile. She barely gained control of her spinning mind when he caught her by the hand and led her to the barn.
Inside, she tried not to conjure all the images of him making her scream with pleasure. There against the wall… and over that very hay bale. She focused on the tables set up with many chairs. Cowboys were teasing their ladies and a bag of peanuts was being distributed among them.
She was glad to see they weren’t playing for money but couldn’t imagine the game would end without some surprise. Shayne had mentioned clothes would be stripped off. Well, she had no intention of—
A sexy cowboy with a face right out of an old western movie stood and began unbuttoning his shirt. But he didn’t stop there. He flicked his belt buckle to the side and went for his fly.
Her mouth dried out.
“That’s Darringer. You like the way he looks?” Shayne’s tone didn’t hold any tension, only curiosity. She ruffled a bit. Didn’t sound like he minded her gawking at men, while she’d gotten her panties in a bunch just seeing him and Lil exchange that smile earlier.
She turned her head aside. “I’m not looking at anybody.”
Shayne’s expression darkened. “Good.”
Her heart gave a small leap. She immediately told herself off for it. They weren’t a couple. There was no commitment, never had been. He liked being a Boot Knocker, and she was going home and accept Owen.
Wasn’t she?
She tried to picture the man’s face and couldn’t. He was tall. He wore polo shirts a lot.
Shayne touched the corner of her mouth. “What has you looking upset?”
“Nothing.” She shook him off. Shayne took a seat at one of the tables and grabbed the deck of cards. What he did next had her blinking in shock. He shuffled them like a Vegas dealer, up and down the table, flipping them and then rolling them in a flower design on the green felt.
He scooped them back up and spread them up his arm like warm butter on fresh bread. One of the girls gave him the eye, but he didn’t seem to notice. He was busy flipping the cards at the players faster than her eyes could track.
When he finished, he looked at her and motioned for her to come to his side. There wasn’t a chair for her, but he hooked her around the middle and tugged her down on his hard thigh.
Very hard thigh. It felt like steel under her bottom. She rocked to settle herself more and he shifted his thigh, pressing it up into her crotch. She pushed out a rush of air as sensation gripped her girly parts.
She anchored herself, trying to keep the weight off his thigh—and her pussy—but he was having none of that. He drew her down where he wanted her.
“You can’t deal with one hand.”
“Watch me.”
Five minutes into the game, the clothes started coming off. Soon there was a pile strewn on the floor and several cowboys sat in their boxers. A few of the women were getting warmed up too, and blouses were dangling over chair backs. One woman stood and shimmied her jeans down. Jolie watched Shayne to see if he was ogling her very toned body, but he was busy tossing out new cards.
Maybe he wasn’t such a man slut as she’d thought. This whole operation was nothing like she expected. The men were very attentive to the women, courteous of their feelings. It wasn’t the free-for-all fuckfest she’d believed it to be.
It had been blind luck Jolie had come on Shayne’s week off. But next week, he would be with a client, and Jolie would be a shadow of his past. Would he ever think of her? She wasn’t the same at all now that she’d been with him—in his bed again.
The woman who’d looked so hesitant back at the weenie relay tossed her head back in a laugh. Made more beautiful by her happiness, more confident by far. Now Jolie was finally starting to see why women would come to The Boot Knockers Ranch.
One couple peeled away the last of their clothes and left the table. Nobody bothered looking their way until the beautiful, fresh-faced blonde dropped into one of the vacant seats.
“Deal you in, Lil?” Shayne drawled.
“You betcha. My momma always said poker’s the devil’s game. But I’m the only hell she ever raised, so I figure I belong here.” She slapped the tabletop to a round laughter.
A cowboy grabbed the back of the vacant chair. “This seat taken?” His voice was low but carried through the group. Every woman at the table was staring at him. Except for Lil. She didn’t glance up from her hand of cards as he slid into the seat.
“Dealin’ you in, Bastian, or are you here to tease Lil?”
“Little of both. Toss a few cards my way and I’ll see how red in the face I can make our ranch owner.”
Lil groaned and shifted her seat a few inches away from him. But he was so big, he took up most of the table. She had to squeeze her elbow against her side to keep her arm from brushing his, and that seemed to be exactly his purpose in sitting next to Lil.
Shayne twitched his thigh under Jolie. If she didn’t know better, she’d think her weight was too much for him and causing discomfort. But he was determined to get her hot and wet and squirming on his thigh for everybody to see.
The game went on. Nobody was bothering with the peanuts anymore and many of them were down to undergarments and socks. Another cowboy lost the last of his clothes, and Jolie’s eyes bugged out of her head as she watched him lope away into the shadows with his lady.
And a man.
She squirmed and Shayne let out a low growl. “You’re driving me crazy, angel,” he murmured into her ear.
“How much longer?” she whispered back, feeling more like a temptress the longer she sat here watching the sexy game.
“Few more minutes. Can you wait for me? I promise I’ll make it worth your time.” His eyes twinkled with insinuation.
She nodded. “I’ll grab us some beers.” She got up and walked across the barn to a galvanized bucket on the floor filled with ice and drinks. She reached down for a couple longnecks, and when she straightened she found a cowboy smiling at her.
“You’ve got Shayne twisted up big time. I’ve never seen him like this.”
She opened her mouth but had no words to respond.
“He’s going to have it bad when you leave. He won’t even be able to get you back in his bed unless you go to Texas.”
She blinked in shock. “What?”
“He’s headin’ South soon. Texas needs him to take a position on the home ranch. Gonna be a hard loss, but you’re lucky to get a week with him before he goes.”
Her heart plummeted and her fingers grew icy, but not because of the beers she held. She could barely draw breath. The pain burned her lungs. He was leaving. Going to Texas. When was he going to tell her?
Anger thundered in on the back of the lightning strike of the new intel. She twisted off one of the caps and strode up to Shayne. He looked up at her with a half-smile on his face.
She upended the beer over his head. The liquid dripped off his head and down to his shoulders. Damn, she wished she’d thought to rip off his hat first.
“Jolie—”
“Dang, somebody’s riled. Shayne, you’ve got your work cut out for ya,” Bastian quipped.
Shayne dropped the cards to the table and stood, looming over Jolie. She uncapped the second bottle and instead of dousing him with it, she brought it to her lips. She downed half the bottle before he yanked it from her hand and dragged her to the door.
“What’s going on with you? What was that for?” he demanded.
“A toast. To you going to Texas.” She drank off more of the cold beer but her stomach acid bubbled. “When were you going to tell me, Shayne? Or weren’t you?”
He compressed those hard, beautiful, tormenting lips of his and caught her by the arm. He towed her outside and whirled her to face him.
“You weren’t going to tell me, were you? You were going to keep fucking me, get me to believe you’re interested in being a dad, asking to see Belle and all that. Then you’re going to Texas and neither of us will ever see you again.” She hated that her voice broke. She gathered her anger like armor around herself and glared up into his eyes.
“I haven’t made up my mind to go yet, dammit. Why do you always think the worst of me? What have I done to give you the impression that I’m a horrible person?”
Beer dripped off his hat brim onto his shoulder. If she were him, she’d be pissed at her behavior, but he seemed more quizzical and hurt than angry.
“I’m not going to pretend the offer to go doesn’t appeal. There’s money to be made there—good money. I could give you and Belle so much. Set her up with a trust that will help her later in life.”
Jolie sucked in a gasp. “You’re not giving my daughter your—your gigolo money!” She started away from him, but he grabbed her around the waist and set her on her feet before him. There was no running from this man. She had to make a deal with him—now.
“I’m going back to the cabin to get the paperwork, and then I want you to sign it. I’ll be out of your hair tonight.”
“No. You’re not going anywhere.” He stepped closer so his big chest brushed her breasts. Damn, she was still aroused from riding his hard, muscled thigh during the game. Her jeans felt too confining.
“I’m not signing, and you’re not going. We’re in this together, Jolie, whether you like it or not.”
She shook her head.
“Oh yes, we are,” he practically growled at her. “The minute my seed took root in your belly, we were bound. Hell, long before that. Why do you think I had to go more than ever? I was scared shitless by what I was feeling for you.”
She stilled, her heart skipping a beat. “What?”
He shook his head. “I’m not signing off on Belle and Owen is not fucking marrying you. Not when you can’t wait to take off your panties and let me glide into your hot pussy.” He gathered her close with a hand on her lower back. She stared at his lips, her mind spinning like a tornado over what he’d said to her. Was it a lie to keep her here?
“Shayne, don’t.” Her whisper sounded with anguish even as her body geared up for his touch.
“Don’t tell me that you don’t want me slamming into you, sucking your hard nipples while I make you come on my cock.” He pushed his erection against her lower belly, and she moaned softly. “Tell me you don’t want that.”
“I… can’t.” She went on tiptoe and started exactly what she’d sworn she didn’t want. No more lies, though. She wanted Shayne with a ferocity she’d never feel for any other man. She loved the stupid ass who would end up breaking her heart by moving to Texas.