Eight Seconds (Siren Publishing Classic) Page 4

  “I would like to stay, but if you can’t handle it, let me know,” Stacy said nonchalantly. Danielle knew Stacy was challenging her.

  “Can’t handle it? Huh. I can handle anything, John, err, J.C. Evans included,” Danielle stated flatly then crossed her arms in defiance. Sure, I can handle being around him. I don’t know if I can handle being around him. If I leave, I’m allowing him to know how much he hurt me. If I stay and ignore him then maybe I can get over him and move on.

  “Two Millers,” Stacy shouted above the crowd and laid her money on the stand. “So will one do, or do you need an extra bottle of liquid courage?”

  Danielle laughed. “You’re a pain in my ass, ya know it?”

  “But you love me anyway.” Stacy smiled. She looked up at the man in the beer stand. “Thanks.” She picked up the bottles.

  * * * *

  Will slapped J.C. on the back. “Amazing, she hates you.”

  J.C. winced. “Maybe.” He adjusted his dick that had sprung to life.

  “Is she one of the women you promised to call after a romp in the hay and didn’t?” Will snickered.

  “No, I have never bedded her,” J.C. stated sternly. He sure as hell had wanted to. Scratch that, he still wanted to. But other than the sex, he wanted so much more. This day couldn’t have happened at a better time. He had been toying with the idea of retiring from bull riding and starting a risky venture concerning the ranch. Seeing Danielle brought back the same rush of emotions for her he had four years ago. He longed to settle down with a woman like Danielle. One who inspired him with her zest for life. Could she be the one to push him toward his dreams? Or, was she the one to make his dick become so hard it would just break off from frostbite? At least then he’d have some peace. He rubbed a little harder this time and tried not to be obvious about it. Little bro would have a field day if he knew he was fighting an erection that was about to kill him.

  Will started laughing hysterically. “You mean you have never had sex with her and she hates your guts for just being you?”

  “Basically,” J.C. said and glanced out around the arena. Ten minutes till chute time. His mind wasn’t in it today. It was on a spitfire named Danielle. He had to clear his mind. He had to ride well tonight, for Danielle. For some crazy reason he wanted to impress her. He also wanted the chance to start over with her. It was wild to realize the desire to change, but he had been getting tired of different women. Not one brought out the adventurous side of him or the desire to be a one-woman man. The sex had become an act. Now he wanted love, her love. He needed to remind her why she had fallen head over hills for him so many years ago. She had been his biggest fan. He could always count on looking out across the arena and seeing her leaning against the rail in anticipation as he readied himself in the chute. Those were the days. Now, he needed to focus, though, so he tried to clear his racing thoughts and heart the best he could.

  When Danielle and Stacy made it back to the arena, both J.C. and Will were leaning on the corral. J.C.’s ass was well crafted, perfect for squeezing, touching. Knock it off. Danielle just shook her head. This wouldn’t be easy.

  Stacy snuck up behind Will and wrapped her arms around his waist. “It’s about time, baby. Nail that eight seconds, and I’ll give you a treat later.”

  Will turned and kissed her quickly then broke away. “Ooh, baby, you know how to excite me.”

  Danielle stood a few feet behind and looked toward the chute and felt her stomach quiver. Nothing had seemed to change. She had sworn to hate rodeos for the rest of her life…right. The anticipation grew inside her. She couldn’t help how much it excited her and how much it turned her on.

  The thought of a man bracing himself upon twenty-five hundred pounds of dynamite and holding on with one hand stoked her internal flame, The one she thought had been snuffed out. There was something so barbaric about trying to tame such fury. Her hands began to tremble, and she felt her pussy throb harder. Oh, this was so not the time. Her body was hot and stirred into an inferno of lust and passion. She nervously crossed her arms and tapped her fingers.

  “A kiss for luck, beautiful?” J.C. chuckled. “You look nervous.” He couldn’t help himself. Maybe she would say yes, then again she might slap the smug smile off his face, too.

  Danielle raised an eyebrow. “I have something you can kiss…my ass.”

  J.C. laughed as he intently stared at Danielle. She was gorgeous yet irritable, and he loved that in a woman.

  Danielle looked away. Eye contact was a no-no. His seductive blue eyes could suck in any woman, especially her. Her plan wasn’t working out so well. He seemed to know how to push her buttons—all of them.

  “Time to go, J.C.,” Will said. He kissed Stacy sweetly. “See you soon.”

  J.C. stood up and pushed away from the corral and winked at Danielle.

  Danielle rolled her eyes and looked the other way. She wished she could have taken him up on the kiss, just one kiss. One kiss would tell her what she felt was nothing more than a stupid, silly crush her mind and body made into something more.

  J.C. and Will turned and walked away. Danielle didn’t miss how his denim jeans molded to his muscular thighs and tight ass, again sending a flurry of sensations coursing through her. He was so much more than just a guy. He was the one. In reality, though, he couldn’t be the one. If he were the one, then her heart wouldn’t hurt so badly.

  Stacy bounced and babbled about Will as she watched him walk away. Danielle grinned. Stacy had deserved to find someone that totally tripped her trigger like Will did. At least one of them ought to be happy.

  “You know, he really has feelings for you, Danielle. I can tell,” Stacy said as she grabbed Danielle’s arm and walked toward the rail.

  “Yeah, and pigs fly,” Danielle quipped. J.C. liked to annoy her, and he was very, very good at it. “The only feelings he has are lodged between his legs and nothing more.” Just thinking about what lay underneath denim had her breaking out in a sweat.

  “Suit yourself. I know what I saw.” Stacy put her beer to her lips and took a long swig.

  Danielle followed and finished the rest of her own then threw the empty bottle into the trash. “Let’s not talk about him anymore. Let’s just enjoy being here together, okay?”

  “Okay, beer me.” Stacy laughed. “Your turn to run for beer.”

  “You always get me with that. Oh, we are walking to the motel. By the end of tonight, I won’t be able to pass a sobriety test.

  Stacy giggled. “You got it.”

  When Danielle returned, the announcer came over the loud speaker. “First up tonight is one of our own, Mr. Will Evans. He’s riding Shadow Dancer, a gnarly bull with aggressive tendencies. Let’s give him a warm hometown welcome.”

  The crowd cheered and whistled. Danielle clapped and watched Stacy bouncing at the rail on her tiptoes in giddy anticipation. She remembered how it felt. She had done the same when the announcers introduced John, err, J.C. years ago. Her stomach turned, and she closed her eyes, trying to hold back the tears. Suck it up.

  The chute opened, and Will came out in a blind fury. Stacy squealed and jumped up and down. “Go, baby, go.”

  The fury of action was dizzying. Will rode well. His style and mannerisms reminded her of J.C. The two shared a lot of physical traits, and one was upper body strength. The other trait was a flare of showmanship and determination.

  When the horn blew, Will fell off the bull backward and rolled. Stacy screamed, “Get up. Run.” Will scrambled to his feet and ran toward the rail and climbed up.

  The announcer boomed out of the speakers. “Holy smokes, first up and nailed it, folks. Eight seconds for Will Evans.”

  The crowd screamed and whistled at a deafening volume. Will took off his straw hat and waved to the audience. Danielle clapped and smiled while Stacy jumped into Danielle and locked her into a bear hug.

  “That’s my man,” Stacy screamed and kissed Danielle hard on the cheek.

  Adrenaline began to build
more in Danielle. She couldn’t help it. Bull riding appealed to her, and she had forgotten how much she loved it. She breathed a sigh of relief. There was nothing worse than knowing someone riding and seeing them injured. Will had been lucky. Bull riding wasn’t for the weak or the faint of heart. Bull riding was for the hardcore, fearless warriors. Maybe that was why it was so attractive to her.

  A handful of other riders took their fate into their own hands and did all right after Will, but none nailed it. Danielle sipped her beer nervously. J.C. would be up anytime. Would she feel the same as she had years ago while watching him? She drummed her nails against the longneck bottle waiting.

  “Hmm, nervous, Danielle?” Stacy asked with a grin on her face.

  “Ha, I’m nervous about running out of beer,” Danielle sarcastically stated and rolled her eyes.

  “Rock, paper, scissors?” Stacy asked.

  Danielle tossed her empty bottle into the trash and readied herself, “One, two, three, go.”

  They pounded their fists on their palms in time to the counting.

  “Damn,” Danielle said loudly when her hand smacked onto her palm in the shape of paper and she noticed Stacy’s shape.

  Stacy had set her hand cocked into scissors. “Ha, scissors cut paper. You lose.” Stacy chuckled.

  Danielle headed back to the beer stand, four down now, maybe five. Hell, she had already lost count. It was enough to give her a buzz and loosen her up somewhat. She smiled as she ordered two more beers. Stacy was always better at rock, paper, scissors, heifer. Just then the announcer spoke.

  “Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome your hometown hero, winner of four state titles, and soon to be riding in Las Vegas this fall at the championship. Mr. J.C. Evans.”

  Whoops and hollers echoed loudly, and whistles pierced Danielle’s ears as she made her way back to Stacy. On her way, she overheard a group of women talking loudly. “That J.C. is the hottest man alive. I’d give anything for one night with that stud.”

  Danielle shook her head, yeah, most women would. There was another reason to stay on her course. J.C. was bad news, and she didn’t want to compete with loose females from city to city. What was she even saying? She was not dating him and had no right or claim to him. She hated him, despised him. Yeah, whatever.

  Danielle handed Stacy her beer and looked toward the chute. J.C. was wrapping the rope around his palm and talking with the men helping him get ready. The muscles in his biceps flexed as the bull bucked and thrashed. His face was fierce and confident as he adjusted.

  Danielle’s stomach flip-flopped, and she began to shiver. She gripped the railing tightly and held her breath. The feelings came back in a rush. J.C. looked like a warrior sitting straddle on top of that bull. His straw hat cast a shadow across his eyes, giving him a dark, ominous look. She took a deep breath and waited for the tip of his hat.

  J.C. placed the rope across his palm in his leather gloves and gripped tightly while pounding his grip with his other hand. He breathed long and slow breaths as he shifted his weight on top of Satan’s Fury. The bull thrashed hard into the gate, but J.C. maintained his balance.

  Before he gave the go-ahead, he glanced toward the rail where Danielle was. She stood with both hands gripping the pipe corral, her brown eyes wide, and fear evident in her face as she stared at him in the chute.

  Just like old times, he thought. God, he loved watching her watch him, always had. She seemed to make him want to perform his best, like he was on a mission to impress her. At the time, it had seemed so silly. She had been sixteen when she first started coming to local rodeos, and hell, he’d noticed her. But, he’d been nineteen, so that was a definite no-no. Then she’d turned eighteen and he’d turned twenty-one, but she was just a kid, although she had never seemed like a kid.

  Danielle was always mature and responsible. She had her head on straight, with big plans for her life, and he’d never doubted once she would accomplish anything she set out to do. He’d wanted her from the beginning but held back. He’d spent many sleepless nights thinking of her.

  Stop. He had to stop thinking of her, the past, and everything right now. He had to nail this for her. He tipped his hat, and the gate swung open. Satan’s Fury bounded and twisted as J.C. leaned back and spurred.

  Danielle sucked in a breath. She had forgotten to breathe, again. She felt her feet bouncing underneath her, and she gripped on the rail so tightly she was losing feeling in her fingers.

  The bull twisted, and J.C. fought to stay on. He regained his mount and threw his feet up and spurred the bull again. Six seconds. It seemed like an eternity, seconds, mere seconds dragged by at an excruciating rate, seven.

  You can do it.

  The buzzer blared, and J.C. bailed off and became airborne. The bull bounded around and nearly clipped him in the head as J.C. landed and rolled. Climbing to his feet quickly, he ran and climbed the rail. The bull was underneath him, trying to get a piece of him while he cleared the rail, and Danielle exhaled and trembled.

  Stacy eyed Danielle suspiciously.

  Danielle straightened her posture and acted like it was all no big deal. “Well, I guess we walk to the motel now, or do you want to watch the rest of the rodeo?”

  Stacy nodded. “I just want to wait for Will. Do you mind?”

  Danielle smiled. “Of course not. Actually, I’ll meet you at the truck. I want to grab my bag.”

  “Okay, see ya in a minute.”

  Danielle made her way through the crowd of people. Too many emotions were coursing through her veins, and she needed to get out of there. She walked quietly to her truck and clicked the unlock button on her key ring.

  The night had been…well, a disaster. She had gone from mad to excited to sad to what was the emotion she had now? Her mind was a mess. She was acting like that giddy, eighteen-year-old girl, and she shouldn’t because J.C. was bad, bad for her and her future. Plus, he had made it clear he wasn’t interested in her before. She was sure he was interested in sex though. What guy wasn’t?

  Danielle could easily fall into his arms and into his bed, but what then? Hot sex. He wasn’t the marrying kind. He was too into his rodeos, women, and good times to settle down. No, she needed to put a stop to the path her heart was taking. He could potentially ruin her plans.

  Danielle grabbed her bag and Stacy’s out of the truck then locked the door behind her. She leaned back on the truck and closed her eyes. It’s the alcohol talking. Ignore the fuzzy feelings. They are not real.

  The warm air blew across her skin and made her smile. She loved the start of summer, loved warm weather, hay season, and lightning bugs at night. She planned on sitting in her mother’s porch swing and taking it all in when she got home.

  The crickets chirped, and the frogs croaked in unison even over the noise of the rodeo. Thanks to the weather and the alcohol, right now she felt relaxed and at ease for the first time weeks. Finals had whipped her tail. Graduation and the finality of it all had been an emotional drain, not to mention the drama tonight that had unfolded with J.C.

  Tomorrow she vowed to get her head on straight and get some more applications out. Thoughts then turned to her mother. She wanted Danielle to work at the county hospital, but Danielle had no plans of staying, not that she wanted to be away from her parents, but the money wouldn’t be as good, not to mention the patients. If she stayed local, she would know upward of ninety percent of them. Not that that was a bad thing, but she didn’t want to deal with it emotionally.

  Whatever, she thought. She was in no shape to think of something like life right now, especially after a six-pack of beer. All she needed to remember was that she hated J.C. Evans. It would serve her well to remember he was no good for her, and she needed to finally close that chapter of her life and move on.

  “Hey, girl. Did you fall asleep?” Stacy said as she pranced over to the truck.

  Danielle opened her eyes while looking up toward the stars. “Nah, I was just thinking.”

  “I hear thinking i
s really overrated,” Stacy said smiling. “Especially after the use of alcohol.”

  “I have heard that, too. I think I need a bed. I guess I’m a lightweight.” Danielle gave a quick grin.

  J.C. walked up behind Will and stared at Danielle leaning against the side of her truck. What he wouldn’t give to have the whole world just go away and leave him alone with her. He needed to tell her the reasons for his behavior so many years ago. But as she stood and looked at him with hate glossing over her eyes, he knew it wouldn’t be easy. He conceded for the night and slapped Will on the back. “Need a ride?”

  “Nah, I’m going to walk to the motel with these two lovely ladies,” Will said, and winked at J.C.

  As they walked along, all Danielle heard was giggling and kissing. Hearing the sweet words back and forth was as hard on her heart as seeing J.C. It was a reminder she was still alone with no prospect in sight.

  J.C. drove, opting to steer clear for a little while, and besides, he couldn’t leave his brand new truck sitting there. Some of the other rider’s nicknamed the truck the panty dropper because it was top of line, over the top, decked out, and most women swooned over it and him. He smiled at how much he didn’t care about all of that anymore. It seemed overly juvenile all of a sudden.

  J.C. turned out of the parking area and felt his body ache. The landings were becoming harder all the time. Now instead of hitting dirt, he felt like he had hit concrete. All these years had passed for him doing what he did best, but now, he could feel the end near. He’d had his play years, lots of women and booze, and damn that scene had gotten old quick.

  Now he dreamed of a blonde with deep, sultry brown eyes and a mean streak a country mile long. Huh, it served him right she wouldn’t give him the time of day…smart girl.

  * * * *

  Danielle dragged her small suitcase behind her to the front desk to retrieve her key. Stacy would no doubt be staying with Will. Good, she thought. She could use the alone time. As she turned with key in hand, she gasped. J.C. stood quietly behind her and startled her.