C.J. had followed him into the groom's room as he prepared for his next attempt to ride Gutbuster. The sorrel stallion had just tossed him in the dirt within eight seconds of him getting on his bareback. That might have been enough to satisfy the judges at a rodeo but it wasn't long enough for him to win the bet.
Five people had bet against Matt Houston that he couldn't stay on Gutbuster for 10 seconds. He'd tried twice already and hadn't even been close. But each time he climbed back on his feet, wiped the dirt of the corral off of his chaps and limped away to get himself a cold beer. He'd be back on the horse the way his daddy had always taught him.
Just not right away.
During the week, Matt dressed up in a suit and worked as the CEO of his conglomerate, Houston Enterprises. That's where C.J. had reconnected with him after years of not seeing him while she'd been back at Harvard Law School. They had grown up together in ranching country just outside of Houston as kids after C.J.'s parents had died and she'd left to live with her aunt and uncle on the ranch next to his daddy's.
Four years had passed until they had reunited after he invited her to interview alongside a dozen other prospective hires to fill the slots in his legal dream team. She of course got herself a job after she walked into his office and nearly knocked his boots off during an interview. She'd paid her dues and soon enough, worked herself up the ranks to become his corporate vice-president and right hand man…
Or as she preferred it, girl.
She'd just hopped the corral fence and with Bo and Lamar helped him back on his feet, watching him wince as he dusted himself again.
She'd ask him if he was really okay.
"Nothing more insane than a laughing loser…
As his daddy used to say.
Yet he kept returning to the corral to try again. To get dressed in his chaps which he strapped on over his pants and after putting on his boots, he'd put his favorite cowboy hat on and then get ready to head on out here to get back on Gutbuster.
She'd always be waiting for him, with a cheery smile on her face.
"You ready to go?"
She watched as he again adjusted his chaps which only accentuated his killer body even further and then he pulled his leather riding gloves over his hands. Most CEOs worked out on the racquet ball court or the golf course to get into decent shape. Matt still ran his own ranch, albeit one on a smaller scale mostly horses and this herd of cows. It fleshed out his muscles and it kept him sane especially when his work schedule grew insane. It kept him from taking his work home with him. In fact, he forbade anyone including his top accountant Murray Chase from bringing even an iota of work to the ranch.
Much to the sheer horror of Murray of course who tried to cross that boundary more than once, before being gently chastised by his boss.
She could relate with Matt's feelings on the issue. She'd drop by the ranch where she kept her own horse and go riding for hours anytime she could spare. A few hours out riding in beautiful surroundings with a strong but responsive horse between her legs could do wonders for her spirit.
"Houston?"
He nodded, looking at her while standing dressed in one of his softly laundered button down shirts and underneath his chaps, his favorite pair of worn jeans. Boots on his feet, broken down from spending a lot of time there…even to work.
"What darling?"
She smiled, knowing it was his favorite endearment. His curly dark hair and his shadowy jaw line complimented a pair of sparkling brown eyes with just a hint of gold. She'd patched up enough cuts and scrapes on the body underneath his shirt to know it was all muscle between his capable shoulders and his abs…strong from horseback riding and other outdoor pursuits.
"You ready to win this time? Because I actually didn't bet against you."
His brows arched up.
"Really…but you did the other two times when I got thrown quicker each time…"
She smiled, flipping back her mahogany curls off of her face.
"Come on, you stayed on for eight seconds last time," she said, "You're getting closer."
He grimaced.
"Close only matters in horse shoes," he said, "I've got to add at least two seconds to my ride."
She put one hand on her hip and winked at him.
"You mean on a horse right," he said, "Don't think I didn't see Becky slip you an item of personal clothing last time."
He shook his head.
"I gave them back…discreetly," he said, "That ship has sailed already."
She smiled back at him, the reality of that pleasing her. She hadn't liked Becky much because she just looked so high maintenance. Matt had tried to make her happy but she didn't seem happy. Certainly not at the ranch kicking back with a bunch of cowboys sipping on cold beer while watching Matt get tossed on his ass by a washed up bronco.
"They wagered a lot against you," she said, "About $5,000."
His brows arched again.
"Really…and you didn't add to the pot."
She folded her arms.
"I told you where I'm putting my money."
He nodded sitting down on a hay bale to adjust his boots. She watched him loving it.
"Yes I guess you did," he said, "but seriously I don't know how I'm going to stay on that horse."
She smiled at him, moving closer so that she stood between his thighs. He looked at her bemused.
"C.J.…."
She looked at him innocently.
"Yes?"
"What are you thinking about right now?"
She licked her lips.
"About ways to make sure I don't lose my money betting on you."
He just looked up at her.
"Any ideas on how to do that…?"
She tilted her face.
"Maybe…"
He stood up and she moved backward just enough to let him.
"What do you mean by that C.J.?"
She smiled and then reached out with her hands to put around his neck to bring him closer to her. When she pulled him close enough, her mouth brushed up against his lips, gently and then pulling backwards before returning. Each time, she would kiss him just a little harder, tasting him. She felt his heart beating faster against her chest which told her he liked it.
Not that she needed much feedback besides the hardness that pressed against her belly soon enough. He returned her kissing, tasting her too and the scent of his aftershave and the alfalfa and old leather wafting around him made her heady.
Made her want him…only…she pushed him away gently…
"Houston, you got a bronco to bust," she said, "And I need to hold onto my money."
He seemed speechless from the kiss they just shared as she placed her hands on his chest.
"But…"
"No butts…except to get yours back in here when you get the job done."
He looked at her puzzled.
"What do you mean?"
She smiled at him, her eyes dancing.
"Here's how it's going to play," she said, "You stay on that bronco 10 seconds and I'll be here waiting when you're done and you can do whatever you want…"
His confusion remained on his face. God, the guy could be a crackerjack businessman in the conference room and a great investigator in the field but clueless about some more basic things.
"You mean…"
Ah…maybe he might be getting it. She caressed his stubbly jaw line with a couple of fingers.
"Yeah…you ride that bronco out there long enough; you can come back and we'll figure out what to do then."
For a moment, she thought he might pass out and then she'd really have problems. Because then he might not be in condition to ride at all if he was passed out on the tack room floor, because her proposition had shocked him senseless.
"What the hell are you saying?"
She stepped a bit closer and looked into his eyes dead serious.
"What I just said, that if you stay on that bronco and win me my money," she said, "You can come back here, ride me real hard and pull me up wet or however it goes."
He remained silent for a while. A long while…too long…damn had she really managed to shut him up? She bit her lip. Okay maybe she had gone a bit too far but the way he looked at her now…damn it just confused the hell out of her. Maybe she'd slip him an item of her clothing but then…that might be difficult considering he had to go out and bust his bronco.
Of course he could do it himself afterward.
Her breath caught as she imagined him doing that…while looking at her in a way that wasn't much different than the way he looked now…now that it looked like the shock was ebbing away. She could tell a part of him wanted what she offered but otherwise…maybe she should just tell him it was a joke. Just laugh it off, slap him on the back as a friend and send him out to get his ass busted by Gutbuster again.
But his face changed and then she knew she was in trouble. Because he didn't look like he thought it was a joke.
"C.J.…"
She moved to kiss his delicious mouth again only this time she did something else. She casually slid her arms around his neck, sliding her fingers in his wavy hair …and oh damn he had grown still all of a sudden. He groaned when she did that too, while his body tensed. She stopped kissing and gave him a saucy look.
"You like that cowboy…I like it too."
Damn, he felt hard and muscled even under his clothes like the horse he'd be riding…and she felt that familiar ache inside of her that tore her up. She almost pulled her hands away from him and laughed her moves off. But in for a penny, in for a pound…
"I'll like it even more when you come into the shed with me after you ride that damn bronco…"
Her fingers still weaving through his hair enough so she could hear him sigh against her.
"C.J.…god we can't…"
Oh no, he wasn't going to start going on about how he didn't do or even think about doing naughty things with his female friends. The ones that he saw past their faces and bodies, she loved him for how he treated her like a close friend.
Just not right now.
"Like I said, I'm protecting my investment…and I want to know what it's like to not be your friend."
He sighed.
"You are my friend," he said, "I can't turn that off."
She knew he meant it. He'd do anything for her just like she would do for him. But why couldn't that include more than what they already had? She knew he wanted it, at least on some level. But then the uncertainty that her feelings that she'd been harboring were not hers alone.
"I want more than that Houston…at least for a while," she said, "and it's not just about the money… "
He looked a bit surprised by that.
"Really?"
"Yeah really…just watch."
He looked at her, smiling almost as if he were humoring her and that pissed her off more than a little bit. One way to cure that fast.
She licked her lips.
"Houston if you trust me, I can help you with that," she said, "Consider it a preview of the coming attractions."
His face flushed a bit at that and she wondered why. Because he was known at the office for loving the ladies one at a time…not being into serious relationships of course.
"What are you going to do about it?"
She looked directly at him.
"This…"
And she kissed him again, more intensity flowing from her own body into his as she slid her hands down his neck until they pressed into his upper back. She felt his muscles flex beneath his shirt. At some point, she felt that he had begun kissing her back, his mouth exploring her own. His own hands sliding down her sides, until they rested on her hips where she felt his fingers grab them.
"You like that…?"
"Mmm…."
"Cat got your tongue," she said, "You're not usually this speechless."
He sighed as her mouth returned to kissing his mouth, her tongue tracing his lips.
"This doesn't seem…"
"What Houston…you don't like it when a woman gives you a kiss for good luck?"
"I….didn't…ahh…."
She smiled at him, upping the ante with the pressure of her mouth, then she released him, reluctantly.
"Yes Houston? Come on…this is your promissory note to go out and bust that bronco and then come back here…"
He groaned and she felt his back muscles tense again in her hands, knowing he was getting close to agreeing with her plan. But this time he kissed her even harder and his tongue explored her mouth. Then they broke for air, and he didn't even notice his hat had fallen off at some point.
"What if I get thrown off before the bell rings?"
She looked at him directly, their faces inches apart.
"You won't…"
She nodded breathlessly as he went to pick up his faded hat and put it on his head.
"We'd better get going or people are going to start talking."
She straightened out her own clothing and together they walked outside where a bronco waited to be ridden and a crowd of their friends waited for a good show. She knew in her gut that he'd ride that bronco for his ten seconds and then he'd return.
Bo and Lamar laughed when they saw him approach the chute where Gutbuster stood there waiting, the bronco's body tense in anticipation. Vince Novelli, still wearing his city clothes just rolled his eyes, mumbling about why he'd parted with his cash.
"I don't know anything about horses."
Charlie Eagle just said he knew a sure thing when he saw it and Slim already imagined how she'd spend her guaranteed earnings on the latest surfing equipment.
Matt climbed into the chute to prepare to board Gutbuster and as he lowered himself on the waiting horse, he glanced over at C.J. and his eyes widened as she winked at him.
Then sitting on the horse just as the chute was about to open, he knew exactly what he needed to do.
Now if he could just convince Gutbuster…