“Easy, Sweetheart. I’m just getting the pieces of hay out of your hair.”
“Oh.” I was close to her and my body was responding to her nearness. I looked down into her heated eyes as I pulled pieces from her golden locks. I recognized the look in her gaze. She was attracted to me even if she wasn’t comfortable with that knowledge. The feeling was completely mutual since I had no clue how old this girl was. She could be illegal and that would make me ill with the thoughts swirling in my head.
“How old are you?” I asked, tempering down my desire long enough to try to find out more about the girl I’d saved.
“Eighteen,” she whispered, her soft lips parting as she licked them. My gaze followed the swipe of her tongue, and I fought my desire to carry her off and devour her.
“That’s good, Sweetheart.” Knowing she was legal was a relief, but it also made my dick even harder knowing there was a chance I could have her. FUCK! I still had a bull I needed to ride tonight and trying to ride a bull when your mind is on riding something else, is a recipe for disaster.
Chapter Three
I never saw him coming, but god did he pack a punch. His body had slammed into mine so hard, it literally took my breath away. After I found out why he tackled me, I was thankful he’d been there. God, I could have died had he not gotten to me in time.
I started to shake as the adrenaline wore off. My stomach was rolling, and my body shivered despite the Georgia heat.
“Thank you for saving me,” I whispered and moved away from him. He was gorgeous with a firm square jaw, big beefy build, and dark chocolate eyes. His skin was tanned from working in the sun. I could see the lines on his biceps where his t-shirt cut around the muscles.
“You ok?”
“Yeah, I need to find my phone though.” I needed a distraction too. If there’s one thing in life I hate, it’s feeling vulnerable, and I didn’t want this man to see me shaking.
“I’ll get it. Sit down for a second to catch your breath.” He guided me to a bale of hay in the corner and then went to find my phone. Maybe I didn’t hide the fact that I was shaken as well as I thought I did.
“Sweetheart.”
“Why do you keep calling me that?” I squared my shoulders a bit. I liked the endearment, but at the same time it made me feel something deeper in my belly. Something I’d never felt before, and it scared me.
“Because I don’t know your name.”
“Oh.” Duh, I felt like an idiot—an ungrateful, idiot. “It’s Skylar.”
“I’m Rhett,” he said, handing me my phone that was broken into a few pieces. “I’m sorry about your phone and scaring you, Skylar, but you didn’t hear the commotion and get out of the way.”
I looked down at my broken phone and wished for my head to clear. Rhett squatted down in front of me. His tight jeans pulling tighter against his thighs, showing off the long lines of his muscles. No wonder I had the breath knocked out of me. The guy was huge.
“You’re ok, Skylar.” His hand covered mine and his gentle touch made me lose it. The tears I’d been trying to hold back slid down my cheek. Surprisingly, this man didn’t flinch or move away from a crying female. Instead, he picked me up and sat in my place, setting me in his lap.
I sagged against him and let the emotions drain from my body. It was too much and he was too solid. For some bizarre reason, I felt comfortable around him. He felt like a rock I could count on. Probably because he’d just saved my life, but whatever the reason, I felt safe letting my guard down, even if it was just a minute.
“The adrenaline is leaving your body, Sweetheart. Take slow deep breaths, you’ll start to relax in a minute.”
His deep, soothing tone melted my heart and my core. Rhett was gorgeous and kind. He was everything except a cowboy. He was country for sure. You couldn’t mistake that with his boots and jeans, but the t-shirt and ball cap didn’t go with the image in my head.
“Thanks for not leaving me or letting me get trampled,” I said after I calmed down a little. His body warmth seeped into me. My senses felt heightened by his nearness and it felt right being in his arms. I didn’t know Rhett, but something about him called to me. Even if he wasn’t a cowboy.
Chapter Four
She was calming down and I hesitated to let her go. I wanted to hold on to her—care for her longer. She’d been through a scare, and my big body colliding with hers probably didn’t help that.
I needed to get up and get us both moving though. This stall wouldn’t stay empty forever, and I had a bull to ride in a few hours. With what little time I had left before my ride, I wanted to spend it with her, but I want her to be the happy and carefree version of herself that I had been watching even before all hell broke loose.
“Why don’t we take a walk around the grounds.” It was more of a statement than a question. I didn’t want to let her go, but we couldn’t hide out in the horse stall all day either. “Come on.”
Gently, I removed her from my lap and stood her beside me. Her hair was still a mess, but at least it didn’t have straw in it. I picked her hat up from the hay and set it on her head, pushing a few strands of escaped hair behind her ears, trailing my finger down the line of her cheek.
She was perfection. An Aphrodite among women. I don’t even think she realized how fucking gorgeous she was, but as we walked around the rodeo grounds, I was certain every fucking man there realized it because she got more than a few looks of interest. With each look, I pulled her a little closer to my side to discourage any of these assholes from getting any ideas. She was mine.
My possessiveness was a shock, even to me. I’d never been so drawn to a woman or wanted to claim her so much. Skylar woke something deep inside me I’d never experienced before. Pop once told me that when you knew, you knew. It didn’t matter how long you were with the person; two destined souls would know when they found their other half. Pop knew my mother was for him within hours of meeting her. He said it was love at first sight, and I didn’t believe him. I scoffed, saying he got lucky that it worked out.