I was wrong. I understood what he meant. I felt it for Skylar. I just hoped she could take me as I am—all of me. Even my desires that the rest of the world might not understand. She was young and, if I had to guess, innocent. That made me crave her even more.
“Oh, shoot,” Skylar pulled back suddenly and stomped her foot. “I forgot. Can I borrow your phone?”
“Sure.” I pulled my phone from my back pocket, unlocked it, and handed it over to her.
She quickly dialed a number and put the phone to her ear. Her teeth nervously bit into her bottom lip as she waited for whoever she was calling to pick up.
“It’s me.”
“I know. My phone broke when I was tackled. I’m fine. The guy was trying to save my life, not murder me. He’s letting me use his phone to call you.”
I listened quietly as she talked to her friend. “That’s embarrassing.” Her eyes flittered up toward me and a blush stained her cheeks. “Christ. Hey, Tyson.” Her face stretched into a pained smile before she handed me the phone.
“I’m sorry,” she mouthed as I took the phone from her outstretched hand. “He wants to talk to you.”
HE? Who the fuck is HE? She damn sure didn’t need to be sitting on my lap, holding my hand, or eye fucking me if she had a man at home. Jealousy coursed through me as I took the phone from her.
“Yes,” I said, waiting to find out what the hell this Tyson wanted from and who he was.
“This is Assistant District Attorney Tyson Blake.” I cocked a brow and looked over at Skylar. “The girl,” I heard a feminine voice correct him from the background, “woman you’re with is my wife’s best friend.”
“What do you want from me?” I felt a sense of relief that he was married to her best friend. At least his interest wasn’t in Skylar as a woman, but as his wife’s friend’s safety.
“If Skylar stays at the rodeo, will you keep an eye on her? We are trying to get her to go home, but she’s stubborn.”
This guy had no clue that I already planned on keeping more than just an eye on her. I’d be tying her to me permanently and in more ways than one.
Chapter Five
“What did he say?” Skylar asked nervously when I hung up the phone. I didn’t answer immediately, but I grabbed my wallet and snapped a picture of my license, sending it over to the number that Skylar had just called.
“He just wants to make sure you’re safe with me, Sweetheart.” I said, giving her a sideways grin. “Nothing more. I sent him my license, so he knows who you’re with.”
“You don’t have to stay with me, Rhett. I’m sure you have someone here with you.”
“Actually, I don’t.” She had no clue that I was here on business, not pleasure. “I’m on my own, too, so we might as well be alone together. Are you hungry?” I switched the subject because I wasn’t ready to tell her I was a bull rider, yet. She’d realize it soon enough when I sat her in the family and friends section of the arena.
I placed my hand in the small of her back and guided her toward the food carts and carnival. There was no way I could eat anything, but if she was hungry, I wanted her to have something in her stomach, so she didn’t try to go get food when I wasn’t with her later. The last thing I wanted was some asshole getting his claws into her when I wasn’t there to protect her.
“Not so much hungry, but I’d love some cotton candy.”
I closed my eyes briefly. Of course she would because it wasn’t going to be hard enough to keep my hands and lips to myself. I had to look at her and watch her eating sweet spun sugar that probably wasn’t near as sweet as she was. FUCK! This was going to be a long night, and I was going to have blue balls by the end of it.
Skylar made eating cotton candy look seductive. With each lick of her fingers and moan at the sugary flavor that melted on her tongue, my cock grew harder for her. When she offered me a pinch of the fluffy, pink cloud of sugar. I couldn’t resist capturing her wrist in my hand and pulling her fingers to my mouth.
She drew in a quick breath at the touch of my lips on her fingers. Her eyes widened and darkened with desire, saying things her mouth wouldn’t dare speak.
“Careful what you offer, Sweetheart. I’m just depraved enough to take you up on it.”
“I didn’t offer anything,” she whispered nervously, licking her soft lips.
I leaned in close to her, my lips a breath away from hers. “Your eyes offered it up, Sweetheart, but I’ll need your mouth to offer it, too; so there’s no mistaking that you want me between your legs.”
She gasped and I captured her lips with mine. At first, she stiffened in my arms, but it wasn’t a second before she melted against me, her bag of cotton candy squished between us forgotten, and her fingers curling into the front of my shirt.
Skylar tasted of cotton candy and honey. The softness of her lips made me want to devour her even more, but I couldn’t let the kiss get out of control. We were in the middle of the rodeo fair, and if I let loose of my control, we’d both get arrested.
I knew I wanted her from the second I saw her, but I didn’t anticipate her knocking me on my ass with just one kiss. She packed more of a punch than any bull I’d ever ridden. Skylar sent my head spinning and adrenaline pumping through my veins, and it lasted a hell of a lot longer than eight seconds.