Hooked (19 page)

“No, she didn’t go farther than the local shopping center for a job, but that wasn’t it. I think I never asked because even when we were together, I never saw myself having kids with her.”

Annie swallowed hard and tried to make her voice sound normal and not as if a lump had lodged itself firmly in her throat. “Oh.”

Luke sat up and grinned. “You wanna join me for a shower? I have some ideas on how we can use that massaging showerhead. And I’m thinking that really slippery liquid body wash could be useful too.”

The very serious Luke had disappeared and the happy-go-lucky one had resurfaced. That was fine with her. He’d given her plenty to ponder…later. Her gaze dropped down his body, taking in his firm pecs, the lean abs, and finally landing lower. “That sounds good to me.”

“Good.” Luke rose from the bed and extended a hand to Annie. “Oh, and don’t let me forget to go and ride later.”

She laughed. “As if you would forget there’s an event today. Are you kidding?”

He pulled her up and close to him, their naked bodies pressed together. “While I’m with you? Yeah, I could definitely forget.”

Bull riders lived and breathed for these events, yet Luke was saying that right here and right now, being with her was the only thing on his mind. Her heart gave a flutter at what was probably one of the nicest compliments she’d ever received. “Then I better make sure to remind you.”

“You do that. Later. Much later.” With a devilish grin, Luke scooped her up and carried her toward the bathroom. Annie decided she better remember to remind herself as well, because Luke sure made it hard for a girl to think.

“Luke Carpenter in the chute now on True Grit, a bull out of C&C Cattle Company. You know, JW, I had my doubts about Luke’s comeback after his being totally out of the sport for so many months, but he did great yesterday on his first bull back in competition.”

“I agree, Jim. But if the viewers saw yesterday’s broadcast and our own Annie Grant’s interview with Luke about what he did to prepare for his return, they know that once he made the decision, he got on as many practice bulls as he could before yesterday’s ride.”

Though it was hard to concentrate on anything except Luke in the chute, Annie listened to the banter between the two guys in the booth through her earpiece. Her ears perked up when she heard her own name mentioned but her eyes remained focused on Luke.

He wiggled his hips from side to side, trying to settle himself on the bull, but all Annie could think of was exactly how well his hips had moved in the shower that morning when she’d wrapped her legs around them as he braced her against the wall of the stall. She tried to yank her thoughts back to the present, but not before she was hit with the image of exactly how he’d used both the massaging showerhead and the slippery bath gel on her in wonderful and creative ways just as he’d promised.

The gate swung open and Annie’s attention snapped to the action. True Grit was a big bull, but Luke was considered on the tall side for a bull rider, so they were a good fit. In this sport, height could be a disadvantage, particularly if you drew a small bull.

The animal was new to the circuit but he bucked impressively, keeping the power and height in his kicks consistent, even after he settled into a spin. True Grit would surely be scored as well as any champion bull if Annie was any judge of his performance. And after all these years, she was pretty good at predicting these kinds of things by now. Would Chelsea be able to do that? Doubtful. Then again, maybe it didn’t matter to the network. There were judges to determine the scores. Who needed a reporter who could do that?

The bull and rider moved toward the edge of the arena and Annie’s gaze caught on Chelsea, too busy flirting with one of the rookies to bother watching the ride. With a shake of her head, Annie turned back just in time to see Luke release his wrap as the buzzer sounded, then leap off the bull.

It had looked like a great ride, even a good dismount, but Luke’s leg buckled beneath him as he hit the dirt and he crumpled to the ground.

A cry caught in her throat as Annie watched the bull turn back toward him, bucking and spinning right on top of where Luke lay. The deadly hooves narrowly missed hitting him as he pulled himself into a tight ball and shielded his head with his arms. The bull fighters were there immediately, distracting the animal and drawing him away from Luke, who finally rose from the ground. He hobbled one step, then hopped on one leg toward the safety of the rails. It was obvious to Annie and everyone else watching he was hurt. The sports-medicine team ran to him and after a short discussion she couldn’t hear, supported him as he limped out of the arena with one man bracing him on each side.

“Annie! Get over there and see what’s wrong.” Joe startled Annie so much that she jumped.

She didn’t need Joe’s loud and insistent voice in her ear telling her that. Annie was already jogging toward the sports-medicine room to see Luke. She did note with a small amount of satisfaction that Joe was yelling at her to get in there, not Chelsea. Maybe experience counted for something to this network after all. Either that, or he’d learned his lesson about trying to force the new girl down the throats of a veteran rider like Luke, who clearly preferred working with her.

Carl, encumbered by his equipment, lagged slightly. “What do you think happened? It looked like a great ride.”

She heard his question coming from behind her. Without slowing, Annie called the answer over her shoulder. “It looked like his knee gave out when he jumped off. Probably his ACL.”

Annie could try and talk about Luke’s injury in objective terms. She could pretty much diagnose what was wrong with the riders herself from her years of experience reporting on this sport. But unlike all the other riders’ injuries she’d reported on, she was feeling far from objective on the inside. All sorts of thoughts sped through her brain. He was obviously in pain, and she couldn’t bear knowing that. On top of that, this injury might take him out of competition for months, just when she’d gotten him back. Selfish as it was, Annie hated the thought of being separated from him again.

Of course, like many riders, Luke might decide to continue to ride injured, and not take the time off to rehab or get reconstructive surgery. That was a whole other issue because even though riders competed with injuries all the time, this was her rider. It would be much different watching Luke in pain.

She entered the medical room to find Luke already seated on one of the examining tables, stripped of his boots, chaps and jeans. Luckily for the station, and her own sanity, the hem of his shirt hung long enough to hide his underwear and the outline of anything beneath it that shouldn’t be shown on TV or to many people wandering around back here.

Carl slung the camera onto his shoulder, about to flip it on for a live feed to the control booth.

Annie held up one hand. “Can we hold on for just a second?”

He raised one brow, but nodded. “Sure.”

She took one step closer but still stayed a good distance away. After all, to everyone except perhaps the meddling Mustang and Slade who knew more than they should, she was supposed to only be a reporter, not Luke’s girlfriend. “You okay?”

It was obvious by the set of his jaw he was in pain and trying to hide it.

“I’ll be fine.” He tipped his chin toward Carl. “Go on with your shot. It’s okay.”

“You sure?”

He nodded, gritting his teeth as the team of doctors prodded his knee.

Annie gave Carl a nod and the red light on the camera came to life. As JW and Jim discussed the situation over the live feed of the sports-medicine team working on Luke, Annie wouldn’t have to talk. Eventually, when the doctors knew more she’d have to interview them, but that wouldn’t be for a little bit. That was good. She needed time to regain her composure. Though what she really needed was time alone with Luke to both comfort him and convince herself he’d be okay.

Annie eventually got her wish. Before the short go, after the red light had gone dim and her interviews with both the head of sports medicine and Luke were over, she pulled out her earpiece and shoved it in her pocket. “Can we take five, Carl?”

“Sure thing, Annie. I gotta hit the head anyway.”

Thank goodness for Carl’s small bladder and love of soda.

“Okay.” She waited for Carl to turn the corner, then she and Luke were alone for the moment in the dressing room. He was fully dressed again, sitting on the bench with his leg up. She leaned close and kept her voice low so anyone walking nearby wouldn’t hear her acting more like a girlfriend than a sports reporter. “Are you sure you want to ride in the final round?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He frowned.

“Because you’re injured.” Annie glanced pointedly down at the knee with the brace on it. Knowing bull riders, she knew her statement sounded ridiculous to him.

“The doc said I’m okay to ride, Annie.” He reached for her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I’m okay.”

Deep down, Annie had hoped the doctor wouldn’t clear Luke to ride, but he had. This sport was dangerous enough as it was. Riding injured made it even more deadly. She sighed. It was also very likely that Luke wouldn’t agree to get his knee operated on or even take some time off from competition to rest it and let it heal. Not now anyway, when there were competitions every week and either option would mean missing months of the season which would take him out of being a contender for one of those all-so-important top-ten spots in the rankings.

“You heard the doctor. It’s torn. It can’t get any more torn. If I can’t do more damage and I can stand the pain, then why not keep riding?”

Why were bull riders so stubborn? Annie sighed. “Luke, you should really just get it taken care of. Why won’t you consider it, please?”

Luke’s expression turned serious. “Because if I can’t ride because I’m recuperating, I might fall so far behind I could get cut from the tour.”

“I understand that. But you’re good. You’d work your way back up again fast.” She nodded, understanding but still not agreeing with his decision. Only the top riders could participate in this particular series of events. Riders in Luke’s situation had been sent down to lower divisions until they rose enough in the ranks to qualify them again.

“It’s not just my rank, Annie. It’s us.” The expression in his eyes clearly showed his concern. “I’m afraid it will be the end of us if you’re traveling with the tour without me.”

“What? You’re not going to take the time off you need because of me? You’re a fool, Luke Carpenter.” She shook her head.

“Why?”

“First of all, because I wouldn’t let it be the end of us. We’d make it work. Whether you were home recuperating or down in the touring pro division working your way back up, we’d work it out. Whatever it took. I’m too stubborn to fail. Especially at something as important to me as this is…as you are.”

“Really?”

She nodded. “Really. Now that I’ve got you in my life, you’re going to be hard pressed to get rid of me, Luke Carpenter. I hope you’re ready for that.”

“Good, I’m glad. And I’m more than ready.” Luke reached up and pulled her head toward his. He planted a deep kiss on her. As usual, a kiss from Luke took her breath away.

When he finally released her lips she struggled to retain her original train of thought amid the other things flying around her brain. The biggest issue was she and Luke were probably no longer a secret. Not after that kiss here in the not-so-private dressing room where people had probably walked by and seen them when she was too distracted to notice. At this point in her life, and her career, she was perfectly fine with them being outed. Which brought the other point back to her. “And second…”

Luke smiled just inches from her face as his fingers massaged the back of her neck. “There’s a second?”

He was too damn cute and he was hers. Annie was still having trouble wrapping her head around that.

“Yes, there’s a second.” She forged forward before she forgot what she wanted to say, gave in and simply kissed him some more. “Second, do you really think I have any longer in my job than you do in yours? If it’s not Chelsea, it will be someone else. Maybe it’s time I start looking toward what I want to do after this job. It’s been a nice run, but all the travel is tough. I think I could find a pretty good reason to settle down in one place. You know, eventually if someone who was also settled in one place wanted me to be there settled near him.”

His lips curved in a smile. “Oh, somebody definitely wants you to all right.” He glanced down at his knee. “So after the short go, you won’t mind a slightly wobbly bull rider who may have to wear a leg brace for a while, will you?”

Annie narrowed her eyes at him. “You promise that you’ll do what your body tells you is right? You’ll take the time off if you need to and not risk getting hurt more?”

The expression in his incredibly blue eyes that never failed to pull her into them looked sincere as they focused on hers. “I swear. I’ll take care of the knee over the long winter break—”

“Unless you need to sooner.” She cocked a brow at him.

He nodded. “Unless I need to sooner, then I’ll do it over the summer break.”

She nodded back, well aware he was simply indulging her, but at least it was a start. “Fine. Then I have no problem with a slightly wobbly but absolutely gorgeous bull rider with a brace on his incredibly sexy leg.”

Luke smiled. “That’s good to hear.”

“In fact, you may need to be horizontal and have that leg up and resting in bed for who knows…days.” Annie liked that idea. Not only because it would mean he was resting, but also because she had every intention of being the one in bed with him. Of course, there might not be much resting going on.

As Luke dipped his head lower toward hers, she caught movement out of the corner of her eye. Mustang paused in the doorway. With a smile, he tipped his hat to her and then kept walking past.

He’d told her once no one knew what tomorrow, or even the next eight seconds, would bring. He was right. All Annie knew was that her tomorrow would have Luke in it. She directed her focus back to Luke. He closed in for another kiss and as his lips met hers, she was pretty sure the next eight seconds were going to be pretty damn nice too. That was all she needed to know.