A Real Cowboy Rides a Motorcycle (7 page)

He winked at her as he stood up and began unbuttoning his faded plaid shirt. "Can't remember." He stripped off the shirt, revealing a tight, black tee shirt that showcased biceps and pecs that strained against the fabric. "But I remember admiring your butt in those jeans." He tossed the shirt on his duffel bag, and then ripped off his tee shirt.

She knew she should avert her gaze, not simply because he was trying to get her to look at him, but also because, well, she
wasn't
going to do anything about the fact that she was completely captivated by everything about him. She tried, she
really
tried not to gawk, but when he walked over to the bed and stood in front of her, there really wasn't anywhere else to look except at him.

She cleared her throat and pinned her gaze to his face, trying not to gape at his bare chest or the washboard abs, or the scar on the front of his right biceps. "What?"

He narrowed his eyes, and said nothing. It was as if he were waiting for something.

She held up her hands in a gesture of confusion. "I'm sorry, Zane, but you're kind of like a dog, staring at me like you want something and expect me to read your mind. You want a walk? A bone? What?"

The corner of his mouth twitched. "That's it? That's all you have to say?"

Did he have a dimple? He almost had a dimple. How could a rugged cowboy biker with five o'clock shadow and layers of ranch dust have a dimple? That was just too endearing for a man like him. "I have a lot to say as a general rule. I just have no clue what it is that you're expecting me to say."

"She didn't tell you?"

"Who didn't tell me what?"

"Mira didn't tell you who I am?"

She frowned. "Aren't you Chase's brother?"

"Yeah, not that." He gestured impatiently. "The whole bull riding thing. That."

"You ride bulls?" Wow. He'd just gone from rugged to hardcore. "Is that what the scar on your arm is from?"

"I used to ride. Not anymore." He narrowed his eyes. "I was the world champion for three years in a row."

"Um…congratulations? Is that what you want from me?" Tension was vibrating fiercely through his body, making his muscles strain beneath his taut flesh, making her pretty sure that kudos wasn't what he was waiting for. "Seriously, Zane, I'll be honest, I have no clue where you're going with this, and I'm too tired to guess. I can tell you're upset, but I'm totally clueless about what's going on. So, great job on the championship. I'm impressed." She held out her hands in a gesture of surrender. "Or…should I ask to see your trophy? I don't know what you're getting at, or why you look so angry with me." She supposed she should be nervous with all his simmering hostility, but she wasn't afraid of him at all. She somehow knew he'd never hurt her. She
was
confused, however.

He stared more intently at her. "You don't care," he said softly. "You don't care, do you?"

She sat up straighter. "That's a little harsh, don't you think? I mean, yes, I barely know you, but I'm not callous enough not to care when someone accomplishes their dream. Seriously, what do you think I am—"

"No." He crouched in front of her, his hands on her knees. It was the exact same position that Mira had been in with her, but it was a completely different experience when Zane did it. He seemed to take over the space between them, trapping her. She didn't want to run, though. He was dangerous and irritated about something, but she wanted to stay right where she was. The same feeling of rightness filled her, that same wonderful sensation of awakening in his arms. There was simply something about him that made her want to stop running and stand still, not forever, but for a little bit. "You still see me, don't you?" he said softly.

She narrowed her eyes, searching his face as she tried to understand what he was saying. His eyes were turbulent, and his jaw was tense. His hands were warm on her knees, dwarfing her leg. "Yes," she said slowly, trying to figure out the issue.

He moved closer to her. "I want to have sex with you tonight," he said, his voice a low rumble that seemed to ignite everything inside her. "I want to kiss every inch of your body, and give you the best damned night of your life."

Heat flooded between her legs, and her heart started to pound at the completely unexpected change in topic. "Seriously?"

"Yeah." He slid his hand behind the nape of her neck. His touch was seductive and amazing, sending chills down her arms. "Kiss me, Taylor. Just one kiss."

Oh, God. This was way out of control, especially given the fact that she wanted desperately to say yes and lose herself to him. But there was no way. She'd made a promise to Mira, and it had been the right promise. "I can't." She put her hand on his chest to push him back. "Don't get me wrong. I think you're…um...well, you tempt me and no one else has tempted me for a long time, but I can't do that with you."

He didn't back up, or let her go. "One kiss, Taylor. Just one." He moved closer, and for a split second, she considered letting him kiss her. It would be so incredible to be kissed by a man she was so entranced by. How wonderful would it be to once, just once, let herself go with a man and not worry about the consequences.

Except there were always consequences. "I can't." She pulled her legs back from between his knees, swung them to the side, and vaulted off the bed. By the time she'd landed on her feet and managed to get her hands in a position of sufficient defiance on her hips, Zane was standing as well, staring at her with an expression of absolute disbelief.

His shocked expression irritated her. "What? Are you that surprised that I could turn down a bull riding champion? Did you think that just because you're some famous hottie that all the women want, that I'd fall for it too? That's why you told me, wasn't it? So I'd have sex with you?" God, she was so disappointed. She hadn't expected that of him at all. "I can't believe you used that ploy with me." She pointed at the door to the back room. "You can get yourself an old musty mattress, because there's no space in that bed tonight." Suddenly, she didn't feel safe with him. Last night had been perfect, and he'd made no move to seduce her. She hadn't expected that to change, and now that it had, she felt uncomfortable. She was also kind of crushed. He'd seemed like such a good guy, dangerous and sexy, but honorable. And now he'd tried to use his bull riding thing to get her to have sex with him? She was so bummed. She'd totally misjudged him, as well as her ability to see who she should have faith in. "Or sleep on your bike. Not here."

"Hey." He caught her shoulders as she tried to spin away. "Wait a sec."

She tried to knock his hand away. "Let me go, Zane. Seriously. You crossed a line there, and—"

"I had to see," he said, his voice urgent. "Let me explain."

There was something about the tone of his voice that got her attention. She paused, eyeing him warily. "What?" She seriously doubted there was a reasonable explanation, but for some inexplicable reason, she wanted him to have one. Until now, he'd made her feel safe. She'd trusted him. It had felt good, and she wanted it back.

"When I was on the tour, women were always all over me," he said, not releasing his grip on her shoulders, forcing her to stand and listen. "They wanted a chance to be with the superstar. I had one woman claim that I'd gotten her pregnant, even though I'd never even had sex with her."

Taylor blinked, startled by the unexpected revelation. "Really?"

"Yeah. Her friends all swore she'd gone back to my hotel room with me. The only thing that saved me was a video in the hall outside my room that showed me going in there alone that night. These women were the type who hadn't given me the time of day when I was a dirt-poor kid with no home. Now that I was famous, they all wanted to have sex with me. I had to know if you were like that. I thought—" He shrugged. "I heard you tell Mira how there was no chance you were going to have sex with me. I needed to know if that would change once you knew who I was." He searched her face. "I'm sorry," he said softly. "I just can't deal with women like that anymore. I didn't want to get in that bed with you tonight if you were going to twist it to your advantage in the morning, regardless of what actually happened."

He didn't try to hide his exhaustion, and her heart tightened. She could tell he was being honest, and she doubted he was a guy who revealed his vulnerabilities very often, if ever. His explanation made sense. Her fear and distrust of him dissipated, but at the same time, she felt a vague sense of disappointment. "So, you actually have no interest in getting me naked? Is that what you're saying?"

He stared at her, and then a slow grin appeared. "I gotta be honest, Taylor, getting you naked has been on my mind since last night."

Heat coiled around her. "So what would you have done if I'd said yes?"

"I would have walked away." His response was so automatic that she knew he spoke the truth. As much as he wanted her, his emotional baggage was so heavy that he would have gotten out of the bed and left if she'd been the type of woman he was accustomed to.

She lifted her chin. "So, you want me only as long as you can't have me. Is that what you're saying?" She met his gaze. "I hate games, Zane. I really do."

"No, that's not what I'm saying." He released her shoulder and lightly clasped her chin. "I'm attracted to you. But my aversion to being used trumps everything else. But since we have that cleared up, I can now go about trying to seduce you and actually mean it."

Her heart began to hammer again, just like it had on the bed. "Don't kiss me. I mean it. I can't climb in that bed with you if I'm going to have to worry about what might happen once you get in there." She searched his eyes. "I'm not a one-night stand, Zane. Don't treat me like one."

He paused, his tempting lips only inches from her mouth. "You said you don't like commitment."

"I know, but...I mean..." God, how did she put it into words? "I don't do sex without commitment, but I don't want commitment." As she said the words, she realized how stark it made her sound, how empty it made her life sound. "I just—" She touched his chest. "Last night was wonderful," she said softly. "I didn't worry about anything. It was just us, and it was safe and sensual and..."

"You felt safe with me?" He sounded surprised.

She nodded, sort of embarrassed by her comment. "I mean—"

"No. It's perfect. I want to give that to you." He lightly pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You don't need to say anything else. Go to bed. I'll be there in a few minutes. I just need to shower." He pulled back and winked at her. "Unless you want to join me in the shower?"

She had a sudden image of water cascading over his chest. "Stop."

He grinned. "Harmless teasing, darlin'. I'm not going to do a single thing to that sexy body of yours until you beg me to." He turned away and headed toward the bathroom, unfastening his belt as he walked. "I'll leave the door unlocked in case you change your mind, though." He gave her a cheeky grin, then toed the door shut, leaving it ajar ever so slightly.

Taylor let out a breath and leaned against the kitchenette stove. Zane was trouble. She had no doubt about that whatsoever. He was sexy as sin, and he knew it. But at the same time, his vulnerability about being used for his fame had been genuine and endearing. He was still fit and strong, clearly in condition to be riding bulls, but he'd referred to it in the past tense. Why had he walked away when he was at the top of the game?

The shower turned on, drawing her attention back to the present. She stared at the wooden door, sort of shocked by how tempted she was to take him up on his offer. She needed a shower, too. It had been a long time since she'd showered with a man. Bathing with a guy wasn't just about sex. It was more intimate than sex, a sharing of personal space, kind of like how snuggling in bed had been, only with nakedness and streams of water cascading over bare flesh.

She closed her eyes. Why was he tempting her so much? As she'd told Mira earlier, she was fine being alone. She didn't miss having a man in her life, and she didn't need someone else to love her in order to feel complete. But Zane, with his vulnerability, his cockiness, his potent sexuality, and his tenderness, was making her crave the kind of physical and emotional intimacy that she'd worked so hard not to need.

She wanted him to make love to her. There was no way to deny it. If he tried tonight, she didn't know if she could say no. But Mira was right. If she had sex with him, it would complicate things for her emotionally, and she couldn't go through that again. She would regret it in the morning if she gave in tonight.

With a sigh, she walked across the room to her suitcase, which was tucked in the corner. After making sure the shower was still running, she quickly stripped out of her boots and clothes. She pulled on the same camisole and leggings she'd slept in last night, but paused with her long-sleeved tee shirt in her hand. If she were sleeping alone, she wouldn't be wearing it. But it made her feel safer, not from Zane, but from herself.

The shower went off, and she jumped, quickly dragging the shirt over her head. By the time Zane walked out of the bathroom, wearing nothing but a pair of boxer briefs, she was waiting by the door, toothbrush in hand, fully covered from her neck to her ankles.

But when Zane walked out and his gaze burned over her, she suddenly felt like she had absolutely nothing on whatsoever.

"Love those stretch pants," he said, his voice just the tiniest bit rough.

She swallowed. "They're comfortable."

His gaze went to her tee shirt. "You going to be hot in that, darlin'?"

"Probably. Are you going to be cold wearing only your underwear?" She couldn't fail to notice that he had an erection, and the realization made heat pool between her legs, but she refused to look anywhere but into his eyes, which were smoldering with so much heat that it didn't really help matters.

He grinned. "No chance of that. Body heat is a powerful thing. I promised no sex, but I also promise you that I'll be wrapped around you all night long." He cocked an eyebrow. "If that's okay?"