Bad In Boots 02 - Ty's Temptation (5 page)

Too bad he didn’t plan to go there.

Chapter Three

Evan’s cheeks flushed as she exited the bathroom, not in embarrassment, but in sheer sexual excitement. She’d watched the water sluice over Ty’s broad shoulders and down his cut chest and abs. Her gaze had locked on his hand around his erection. The man not only had a body to die for, but he was also exceptionally well-endowed. She might be a virgin but growing up a tomboy, she’d seen enough cocks to know the difference.

As she left the house and headed for the barn, her mind replayed the scene she’d just witnessed. Watching Ty slide his hand down his erection, taking himself to the edge only to expend mental and physical effort to hold back his orgasm, was the most erotic sight she’d ever witnessed. What had possessed her to peek, she had no clue. Ty was like a magnet she couldn’t resist being drawn to. Before he opened his eyes, she left as quickly as she could. Thank God. She didn’t know what she would’ve said or done if he’d opened his eyes to see her standing there watching him.

When she entered the stall, Flash danced around, excited to see her. Evan checked the horse’s leg, then patted her neck and whispered in her ear, “You’re antsy, aren’t ya, girl?” This time Evan left the bandage off. Flash was better today. Maybe some fresh air would do her some good. Evan knew some fresh air was something she could use, too.

After she’d saddled Flash, Evan took her out in the pasture behind the barn where the mare moved from a walk to a trot. Flash had been cooped up in the stall in the final stages of healing from her leg injury for the past couple of days. Up until today, Evan had allowed the healing horse short walks, but she felt Flash was ready and antsy for more. As the wind blew through her hair and her body moved with the horse’s movements, Evan’s heart raced and her sex ached at the arousing situation she’d just witnessed from Ty. She’d known he was getting ready to make himself come. Sexual frustration welled within her. Damn, she needed her own release soon.

* * * * *

Evan arrived at Rockin’ Joe’s just after eight. Harm and Jena’s engagement party started at seven. Go figure, she was always late. But people had come to expect that of her. The nature of her job had her on constant on-call status.

Harm and Jena had rented out the entire place, so everyone there was an invited guest. She was glad they’d decided to have their engagement party in a casual atmosphere like Rockin’ Joe’s. She tugged at the hem of her baby pink tank top and straightened her silver and turquoise belt buckle at the waist of her jeans as she glanced around the crowded bar. Since her mother died when she was young, Evan grew into adulthood without a close female influence. Needless to say that left her with a wardrobe full of jeans, tank tops, T-shirts, boots and little else.

To Evan, being “dressed to kill” meant she wore her hair down, and her shiny boots, not her scuffed ones. She glanced down at the scuffed boots on her feet with a wry smile. Her hair fell toward her face with her movements. She tossed the strawberry-blonde loose waves away from her face as she lifted her head. At least she wore her hair down tonight.

Her dad and uncle were talking to Harm and Jena next to the bar. She’d catch up with them later when she gave Harm an update on Flash.

She waved to Colt Tanner and his brothers Mace and Cade. They were standing near a corner booth drinking beers. Cade must’ve come home briefly from his rodeo touring, she thought with a grin as Mace picked up a beer from the table. He made his way over to her and handed her the longneck.

“How’s it going, Evan?” he asked over the loud country music.

Evan took the beer and met Mace’s hazel-green gaze. The man had one of the sexiest smiles she’d ever seen. He always knew how to make a person feel welcome and, if that person happened to be a female, wanted.

“What’s the beer for?”

He laughed then glanced at his watch. “I knew you’d be late, ‘bout an hour. Thought I’d have a drink ready for you when you got here so you could catch up with the rest of us.”

“Thanks for keeping me up to speed.” Evan grinned as she took a sip of her beer.

Out of the corner of her eye, Evan saw Chad shouldering his way through the crowd toward her, a determined look on his face. The man was six feet four and built like a linebacker, so he was hard to miss in a crowd. Her heart jerked and her stomach tensed. She didn’t want to deal with him tonight. Grabbing Mace’s hand, she said in a bright voice, “Come on, let’s dance.”

Mace followed her line of sight, then grinned and laced his fingers with hers. “Still hounding ya?”

“Like a dog going after his favorite bone.” She rolled her eyes and tugged him toward the dance floor, her boot heels making a thudding sound on the wood underneath her feet.

Mace took her beer and set it on a table before they stepped into the dance floor area. Garth Brooks’ “Rodeo” was blaring from the speakers and Evan couldn’t help but tease Mace as he pulled her against his hard chest. “I should be dancing this song with Cade.”

He flashed her a devil-may-care smile. “Cade’s not the dancing sort, darlin’. You know I’m a helluva lot more fun.”

Evan laughed at Mace’s self-confident comment as they began to dance. The man always made her smile.

“Evan.” Chad’s voice sounded behind them. Her stomach tensed.

“She’s dancin’ at the moment.” Mace gave him a direct, penetrating look.

“I’m talking to Evan, not you,” Chad challenged Mace.

Evan felt Mace’s shoulders tense underneath her fingers. She glanced at Chad. “Chad, as Mace said, I’m dancing right now.”

Chad’s hand landed on her shoulder. He turned her to face him. “Not anymore you’re not. We need to talk.”

Mace grabbed Chad’s upper arm. His expression turned serious. “I think you need to take a break, champ.”

“Get the hell off me.” Chad scowled at the same time he shrugged Mace’s hand off his arm.

Running his hand through his dark blond hair, Chad continued, his expression angry as he addressed Evan once more, “Where were you last night?”

Evan felt several pairs of eyes turn their way. People had stopped dancing around them. Damn, Chad was making a scene. She didn’t want to spoil Harm and Jena’s party. Maybe if she just walked outside to talk to him, he’d leave her alone.

Stepping out of Mace’s arms, she started to say, “Let’s go outside, Chad…”

Ty walked up beside Mace and spoke in a calm tone, “I believe the lady said she isn’t interested in talking.”

“Who the hell are you?” Chad all but yelled at Ty.

“I’m the man she was with last night,” Ty replied. His green gaze narrowed on Chad, daring him to say another word.

Evan’s cheeks flooded with color at Ty’s casual comment. A hush spread throughout the crowd. Even the music had stopped…or had the song just ended?

Oh boy!

Shock crossed Chad’s face then sheer fury replaced his surprised expression. He took a swing at Ty. “She’s mine.”

Evan blinked when she realized Chad was lying facedown on the floor. How in the world had that happened so fast? Ty had Chad’s arm bent back at a strange angle, keeping him down.

Ty had moved so quickly and with such fluid movements she realized he’d disabled Chad in less than two seconds flat.

Heavy boot heels stomped across the wooden dance floor. “Do I need to get involved?” the sheriff’s voice boomed near them.

Ty glanced up at her father then down at Chad before he released him. “No, I think he was just leaving.”

Chad scrambled to his feet. “You should arrest him for assault.” He scowled as he rubbed his shoulder.

Jake narrowed his gaze on Chad. “You’d better leave before I forget I’m the sheriff and follow my fatherly instincts.”

Chad met his own father’s gaze as the mayor walked up behind the sheriff.

“Dad?”

The tall man nodded his silver head. “Go on, son. We don’t want to spoil Harm and Jena’s evening.”

“I still want to talk to you,” Chad said to Evan before he turned on his boot heel and left the bar.

Her father gave Ty a curt nod then he focused his gaze on Evan. “Until we put a security system in your house, you shouldn’t leave your home unattended at night.”

His comment came across loud and clear. He didn’t want her staying at the ranch house. Period.

Evan lifted her chin a notch. No one told her what to do. Not even her father.

The song “Shameless” by Garth Brooks had just started up and before she could comment, Ty took her hand. “I believe you said I owe you a dance.”

Evan’s gaze darted between Ty and her father. She felt a need to assert her independence, but the thought of being held close to Ty offered major appeal. She glanced at Mace who winked and said, “You have to grant your rescuer at least one dance.”

Her father raised his eyebrow, but didn’t say a word before he turned away. The crowd around them had begun to dance once more. As Mace walked away, Ty wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her flush against his hard chest. Evan closed her eyes for a second and relished the sensation of being surrounded by Ty’s strength, his heat and his seductive smell.

Sighing her approval, her gaze landed on his open-necked, button-down shirt. Today he looked very much “the cowboy” with his jeans, chambray shirt and boots. If it weren’t for his Maryland accent, she could easily mistake Ty for a Texas cowboy, born and bred. It was the way he carried himself. He exuded sheer masculine confidence in every movement he made.

“I don’t know if I should punch you or kiss you for what you did. Either way, thanks,” she whispered in his ear. The man had gone up against her father. That took some big
cojones
.

“Chad’s a prick,” he commented, his breath warm against her neck.

Evan closed her eyes once more and imagined that Ty wanted to hold her in his arms instead of the fact he’d asked her to dance to head off an argument between her father and her. Why did Ty have to have some stupid rule against sleeping with virgins?

She remembered the shower water sluicing over his gorgeous, naked body and the sight of him in full arousal. The thought made her shiver in sexual awareness. Of course, her desire probably had to do with the fact the man also really knew how to dance. He matched her movements, step for step, making sure to keep their bodies flush against one another. From his intense charisma to his natural rhythm, Ty made her feel breathless, needy and so incredibly turned on.

When Ty’s lips grazed her neck, she gasped in surprise and her eyes flew open, locking with his steady gaze.

His fingers tightened on her waist before he lowered his hands to her hips. Pulling her hips forward, he fit her body even closer to his. A serious expression had settled on his face. “I’ll take the virginity you so willingly offered, but we’re going to do it my way.”

“Your way?” She was barely able to breathe, her heart beat so rapidly in her chest. The thought of having Ty’s naked body gliding against hers made her breasts ache and her lower stomach muscles tense in aroused anticipation.

His warm hands slid up her waist to her upper back. He applied pressure on her back until her chest was pressed against his. His mouth hovered a breath away as his gaze collided with hers. He gave her a feral smile. “Yeah, my way.”

Unable to form a coherent response, Evan nodded her assent.

The song ended and Ty stepped away from her. “I’ll see you back at the Double D.”

Evan spent the rest of the evening going through the motions of socializing. Ty’s agreement had left her body on a tightly wound spring. She was so aroused at the thought of being with the sexy man that she thought for sure if someone touched her she’d go up in flames. Finally, after being at the party for a good hour and a half, she made her way over to Harm and Jena.

“Hey, you two. Nice party.”

A look of concern crossed Jena’s face. “You okay, Evan?”

Evan knew she referred to the scene Chad caused earlier. She shrugged. “Sure. I’m sorry about that.”

Harm wrapped an arm around Jena’s shoulders. “No need to apologize, Evan. Chad was outta line.”

“Yeah. I had no idea my brother knew martial arts. Speaking of which…” Jena paused as she glanced around the room. “Did he leave already?”

Harm nodded. “He told me he’d see us tomorrow at the ranch.”

“You going to put him to work again?” Jena laughed, amusement reflected in her gaze as she looked up at her husband-to-be.

“Hell yeah. If I’ve got a hardworking man like Ty at my disposal for a few days, I could always use the extra pair of hands.”

Jena winked. “He loves it.”

Harm’s dark brown gaze met Evan’s. “If Flash is finally up to speed, I’ll come get her tomorrow.”

Evan shook her head. “I’m not sure if she’s ready to be out on the range by herself yet. I took her for a trot earlier today. She seemed to enjoy that. I’ll bring her by Steele Way and let her visit for an hour or so. Then I’ll take her back for a couple more nights. I just want to be sure she’s fully recovered. Babysitting an injured horse is the last thing you should be doing right now with all your wedding stuff going on.”

Harm smiled his appreciation. He rubbed his jaw as he glanced at Jena. “It just occurred to me that Ty might want a horse while he’s at the Double D.”