Broken Trouble (Broken Storm #1) (24 page)

              "He knows!" Starre gasped, starting to go after him, "I'm going to go torture the answer out of him!"

              I grabbed her arm and pulled her back down onto the bench. "You know that wouldn't do any good, Jayden would enjoy the torture."

              Starre sighed in defeat, "You're right."

              The clown came back out into the arena, throwing water balloons at people, then giving them a free t-shirt to make up for it.

              "I'm sure he's got a good excuse for not taking part in the competition, maybe he'll come out riding his horse and do something extremely romantic for you,” I tried to reassure her, even though I too was mad at Trevor for how he was treating her.

              The way Jayden had reacted worried me. It wasn't a good sign when a guy took off like that to evade answering.

              "There's not too big of a crowd here, I'm sure if he's here then we'll spot him," I said, glancing around us.

              "It is a small crowd.  Usually there's more people than this. Maybe he's with them somewhere," Starre said, nodding like it made sense.

              "Where would everyone be?" I thought the rodeo was a huge event for all the people around here. What could possibly cause a large group of them to not be there?

              Starre stiffened and shifted uncomfortably, mumbling a half committed, "I don't know," before looking at the arena, "Ooh, Bronc riding!"

              I narrowed my eyes at her. Now who's being evasive? I let it slide, even though I was curious and looked into the arena, trying to spot Wyatt. I didn't want to miss seeing him ride a bronc. It was his specialty and something he was proud of. None of the guys had won anything yet, though I guessed with both Jayden and Gavin being out of the competition, it was to be expected.

              A few guys went first, and I watched them closely as they rode the broncs. Each horse moved in a frenzy to buck off their rider. Starre and I got up to move to the fencing of the corral where we would be able to see Wyatt better when his turn came.

              "Why was he deducted points?" I asked Starre, gesturing to Flint, who was walking out of the arena in disappointment.

              "He touched the bronc with his hand."

              I nodded, taking in the information while hoping that Wyatt didn't touch his bronc with his hand.

              When I saw Wyatt stepping over the gates and into what Starre referred to as the bucking chute, I shifted as close as I could without actually climbing over the fence.

              I could see a brown and white paint horse shifting around as Wyatt settled on its back, adjusting the ropes the way he wanted them. I glanced at Starre to see her eyes locked on the bucking chute. Everyone was watching the arena, so I inconspicuously crossed my fingers. After seeing Jayden try to ride Otoktay, I was worried that something similar would happen with Wyatt and this bronc. Horses may not have horns, but everyone knew they were just as dangerous as bulls.

              When the chute opened, I stood riveted as I watched the Paint launch forward, jumping up into the air and bucking high. Wyatt sat on its back, moving with the horse and spurring it on, letting the horse do its thing and just relaxing and enjoying the ride. By the twists and bucks of the horse under him and the angry grunts it was making, I knew it wasn't as easy as he made it seem. The horse was making a lot of effort to throw him off, getting angrier by the second. He looked ready to stomp Wyatt's head in the moment he threw him off, pushing harder and faster. The bronc didn't succeed in bucking him off, the timer buzzing to show that he had completed the ride. Wyatt hopped off the horse's bare back as other cowboys came over the guide the disgruntled horse away, his ears laying flat on his head.

              Wyatt spotted me by the fence and tipped his hat at me, before going back behind the bucking chutes.

              "Do you want to go congratulate him?" Starre asked me, already heading that way, knowing that I would.

              I nodded and followed her, my legs slightly shaky as I pried my crossed fingers from each other, finally able to take deep breaths again.

              When we slipped into the back, which consisted of different pens and chutes for the horses and bulls to pass through, it wasn't Wyatt we came across, it was Sike.

              Jayden and Gavin were already there, facing him off and ready for a fight.

              "Too bad you two assholes can't ride this time, it makes competition more interesting, even if it’s as easy to beat you as it is everyone else." Sike spit out, a nasty smirk on his face.

It made me want to punch him in his ugly mug, but with my history in juvie, it probably wouldn't be the best thing for me to do. I could just imagine them asking me why I did it. It didn't take too much imagination to know that they would side with the person without a criminal record, so I kept my fists clenched at my sides. Jayden and Gavin were having difficulty doing the same thing, and looked like they would fight at any moment.

              "The only reason you have even a chance of winning is because we can't compete. But that won’t keep us from beating your fucking face into the ground,” Gavin snarled into his face, his fists bunching up Sike's shirt around his neck, starting to cut of his circulation.

              "I'm not sorry for beating your asses in bull riding, it's something I find to be extremely fulfilling,” Sike taunted, smiling and laughing in Gavin's face.

              Gavin looked ready to commit murder and Jayden appeared ready to help dispose of the body.

              Just when I thought things were about to go to hell, Chili walked into view. "Gavin, let go of him," he drawled out, his hands still tucked neatly in his pockets.

              Gavin slowly let go of Sike, giving him one last shove as he released him with a growl.

              "Sike son, I suggest you get yourself to the bucking chute before these boys decide to do some damage to your skull instead of that bull you're about to ride." I was shocked, had Chili just threatened Sike? I never thought I would hear anything like that coming out of his mouth. He was always strong and assertive, but kind, like Polly. I guess he’d had enough of Sike too. It was good to know that he would take a stand for the guys when they needed him though.

              Wyatt came around the corner just as Sike was leaving. He gave Wyatt a look full of hatred. Wyatt took in his expression, then seemed to shrug it off, approaching us with a calm pace that didn't give away that he had just ridden a bronc.

              I hesitated, not sure if I should try and calm Jayden and Gavin, or go congratulate Wyatt, who was announced over the intercom as the winner. My previous attempts with Jayden and Gavin hadn't worked when it came to Sike, so I decided to turn to the man who was always calm and even tempered.

"You did great out there, you should be proud of yourself. I mean, the way you stayed on the horse was incredible, I could never do anything like that." I clamped my lips shut to stop the rambling. Good lord, was Starre rubbing off on me? What happened to my inner voice that usually kept me from going on like that?

              "Eighty-six is a good score,” Wyatt grinned, reaching up and adjusted my cowboy hat affectionately. "You have a good seat already, it would take a lot of practice, but you could do anything you set your mind to."

              I smiled up at him, knowing that he was probably just being nice by putting the idea of me doing bronc riding. I wasn't stupid, I knew I was a horrible rider. I mean come on, I couldn't even get on and off a horse like a normal person.

              "We should get out of here. Nova and I still have to get ready for the dance and I don't care to stick around and watch Sike brag about riding bulls," Starre said, making a good point. If Sike won, he was going to rub in in Jayden and Gavin's faces as much as he could, which would cause another confrontation.

              "I'm not going anywhere,” Jayden declared, standing still and watching another bull move from one pen to another.

              "You all need to go, no pretty ladies are gonna want to dance with you when you look and smell like you've been rode hard and put up wet,” Chili said, but the stare that he gave Jayden and Gavin left no room for argument.

              As we walked around the arena, I wondered where Landon and Dylan were. I hadn't seen them since their team roping, so maybe the rodeo was an easy place to go unnoticed.

              Sike won bull riding and we walked quickly to the trucks, trying to leave before he started his winner’s speech, something that the majority of the other cowboys had passed on.

              We weren't fast enough.

              "I'd like the thank the two morons who took a bet against me and lost, allowing me to win this without much effort at all. Hey guys, maybe next time your so-called mommy will allow you to compete!" Sike called out into the microphone and it took all of our effort to wrangle Jayden and Gavin into the trucks without them going back to beat the tar out of him.

              Even I felt like going back and punching him several times in the face. How dare he say something like that? Just because Polly wasn't blood related to the guys, didn't mean she wasn't their mother. Sike kept pushing his luck by saying and doing the things he did, and someday it would all come back to bite him in the ass. I hoped I was there to see it when it happened.

              The dance was held inside a large gazebo. Lights dangled around the top, creating a soft glow against the dark. Everyone seemed to already be there, some dressed up in dresses and suits, while others still wore their rodeo clothes. It took me a while to find one of the guys because of the crowd. Dylan was hanging out with Flint at the side of the dance floor.

              "I'm going to go search for Trevor," Starre said from beside me, smiling at me knowingly as she turned and walked off.

              I smoothed down my dress, hoping it looked okay. When I picked it out with Starre, I thought it was pretty. Now I worried that I was going to have one of those moments where I realized that I should have worn something completely different.

              It was a simple white mini dress with black floral lacing that crawled up the side of the skirt, spreading across the band, before darting back up the same side to create a shoulder strap. I started walking forward in the black and white peep toe heels that Starre had insisted on me wearing, claiming that it would be a faux pas to wear the cowboy boots with a dress like this.

              Dylan's eyes gravitated towards me, his eyes glowing as he smiled. Anyone looking at him would be able to tell that it was a natural, honest reaction to me. His eyes swept over the rest of me and his breath caught. By the time his eyes made it back up and lingered on my bright red lips, I was standing directly in front of him.

              "Hey," he breathed out, still in a daze,” "Wow."

              I giggled, smiling back at him. While I was contemplating whether or not it would be a good idea to kiss him in front of everyone or not, Flint decided to speak up.

              "It's nice to see you again Nova. This is my girlfriend, Hanah." Flint was beaming as he pulled a young girl with long blonde hair closer to him.

              The girl waved,” "Hi."

              "Hey," I greeted her, before glancing between them and Dylan.

              And awkward silence filled the air before Flint and Hanah looked at each other, laughing as they seemed to become caught up in each other's eyes.

              He couldn't have known her but a few days and already they seemed wrapped up in their young love. It must be simple for them, without all the complications that I had with the guys. I wasn't in a relationship with any of the guys like she was with Flint, so maybe that was what complicated things for us.

              Flint and Hanah walked out onto the dance floor, moving into each other's arms as they started dancing. I turned to Dylan, who held out his arm, and I looped my arm through his, letting him lead me to the dance floor as well.

              As we stood hesitating to dance, another song started, a deep masculine voice singing about how beautiful girls are the loneliest. Dylan's chest puffed up as he took a deep breath, and then let it out slowly before reaching for me.

              His hands trembled as we started to dance. The song started out slow, giving him some time to relax before the beat quickened. As the song went on, he seemed to become more relaxed with his dancing. His fawn brown eyes met mine and I felt my heart skip a beat. He smiled and lifted his arm upward, twirling me around once before bringing me back into his arms. His cheeks were in a constant state of blush. He stepped closer, his face close to mine. My eyes were so focused on his, that it took me a moment to realize that his lips were moving.

              I focused on them, realizing that they were matching the lyrics to the song. He was singing for me, but it was so softly that it didn't reach my ears. It didn't matter to me if I could hear him or not, I knew how much courage it took for him to sing in front of so many people, even if they were all unaware. He was doing it for me, to please me.

              I smiled and reached up, wrapping my arms around his shoulders, so my ear was positioned closer to his mouth. He turned his head so that his lips brushed against my hair and ear as he sang. From this position, I could hear his voice.

              His hands trembled slightly as he wrapped his arms around my waist, then he seemed to calm, a breathy sigh tickling my neck. We swayed back and forth to the music. Not to the music they were playing, but our own music. The music that Dylan was creating for me with his voice, the thumping of our hearts our beat.

              When we finally pulled away from each other, the song over, if only for now. I didn't hesitate to kiss him, holding his face in my hands, not caring who saw.

              My heart sang in my chest, as my lips pressed against his, our lips moving in sync, in complete harmony. It was like someone was playing my favorite song that I hadn't heard in a lifetime. It made me feel like I was falling in love all over again. When the song ended all too soon for my liking, I hoped I could play it again, only on repeat for the rest of my life.

              I felt him shiver, like my touch was overwhelming him, and it sent a thrill through him that he physically couldn't hold back.

              When we broke our kiss, Dylan blinked slowly, seeming to be completely lost in my eyes. Before long though, he was back to his blushing and uncontrollable shyness, that was, until he spotted someone behind me.

              I glanced back to see who was cutting in. Wyatt was there, his hat low over his eyes and his fingers tucked in his front pockets. The next song started, Love You Like That by Canaan Smith, and he held out his hand for mine, waiting for me to take the next song with him. I glanced at Dylan as I pulled my hand from his, feeling like I was losing a small piece of myself as I did. Dylan's smile helped reassure me, before he turned away to let me dance with Wyatt. I placed my hand in Wyatt's and felt myself become whole again.

              Wyatt's movements were steady and confident as he grasped my hand in his and slipped the other across my back. He guided me closer instead of tugging me towards him. Even if he hadn't, I felt like I was always gravitating closer to him, like we were magnets. It wasn't long at all before his warm breath was wafting across my neck, his hat brushing against my hair.

              It was comforting to have his arms wrapped around me, his dancing slow, like he was rocking me to sleep. I released a sigh, resting my head on his shoulder as I felt my eyes drift shut. I wasn't going to sleep, but it was like he had pulled me into such a state of relaxation, of calm, that I didn't feel the need to guard myself.

              When the song ended, I was slow to withdrawal from him. I looked up into his crystal blue eyes that reflected the warmth in his soul, along with glow of the lights on the ceiling above us. His grin pulled up into an easy smile as he reached up and tucked a section of my hair back. I felt anticipation run up from my toes and through my spine as I realized I wanted him to kiss me.

              Instead of pressing his lips to mine to ease the growing greed inside me, and making my feelings for all of them even more complicated, he led me off the dance floor with a guiding hand on my back. We stepped down and outside of the gazebo, where a long table sat a few short strides away, holding food and fruit punch.

              I hadn't realized how thirsty I was, until the punch touched my tongue. I drank a few cupfuls, being careful not to let any drip on my white dress.

              My eyes found Flint and Hanah dancing together, their eyes only for each other. That's what the guys deserved, each and every one of them, to have a girl who would look only at them, and know that they were the only one she loved.

              When I glanced back at Wyatt, his head was tilted just a smidgen to the side, his focus solely on me. His expression was open and curious as he read me, no doubt like a book, knowing everything that was going on in my head. I had no idea how he did it, but it made it hard to hide my feelings from him. It made me wonder if he had known that I’d wanted him to kiss me; it seemed like nothing escaped his all-knowing eyes.

              "You should dance with all of us tonight, it will be fun for everyone involved," Wyatt said, always knowing exactly what to say to help drag me from my self-doubt.

              "He's right, though you really only need to dance with me to have the time of your life," Jayden spoke as he approached from the darkness to stand beside me. How long had he been there watching?

              "I don't know about that, Wyatt just showed me a pretty good time," I teased.

              "Don't tease me Sweetheart, unless you want me to start teasing back," Jayden warned, his eyes heated and dangerous.

              "You can try, but that doesn't mean you'll succeed."

              "You asked for it,” Jayden grabbed the cup from my hand and placed it on the table, then pulled me towards the dance floor. He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me tightly against him, rubbing his lips across my neck in a teasing manner. He stepped back, putting a few inches of distance between us to dance normally. It was almost like he was pretending to be Landon, dancing how I imagined he would dance.

              I slowly relaxed, but kept my guard up, waiting for him to make his move. His movements slowly transitioned from Landon dance mode to something more his style, sensual and fluid. Jayden's hands slid over my back, dropping his head enough to press his forehead to mine. We danced for several minutes like this, his breath on my lips, his eyes on mine.

              The man was breathtaking when he wanted to be. I could feel the effects of his teasing. My breathing deepened and tingles spread across my skin everywhere he touched. There was only so much a girl could take before she started caving.

              I saw his knowing smirk, his face dipping lower as he brought his lips to mine, only stopping a hair's length away. He lingered for a second, before barely touching my lips with his. Jayden moved painstakingly slow, dragging his lips against mine, before traveling across my cheek to my neck. My breath caught and I cursed myself for showing a reaction.

              Damn him and his sexiness.

              Jayden started out with a gentle kiss to my neck, then deepened it so his tongue was running across my skin. I held back a shiver, forcing my body to be still. His tongue soon turned to teeth, nipping along my neck, before sucking my skin into his mouth. He released, then kissed it gently, always pulling me in with his roughness, then making me want to beg with his gentleness.

              He licked and kissed across my bare shoulder, running his hands softly up and down my arms, which now hung uselessly at my sides.

              I knew what he was doing. I knew I should tell him to stop, that I needed to pull away. In the back of my mind, behind the haze he had created, I knew that we were surrounded by people who would scrutinize us and think that I was easy. But, even when I managed to put my hands against his chest to push him away, I couldn't find the will to do it.

              Cursed girl hormones.

              He kissed his way back across my shoulder and up my neck, making his way towards my lips. Instead of kissing my lips, he changed directions and paused at my ear, running his tongue behind it before sucking my lobe between his swollen lips.

              His hands found my arms again, lifting them up above my head, then slowly dragging his hands back down them, making their way to my body.

              Then, just like that, he was gone.

              I opened my eyes, blinking through the haze in confusion, dropping my hands completely to my sides. I didn't understand why he had stopped. Was he showing me how much he had affected me? It was embarrassing how much I had let him take control, my body doing whatever he wanted.

              "Time out!" Polly ordered Jayden off of the dance floor.

              I blushed hard. How stupid was I to react to him like that? I even knew he was going to do something like that and I still couldn't control myself. I kept my eyes on the floor below me, knowing my face had to be flushed with heat and shame. Polly must be so disappointed in me.

              "I swear, that boy..." Polly trailed off, heaving a sigh before looking me over. She glanced around quickly until she spotted what she was searching for, then grabbed my arm and pulled me across the dance floor. I was knocked off balance and shocked for a minute, managing to regain my footing so I wouldn't topple over. Panic filled me.

              Was this the last straw for her? Was she going to punish me? Even though my heart told me she wouldn't, my body still reacted like she was going to. I braced my feet on the floor the best I could in these heels, trying to get away from her hold. It was too late to get away, because she already had me right where she wanted me.

              Directly in front of Gavin.

              "Here, dance with Gavin, Honey," Polly ordered.

              "I don't want to," Gavin grumbled, his face a familiar scowl.

              "I don't really want to either, I'm beat. I think I'll go get a drink,” and wallow in shame.

              "Dance," Polly ordered sternly, giving Gavin a look only a mom could pull off; one that said he'd better do what she told him to.

              "Fucking shit. Fine," Gavin growled, grabbing my arm in his rough grasp and yanking me onto the dance floor.