Not Looking for Love: A Cowboy Romance (13 page)

“Richie.” Logan softly spoke, feeling his friend’s anger, as he watched his friend flex his hands, noting he was having a hard time opening and closing his right hand, it was so swollen.

Richie brought his left hand up to his face and scrubbed it then blew out a breath. “You all right?”

Simone nodded.

Lolita let out a breath, understanding that Simone knew them.

Richie slightly nodded once, then looked to the dark-haired beauty. “Lolita?”

She nodded.

He dug in his pocket and pulled out a Montblanc money clip and slid out a fifty. “Lolita, would you mind running down to Trudie’s and bringing back a large chocolate malted milkshake for Simone, please?”

Lolita looked from him to Simone as Simone picked up her head and looked to Richie. He gave her a small crooked smile as Lolita took the fifty from him.

“Can I borrow your car, Simone,” Lolita asked. She was without wheels because she had driven Simone’s car to the hospital and to Simone’s home. She’d call for a cab when she was ready to leave, or she was sure Simone would tell her to take her car.

Wanting to be alone with Simone, Richie held out his car keys to Logan. “Why don’t you take her? I’m sure she knows the way.”

Lolita nodded as Logan took the keys.

“Oh, baby.” Richie tossed his hat on the coffee table when they were alone. He went over to the couch and sat down next to her, trying to pick up her head to study her face.

She hesitated but picked it up and closed her good eye, her left eye was so swollen she couldn’t close it but she only saw a slit of light with it anyway, as she felt him scrutinizing her.

“I didn’t do enough,” he mumbled as he brought a hand up to her neck and lightly traced her bruise.

His touch eased her as his touch always tended to do. “What?” She opened her eye and noticed the hardness in his face again.

He blew out a breath. “Nothing. I’m getting your couch full of dirt.”

“Don’t worry about it. It’s easy to clean.”

He nodded as he leaned in and gently brushed his lips against her head then he brought an arm around her shoulders and leaned back, settling her against his chest. “What happened?”

Without leaving anything out, she told him, feeling embarrassed and self-conscious as she lisped along.

“Where else are you bruised?”

“The left thide of my back and I have a little lump on my head.”

Even before she finished, his hand was tenderly feeling around and when he hit the sore spot on her head she sucked in a breath. He brought her head down to look at it, then he kissed it.

“How did you find out about it?” Simone asked.

He raised her head again and resettled it on his chest. “Poppy called me.”

“He did? I thought you couldn’t have contact with the outhide world in those facilities?”

“Not the one I got him in to. That’s why he went there.”

She nodded. “Who told him?”

“That guy Bang, Bang, or something.”

“Kenny?”

“Yeah.”

“Oh, I remembered him helping me.”

They grew silent. Thoughts of beating Danny again played on Richie’s mind. He left him a bloody mess and yet he felt he didn’t do nearly enough.

“Why are you and Logan dressed like cowboys, Richie?”

“I got Poppy’s phone call while I was helping Logan and his brother, Brett drive cattle.”

“You really are cowboys?”

He nodded with a smile. “I reckon so, darlin’,” he teased.

“Oh, so there is no chance you two will thrip for me?” She giggled then winced.

He let out a boisterous laugh. “Thrip? I don’t think so. We just might strip for you later.”

She laughed and winced some more.

“So listen, I think you—”

The door flew open and Lolita and Logan walked in, cutting Richie off.

“One large chocolate malted milkshake coming up,” Lolita said.

It looked like they hit it off, the two of them were laughing at what could only have been a private joke.

Richie blew out another breath.

“Thank you,” Simone said as she took the large cup. Richie snagged the straw and opened it for her then stuck it in the little cross on the lid.

“What happened to your hand?” Simone addressed Richie. “Does it hurt? It thwollen.”

Richie flexed it as he glanced Logan’s way. “No, I don’t know. It must have happened when I was pulling rope for Logan while he was preparing for a ride.”

She looked from him to Logan who had nodded.

“A ride?” she questioned.

“He’s a bareback bronc rider in a rodeo his brother is affiliated with.”

Simone tilted her head, “I thought you were on a cattle—”

“Oooohh, bareback, huh!” Lolita said as she looked at Logan, her eyes sparkling.

Simone and Richie both caught the little eye wiggle and crooked smile Logan threw her way.

“I bet you know how to ride.” Lolita raked her eyes up and down Logan’s body then licked her lips as she settled them on his crotch.

“We interrupting something?” Richie asked with amusement in his tone.

Lolita gave Logan a wink. “So, Richie, did you convince our patient to eat a little something? She’s got some pizza in her freezer I wanted to warm up, but she refused.”

“I’m not hungry, Lo. The thake is enough. Besides I really want to get into the thower and get all this filth off of me.” Her lisp still evident.

“Okay, let’s go.” Lolita began walking toward her, as she pushed off of Richie’s chest.

“I’ll take care of her,” Richie said, bringing Simone back down.

Simone twisted her head to see him, and Lolita stopped short.

“Oh… Simone, you sure?”

“Yeah. Thank you for thaking me home. I’m in good hands now.”

“Oh, okay.” She looked to Logan then back to Simone. “I’ll just call a cab.”

Richie reached for his car keys that Logan had placed on the coffee table and flung them to him. “You want to run her home?”

“Sure.” He looked to Lolita. Her face lit up.

Lolita said she’d call in the morning and walked out the door, Logan right behind her. He turned back and mouthed the words ‘Don’t wait up’ and Richie and Simone laughed.

“Okay, you’re all set,” Richie whispered into his cell phone. “Print out the boarding pass, and enjoy first class.” He softly chuckled. “I’m hoping to hop back there today too… Hopefully. I haven’t asked yet.” He was talking to Logan who had spent the night at Lolita’s place, but he needed to get back to Wimberley to pick up Heath from Linda and bring him back to his house. “Later.”

Richie hit the red button and placed the phone down on the night table. Then he turned and threw his arm around Simone as he lay back down, her back to him. He pulled her in, enjoying her warm naked body against his as she continued to sleep. He could get used to this. He remembered the moment he’d come to have feelings for her. The night she invited him and Logan to the party at “The gentlemen’s Club” while he was getting head from Anna Maria. He realized he didn’t want it when he looked into Simone’s eyes in that bathroom a few moments before he came, and even beat himself up over having no control at that point. Back at the hotel, when he had come in from the lobby bar and told Simone how he felt, she climbed on top of him and when she tried to move fast, he flipped them and he slowly made love to her. Being inside her, not hurried, not rushed just languidly moving and staring into each other’s eyes. He waited for her eyes to roll up and close, then when she reopened them he quietly came while staring into them. It was rough when she shuddered on him as she came, he was ready to blow. He had to distract himself, counting cattle. It was the second time that night he let her see inside him.

She always took care of him, never demanding anything from him. Taking only what little of himself he offered. He was also pretty sure she hadn’t been seeing anyone else since him which made him feel a bit guilty. But there was a problem with him committing to her exclusively. She was a porn star, not a profession he’d want his girlfriend to have. He also didn’t know if she felt the same about him, but he didn’t push it in case she did, the porn thing again. He wasn’t sure how far he was going to take this. But one thing he know, his feelings only grew stronger.

He always felt like something was missing when he left to go back to Texas. She was missing. But he needed to keep it nonexclusive, not wanting to make a mistake if she truly chose to continue with her profession. She held the cards, she was the one who had to walk away from her job, not be forced to.

She never pressured him, never asked for more, and never, aside from the time he blew her off in the first stage of their relationship for his birthday party, asked questions of who he was with and what he was doing. The other girls he hooked up with always wanted more, thought just because he took them to nice places, paid for some of their apartments, and made love to them it was a commitment. And he hadn’t kept another girl while he was seeing her. At this point he didn’t know what he was looking for or with whom, he just wanted to have fun, yet he knew she was special. No one ever smelled as good as she did, felt as good as she did, and tasted as good as she did. Never had he ever wanted to protect someone the way he wanted to protect her.

He never asked her about who she was with and tried never to think of her profession and who she hung around with, though he got the feeling she was more of a loner and never did hang with other porn stars except for when Poppy threw some party and she was obligated to attend.

It gave him some piece of mind that he was able to manipulate Poppy, but he knew if and when he told her about it he was in for a rough time with her. Still it was a chance he had to take.

He cringed at the black and blue, the only thing marring her smooth, sexy back and leaned in and lightly brushed his lips over it and thought back to the night before when he got into the shower with her and washed her whole body. His thoughts had gone south pretty quickly. He mentally shrugged as a small smile played upon his face. Her moans at just him washing her hair got him hard. He didn’t mean to do it, but his hand wound all the way down her body to her mound. As he fingered her clit, it grew and she undulated onto his hand. He wanted to drop down and eat her, but he didn’t want to let her go, the pain killers made her body like jelly, or was it he who did that? He was sucking her earlobe when she shuddered on his hand then he finished washing her, refusing her advances, as much as it pained him, when she grabbed his cock and slid her hand up and down. She didn’t need to take care of him now, she just needed the comfort he provided, he reasoned.

Trying not to give her emotions away, Simone softly sobbed. Her body shook and she knew he knew she was up, but she made no move to turn around. She didn’t want him seeing her like this. She felt her face was hideous, still swollen, and it hurt. She could only imagine the black and blues she had. But what bothered her more was the feelings she had for him at that moment. That was why she was crying, she loved him. She’d never tell him though, afraid she would push him away. Each time they were together her feelings for him only grew. It killed her every time she saw a newspaper article of him which usually had a photograph attached of him with a woman. She was confused about why he showed up at her house though, why he invested so much time in her.

“Hey, baby, you crying? Do you need a pain killer?”

She shook her head twice.

He gently turned her around. It broke his heart to see her face all beat up with tears coming down.

She pulled away and sat up wiping her eyes, the covers falling down exposing her breasts. Yeah, he could get used to waking up with her every morning and staring at those beautiful puppies.

“Simone, we need to talk.”

She nodded.

“I have to get home and I want you to come with me.”

She was about to protest.

“No.” He sat up. “Just till you recover. Get away, you know. You’ll love my place. It’s on a river with spectacular views. I have a big pool to skinny dip in.” He smiled and winked. “And it’s relaxing.”

She nodded, too choked-up to talk. He was excited talking about his home and more than anything she wanted to go.

He rose up and brought her to him, not yet ready to let go of the feeling of her skin on his, and leaned back against the headboard.

They sat quietly for a few moments. And as he kissed her head she said one word, “Kara.”

“Pardon?” he said. 

“My name is Katherine Storm, but everyone calls me Kara.”

Richie’s smile reached his eyes. He knew her real name. Well he knew Katherine, not Kara. He knew it a while now, having caught it on a couple of pieces of mail that were left out on her kitchen counter some time ago, but he was going to let her tell him when she was ready. Pleased she was ready now, he repeated her name, liking the sound of it.

“Kara. What a pretty name.” He wanted to kiss her, but her lips were still swollen.

She hugged herself to him, not wanting this moment to end. She was excited to go down to Texas and spend some time with him, even if it was temporary.