Rogue Cowboy (7 page)

“Hey, girlfriend!  How have you been?”  Laura comes racing toward me and wraps me in her arms.

“I’m good! How are you?  How’s that beautiful baby girl doing?”

“Oh gosh, she’s so freaking cute.  I could just stare at her all day.  She’s so beautiful.  She’s smiling now,” she gushes.

“I’ll have to come by for cuddles one day soon.  She’ll be grown up and leaving home before you know it.”

She sighs.  “I know. They grow too fast.”

“Hey, Sie.  How you doing?”  Jules, Edie and Ava come in behind Laura, so I let her go to hug each of them in turn.

“I’m good.  How are you guys?”

“It’s girls night, so we’re great!” Jules laughs.

“We’re excited.  Can you join us?” Ava asks, excitedly.

“Actually, I can.” I smile.  “I’ve got my new girl starting in about twenty minutes, so once she’s sorted out, I’ll come and have a few drinks.”

“Yay,” Edie says with a clap.  “Let’s get a table.”

“I’ll bring you guys some drinks.”

They walk off to grab a table and I set about fixing their drinks.  Sadee, the new girl I hired this morning, should be here shortly.

Thankfully, the interviews with the three girls went exceptionally well, and I ended up hiring all three of them on a one-month trial basis.  Genevieve is my new cleaner and Sadee and Joanna are my new bar staff.

Joanna has a five-year-old, so she couldn’t come in tonight on such short notice, but luckily, Sadee could.  She starts tonight, Genevieve will be here in the morning, and Joanna’s first shift is tomorrow afternoon.  I’m looking forward to having a break, I’ll tell you that much.

“Here you go, girls.”  I place four glasses of lemon, lime and bitters down on the table.

“Thanks so much, Sie.”

“No problem. I’ll see you in a bit.”

“Okay, we’ll be here,”  Jules laughs.  “I’m going to order some food.”

“Good idea, I’m starving,” Ava replies as I’m walking away.

Skip takes his seat at the end of the bar as I come back in, so I grab him a beer and hand it to him, just as Sadee comes in, looking a little nervous.

She glances around then spots me and waves.  She’s wearing a pair of navy skinny jeans, a light pink polo shirt and ballet flats.  Her brown hair is pulled back into a loose ponytail and black, square-rimmed glasses frame her big brown eyes.  I think she’ll fit right in.

“Hey, Sadee, come on in here behind the bar.”

“Hi, Sienna.”

I show her where to put her bag and wait while she stows it away.

“Do you remember where everything is?”  I gave all three girls a quick tour this morning after their interviews.

“I sure do.  So, you’re just going to throw me in the deep end?” She laughs.

“Is there any other way?” I return with a smile.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine.  Are you sticking around or…?”

“Yeah, I’ll just be out back with the girls if you need anything.  It’s pretty quiet so I’m sure you’ll be fine.  If you need any help with the cash register, give me a yell.”

“Okay.  Have fun with your friends.”

I take one more look at her and smile as I’m walking away.  She was definitely the right choice.  She’s young, attractive, bubbly and she’s got experience in bar work. 

I go to pour myself a wine before I head out, but Sadee rushes over.  “I’ll do it,” she says, grabbing the bottle.  “Go relax.  Do the others need a top up?”

“That would be great.”  I give her the order and walk over to the girls. 

On my way, I give Skip a wave and say hi to the other customers I pass.  I stop and chat briefly to a few who ask me how Dory’s going and then make my way over to the table where the girls are sitting.

“Oh, hey! You’re back,” Edie shouts.

“Yep.  Sadee’s bringing us a fresh round shortly.”  I take a seat and pinch one of the wedges off the plate, dipping it in some garlic aioli before bringing it to my lips.  “Sorry, I’m starving,” I mumble around the food in my mouth.

“Go ahead.  We ordered a fresh plate for you.  Oh, here it is,” Jules tells me as a plate appears in front of me.

“Mmm, smells delicious.”  I dig in to the wedges while chatting with the girls.  Sadee tops up our drinks throughout the night and Skip even comes out to say bye before he leaves.

“So, when are you leaving?” Jules asks Ava.

“Where are you going?” I cut in.

“We leave in two weeks.  We’re going to Western Australia.”

“Really?  Wow.  For how long?”

“About a month, I think.  It depends how things go.  We’re going to trial Oscar on camel milk to see if it improves his autism.”

“That’s amazing! I had no idea,” I say, stunned.

“Yeah, it’s pretty impressive. I hope it works.  We’ll give it a go for a month, and if it works, we’ll come home and Jer will buy some camels for us to milk ourselves.”

“I hope it works for you guys.”

“It’s so remarkable,” Edie agrees.  “It would be life changing for him if it does.”

“Yep.” Ava nods in agreement.

Since Zeke dropped me off this morning, I have successfully avoided thinking of him, but that all changes when I spot his large frame walking toward our table.  Luke is beside him, but my eyes are solely focused on Zeke.  The conversation happening around me fades and the only thing I can hear is my own heartbeat, as his eyes hypnotise me, holding me in a trance I’m powerless to fight against.

I finally rip my gaze away as the boys near.  That’s when I notice Jackson, Jeremy and Clay all walking in as well.

“Hey, baby,” I hear Laura slur slightly as she glances up behind her to where Luke is bending down to touch his lips to hers.

“Sounds like you’ve had a good night.”

“We have.”

The girls all greet their husbands and I offer a polite nod and smile, but say nothing.  Zeke remains quiet, his eyes still locked on me.

“Ladies,” he drawls, a smirk on his face.

“Evening, Zeke,” I say politely.  He scowls at my greeting but I turn my attention to the others and stand to say goodnight.  It’s time I checked on Sadee anyway, since it’s almost close.

“Thanks for a great night, girls.  I better head in and start closing up.  Take your time, though.”

“Thanks for joining, Sie. We’ll have to do it again soon. I feel like we don’t see you enough.”

“Definitely,” I say, and I mean it.  After hugging each of them and giving all the guys – Zeke included – a collective wave, I dart into the bar area.

Sadee is wiping down the bar while the jukebox plays some Garth Brooks in the background.

“How did you go?  Everything okay?”  I ask.

“Absolutely. I had a ball, and the customers are lovely.  Very different to my last job bartending at Sinners nightclub in Darwin,” she says with a bark of laughter.

“It’s pretty tame around here.  You get the occasional rowdy drunk, but it doesn’t happen often.”

After I show Sadee how to close up, I stop to wave goodbye to the girls as they stumble out the door.  Then, I laugh as their men try to keep them upright.

“Bye, guys.”

“If that’s everything, I might head off?”

“It is.  Joanna is coming in for her first shift tomorrow afternoon, but if you’d like to call in around lunchtime I’ll have a roster drawn up for you.”

“Okay, I’ll see you again.  And, thanks, Sienna. I really appreciate you hiring me.”

“Have a good night.”  I smile and see her out, closing the door behind her. 

“You locking me in?  You know, it’s not exactly legal to keep people against their will.  Lucky for you, I’m happy to be here.”

He’s smirking.  His arms are crossed over his chest, making his biceps bulge.  The tribal ink tatted up his left arm is peeking out the sleeve of his cream shirt that has a way of bringing out the deep blue of his eyes.  His legs are crossed at the ankles as he casually leans against the doorframe. And goddamn him, he’s never looked sexier. 

The entire room heats up, and despite the slight smile on his face, the serious energy surrounding him is unmistakable as it holds me captive to his ways.

Desperate to clear the trance he’s got me in, I give my head a slight shake and then walk around the opposite side of the bar to where he’s standing. 

“Sorry, Zeke, I forgot you were here.”
Liar.

“Mmm.”  He makes a humming sound.

“Just close the door on your way out.”  I turn my back to him and load the dishwasher, press the start button and busy myself rearranging the bar mats, even though Sadee had already packed them away before she wiped down the bar, while I wait for him to leave.

Just leave already.

No, don’t leave.  Stay.  Stay, forever.

Wait.  What?  Leave.  He needs to leave.

I clench the rubber mats in my hands, turning my knuckles white as I wage an inner war with myself.  I’m so focused on the tug-of-war happening in my mind, that I don’t hear him come up behind me.  Well, that, or he has the silent stealth of a lion stalking a gazelle on the lush plains of Africa.

I’m going to go with the second option.
  He’s all commanding and has the whole king of the jungle act going on.  While I’m reserved, slightly uncoordinated in certain situations, but capable of bounding through long grass with elegance and sophistication.

Fucking hell, I’m losing my mind!  Nothing about me is elegant or sophisticated…

His hands grasp my shoulders first, then his body presses into my back and his breath skates over my ear as he bends down to whisper, “I don’t want to leave, Sienna.  The sooner you realise I’m not going anywhere, the better off we’ll be.”

My breath catches in my throat as I fight to reinforce my walls.  Walls he appears to strip away with his mere presence.

“I don’t think I’ll ever realise,” I blurt without thinking.

“Yeah, you will, baby.  You just have to trust me.”

His lips hit my neck and his tongue darts out to taste
that
spot, the spot that makes a shiver explode up your spine as your knees go weak and your nipples pucker.  Yeah,
that spot!
 

His hands tighten on my shoulders as he feels the reverberations of my shudder.

Oh god, why do I want him so bad?

A low smoulder begins to burn in my lower stomach as his lips continue to skate lightly across my neck, all the while he’s talking, words I can’t make out because I’m too busy concentrating on the delicious torture he’s inflicting.

“Sienna,” he says, a playful lilt to his voice.

“Hmm?”

“Baby, are you going to answer me?”

“Sure,” I sigh.  “When you ask the question.”

He laughs, and the rumble vibrates my back causing my stomach to clench.  “I said, are you going to let me feed you?”

My stomach growls, answering for me.  His body shakes with silent laughter and then he squeezes my shoulders and kisses me just below my ear.  “Fuck, I can’t wait for you to realise.”

“Why?”

“For many reasons, darlin’.  But, right now, I’m wishing I could take you back to your cabin and fuck you until the sun comes up.”

“Oh, god,” I whisper. 
I would love that!

“So maybe you should spend some time thinking
hard
.”  He pauses to thrust his hips gently against the back of me, causing his hard cock to rub against my lower back.

I’m not going to lie; I totally just pushed back against him.

I’m such a hussy!

“Then,” he continues, “We can start having some real fun.”  His arms come down to snake around my waist and he holds me tight.  “I can’t wait to have you naked, beneath me, and begging for my cock to fill your sweet, wet pussy.”

I think I just came.

She shudders in my arms and a small sigh escapes her slightly parted lips as her head falls a little to the side, opening up her neck to my waiting lips.  Then, ever so discreetly, she pushes her arse back into my cock and I fucking
know
she wants me as bad as I want her.

Progress!

Everything inside me is screaming to bend her over the bar and sink deep inside her.  But, I won’t.  I can’t.

Food.
  Oh, yeah, that’s right, I was going to feed her.

Fuck, but I’d love to feast on her.

“Are you going to feed me?”  Fucking love her cocky little attitude when it comes out to play.  Her brow is arched, challenging me, and a smirk plays on her lips.  Lips I’d love to ravish.

“Yeah, I am.  Let’s go.”  Taking her hand, I stride toward the pub’s kitchen.  We should be able to find something to eat in here.

“You’re going to steal food from me?  First it was drinks, now food.”  She makes a tutting sound with her mouth.  “What am I going to do with you?”

I’ve had about all I can take.  She’s sexy when she’s shy and reserved, but she’s fucking irresistible when she throws sass.

I turn from where I was looking through the contents of the fridge and stalk towards her with purpose.  Hesitation flits across her eyes but she masks it quickly.  Her backward steps match my own forward ones, but she’s got a wall behind her.  She stops up against it, but I keep coming, slamming my body into hers and bringing my mouth down to meet her own.

She whimpers and her body goes lax as my tongue slides insides her parted lips, playing with her own.  My hands go to her arse and I lift her up.  She immediately wraps those long, slender legs around my waist and I push even deeper into her.

A growl rumbles deep from within my chest as I fight the urge to take her right here, right now.  Grinding my dick against the heat between her thighs will have to suffice.

Fuck, she tastes so good.  I can’t get enough. 
I don’t want to get enough.

“Zeke,” she whispers between my kisses.

“You’re so fucking beautiful, Sienna.  Taste so good, baby.”

I kiss her until my lips are almost numb and my cock is straining so painfully hard against my jeans, I’m pretty sure he’s going to bust free of my zipper any moment now.  Our kisses become slow, lazy, compared to the ravenous hunger they started as.  She sighs and mewls as I swipe my tongue inside her mouth to dual with her own one last time.

“Zeke,” she whispers again, almost dreamily.

Touching my forehead to hers, I look deep into her sparkling blue eyes.  They’re shining so bright with lust, it is almost blinding.  I imagine mine are a matching pair.  Slowly, I lower her to the ground, keeping a firm hold around her waist and my forehead still resting against hers.

“Go out with me,” I demand, my voice husky, thick with arousal.

She’s still panting, her chest heaving up and down causing her pebbled little nipples to brush against my chest.

“Go out with me,” I repeat, conveying with my eyes how much I want her to take that step and just fall, trusting I’ll catch her, trusting I’ll take care of her.

“Okay,” she replies hesitantly.  My shoulders sag with relief. 
Thank fuck!
  She’s taking a step, trusting me, and she’ll never know just how much it means to me.

I know something happened to her previously, something bad, judging by the thick walls she’s got surrounding her.  But, I’m fucking happy as a pig in shit that she’s coming around and lowering her fortress enough for me to get a peak inside.

And, what’s inside is fucking stunning!