Wrecked (3 page)

Instead, the damn woman and her bitchy attitude was getting him hard.

Why was that? Maybe because he suspected such a hard exterior on a woman must be protecting something worthwhile beneath it.

Or maybe he was just into abuse.

More likely, it was because one look told him this woman was like an unbroken horse—wild, untamed and guaranteed to give him one hell of a ride.

He never had been able to resist a challenge.

If nothing else, he could tell this woman would be just that—challenging.

“Wade!” The summons had him turning toward the opposite end of the hallway. He saw one of the other bull fighters wave him over. “Come on. They want an interview before the start.”

“On my way.” Wade turned back to the mysterious woman. “Enjoy the event.”

“Wait.”

He paused. “Yeah?”

“Is there an exit through here?” She tipped her head toward the other end of the hall.

“Yeah. There’s a fire door down that way. It’s where some of the guys who smoke hang around outside.”

“Where does it lead?”

“The back lot.” Every one of her strange queries piqued Wade’s interest a little more.

“Okay.” Clutching the bag on her shoulder, she pivoted on one high heel and headed down the hall without so much as a thank you or fuck off.

That left Wade with no answers, but a heap of questions. He watched her ass as she walked away and then turned for the other end of the hall. There was work to do.

By the time Wade reached the chutes he saw not a whole lot of business happening amid the riders, but what looked like a whole lotta bullshit.

“This is a nightmare.” Aaron ran his hand over his face.

Garret lifted one shoulder. “I guess it was bound to happen eventually, you running into her again. And this is the Cole Shock Absorbers Invitational. What did you expect?”

Wade was about to walk by. He had an interview to give and the reporter was waiting on him. But this little drama playing out was too interesting to walk on by.

The media guy probably only needed him for a quick sound bite, like usual.

They’d record him standing next to one of the bulls in a pen. He’d say how rank the bull was and what he knew about him as a bucker, then they’d be done. The network would run the thirty second segment sometime during the televised event.

They could wait a few minutes. This was far too good to pass up.

“What’s up?” he asked.

“Aaron’s former lover and his current girl both have VIP passes for the chute seats.” Garret grinned, taking too much joy in his brother-in-law’s discomfort, in Wade’s opinion.

Wade hid his own smile in deference to the poor kid’s misery. “I see how that could be a problem. What’re you gonna do about it?”

He had a few suggestions, but he wanted to see what Aaron came up with on his own. Only way for him to learn was to work things out on his own. Shit like this was bound to happen in this business.

“I don’t know.” Aaron, looking miserable, shook his head.

Garret glanced at the chute seats above them. “It looks like CeCe left so maybe you don’t have to worry or do anything.”

Aaron shook his head. “No, she couldn’t have. When Jill spotted CeCe walking in, she did a little digging. It looks like CeCe is scheduled to do the buckle presentation so there’s no way she left. Besides, I’m not sure she’s the kind to turn tail and run.”

“No, she’s probably not. Damn. You know this’ll be the one event you actually win. Then you’ll have to have
her
give you the buckle.”

Sadist that he was, Wade decided he’d like to see that. At the same time, Aaron groaned. “Great. Thanks. You probably cursed me.”

“Hell, it’s a damn nice purse. If you win, the money will help you deal with the buckle presentation. Believe me.” Garret snorted.

Wade watched the back and forth between the two riders wondering who this CeCe was besides, obviously, somehow part of Cole Shocks and Aaron’s former squeeze.
 

But the reality was, Wade couldn’t be all that concerned about Aaron’s woes. He had an interview to get to. “Well, good luck with your little problem.”

“Thanks.” Aaron rolled his eyes and Garret laughed as, chuckling, Wade headed for the media booth.

CHAPTER 3

CeCe pushed through the exit door and into the sunlight. Only when the door slammed behind her did she feel as if she could breathe again.

Coming to this event had been a monumentally bad idea. She’d suspected that as she started to feel sick to her stomach on the drive over in the limo. She sure as hell knew it for a fact now as she stood outside the back door of the arena not even caring the door had slammed, most likely locking her out of the building.

Of course Aaron Jordan was there. He was a rider. This was a bull riding event. That wasn’t a surprise. And Jill was there too, which shouldn’t have been a shock at all because CeCe had been assuming all along they’d be together.

What had been a real shocker was how seeing both of them again affected her. She was shaking and angry, sad and hurt all over again.

Weeks afterward and still CeCe felt transported right back to that day in Georgia when Aaron had dumped her and ridden off into the sunset with her marketing manager.

She shouldn’t feel like this. She’d spent two nights with Aaron. Only two. But those nights had been when she’d been feeling at her lowest.

The stress of the divorce and her new position as the head of Cole Shocks had gotten to her. Depressed. Insecure. Unsure of the future—her own and that of this multi-billion dollar company she’d gotten in the divorce.

She’d been vulnerable and Aaron had seemed like a port in the storm. An escape from the horrors of reality.

That was the only way she could explain her thinking she was falling for him in so short a time while knowing he was young and that an age difference as great as theirs would present a challenge for the long term in any relationship.

Maybe she needed to take a long hiatus from all men until she got her life together.

Then again, maybe she needed a bottle of booze and a man to make her forget everything, including how her life had gotten so complicated at a time when she should be completely settled.

Who knew what the hell she should do. She obviously was still up in the air.

CeCe leaned back against the wall and closed her eyes, tipping her head back so the warmth of the sun hit her face. For this one moment at least, it felt as if the heat and light could chase away the shadows deep inside her soul.

Then the moment was over.

The door next to her flung open and slammed against the wall too close to her face for comfort. She took a step to one side, as angry about having her peace disturbed as she was about almost being hit with the heavy metal door.

She frowned at the man who walked through.

Recognizing him immediately, she planted her hands on her hips. “Did you follow me out here?”

The man who’d introduced himself inside as Wade widened his eyes. “Follow you? Yeah, sure. Because, you know, I got nothing better to do half an hour before the opening other than stalk you. Jesus. You need a reality check, woman.”

Shaking his head, he strode off toward the rows of parked vehicles in the lot. She watched as he stopped at a big truck. Reaching inside, he grabbed something, slammed the door and turned. Before she’d decided how to respond to his rudeness, he was headed back in her direction.

When he was close enough, he held up a small round can. “See. Just getting another can of chew out of my truck. Not stalking you.”

His harsh tone hit her harder than it should have. To CeCe’s horror, she felt the prick of tears behind her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

“Well, that’s good since you’re wrong and all.” He paused. “What the hell? Hey, don’t cry about it.”

“I’m not crying. And certainly not about you.” She angled her head so he wouldn’t see she was lying.

He let out a snort. “I don’t know shit about a lot of things, but I know tears when I see them.”

CeCe flicked away the incriminating dampness from her eyes. She didn’t want to give this cocky cowboy the satisfaction of seeing it. “Don’t you have anything better to do?”

“Actually, I do.” Still, he didn’t go.

She shot him a glare. “Then feel free to go do it.”

“I think I’ll hang out here for a bit.”

She drew down her brows in a frown, in spite of the numbing effects of the Botox injections in her forehead. “Why?”

“Not often I see a wildcat around these parts.” The bastard had the gall to grin at her as he leaned back and crossed his arms, settling in. Proof he meant what he’d said and he wasn’t going anywhere soon.

“Then I’ll leave.” Her attempt at finding peace back there had failed.

If nothing else, this man had given her something other than Aaron and Jill to focus on. He’d raised her anger, which had shoved the sadness down inside. For that, she should feel grateful to him. She didn’t. She was too annoyed.

CeCe reached for the door handle, praying the door wouldn’t be locked. She yanked it hard and thankfully it swung open. She didn’t know what she would have done if she’d been locked outside with the most obnoxious cowboy on earth and his can of chew.

She moved through the doorway, relieved to be making her escape from his unwelcome company until she heard the slow steady sound of footsteps behind her.

Halting, she spun and glared at the man following her down the hall. She planted her hands on her hips and was about to accuse him, or at least question him as to why he insisted on being wherever she was, when he held up both hands in a defensive gesture.

“I’m not following you. I swear.” When she looked at him with doubt, he continued, “Really. I gotta get back to the arena floor before the opening ceremony and this is the quickest way to get there. That’s all.”

That might all be perfectly true, but he didn’t have to look so amused about it.

“Fine.” CeCe spun back again and strode down the hall.

She realized she was headed directly for the very thing she’d run from just moments ago.

The difference now was that she was fueled with a nice dose of anger thanks to this infuriating Wade person.

Let Aaron or Jill dare say anything to her. She’d take them on and anyone else who got in her way.

“CeCe!”

Ready to fight the world, she pivoted in the direction of the summons. She saw Tom Parsons, the head of the bull riding association, stepping out of a doorway and tried to take her agitation down a notch. But if he had anything negative to say about her pulling the Cole Shock Absorbers’ corporate sponsorship for next year, she’d give him a piece of her mind.

“Yes?” She forced a smile in return to the one he wore as he strode toward her.

He extended a hand to shake hers. “I’m so happy you could make it today. It really means a lot to the association to have a member of Cole Shocks present the buckle.”

She didn’t get why but she nodded and pretended she did. “My pleasure.”

“I see you got the VIP pass. Do you need me to show you to your seats? The show’s about to start.”

“Actually, regarding my seat—” She nearly didn’t say anything but hell, as long as he was kissing her ass she might as well take advantage of it. It would make today a lot easier to deal with. “I was wondering if I could talk to you about that.”

“Hey, boss.”

She and Tom had stood there long enough, Wade, Mr. Annoying, had caught up with them.

Tom took a step back to include the cowboy in their conversation. “Wade, have you met CeCe Cole? She’s here representing Cole Shocks today for the Invitational. She’ll be presenting the buckle.”

CeCe took a modicum of pleasure watching his eyes widen at the revelation.

“Uh, not officially introduced, no. Ms. Cole. A pleasure.” His eyes never leaving hers, Wade tipped his hat.

It was a move that looked so practiced she would have assumed it was all for show for the attendees if she hadn’t already heard him speak. That heavy southern drawl wasn’t fake. Neither was his good ol’ boy pick-up truck or the can of chewing tobacco in his grasp.