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Brody turned round and met my gaze. “Are you kidding? You were freakin’ awesome up there. You stayed on way longer than anyone else.”

I rolled my eyes and leaned back against the cool brick wall at my back. “But everyone else kept their clothes on. Someone should complain to the manufacturer. Those horns are a death trap.”

The corners of his mouth twitched. “True, but I have to say, if anyone was going to get semi-naked on the bull tonight, I’d rather it was you.” His voice had dropped to a low husky burr, and all the molecules in the air between us sped up, jostling against each other in a tension-filled frenzy.

My breath thinned in my chest at the fire in his eyes. “Is that meant to make me feel better?”

He shrugged his glorious shoulders, the soft light from the bar casting shadows over his chest. “Take it how you will, but just know how incredible you look tonight.” With his teeth at his bottom lip, Brody leaned in and stroked my cheek with the back of his fingers. “And you rode that bull in style.”

The heat from his body pulsed into me, and my heart skittered in my chest. He was so close, so beautiful, so tempting. So magnetic. His fingers stayed on my cheek as if he was waiting for me to say or do something. I had a track record with spontaneous gestures. After the other night, I’d told him we could never be together. But with his soft lips swimming in my vision, all logical thought left the parking lot, and I didn’t care if he’d met a hundred gorgeous redheads for coffee.

Sucking in a shuddering breath, I took Brody’s wrist and pulled his hand to the back of my neck. No shy eighteen-year-old kiss for me tonight. His eyes widened a touch before he let out a guttural groan and brought his mouth to mine. The press of his lips was sweet bliss, and as our tongues danced, I threaded my hands around him, pulling him closer.

The soft skin underneath my fingers belied the solid wall of his back, each muscle moving together in perfect harmony. To be locked together like this was all I’d craved, and right now, I couldn’t get enough of him.

Brody tangled his fingers through one pigtail, guiding me to him, his knee moving between my legs. I met his pressure, pushing back to quell the ache at my core. After the longest beat, he broke the kiss, his breath coming fast against my neck. “I know you said to stay away from you, but I can’t. It’s impossible.”

A million goosebumps broke out across my body. I leaned my head back against the wall, and Brody brought his lips to mine again. I swear I moaned into his mouth. The urgency in my body consumed me. How could kissing him hurt anybody when the two of us together felt so right? Damn Cooper and his unrealistic expectations. Damn Brody’s career that would take him away from me again. And most of all, damn the throbbing between my legs.

I brought my hands down from around his neck, dragging them over the hard muscles of his chest, about to lose myself completely in his body when a loud bang and voices hit my ears. Brody must’ve heard it, too, because his body stiffened.

“Calm down, Coop. She’ll be out here. Flock was looking after her.”

At the sound of Eve’s voice, Brody and I broke apart, eyes wide.

“Cooper!” Eve shouted, her voice ringing crisp and clear in the muggy air.

The next moment, Brody’s hand left my neck, and he turned away. Coop and Eve rounded the corner. My brother had a face like thunder, and Eve looked like she was about to throttle him. They stopped as soon as they saw Brody standing in the light. He was in just his jeans and had his hands on his hips.

“Where’s Ro?” barked Cooper.

On instinct, I crouched down. The action was a flashback to my seven-year-old self when I used to hide from my brother. Not everything reminded me of the past, though. From the height I was at, all I could focus on was the bulge in Brody’s pants. Thank goodness Eve and Cooper could only see his back.

He turned his head, looking down at me, and my brother followed his gaze. Coop tightened his eyes as he looked into the surrounding darkness.

“What are you doing down there?”

I pulled in a breath. Channeling all the acting skills six years as Mary of Nazareth had taught me, I reached out a hand to grope around on the floor. “I lost a contact.”

“You don’t wear contacts,” Coop ground out.

A bitter taste pooled in the back of my mouth, and I grasped for words. How could I explain why I was crouched down on the floor of the Crow Bar’s parking lot?

Eve stepped forward, kneeling beside me, her hand on my shoulder. “You mean one of the false eyelashes? I’m sorry for making you wear them. But don’t worry. I can get more.” Eve stood and pulled me up after her. I’d never been so grateful in my life. I swear, if left to my own devices, my jelly-like legs would’ve collapsed underneath me.

I met her eyes in the gloom, and something shone within them. An understanding that only best friends could have. A silent agreement of sisterhood and solidarity. The slightest tilt of her lips told me that Eve guessedexactlywhat she and Coop had interrupted. Her eyes flipped to Brody’s solid back, and she reached out to take my hand, giving it a tiny squeeze. “Are you okay, Ro?”

“What the hell happened?” Cooper asked, stepping toward me. Brody turned around to face us, his “downstairs situation” having presumably deflated. I let out a wavering breath. Cooper hadn’t seen my humiliation?

I looked at Eve, and she gave a tiny nod. “Coop was in the john. Missed the whole thing. I filled him in as best I could.”

I let out an audible sigh, my tight shoulders sinking. The rodeo gods must be smiling down on me. I could only imagine what my brother would make of my impromptu strip in the middle of a crowded bar. He’d once threatened an ex for taking me skinny dipping. Aged twenty-one.

“I’m fine. It was a silly accident. I mean, it’s just typical of me, right? I think someone should write to the bull company about the design of their horns.”

Cooper huffed out a breath. “Well, if you had more clothes on…”

Brody’s brow furrowed, and he made to step forward, but I lifted an arm, waving him away. I could take care of myself. “Coop, I don’t need a lecture. I’m tired, and in case you hadn’t noticed, I’m not a child.”