Page 100 of The Wildest Ride

Lil bucked and the world went black. AJ’s growl of triumph surrounded her and his hands came to grip her hips as he slammed into her with three monstrous thrusts before landing deep and shattering with a roar.

26

AJ came back to himself to Lil’s cheek resting on his chest, her breathing long and slow and in time with his. He brought a hand to the side of her head and hugged her to him, pressing her close against his heart.

She sighed and snuggled against him, and he felt anchored for the first time since he’d announced his retirement.

“Why’d you go to Spain?” he asked.

Lil snorted. “That’s what’s on your mind right now?”

AJ smiled, eyes closed. “Yeah.”

Her answering smile was in her voice when she said, “Why do you think it was anything more than a familiar language and Mediterranean climate?”

“You’re not the beach type.”

Spinning a finger in lazy circles on his chest, she said mildly, “You’ve figured me out so quickly?”

He grinned, recognizing a trap when he saw one. “No, ma’am.”

Her voice went soft. “Guess why.”

He was quiet for a moment, reviewing everything he’d learned about her. Raised by grandparents. Ranch girl. Stubborn. Rodeo lifer...

He guessed: “The running of the bulls?”

She pushed up to her forearms to stare down at him smiling. “Close, actually. And I did go to that, too. But, no, that’s not why I went.” Above him, faintly blue and backlit from the flickering laptop screen on the table and the camper’s low wattage lights, she looked soft and open and everything he’d ever wanted.

Her braid, nearly all out now, fell to the right side of her head, with random curls escaping every which way, highlighting and framing the elegant bare lines of her skull and neck. The corner of his mouth lifted in a dazed little smile.

“Why’d you go?” he asked.

Lightning flashed in her gray eyes. “Bull dancing.”

“Bull dancing?” He’d been through Spain on his tour, but had made only a few stops so there were likely local events he’d missed. This was one he’d never heard of.

“You versus the bull—on foot.”

“Like a clown?” he asked.

Lil frowned. “It’s more elegant than that...”

“I’ve seen some elegant moves from the clowns...”

She laughed, “You know what I mean. You try to move as smoothly as you can—‘dancing’—to avoid getting gored in close range. It’s lovely.” Her eyes glowed.

He reached up to tuck a curl behind her ear. It bounced free almost as soon as he released his hand.

“And they do it in Spain?”

She nodded. “It wasn’t officially part of the program but I got permission to participate.”

He laughed, “You signed a waiver.”

She grinned. “Pretty much.”

“Sounds risky,” he said.