Page 48 of Kentucky Nights (Dead Man’s Ranch #1)

The music is loud at Rodeo’s Way, a bar next to the arena we were at a few days ago.

Every step I take, my boots stick to the floor from all the spilled beer from people dancing with a drink in their hand.

In the far-right corner, cowboys play pool while their girls watch.

To the left is a massive dance floor where the line dancers are.

I’ve never seen so many cowboy hats in my life. Everyone has one on.

There’s a larger crowd congregating around the mechanical bull. It’s in the middle of a wooden fenced-in area with big fluffy red mats on the ground, so the riders are protected when they fall off.

The bull itself seems huge. It has horns pointing forward and a silver ring hanging from its fake nose.

“Kentucky.” I tug on his belt loop, keeping my finger curled into it so I don’t get lost in the crowd. “Can we go over there?”

“Anything my mate wants, she gets. Come on, Darlin’.” He takes charge, stepping in front of me to lead the way.

The crowd parts for him naturally, as if their instincts are screaming that there is a predator near. Men and women alike crane their heads back to look up at Kentucky, eyes widening when they see how tall he is.

Even though I’m holding onto him by his belt loop, he reaches behind to lace his fingers with my other hand.

The ceiling, the floor, the bar, everything is made of wood. Even the chairs are old and antique. A few of the legs have duct tape wrapped around the center to keep the pieces together. Can they not replace them? That seems like a hazard.

Kentucky pulls out a chair for me when we get to a table. A chair without duct tape.

This place is rough around the edges, but I love it already. There’s an authenticity to it that not many other places have.

“Why, thank you. What a gentleman.” I sit down, watching a guy jump onto the mechanical bull.

“Let’s see if he can make it eight seconds, everybody!” The operator shouts into the mic so others can hear over the loud country music playing for the line dancers.

The crowd surrounding the bull begins to cheer, lifting their drinks in the air. Beer spills over the rims of their glass pints, splashing onto their arms and the floor. No wonder this place smells of beer.

When the operator flips the switch on the bull, its eyes glow red and fog drifts from its nose, clouding the rider in a faint sheet.

“What do you want to drink, Darlin’?” Kentucky has to raise his voice so I can hear him over the chaos of the bar.

“I’ll take a Coke.” I don’t need to shout or yell. I know Kentucky can hear me with his advanced hearing.

Kentucky snags my chair, yanking me closer to him. Our chairs touch, and he wraps his arm around the back. Leaning in, he draws gentle circles in the middle of my upper arm and whispers, “If you want something sweet, I’ve got something for you to suck on.”

“Kentucky,” I scold him playfully.

We’re interrupted by the waitress, and Kentucky snarls under his breath. “Hi, welcome to Rodeo’s Way. I’m Patsie. I’ll be your server this evening,” she shouts, clicking the top of her pen.

“One sweet tea and a Coke, please,” Kentucky answers by lifting two fingers. “And a blooming onion with steak sauce. A lot of steak sauce.”

“Coming right up!”

“A blooming onion with steak sauce?” I scrunch my nose at how unappetizing that sounds.

“You have to try it. It’s so good. I can’t remember when I first had it. It was years ago, and it blew my mind. Please try it. For me. So we can enjoy my second favorite food.”

“Second?”

“First place goes to you, Darlin’. Ain’t nothin’ that will ever taste better than you.”

Heat pools between my legs, wishing we were anywhere but here so he can eat in private.

The cowboy on the mechanical bull gets flung off and lands on the mats. He lifts his arms into the sky, cheering to celebrate that he made it the full eight seconds. Someone hands him a drink, and he downs it in one gulp. Crunching the cup in his grasp, he throws it across the room.

“I want to do that so bad.” I plop my elbow on the table and hold my chin in my hand.

I’m jealous of the next person who hops on the bull. I won’t be able to ride it since I’m pregnant.

“We can do it together.” Kentucky inhales my scent as he buries his nose into my neck. “I can tell the operator to go very slow, so my girls are okay.” His hand flattens against my lower belly, causing my insides to melt with how sweet and thoughtful he is.

“We don’t know if it’s a girl.” I lean into him, needing to be closer. I want to feel him on every inch of my body. I’ve never felt so protected.

Usually when I’m at a bar, I have to be alert and focused. When I was single, I would cover my drink, and I’d never go to the bathroom alone. Even with all my precautions, Louisville got through all my defense systems. No system is perfect, but Kentucky is.

He won’t let anything happen to me. He’ll kill anyone who gets too close, and I find comfort in that.

“Your existence is my royalty.” He kisses my shoulder, his beard scraping against me when he pulls away. “And I will always kneel at your feet. I am yours in any way you ever want me.”

Our gazes find one another, attracting one another like magnets.

“Here you are.” The waitress interrupts again.

How do servers always manage to come up to their tables at the worst times? Either mid bite or mid kiss.

“Thank you.” Kentucky slides my drink in front of me. He goes as far as stripping the paper from the straw to shove it in my drink.

“I could have done that, you know,” I tease.

“And? I don’t want you to have to lift a finger for the rest of your life. Now, try my favorite snack.” He plucks an onion petal, dipping it into the steak sauce, and shoves it into my mouth.

The crunch is just what I needed. “Mmmm,” I moan in surprise.

“That’s…that’s actually so good.” I grab another piece, having to roll it into the sauce to get it covered.

I bite into it, groaning again when the tangy zest bursts across my tongue.

“I can’t believe I’ve never tried that. People are missing out if they don’t eat blooming onions like this. ” I can’t help but moan again.

“You can’t be making sounds like that wearing those shorts. That just ain’t fair, Darlin’.”

“Who says I’m doing this to be fair?” I suck a finger into my mouth to lick the sauce off, giving him an unnecessary show of what I can do with my tongue.

His nostrils flare watching me with a laser-focused, lustful gaze. “This night won’t last long if you keep that up. I’m about to push you to your knees so I can experience you wrapping that tongue around my cock if you continue to test me.”

“Maybe that’s my goal.”

His eyes shift into the brilliant crimson, and he ducks his head to hide his fangs from the crowd. Those long, calloused fingers dig into my thigh, his claws poking into my skin.

I am so proud of myself.

When he is calm, he relaxes, letting go of the tight grip on my thigh. “You just wait until later,” he says. “You’re all mine.”

His.

I’m in love with that fact.

Kentucky grabs a few fried onion petals himself, and he dips them into the sauce too. “Damn, that’s so good. We will need another basket. I’m going to demolish these.”

“Another?” I squeal.

He chuckles, covering his mouth as he chews.

“Darlin’, if you wanted to order the entire menu, I’d have no problem with it.

Taking care of you is what I live for.” He leans forward, folding his arms on the table.

The loud music dies down, and the DJ announces a fifteen-minute break. “Do you want to get on the bull?”

“You were serious? Do you think it will be okay? I don’t want to cause any harm.” I place a hand protectively over my stomach. “I’d feel terrible if anything happened.”

“Like I said, I’m going to mystify the operator to go very slow. No quick turns, no spins, none of that. You won’t be flying off. It will be a very easy ride, like going up and down a hill in a car.”

“Do you need to mess with his mind to do that?”

“When it comes to you? Absolutely. I don’t trust him to keep his word.

He’d probably try to fling us off. I’m not risking that.

” He dips another petal into the steak sauce.

“I don’t care if he gives me his word. A man’s word ain’t enough these days.

Actions are more important. Words can be lies. Actions are honesty—good or bad.”

I sip down my drink, the carbonation hitting the back of my throat. It’s so refreshing. The small bubbles fizz and pop in my mouth as I swallow, washing down the blooming onion perfectly.

“Come on.” He stands, pulls out my chair, and offers me his hand. “Let’s get you on that bull, Darlin’. And then I’m going to get you home, peel those shorts off you, and have my way.”

“I don’t know, don’t you owe me a dance too?”

“You don’t know what I have planned for the rest of the night.” He clutches my hand, dragging me away from the table to the operator.

I loop my arm through his to hang onto him tighter. I crowd his space, so I don’t bump into anyone.

“Excuse me?”

The operator peers down from his booth. “Want to ride the bull?”

“We do.” Kentucky’s tone changes. He’s softer, speaking slower with an intensity I’ve never heard before.

“You’re going to go very slowly. My wife is pregnant, and we can’t have any accidents.

Slow . No fast turns, no whips to the left and right, and no trying to throw her off.

If you do, I’ll fucking kill you. Do you understand? ”

“I understand,” The operator’s face is relaxed, his eyes hooded, and his pupils blown from Kentucky’s influence. “You’ll be safe.”

“How long is the line?” Kentucky asks.

“There are about ten people ahead of you.”

“You’re going to let us go first.”

The operator grins. “Looks like you’re up. Give me the thumbs up when you’re ready.”

Kentucky swings me into his arms and sets me on the other side of the fence.

“You just skipped so many people,” I scold him.

Using the wooden post as leverage, he hops over the fence. I’m not sure why that turns me on so much, but I want him to do it again.

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I was going to get you out of those shorts.” He taps my ass with his hand. “Come on. Let’s get you on this bull so you can ride me later.”

Is this what it is like to be happy? To have someone love you? Like, truly love you? No wonder the world is obsessed with finding love. There isn’t a better feeling in existence.

Kentucky grabs me by the hips and swings me over the bull. I grab the handle, scooting forward until I feel comfortable. My mate hops on behind me, proving he has done this a hundred times. His muscular arm wraps around my waist like he promised, tugging himself to my back.

My breath catches with him so close. His legs hug the back of mine, gluing himself to me. Kentucky reaches around with his free hand, placing his over mine to have a better grip of the handle.

“Ready?”

“Ready.” My reply is breathless from being caged against him.

His nose is against my neck, and he nips at his claim, sending jolts of desire through every single one of my limbs.

He lifts his thumb in the air to the operator and wraps his arm around me again.

“We have to be careful with this one,” the announcer says. “She’s pregnant. Everyone cheer for the couple!”

The crowd is loud, everyone raising their drinks in the air to celebrate.

I grip the handle and keep a hold of Kentucky’s arm when the bull tilts forward. I scream, worried I’m going to fall off.

“I got you. I ain’t going to allow anything to happen to you, Darlin’. You’re safe with me.”

The bull rocks slowly, just like the operator promised. Kentucky slides back and forth. His arousal presses into me with every motion of the bull. We turn slow and steady. Warm breath puffs against my neck, the tease of his lips ghosting over my nape.

I lean into him, trusting him to keep me safe when the bull rocks back. Kentucky presses a kiss to his mark, a moan slipping from his lips. His control is slipping just as mine is.

A light sheen of sweat sticks to my skin. The air is full of humidity from our bodies, yet I’m hot for an entirely different reason.

Kentucky kisses my shoulder and neck before wrapping his hand around my throat to keep me secured to him.

“I’m taking you home. Right now.”