Roping Ryan (The West Series Book 6) (6 page)

N
ikki couldn’t stop shaking. Her fingers dug into Ryan’s skin, and she wished more than anything she could stop herself from wanting him so much. Even though they’d only officially known each other for a few days, she felt like she’d known him much longer.

Maybe it was because she’d followed him around for almost a week. Maybe it was because she’d been looking for him for over three months. Whatever the reason, now that she’d had a taste of him, she couldn’t seem to get enough.

He’d looked damn sexy in his tight, worn jeans and button-up shirt. The worn boots and hat only finished the look that turned her undercover cop into the sexy cowboy she desired.

“Put your hands on me.” She pulled back and shook her head. “I need your hands on me.” When he smiled, she pulled him back down to her, dislodging his hat as he tilted his head for a better angle.

He pulled her down further onto the soft grass. His fingers moved to the buttons on her shirt and when he finally opened it, he sighed when he saw that she wore a tank top underneath.

“Too many layers.” He shook his head. She reached up and started opening his buttons, one at a time.

“Sometimes it’s nice to move slow.” She smiled up at him. His eyes closed as her fingers brushed against his naked skin. Pushing his shirt from his shoulders, she took in the beauty of him. His shoulders were wide and his arms were toned and a little tanner than yesterday.

“You’re killing me, princess.” Her eyes flew to his, ready to scold him for calling her that until she saw the desire in his eyes. Instantly, her body responded.

Had she wanted slowness? She tugged at his jeans as he pulled hers down. Then he shocked her by hoisted her legs over his shoulders, her jeans still wrapped tightly around her boots. He positioned himself between her legs, tossing the jeans over his shoulders so he was cocooned between them. Then his head dipped and his mouth was on her, and she forgot about time and place.

The soft grass beneath her, the blue sky and green leaves above her were all gone, replaced by the warmth of his mouth against her private skin. His fingers dug into her soft hips, holding her still so he could feast on her.

Her fingers dug into the soft ground as she threw her head back and closed her eyes tightly. When she felt his finger touch the most sensitive spot, she bolted underneath him with her release.

“Mmmm, you taste like honey.” He trailed kisses up her stomach, taking a moment to dip his tongue into her belly button for a moment. Then he kissed his way up, making sure her legs stayed wrapped around his hips. “Good thing I put this in here.” He pulled a condom from his back pocket.

She smiled and pulled him back towards her when he was finished with the protection. “I’ve never done it in a field before.” She looked over and smiled. “With two horses watching.” She blushed a little.

He looked over his shoulder and smiled. “I’m sure they’ve seen it all before.” He slowly slid into her. She watched his eyes close and couldn’t stop hers from doing the same. He felt good. Too good.

Her legs were held prisoner in her jeans since her boots were still on, so she used them to hold him closer to her heat.

She didn’t want him to move. She didn’t want to breathe in case she lost the feeling of him inside her. When his hips started to flex, a groan escaped her lips that matched his own moan of delight.

Then his lips were on hers, and she was pulling his hair to somehow get him closer. “More,” she demanded and he didn’t seem to mind obeying the command.

He built her up until she felt herself getting closer to the edge, then his hand reached down and when he touched her, she exploded around him. He had followed her and now they lay in the shade of the large tree, breathing hard together.

Ryan felt like a thief. He peeked open his eyes and was thankful that it was still sunny out. He’d rolled over and, after making sure their clothes were back in place, had pulled Nikki close and closed his eyes for just a moment. Or so he’d thought. It was probably an hour later, maybe even longer.

He hadn’t realized how tiring rustling was. Maybe his job had allowed him to get a little soft. Maybe he was getting old.

“Ready to ride back in? If we stay out here much longer, my cousin will send someone out looking for us.” He chuckled and watched Nikki sit up and button her overshirt.

When she tried to tie her hair back up, he handed her the hat that sat next to them on the ground.

“I suppose.” She looked at the horses and smiled. “The urge to ride again has struck.”

He chuckled. “That’s good to know.” He helped her stand up. “You’ll get used to it.” He pulled her close and placed a kiss on her lips, savoring the feeling and taste of her.

“Mmm,” she said against his lips. “I’ve never done this outside before.” She looked around and smiled. “It was kind of nice.”

He chuckled. “We’ll have to do it again then.”

She looked at him and he wondered if the subtle hint had gotten through to her. He wanted her. Again and again. And he wasn’t going to stop wanting her soon.

It seemed to take forever, but finally she smiled and nodded. When he reached over and took her hand, she sighed and started walking next to him.

“I hope it’s okay, but I agreed to dinner with my brother and Melissa this Friday.”

She nodded. “They’re a cute couple. When they came to Houston, I enjoyed my time with them.”

He helped her up onto her horse and quickly mounted his own. As they started to walk the horses back towards the big barn a few miles away, he realized he wanted to know more about her.

“Tell me how you got into the PI business.” He glanced at her. “I mean. I know your dad is one, but how did you become one?”

She turned and looked straight ahead. “My father had a lot to do with it, of course, but really it was all David’s fault.”

“David?” He tried to look relaxed about the question.

She glanced at him and nodded. “I dated him for a while after college.” She looked forward again and sighed. “I was young and naive.”

He thought about telling her she still was but decided to keep his mouth shut.

“It all started small.” She kept her eyes forward. “He’d get jealous of the way his friends looked at me. Or he’d think I was spending too much time talking to someone. Then one day, instead of yelling, he started hitting.”

His hands tightened on the reins, and his horse instantly felt his reaction and started prancing. He tried to relax himself, but too many memories popped into his head: his father’s fist flying towards his face, his brother lying in the bed next to him, crying after a beating. The thought of something like that happening to Nikki just plain pissed him off.

“One day I just decided I’d had enough. I called Daddy and told him what was going on.” She glanced at him and paused. He imagined that she saw the murderousness in his eyes, and he blinked and glanced away quickly.

After a moment of silence he asked, “What happened next?”

She avoided looking at him. “My father came and helped me move into an apartment. He started to put me through his PI self-defense training.”

He could tell she was leaving something out. “And?”

She looked at him again, and he could see the concern in her eyes.

“A few months later, I ran into David. He followed me outside the restaurant and decided that it was his place to continue the abusive behavior.”

“What happened?”

She smiled at him. “I broke his nose.”

He laughed. “Good girl.”

“I told you, I can take care of myself.”

He didn’t feel like telling her there was a big difference between a sleazeball that liked to hit women and a group of men responsible for over a thousand, possibly even more, deaths.

“What about you?” she asked after a moment of silence.

“You’ve already heard my story.”

She shook her head. “I know what happened to you, but not why you chose to become a narcotics officer.”

“I suppose it was because of Brock Olson, the man who arrested me that first night. After they had cleared me and my dad refused to get me or send money, I was sitting out in the lobby of the station not knowing what to do. Here I was in a large city by myself for the first time. I think I had a twenty on me.” He shook his head. “I didn’t have any real skills since I’d just graduated high school a few weeks earlier. Reece and I had a stash of money we’d been saving, but that was back at the house almost fifty miles away. Sargent Olson, Big Brock as everyone called him, saw me sitting there and took pity. Since he felt responsible, he let me crash at his place for a few weeks. I must have walked everywhere within a couple miles of his apartment trying to find work. Then one day, he suggested I enroll in a special undercover program.” He shrugged his shoulders. “I thought, why not?”

“That’s it?” She sounded shocked.

He chuckled. “Yeah. Since I didn’t have any other options, the academy was looking pretty good. I had free room and board, and I actually got paid to go.” He shook his head, remembering those first few weeks. “I made quick friends and when they asked me what I wanted to do, I jumped on narcotics. I figured since a supposed drug bust was what had gotten me in the mess...”

She laughed and shook her head as they pulled the horses into the last field. “Amazing.”

He looked up and he could see the house. He pulled his horse to a stop. “You know, I can remember seeing this place for the first time. I think I was around five. Lauren, Alex, and Haley’s dad, Rick, was my mom’s brother. Both my mom, Rebecca, and their mom, Laura, were still alive at that time.” He closed his eyes and remembered it. “I remember sitting on the back deck while Laura put together homemade ice cream. She had one of those ice cream makers you had to turn, and she promised that if Ryan and I were good, we could take turns cranking it.” He opened his eyes and smiled. “After that day, we always wanted to come back. Even though it wasn’t the same after our mothers had died, theirs in a tornado, ours to cancer”—he frowned trying to block out the horrible memories—“we always loved coming here.”

She sighed. “It is a lovely spot. I can see why you cherish the memories. Horseback riding, your cousins, all this open space.”

He chuckled. “We’d better get back. It’ll be close to dinner time.”

She groaned. “For some reason, I’m starved.” He smiled at her.

“Hey, think you’re up to a little race?” He nodded to the barn. “First one there makes dinner?”

She glanced at the barn, and he could tell she was gauging the soreness in her backside.

“Sure.” She kicked off before he had a chance to count down.

It only took him a moment to catch up to her. He steadied his horse to match her easy pace and then a few yards from the barn, he let the horse loose, happy that he didn’t have to cook that night.

A
s luck would have it, she didn’t have to cook that night either. When they finally made it into the barn, Lauren was there and helped her hang her saddle and brush down her horse. She invited them to a cookout on the back deck, promising that there would be plenty of food, including cake and ice cream.

They decided to head back and shower and change first. After showering, she found a lovely cotton dress and some sandals and put them on.

Ryan had already showered and changed and was sitting on the back deck, drinking a beer. When she walked out, his eyes went wide.

“Is it wrong of me to say that you look better in that simple dress than you have in anything I’ve seen so far?”

She chuckled. “Anything?”

He nodded and then realized what he was admitting to. Walking over to her, he took her hips in his hands and pulled her close. “Well, almost anything.”

When they drove Big Bertha up to the main house, they noticed all the other cars and trucks.

“Looks like she invited a few other people too.”

She glanced over at him. “Are you up for it?”

He nodded. “I had a nap today, remember.” He smiled and winked at her. Then took her hand and helped her out of his side of the truck. “We’ll have to get you a pair of boots. You don’t want to be wearing sandals around here. Not with horses, chickens, and”—he glanced over as a few dogs rushed by them—“whatever else is running around.”

She chuckled. “I guess I need a few things, if we’re going to stay long.”

“There’s a little store in town that carries clothes. Maybe one of my cousins will take you there this week.”

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders. “Afraid of a little girl shopping?”

He shook his head, but she could see he was.

Just then Haley walked around the house and called over to them. “There you guys are, come on. We’re getting started.” She turned and walked to the back of the house as a couple of dogs followed her.

“How many dogs do they have?” she asked when she saw a few more running around.

He laughed. “I’m not sure. I think everyone brought their own.” He looked over at her. “Don’t like dogs?”

She shook her head. “I love them.” She held his hand as they walked around the back of the house.

Everyone was there, including a few people she didn’t know. She met a nice couple who apparently had just gotten engaged a few weeks ago.

“Travis and Alex used to be engaged, but then his mother tried to kill Grant and he left town,” Holly, the local bookstore owner was saying about her fiancé. Upon hearing this news, Nikki looked over at the man Holly was engaged to. He looked nice enough, but lately she was way off on sizing people up. “Anyway, he left town and just came back a few months ago. Holly sighed and looked at her man with her emotions showing in her eyes. “Everything else fell into place.”

“It isn’t weird?” Nikki leaned closer and whispered. “You say you’re best friends with Haley.”

She nodded. “We’ve known each other forever. But, no, it’s not weird. Not with the West sisters or with Travis. Everyone knows Travis and Alex weren’t meant to be.” She laughed. “Actually, they were terrible together.”

“Who was?” Alex said, walking over to where they were sitting near the fire pit.

“You and Travis,” Holly piped in.

Alex laughed. “Terrible.” She glanced over to Travis and nodded. Then her eyes zeroed in on her husband Grant, and Nikki watched her eyes go soft. “But then I found my man.” She turned back to her. “Everyone’s bound to have one out there.” She winked and then moved on towards her husband.

“She’s right, you know,” Holly said, smiling at her. “Don’t think everyone doesn’t know what’s going on between you and Ryan. Even though most people haven’t gotten a good look at you yet, they’ve heard enough about you through Mr. Holton.”

She looked at Holly in question.

“Mr. Holton, Grant and Melissa’s father.”

She nodded. “Yes, he and my father were best friends.”

Holly laughed. “To hear Mr. Holton talk, you can walk on water.”

Nikki felt shocked and honored. She’d met Mr. Holton on several occasions. Glenn and Carolyn Holton had made many visits to Houston when she was younger. She could remember them visiting and even remembered meeting Grant and Melissa a few times.

Her father had many friends, but none had ever visited the house for long periods of time like the Holtons had. Nikki had always thought that it was because Mr. Holton had represented her father after he’d been injured on the job. Her father had always told her that they’d grown up together, but hadn’t really told her anything more.

She’d been raised with a man who was not just very private, but was borderline secretive. She looked across the deck at Ryan and sighed. Maybe that was what was driving her to him.

Ryan couldn’t take his eyes off Nikki. It was hard to concentrate on his brother’s conversation when she kept stealing glances at him. Her sexy blue eyes zeroed in on him and on several occasions, her tongue had darted out and licked her lips like she was anticipating something. He felt his blood boil at the thought of touching her.

“You’re not really paying attention, are you?” Reece said, laughing.

“Hmm?” He looked at his brother and shook his head.

Reece laughed even more. “You have it bad, bro.” He shook his head. “I should know. I’m in the same boat.” He nodded to where Melissa stood against the deck railing, laughing at something Haley was saying. Each of them held a little boy in their arms.

“Kids.” Ryan shook his head. “Haley and kids.” He chuckled.

“I know what you mean. It’s a shock to see them with their families. It seems like just yesterday they were chasing us around the fields with pigtails and torn jeans.” Reece smiled.

“I miss those days,” Ryan said, sighing and taking another sip of his beer. “Motherhood suits them, though.”

“Yeah.” Reece chuckled. “The funny thing is, I can even picture it for myself.”

Ryan’s eyebrows rose. “Soon?” He glanced back at Melissa as Reece laughed.

“
Not within the next nine months, but maybe we’ll start working on it after the  wedding.
” Reece smiled.

Ryan shook his head. “I could be an uncle this time next year.”

Reece slapped him on the back and chuckled. “Don’t look so shocked.”

Ryan sobered. “Does it worry you that we could end up like him?”

He knew Reece understood who he was talking about.

“No.” Reece shook his head and frowned. “Never. We have the choice. He could have made that choice too.” He nodded towards Travis. “Take Travis, there. His mother almost killed someone and is just plain crazy, yet Travis is one of the most stable men I know. Everyone in town is standing behind him.” He laughed and shook his head. “Everyone says that if he ran for mayor, he’d win in a landslide. After all, his old man did some great things for the town, and Travis is following in his footsteps.”

Ryan nodded, but the thought of his father still loomed in the back of his mind.

“So…” Reece broke into his thoughts, “are we ever going to talk about it?”

Ryan looked over at his brother and instantly knew what he was talking about.

“What do you want to know?”

“Why?” He could see the sadness in the matching green eyes.

Ryan looked down at his beer and felt his stomach roll. “How about a walk?”

Reece nodded and then followed him off the porch. When Ryan’s boots hit the driveway, he turned towards the far field and knew his brother would keep pace with him. They walked in silence for a while as the crickets and frogs chirped around them.

When he reached the wooden fence, he turned and leaned against it. His brother stood beside him, his hands buried deep in his pockets.

“Do you remember when dad sent me into town to get the feed?” Reece nodded his head, and Ryan looked out towards the house. The lights and sounds coming from the back porch were comforting. “Well, before I left, he cornered me in the barn. He’d found our stash of money and had somehow found out about our plan to leave.” Ryan glanced at his brother.

“I thought you’d taken the money.”

“No, he had it. The son of a bitch hit me again a few times before I left. He told me that if I was serious about leaving that I’d better do it quick and if I dragged you into all this, he’d hunt me down and kill me himself.” Ryan sighed and remembered the fear that had crept into him that day. Even though Reece and he had been tall back then, neither of them had the build their old man had at that time. He looked at his brother and realized that they both had that build now, a little too late.

“What happened?” Reece asked, walking over and leaning on the fence next to him.

“I drove into town and crossed off the idea of leaving.”

“Then?” Reece started to break in.

“I bought a six-pack and went to our drinking spot.”

“The old cemetery on Birch?”

Ryan nodded his head.

“Good place.” Reece smiled.

“Yeah, well, it ended up not being so great that night. I guess there was a major sting going down. Over two dozen police officers dressed in black swarmed me and took me to the station in Houston. I spent the night trying to explain that I wasn’t in on any drug deals. Finally, about three in the morning, they started believing me. The next morning when I called dad and explained, he chose to let me rot in the city with no money and no way back. Actually, he told me if I stepped foot on his land again, he’d shoot me.” He shook his head, remembering the betrayal. “I guess he believed the police. He bitched about having to get the truck out of impound.”

“He never said anything.” Reece was looking off towards the house, and he saw anger in his brother’s eyes.

“I figured. By the time I’d heard he’d died, I was already undercover. Then when I went to find you, you were off the radar.”

Reece nodded. “I hate the old man even more, now.”

Ryan nodded his head in agreement. “You know, he always played it up in front of you that I was his favorite, but behind your back, he would cuss at me and tell me I should be more like you. He was always pitting us against each other.”

“It never worked.” Reece turned to him and smiled. “No matter what he did, in the end, he could never put that wedge between us.”

“Never.” Ryan smiled.