Alone with You

“Okay, that’s enough,” he muttered, tugging his hat lower. “We either finish this conversation in my trailer, or we can part company right now. The latter being my preference.”

“Your trailer it is, then.” She briefly reconsidered. A crowded parking lot might be the better option. Tanner was bound to give her a hard time. Probably flat out refuse to have anything to do with the calendar or the fragrance line. Just like most of the other rodeo cowboys. But unlike them, Tanner would be in breach of his contract if he refused to play nice. Unfortunately, she had the feeling a guy like him wouldn’t care.

He started walking and she fell into step beside him. “Tell me straight up,” he said, giving her a sidelong look. “Am I in hot water with you people?”

“Not that I’m aware. Why? Did you violate the indecency clause?” Dammit, she was warm.

“No. Maybe.” He didn’t look too happy, perhaps even a bit guilty. “Explain what that means and I’ll let you know.”

Lexy hid a smile. “How about you tell me what questionable behavior is bothering you and I’ll let you know.”

He snorted. “I might be a simple cowboy but I’m not stupid.”

“I was teasing.” Good to know he was concerned about violating his agreement. She had no idea if there was a decency clause, but she saw no reason to share that with him. No sense handing him ammunition to wiggle out of his contract.

“Oh...so that’s you joking?” He mocked her with a pitying look. “You don’t cut loose much, do you?”

Ha, she could shock him in that department. Playing loose was partly why she was here, overheated and wearing a suit she hated, worried about her maxed-out credit cards and holding her breath every time the warm breeze carried a whiff of horse dung. And now she was being punished instead of sitting in a cushy corner office on the top floor.

They stopped twice for Tanner to sign autographs for kids who bombarded him with questions. The women seemed to like him, too, flashing him smiles and giving him suggestive looks that he fielded like a man accustomed to feminine attention. That was good, excellent. Lexy had seen several headshots of the men already lined up for the calendar. Tanner would have some stiff competition.

While he signed, she thought about taking a couple pictures of him against the stunning background of the Rockies. The hills leading up to the snow-capped peaks were as green as emeralds and would really show off his eyes.

Before she could get out her phone, he finished with the boys and was promptly intercepted by a cowboy trying to get Tanner to join a late-night poker game. He shook his head and kept walking until they reached a trailer parked behind a late-model motor coach. In fact, all the other RVs in the park were much nicer than Tanner’s. He opened the trailer door and didn’t even flinch at the annoying creak.

“I can’t recall how I left things. So enter at your own risk,” he said, yanking off his Stetson with a sweeping gesture for her to go first.

If he was trying to scare her off he’d be disappointed. She’d spent time in too many frat houses to worry about when she’d gotten her last tetanus shot. The first step was a tad wobbly, but she ignored the hand he offered and made it inside.

The place was roomier and neater than she’d expected. Though the kitchen and living areas were small, they were well laid out with appliances, cabinets and built-in furniture. At the far back she could see part of a bed.

“Home sweet home,” Tanner said, crowding in behind her, near enough for her to feel the heat from his body. “Ever been in one of these?”

“No,” she murmured, unsure which direction to go to give him room.

“I didn’t think so.”

“What does that mean?” She turned around to look at him, finding out too late he was even closer than she’d imagined. She bumped his chest with her right breast, then made everything worse by clutching his muscled arm for support.

He took it as a cue to put a hand on her waist. “You okay?”

“Fine.” She looked into his hazel eyes, the oddest thought niggling at her. He smelled good. Even though he shouldn’t, not after having ridden a bronc. The scent was vaguely familiar, an unexpectedly wonderful combination of leather and something spicy.

She leaned closer, her eyes drifting closed on a deep inhale. When she opened them, she found him staring at her.

“It’s kind of stuffy in here,” he said, his voice lower and rougher. “Why don’t you take off your jacket while I open windows?”

Her fingers were still wrapped around his arm, the tips digging into the hard, muscled flesh. She jerked back her hand. He seemed reluctant to remove his from her waist, letting his palm slide to her hip before he withdrew altogether.

“What is that cologne you’re wearing?” she asked, retreating into business mode and breaking eye contact. Feeling like an idiot, she moved to the small brown couch. “I can’t quite make out the scent.”

“Cologne?” He said it as if it were a cussword, prompting her to look at him again. He was fiddling with a window, and her gaze went straight to his butt. The man filled out a pair of jeans quite well...both front and back. “I wouldn’t wear that crap if you paid me.”

That snapped her out of her preoccupation. “Well, that’s a problem.” She really did need to lose her jacket before she passed out from heatstroke.

“How so?” After forcing the window open, he turned to her, his gaze lingering on her breasts as she struggled out of the blazer.

She could hardly object after staring at his ass. Which she unabashedly did again when he bent to bring two beers out of the fridge. He twisted off the cap and held one out to her.

“No, thanks. Water or iced tea would be great, though.” She glanced around for a place to hang the jacket, then just draped it over the arm of the couch.

He’d exchanged the unopened beer for a bottle of water that he passed to her. While she took a sip, he tipped the beer to his lips.

“Take the couch,” he said, straddling a chair at the table. “Stick to the right side. There’s a lump on the left.”

She twisted around to check it out before she sat.

“It’s clean.”

“That’s not what I was—” She sighed and sank into the cushion. This was the good side?

“You wanted to talk. I’m listening.”

Lexy met his watchful eyes. They seemed darker now, more green than gold, and for all his easygoing manner, she had the impression that he missed very little of what went on around him.

“I have something I need you to do. We,” she quickly amended. “The Worthington Group.”

“My contract was with Sundowner.”

“Your contract is actually with the holding company, and we have you for ten more days.”

“Ah, you own my ass I believe is how you referred to my indenture.”

Lexy smiled at the term he’d chosen. He possessed his own brand of charm and she could see why women found him attractive. Perhaps this silly errand wouldn’t be as big a pain as she’d expected. “Yes, that might have been an overly ambitious statement. However, it seemed appropriate at the moment.”

His slow grin made her heart speed up. He took another pull of beer, his eyes staying on her face even as his head went back. He lowered the bottle, then used the back of his wrist to wipe his damp mouth. “Where are you from?”

“Oklahoma.”

His brows went up. “Born and raised?”

She nodded. “Outside of Oklahoma City. Why do you seem surprised?”

Tanner’s broad shoulders moved in a slight shrug. “Your family ever been ranchers?”

“Quite a few generations back. Then they struck oil and eventually branched out into several different businesses.” Hard as it was to believe, he honestly didn’t seem familiar with the far-reaching Worthington Group. Most people would recognize the name. “I’ll get to the point. We’ll be introducing a men’s fragrance line next year and we’re looking for a spokesperson.”

She paused to take a sip of water. A second later, her stomach rumbled loudly, but she willed herself not to react. When she looked at Tanner again, it was as if another man had taken his place.

His mouth had pulled into a tight, thin line. Wariness and scorn darkened his eyes. “So...what’s it to me?”

“I’m not saying we’re asking you to be that person but—”

“Good.” He stood and started unbuttoning his shirt.

“What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna take a shower. Wanna join me?”

“Oh, so we’re back to you trying to scare me off.” So interested in his smooth, muscled chest, she almost missed his cocky smile.

“Definitely not what I had in mind.” He deliberately ran a gaze down her front. “Why not have a little fun before you go?”

“I’m not going anywhere without you.”

“Wanna bet?”

Lexy thought for a moment. Of course he was only taunting her but it could work in her favor. “Sure. Five hundred bucks. Unless that’s too rich for you.”

He got to the last button and yanked the shirt from his jeans. “I’d feel real bad taking advantage of you.”

“Oh, don’t worry about that.” She sounded too confident, she realized. The goal was to win that five hundred off him. Later she’d give it back, tell him she’d been joking, but she could use the cash now. Dear God...what had become of her? Her father would just— “Do we have a bet?”

He shrugged out of his shirt and she had to watch. He had a fine chest. Great shoulders, too, well-defined muscles bunching and releasing with the movement of his arms. When her gaze finally made it back to his face, he looked a little suspicious.

“You know I didn’t mean an actual bet,” he said, walking past her to drop his shirt into a basket near the bed. “But you seem all fired-up sure you can take five large off me. That’s got me curious.”

“And worried.”

He let out a short laugh. “Nothing you can say or do will make me pimp your perfume.”

“Men’s cologne.”

“Hell, call it whatever you want.”

“You haven’t even heard the details.” She’d noticed the three-inch surgical scar on the back of his shoulder. The other one below his ribs was jagged and definitely not left by a surgeon’s knife.

“Don’t need to.” Tanner unbuckled his belt.

“Really?” She leaned back, got comfortable and stared at his fly. Oh, he did not want to play chicken with her.

His only answer was to unsnap his jeans and pull the zipper down halfway.

“Let’s see what you got. I should know what I’m peddling.”

He narrowed his eyes, then laughed. “I knew you were a whack job from the get-go. I should’ve ditched you in the parking lot.”

“Yet here we are.”

Tanner studied her face, the amusement gone, replaced by annoyance. As though he couldn’t figure her out. “Last chance.”

She smiled and kicked off her shoes.

He unzipped the rest of the way, and receiving no reaction, pulled off his jeans. She hoped he couldn’t see her holding her breath and didn’t notice her relief when she saw the brown boxer-briefs. If he’d gone commando, she wasn’t sure what she would’ve done. No, not true. She would’ve stayed where she was, cool as could be. That’s what she chose to think, anyway. Because staring at him in the body-molding underwear wasn’t easy, either.

Will Tanner was really...something. No spare flesh, just muscle. His thighs, butt, calves, his...Lexy silently cleared her throat. The man was quite well-endowed.

“Very good,” she said, grateful her voice didn’t crack or climb several octaves. But damn, she had to stop looking. She pulled out her phone and concentrated on the screen, flipping from one picture to the next. “You should have no trouble getting a month on the calendar.”

He flung his jeans at the bed, then faced her full on. “The what?”

“The promotional calendar that will debut the fragrance and decide the spokesperson. Didn’t I mention it?” She looked up, undaunted by his dark, menacing expression. “We want you to be Mr. October.”

* * *

HE STARED IN stunned silence, and then laughed. “Who put you up to this? Charlie?”

“Um, no one. I’m really here on behalf of The Worthington Group.”

“I should’ve known right off.” Tanner shook his head, taking in her shapely calves and slim ankles. “You have too nice a body to wear that frumpy outfit.”

Her eyebrows arched with just the right amount of indignation. She was good. “This is an Armani suit.”

His birthday was in four weeks. Charlie always got the day right but not the month. Usually they just had a drink, but Charlie was probably trying to make a point that it was time for Tanner to follow him into retirement. He folded his arms across his chest and leaned against the bathroom doorjamb. “Go ahead. Skip to the part where you pull your hair loose and take off your clothes.”

She blinked, glanced at his chest, then let her head fall back, her lips slowly forming a smile as she stared at the ceiling. “This is just perfect,” she murmured to herself, then brought her head up. “I don’t know anyone named Charlie and I’m not a stripper.”

He kind of hoped that wasn’t true. It wasn’t only her pretty blue eyes that had stirred his interest. She had nice legs and breasts. He hadn’t seen her backside without the jacket yet, but he doubted he’d be disappointed.

“I won’t tell Charlie I guessed early. You go on and do your little act, darlin’. I promise I’ll enjoy it just as much as if it had been a surprise,” he said, extending a hand to help her off the couch.

She swatted him away. “You jackass. I am not a stripper.”

“I never said you were. I forget what they call people like you.”

“Pissed off.” She reached into that gigantic purse of hers and he expected music to start playing. Instead, she yanked out her wallet, then leaned back and studied him. “Are you putting me on? You can’t really think—” She sighed and flipped open the brown leather billfold. “Here.”

He took it, saw she had an Oklahoma driver’s license and hadn’t lied about her name. Before handing it back to her, he noticed that she was twenty-eight. “Well, damn, I was real fond of the stripper idea.”

“Now, will you put some clothes on so we can finish our conversation?”

He could feel the dust in his hair and the grit clinging to the back of his neck. “After I take my shower.”

She glanced at her watch, something she did a lot. Obviously she had somewhere else to be, which suited him fine if she was gonna keep harping on that men’s fragrance bullshit. “All right,” she said, “but you’ll need to hurry.”

“Yeah, I’ll do that.” He grabbed a towel off the shelf, then paused at the bathroom door. “You’re still welcome to join me.”

She rolled her eyes then started messing with her phone.

Grinning, Tanner ducked his head and entered the tiny bathroom. He’d had the trailer for going on ten years now, and sure, he would’ve preferred a bigger shower. And the bed was barely long enough. Some of the guys had teased him about holding on to the fifth wheel instead of getting something bigger and newer, especially after his two-year winning streak. Nah, he and Betsy had done just fine. She’d never given him a lick of trouble and she’d already outlasted two trucks. But then he’d never been the type who had to have the newest and brightest toy. New gadgets just made his head hurt.

Waiting for the water to warm up, he hung his towel, made sure he had enough shampoo and peeled off his underwear. He stuck his head out. She was still busy with her phone, texting, by the looks of it. Her hair wasn’t as tidy as before. Long loose curls fell around her face. The late sun came through the open window and picked up the shiny gold highlights.

She moved and the sunlight hit her face, glistening off her pale peach lips. His body’s reaction shouldn’t have surprised him. She was much prettier than he’d first thought. And his cock was definitely interested.

“Hey, Lexy.” He waited until she looked up. “I’ll leave the door open in case you change your mind.”

She ran a quick gaze over what she could see of his chest. “Yeah...thanks.” She smiled. “Not going to happen.”

Chuckling, he left the door partially open just to be ornery, then slipped under the spray. The warm water felt good on his tired muscles. He’d ridden in this annual rodeo every June for five years now and liked this particular trailer park. Not just for the convenient location but because of the water pressure. Pretty sad when he stopped to think about it. At the end of the day, a man ought to have more than a great shower to look forward to.

Man, he could probably write a travel guide to the best and worst parks from Montana down to the Tex/Mex border. Although except for a handful, they blurred together. It sure was gonna be weird when he finally quit and put down roots. Wherever that ended up being. At least he’d finally narrowed it down to a choice between two places.

Quickly he shampooed his hair, soaped up, then rinsed off. Ordinarily, he liked to spend a good fifteen minutes under the warm spray, but his thoughts had strayed back to Lexy. If she wasn’t here for some birthday bump and grind, he had to believe she was here on Worthington business just like she claimed. Which meant she probably wasn’t fooling about the calendar.

Shit.

That would be the damn day he’d stoop so low.

Kind of a shame that he had to get rid of her, but so be it. He reached for the faucet, twisted wrong and aggravated his strained shoulder muscle. He let out a loud groan before he could stop himself.

“Are you all right?”

Ignoring her, Tanner gingerly grabbed the towel from the hook and stepped out of the stall. He dried his face first. Then lowered the towel and saw her standing in the doorway, staring.

4

“OH.” LEXY DID an abrupt about-face. Lightheaded from lack of food, she flattened her hand against the wall. What on earth had she been thinking? People tended not to shower with their clothes on. Of course he was naked.

“You’re not gonna faint, are you?”

She heard the laugh in his voice. It didn’t help alleviate her embarrassment. “I’m sorry. I heard you groan and I thought maybe you were—” Oh, God, what if he hadn’t groaned. What if he’d been...moaning? “I don’t know what I thought,” she murmured, wishing she could disappear.

“It’s okay. No harm done. You can turn around now.”

“Are you dressed?”

“Sort of.”

Her cheeks were burning. She still felt a little woozy. The last thing she’d eaten were the early-morning cheese crackers at the Will Rogers Airport.

“I’m assuming you’ve seen a naked man before.”

“No. Never.” She pushed away from the wall and turned around. “I’m single.”

Tanner wore a grin on his face and a towel wrapped around his hips. That was it. “You’re pretty good,” he said. “Remind me not to invite you to a poker game.”

“I’m not lying. Where I come from lots of women and men take purity pledges. We’re saving ourselves for marriage.” She kept her eyes level with his, as if she couldn’t bear to look down at all his nakedness. She threw in a bit of lower-lip nibbling. The drama classes she’d taken to spite her father seemed to have paid off.

Tanner’s wavering smile and uncertain frown gave her some satisfaction. “I’ve got to get to my clothes,” he said, motioning that she needed to move.

“Yes, of course.” She averted her gaze, mostly to keep from bursting into laughter, then kept her head down all the way back to the couch. The trouble was, she wanted another peek before he got dressed. “We don’t have a lot of time,” she said and glanced toward the bed. But he’d already put the dividing wall between them. “Our flight is in three hours. I’m assuming you can leave your trailer here?”

Several long seconds later she understood the term “deafening silence” on a whole new level.

“Our flight?” He emerged from behind the wall, zipping up a fresh pair of jeans. No shirt. No boots. His hair damp and messy. “First of all, I’m not going anywhere with you. More to the point, I don’t fly.”

“It’s a commercial plane. It’s not as if I’m asking you to take a puddle-jumper.”

“I don’t care what you call it. If it’s got wings and leaves the ground, I don’t set foot on it.”

“Oh, please. Now I know you’re baiting me. Who doesn’t fly in this day and age?”

He jerked a thumb at his very nice chest. “Me.” She watched wistfully as he grabbed a black T-shirt. “I’m not alone. A lot of people don’t fly. You and your little purity circle probably have your own set of back-up wings, so no problem for you all.”

That almost made her laugh so she was glad he pulled the shirt over his head. Though she’d miss the view. The man took care of himself, the ridges of muscle across his belly and shoulders nicely defined but not bulky.

“Have you tried a mild tranquilizer?” she asked. “You know, say, an hour before a flight.”

Walking past her, he grabbed his beer. “I’ll save both of us a whole lot of time. No. That’s your blanket answer for the next two minutes, or however long it takes for you to get your cute little backside out of my trailer.”

“You don’t know what I’m going to ask.”

“Don’t care. It’ll all come down to no in the end.”

“Sorry, but you don’t have that option.”

He rinsed the bottle, dropped it in a receptacle and glanced out the window. “The parking lot is almost empty. Your rental should be easy to find.”

Her patience slipped. She didn’t have time to baby him. “Did you ever read your contract with Sundowner?”

“Course I read it,” he muttered, turning to frown at her. “At least my attorney did.”

“As an aside, you might think about hiring a new one. Because he left you wide open.”

“What do you mean?”

“The minute you signed, you didn’t only climb into bed with Sundowner but with every arm of The Worthington Group. Which meant you agreed not to accept sponsorship from any company considered a competitor. That list is quite long.”

Animosity darkened his face. “Nice business you work for. Or own.”

“I don’t own any of it.” She had to look away. The contract had been horribly one-sided, nothing she would’ve participated in, but that wasn’t stopping her from using it to her advantage. “Perhaps your anger would be better directed at your attorney. The agreement also means you can’t turn down the photo shoot.”

“You let me worry about my attorney,” he said, the curtness in his tone luring her gaze back to him. He stared out the window, the tic at his jaw working frantically. “You’d mentioned the contract expires in ten days.”

“Yes, that’s true.”

“This promotion thing you’re doing can’t possibly be wrapped up that soon.”

“No, but if you’re selected as the spokesperson, the offer will be quite lucrative and—”

“I don’t give a shit about the money.” He turned a glare on her. “I’m not the guy for this fragrance crap. You have to know that,” he said, his expression easing as he spread his hands. “There’s a new crop of ambitious, young cowboys out there making names for themselves. Go talk to them. I guarantee you’ll find at least one who’ll be willing to hawk your cologne.”

Dammit, she was feeling guiltier by the minute. She couldn’t tell him he was a last resort. “I’m afraid they—we want someone with a couple championships under his belt. A man who, like yourself, has been with professional rodeo awhile and has a name—”

He muttered a curse. “Even without a fancy business degree I know that any one of those young bucks with their Facebook and Twitter and whatever else they use would be a lot more marketable than a guy like me.”

“Not necessarily.”

“Come on. You’re a smart woman. You’ve done your homework. Five years ago I was the winning ticket. Now?” He shrugged a shoulder. But his reaction was in no way nonchalant. His jaw had tightened and he wouldn’t look at her. “I’m months, maybe weeks away from calling it quits. Saying adios to rodeo.”

“Seriously?”

He swung a puzzled frown at her. “I’m scoring low, spending more money than I’m winning, had two surgeries already and I’m thirty-three. Getting too old for this game.”