Page 62 of Ride a Cowboy

Red Zone

Rancher Joel has a problem. He and his best friend, Oakley, are both hot for the same woman, sexy local bartender, Sadie. And while she’s admitted an attraction to them as well, she refuses to choose between them, so…they’re friend zoned.

Until a little too much champagne at a wedding reception leads to an unexpected sizzling encounter between the three of them, kicking off a no-strings affair.

However, things get complicated when it becomes clear there’s nothing casual about their feelings. Add in a sensual, accidental touch between Joel and Oakley, and the threesome gives new meaning to the words “full contact.”

Chapter 1

Sadie Milligan was drunk. Well, okay. Maybe not drunk drunk, but she was definitely walking a thin line between tipsy and wasted.

Wait. Is that a thin line?

Damn weddings. They always depressed her. Not that she was unhappy for the couple who had just said their “I do’s” a few hours earlier. She liked Sydney and Chas a lot and if anyone had a shot at happily ever after it was the two of them. After all, Sydney had waited for Chas as he served two terms with the military, stationed overseas in places no one wanted to fucking be. She knew Sydney was breathing a hell of a lot easier now that he was home to stay. If anyone had a shot at making it work, she figured Chas and Sydney topped the list.

Sadie did a mental eye roll. Yeah. Like she was capable of judging anyone’s chances for success when it came to romance. Her batting record was a big fat zero. She’d struck out at the plate every single time. Enough times, in fact, that she’d decided to take herself out of that particular game. She wasn’t destined for a forever kind of relationship. So she’d just settle for sex.

“That’s a dangerous grin.” Joel Rodriguez, the living and breathing embodiment of tall, dark and handsome, walked up and handed her another glass of champagne. It was his fault—as well as Oakley’s—that she was three sheets to the wind. They’d been plying her with wine all night.

“I’m trying to pick out my hookup for the evening. Isn’t that what wedding receptions are all about? Getting toasted and maudlin and desperately reaching out for some potential love match only to wake up naked the next morning in a strange bed, hungover and filled with regret.”

Joel’s brows creased. “Are you serious?”

At the same time, his best friend Oakley stumbled next to her and said, “Did I hear someone say ‘hookup’?”

Sadie laughed as she tried for the gazillionth time to figure out how in the hell the two guys in front of her managed to remain friends. They were as different as tequila and water. Not that she’d mind a drink of either from time to time.

Oakley was just her brand of tequila, wild and uninhibited. She’d enjoy getting a buzz with him between the sheets. And, of course, after that, she could chug a gallon of Joel’s refreshing, soothe-you-straight-to-the-soul water. Joel was the rock and Oakley the roll in their friendship. Somehow, it worked.

But Sadie wouldn’t indulge in either. Both men had made their interest in her known, but she had no desire to come between them. They were closer than best friends, more like brothers. And she wasn’t going to have the bad karma of messing up something like that riding on her head for all of eternity.

“Sorry, Oak. Neither one of you guys is even on my radar,” she lied. She’d lived in Maris her entire life and, sadly, she was too familiar with the items on the sexual buffet tonight. She’d sampled more than a few already and decided they weren’t worth the calories. In all honesty, Oakley and Joel were the only guys she’d consider going home with. Which was why she was sleeping alone.

Dammit.

Oakley pretended to be listening for something. “Really? Because I’m sure I heard the beep beep beep of a sonar getting louder when I walked over here. Wait.” He raised his finger and tilted his head. “Yep. There it is again.”

She raised her glass, her lips lifting as she launched into one of her typical teasing refusals. “There’s not enough champagne in the world to make me want to sleep with either one of you guys.”

Joel placed his hand over hers, guiding the glass to her lips. “Let’s keep trying, just in case you’re wrong.”

She broke free of his grip, trying to ignore the tiny shiver of excitement that raced through her. Both men were always finding friendly, playful ways to touch her, be it Oakley ruffling her hair or Joel placing a protective hand at her back as they walked across the grass to find their seats at the wedding this afternoon. Worst of all was the way her body reacted every time they got too close. She found Joel’s jet black hair and eyes as well as Oakley’s bear-like, muscular physique irresistible. She was seriously attracted to both of them.

Fucking karma.

It was just her luck the only two guys she wanted to sleep with these days were the ones she’d sworn off.

The three of them watched the throng of wedding revelers going “just a little bit softer now” on the dance floor. They grinned when one of the more respectable, older ladies of Maris dropped a bit too low, then needed her husband to help her get back up.

“What is it about weddings that bring out the crazy in everybody?” Oakley asked.

Sadie jiggled her half-drunk glass of champagne. “I’m going to say it’s the open bar.”

Joel studied her glass. “How are you getting home?”

“Cab, I suppose. I caught a ride here with Lorelie and her dad, but they just cut out a little while ago. Coach was getting tired. What about you guys? I wouldn’t say either of you is fit to drive.” Joel and Oakley had matched her drink for drink.

Oakley shrugged. “We had the same plan as you. We were going to leave our truck here and ride back to the ranch with Coach and Lorelie, but they left too early. Guess we should have told them they were our designated drivers.”

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