Page 66 of Ride a Cowboy

“Thanks.”

Joel picked up a calavera. “Do I want to know?”

She grinned. “Sugar skulls. I collect them.”

“You collect license plates too?” Oakley asked as he ventured farther along, getting closer to the kitchen.

“Not really. Those belonged to my mom. She was a bit of a hobo. She had a license plate from every state she’d ever been to.”

Oakley’s bright blue eyes widened as he took in the colorful plates, and she could imagine he was trying to figure out how many were there.

There were thirty-seven. She knew that because she’d counted them. About a million times. Sadie could only assume her mother had taken off in hopes of collecting the last thirteen. Hard to say that for sure, considering dear old Mom hadn’t left a note or called to touch base. Not once. In twenty-seven years. She just vanished one day when Sadie was at school and her dad was working at the bar. Packed up a suitcase and left her husband and six-year-old daughter.

When Sadie was younger, she was convinced her mom would come back once she’d found those final dozen or so plates. However, that belief faded as she got older.

Now, she hoped the bitch never showed her face in Maris again. Some people might say Sadie’s attitude was unhealthy, but as far as she was concerned, she was in a better state of mind on her parental issues than she’d ever been. The license plates were her reminder that the only person she could really count on sticking around forever was herself.

“It’s a great apartment, Sadie. Thanks for inviting us up.”

She was surprised to see that Joel had moved closer to her. Sadie thought the heated moment in the taxi had passed, but she’d been dead wrong.

Joel reached for her with no hesitation, no uncertainty. He simply grasped her waist, tugged her close and kissed her.

Holy shit. She’d kissed enough frogs in her life to know she’d just found a prince.

He pressed her lips apart, his tongue dipping into her mouth. She tasted the tang of beer and a hint of sweetness—wedding cake?—on his breath. It was a heady combination.

She’d always wondered what it would be like to kiss Joel. And Oakley. So far her feeble fantasies didn’t hold a candle to the reality.

She started slightly when Oakley stepped behind her, his hand brushing her hair to one side so he could press his lips to her neck. They kept overwhelming her with all these sexy/sweet touches.

How could their kisses blow her mind while making her feel almost cherished?

Joel released her. They sounded like swimmers breaking the surface in search of air.

“You kiss good.” She was aiming for levity, but her voice was too breathy to sell it.

Joel didn’t seem to mind. “So do you.”

“My turn.” Oakley twisted her toward him and within seconds, she was right back in paradise, with Prince Charming number two. And Oakley fit the part perfectly too, with his dirty blond hair, blue eyes and chiseled jaw. He was basically the poster child for the Disney heroes of her youth.

She’d done some wild things in her past, but she’d never made out with two guys at the same time. A girl could get addicted to this…fast.

Joel didn’t care when Oakley cut in. Instead, he raised the bar as he pressed his chest to her back, his arms snaking around her so he could cup her breasts.

She gasped, the action breaking her union with Oakley. Oakley narrowed his eyes in confusion until he glanced down and saw what had prompted the sound. Then he grinned, gave her a wicked wink and started kissing her again. Joel squeezed her breasts, gently at first, but then he pressed tighter.

Her even-keel, no-nonsense-friend Joel had a dark side. She wouldn’t have pegged him as such a dominant guy, but there was no mistaking he liked his lovin’ with a rough edge.

That knowledge was dangerous because she liked the same thing. The way he was touching her, pinching her nipples—holy fucking hotness—was going to make it harder for her to put things back to right tomorrow. When she was sober.

“Take us to your bedroom.”

Sadie broke off her kiss with Oakley to look over her shoulder at Joel as he made his demand. “Ask nicely.”

Joel’s lips tipped up at the edges. Then he lifted the hem of her dress to reveal her panties. Before she knew what he was planning, he slapped her ass. Hard. It hurt and turned her on all at the same time.

“Take us to your bedroom. Please.”

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