Page 23 of Destry

Destry tilted his head. “You sure about that?”

I lifted my chin. “Very.”

He moved so close I could feel the heat from his body and surprisingly a hit of his cologne even out here with the potent smell of the rodeo overpowering everything.

“Then why’d you come stand next to me?”

I squinted up at him, trying real hard not to notice how good he looked under the arena lights, exuding easy confidence and that damn smirk that made my stomach twist in ways I didn’t want to acknowledge.

“I thought you were watching the barrel races,” I muttered.

He leaned more. “Nope, done with that. I’d rather watch you.”

Fine. Two could play this game. I turned toward him, placing a hand on my hip, tilting my head just a bit. His eyes dropped to my chest quickly, subtle but I caught it.

“You talk a lot of shit but I’m starting to think it’s just talk.”

His brows lifted. He was clearly entertained and I was playing with fire. “Yeah?”

I shrugged, looking him over, letting the silence settle between us. “You don’t know what to do with a woman that isn’t falling all over you.”

Destry’s smirk widened. “You sure about that?”

I held my ground. “Positive.”

He studied me for a long moment and his amusement deepened. Then, just as relaxed as ever, he reached out and his fingers barely grazed my neck. I was so distracted by the move that when his other hand landed on my ass and he squeezed, jerking me forward until his dick was pressed firmly against me, I was completely thrown off.

My breath caught.

“I will fuck the shit out of you because I always know what to do, Savvy,” he murmured. “Question is, do you and can you handle that?”

I hated the way my body reacted, the way his voice sank into my bones and heat blazed my skin.

I stumbled back but only because he released me. Destry chuckled again, tipping his own hat. “That’s what I thought.”

I narrowed my eyes. “I hope your next bull throws you so far you land in the next county.”

He threw his head back and laughed. “You care about me that much?”

“I care about you face planting in the dirt, so if that counts, then yes.”

Destry grinned, shaking his head. “That’s real sweet.”

I groaned, turning back toward the arena before I said something that gave him even more to push whatever this was between us. My body was overly sensitive and aware of him which had a heavy pulse between my thighs. The next riderburst out of the gate, her horse kicked up a cloud of dust as she rounded the first barrel.

I focused real hard on the race instead of the cowboy standing way too close, still watching me like I was his favorite event of the night. I kept my eyes on the barrel race, determined to ignore the man who had my body humming, but that didn’t last long.

Destry shifted, adjusting his hat before turning toward me. “As much as I’m enjoying this, I have a few things to take care of.”

“Ah damn, I thought I was the only one privileged enough to be harassed by you?”

He chuckled lightly, but he didn’t take the bait. Instead, he asked, “You know where my ranch is?”

“Everyone knows where your ranch is.”

“Yeah, probably.”

I lifted a brow. “Why?”

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