Page 68 of Breaking Emily's Rules
And this all before the ride had even started.
“You ready?” The operator asked.
“Hell, yeah!” Emily turned to them. “Let ’er rip. Hey, guys, I bet I beat Jimmy’s record tonight. Wanna make a bet?”
“What’s Jimmy’s record?” Stone asked the guy closest to him.
“Ninety seconds,” the guy said, shaking his head. “Not gonna happen.”
Jimmy had made his way out from behind the bar and now stood at Stone’s elbow. “Should you be doing this right now?”
“He’s just afraid I’m gonna take his record. Right, guys?” Emily said.
“Yeah,” the small crowd echoed, obviously more concerned with watching Emily gyrating on that bull than the honest truth.
The bull started moving, slowly at first, but within a second, it was moving as fast as any bucking bronco. Emily hung on, to her credit, her blond hair tossed about in waves around her head.
But not for long.
Stone didn’t time her, but his educated guess would be three seconds. Emily flew off the bull and landed on the mat, her world class ass sticking straight up in the air. Mooning the entire group of men.
For a second, there was nothing but dead silence and slackened jaws.
Stone turned to the group of men. “If any of you says a word about this to anyone, I’ll personally kick your collective asses.”
“That goes double for me,” Jimmy said.
Stone moved quickly after that and squatted at her side, simultaneously blocking everyone else’s view and helping to pull her dress down.
“You okay?”
“I did it!” Emily squealed as he helped her up. She pushed hair out of her eyes.
“You did great!” one of the guys called out, earning cheers from the group.
“And you’re done.” Stone hauled her up in his arms.
“Wait. I was thinking I might go again.”
“No.”
He proceeded to walk through the bar with her in his arms, earning no small amount of attention from the patrons. Jimmy had gone ahead of them and opened the door.
“What do you think? Shouldn’t I go again? I’m feeling lucky,” Emily said to Jimmy.
“I don’t think so, hon. Better quit while you’re ahead.” He handed Emily’s purse to her.
If by “ahead” Jimmy meant still in one piece with a comforting lack of bloodletting, Stone would have to agree.
She squirmed in his arms. “Way to ruin my night, guys. I guess I need a ride home.”
“You think?”
Stone carried her outside, managed to shift her weight so he could open the passenger door to his truck, lift her in and latch her seat belt.
When he came around to the driver’s side, Emily studied him. “Dang, you’re so bossy. You don’t need to take me home. Jimmy can do it.”
Stone put the key in the ignition and turned to her. “I’ll do it.”
