Page 24 of Rodeo Rivals
Groaning, he sat up, scrubbed his face with both hands, and looked around. Yep. Gone. It wasn’t as though there were many places to hide in his tiny home on wheels. She definitely skedaddled after he’d passed the fuck out.
Why did that bother him so much?
He’d never wanted to wake up to anyone before. At least not since he was a horny, lovesick teenager who lost his virginity to his longtime crush. Sure, he’d had relationships in his twenty-nine years, but this had never been a desire he had prior to now. He’d slept beside women routinely in the past, but that was more out of necessity or social obligation rather than an actualneed.
For reasons beyond his comprehension, he longed to see McKayla’s morning face. He wanted to smell her morning breath.
What the hell?
Did he really havethatthought?
Who wanted to smell someone else’s rank breath in themorning?
Shaking his head, he blinked several times trying to clear his mind. McKayla needed to get out of his head. Had he hit it or something last night? Where were these thoughtsevencoming from?
Wyatt and McKayla set the terms the first time they got together. It wasn’t supposed to be serious. They were casually hooking up—competitors with benefits. Was that a thing? Apparently, it was now!
Their discussion hadn’t actually included that. One and done. Broke that rule. Not that he was upset about it. He enjoyed testing the stability of his camper, and he’d be more than willing to do that again.
Blowing out a sigh, he acknowledged what that meant.
“Shit,” he muttered to himself as he tossed off the blankets that still smelled of her.
The air was thick with the scent of their coupling, and it had his dick stiff at attention. It wasn’t morning wood. This was purely McKayla-induced. Which meant he was royally fucked.
There was no room for relationships in rodeo. Casual fucking? Absolutely. But actually having anything meaningful with someone he competed against was a recipe for disaster.
What the hell was he going to do?
Nothing.
He didn’t have to do shit. He had feelings. So what? She was good in bed.
With a sense of humor and a quick wit. Not to mention talented as fuck in the arena. Being hot as hell didn’t hurt either.
He couldn’t think like that. It’d only take him down a road he had no business traveling.
It didn’t matter how into her he was. This couldn’t go anywhere. They didn’t live in the same state. Though, to be fair, it wasn’t like he spent much time at his actual residence. He lived most of his life on the road and was willing to bet McKayla did the same.
Which was another point. Neither of them had time for anything. He needed to get this under wraps. And really, what was he getting all twisted up about? So, he was infatuated. His little crush didn’t have to be bigger than that.
He was a grown-ass man in complete control of his faculties. Just because he was around McKayla didn’t mean he’d have toacton anything. Theycouldbe cordial.
Especially if they were sober. They’d only gotten together like that when they’d had a few drinks.
There needed to be more rules when they interacted. From now on, no more booze around McKayla until his crush went away.
Also, he should limit his time around her. Keep it within the circuit. No more fraternizing with her outside of the arena. Hecould wish her well. Sure. That was what a good competitor did. He didn’t need to hang out with her in his free time.
Stay professional.No more flirting.
That would definitely be the hardest rule. It came so naturally. The words essentially left his lips without thinking. Not anymore. Time to show restraint. It’d be the only way he could get past his infatuation. If the two of them were going to continue on the circuit and compete against each other, they couldn’t be banging on the regular. There was no way that wouldn’t get messy.
It was the best choice for his career and hers. As a woman blazing a trail, she didn’t need his bullshit. Coming off injury had its own set of obstacles. He didn’t need the complication of starting a relationship with someone. No matter how adorable she was when she got sassy, it couldn’t happen. Nipping it in the bud was best for both of them.
But thosehips,man. The years of bronc riding had really taught her how to roll them just right. That woman could be the death of him if he kept it up. He had to get her, and her luscious ass, off his mind. A distraction was in order.
Considering tonight was the rodeo, he should get to the gym. While a heavy workout probably wouldn’t be wise, it was his only choice. If he pushed himself hard with the weights, maybe it would take his mind off the way her brown eyes sparkled when she laughed and the sounds she made riding his dick.
