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Book: Colby (BBW Western Bear Shifter Romance) (Rodeo Bears Book 3) by Becca Fanning
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Authors: Becca Fanning
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women bull riders, Dakota orbited the bonfire in search of Eddie, waving off the smoke and cinders. She found him doing card tricks for a group of fans, most of them as drunk as a pub filled with Scotsmen.
“What the hell did you do!” she yelled, forgetting to be small, forgetting to hide. She grabbed the deck of cards from his hand and threw it into the fire, much to the protest of the group. “Not everything is a game.”
Eddie didn’t flinch. If anything, he enjoyed her anger. “Why don’t we go somewhere more private?” he suggested, and he led her into the abyss of the desert, away from the cat calls that followed them.
“It was funny,” he defended, stopping beside a cactus. “It was just a windup.”
“It wasn’t funny for Brianna. She could lose a huge sponsorship deal because of your stupid windup. Why did you have to pull the prank while the women were competing? They have it hard enough as it is.”
“Wouldn’t it be sexist not to pull the prank while the women were competing?” he joked.
She wanted to shove him. “There are consequences to your actions, Eddie. You of all people should understand. You face scrutiny for being a shifter. One day, they may not let you ride, not professionally. Put yourself in Brianna’s shoes.”
“Boots, not shoes,” he corrected, but he frowned, her words clearly sinking in, troubling him. “I’ll apologize to her. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“I’ll fix it. Just don’t look at me like that,” he pleaded. “Don’t look at me the way my brother does. I’m better than this, I promise you. I can give a rat’s ass what everyone else thinks of me, but not you. I care what you think.”
“Why?” she demanded. “You barely know me.”
“Well, you’re beautiful, for starters,” he said, gently placing a hand on her cheek.
She needed to push his hand away. This was not what she’d come to West Texas for. She was meant to go unnoticed, not encourage a cowboy to chase after her.
“And?” she pressed, full of anticipation, ignoring her logic.
“And I feel drawn to you. Connected, like you’re the rope I can hold onto and steady myself with.”
She felt the same, even if it was a fleeting fantasy inspired by the wildness of the West, its heat a lust that burned beneath the skin. “And?”
“And in about two minutes, there’s gonna be fireworks to mark the end of the rodeo. That’s when I’m gonna kiss you.”
“You can’t kiss me then,” she said, moving his hand to her waist, pushing aside the fabric of her T-shirt so that he touched her bare skin.
“Fine. I’ll kiss you now.”
His lips claimed hers, fierce and hungry. She gave into the kiss like a starved beggar, deprived of joy for too long. The weight of his muscle against her was enormous, both pushing her down and holding her up. She wanted to tear off his clothes so she could see his muscle for herself, feel it against her as he took her in the desert sand, their moans of pleasure heard beneath the moonlight.
The fireworks began, a warning in the sky above, summoning her back into reality. “I can’t,” she said, pushing his kiss away. It was almost impossible to do.
“Why?” he asked patiently, trying to understand. Knowing she couldn’t resist him a second time, she marched away, back towards the bonfire. He followed. “Don’t walk away from this.”
“From what? A quick screw before you head on to the next rodeo?”
He threw his arms up. “A quick screw can be fun. Dakota, why are you running away?”
She stopped, but she refused to look at him. “It’s complicated.”
Eddie was an outlaw. She understood his need to escape, to be free to roam, live life by his own terms. She understood because she was an outlaw too, but he could never know. No one could ever know, and not just for her own sake. For the sake of her brother too.
Chapter Three
Her room was dim, absent of light. It was how Dakota felt. A
“What the hell did you do!” she yelled, forgetting to be small, forgetting to hide. She grabbed the deck of cards from his hand and threw it into the fire, much to the protest of the group. “Not everything is a game.”
Eddie didn’t flinch. If anything, he enjoyed her anger. “Why don’t we go somewhere more private?” he suggested, and he led her into the abyss of the desert, away from the cat calls that followed them.
“It was funny,” he defended, stopping beside a cactus. “It was just a windup.”
“It wasn’t funny for Brianna. She could lose a huge sponsorship deal because of your stupid windup. Why did you have to pull the prank while the women were competing? They have it hard enough as it is.”
“Wouldn’t it be sexist not to pull the prank while the women were competing?” he joked.
She wanted to shove him. “There are consequences to your actions, Eddie. You of all people should understand. You face scrutiny for being a shifter. One day, they may not let you ride, not professionally. Put yourself in Brianna’s shoes.”
“Boots, not shoes,” he corrected, but he frowned, her words clearly sinking in, troubling him. “I’ll apologize to her. I wasn’t thinking.”
“No, you weren’t.”
“I’ll fix it. Just don’t look at me like that,” he pleaded. “Don’t look at me the way my brother does. I’m better than this, I promise you. I can give a rat’s ass what everyone else thinks of me, but not you. I care what you think.”
“Why?” she demanded. “You barely know me.”
“Well, you’re beautiful, for starters,” he said, gently placing a hand on her cheek.
She needed to push his hand away. This was not what she’d come to West Texas for. She was meant to go unnoticed, not encourage a cowboy to chase after her.
“And?” she pressed, full of anticipation, ignoring her logic.
“And I feel drawn to you. Connected, like you’re the rope I can hold onto and steady myself with.”
She felt the same, even if it was a fleeting fantasy inspired by the wildness of the West, its heat a lust that burned beneath the skin. “And?”
“And in about two minutes, there’s gonna be fireworks to mark the end of the rodeo. That’s when I’m gonna kiss you.”
“You can’t kiss me then,” she said, moving his hand to her waist, pushing aside the fabric of her T-shirt so that he touched her bare skin.
“Fine. I’ll kiss you now.”
His lips claimed hers, fierce and hungry. She gave into the kiss like a starved beggar, deprived of joy for too long. The weight of his muscle against her was enormous, both pushing her down and holding her up. She wanted to tear off his clothes so she could see his muscle for herself, feel it against her as he took her in the desert sand, their moans of pleasure heard beneath the moonlight.
The fireworks began, a warning in the sky above, summoning her back into reality. “I can’t,” she said, pushing his kiss away. It was almost impossible to do.
“Why?” he asked patiently, trying to understand. Knowing she couldn’t resist him a second time, she marched away, back towards the bonfire. He followed. “Don’t walk away from this.”
“From what? A quick screw before you head on to the next rodeo?”
He threw his arms up. “A quick screw can be fun. Dakota, why are you running away?”
She stopped, but she refused to look at him. “It’s complicated.”
Eddie was an outlaw. She understood his need to escape, to be free to roam, live life by his own terms. She understood because she was an outlaw too, but he could never know. No one could ever know, and not just for her own sake. For the sake of her brother too.
Chapter Three
Her room was dim, absent of light. It was how Dakota felt. A
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