Page 55 of Live Love Lasso

Ahead of me, the girls turn left and head up into the stands. I jog forward and up the steps until I’m right behind Lemon. Gripping her by both elbows, I pull her back against me and press my lips to her ear.

“The ruffles on this skirt are shredding any self-control I mighta had around you, city girl.” I nip at her earlobe with just my lips, pulling it as she relaxes and shudders against me.

She lets her head fall back, looking up at me with a sexy smile. “You just couldn’t stay away, huh? I’m starting to think you’re a little bit of a stalker, Ranger Zayle.”

I flare my nostrils, scenting her. That clean, cool smell overtakes me, curling through me like it’s rewiring my godsdamned brain to think about her and only her. Or shit, maybe that happened when I met her, and she was walkin’ on the bar singin’ like a damn country music star.

When I glance past her, Bluebell and Oz are both grinning at us as they take sips of their beer. Oz winks at me.

Rascal.

I’ll thank him later, though.

I push Lemon toward the metal bench, and she slides gracefully past the first few seated monsters. The crew makes space for me to sit.

Bluebell points a finger at me. “You can’t stay forever, Zayle, ‘cause Hadrian and Jasper are joining us in a few minutes, and lord knows that gargoyle needs space.”

Lemon snickers and hands both hot dogs to Bluebell, who shoves half of the first one right in her mouth. Ladylike ain’t never been a word I’d use to describe her, I suppose.

Lemon looks up at me. “Oz promised me a tour of the pens, but I can’t imagine a better tour guide than you. Would you show me around, in an official kinda capacity?”

I grin down at the beautiful vampire smiling up at me like seeing me’s the only thing she needs right now. Stroking my knuckles along her soft jawline, I marvel at the way dark lashes flutter against her cheeks.

“I’d be delighted to. You wanna go now, Lemon?”

She nods and hands her beer to Oz, who winks at me again.

So much winking.

He clears his throat and waves. “Listen, I’ve been showing your girl a good time, but you can take over. Plus, like Bluebell said, we need space for that absolutely enormous male about to join us.”

Bluebell rolls her eyes and elbows him while she shoves the second half of the dog in her mouth.

I grab Lemon’s hand and pull her back down the row, apologizing to the monsters we just scooted past moments ago. We descend the metal stands and head left toward the far end of the arena where the chutes are. Lemon comes to my side, and I slide a hand into her back pocket, keeping her close to me as we walk.

“You already ask Oz and Bluebell a buncha questions about the bull riding, or do we need to cover that?”

She shrugs, but some of the smile fades from her eyes. “I get it. Oz in particular is a great host. Probably because he knows the only cowboys I’ve ever seen in real life are at a dive bar in Rainbow where you can ride a mechanical bull. To be honest, after seeing this, it’s almost laughable to me that anyone got bucked off that thing.” She jerks her head toward the pens visible past the arena and stands. “Actually, I kinda wanted to check on the animals. Any time I see them now, I wonder if they’re affected or will be affected or what.”

I nod. “Yeah, I promised Echo I’d check while I was out here.”

Lemon grabs a lock of my hair and tugs playfully. “So, yet again, you’re out with me but working?”

She’s laughing, but there could be an undercurrent of real concern to her question. When we get to the end of the row and exit the stands, I press her against the slatted fencing and tip her chin up, locking onto her gaze. “Lemon Knox, you listen to me.”

Dark lashes flutter as she stares, sliding both hands up my shirt to rest over my pecs. I tuck long hair over her shoulder, stroking my way down her back while I hold her close.

“We haven’t had a lotta conversations around what it means for us to be connected the way we are. We need to, because I think it’s clear that I can’t stand to be five feet away from you for more than two minutes. I think you feel the same. But what I will never do is have you think there’s anything in my life more important than you.”

Her mouth drops open. “But…but what’s happening is important, Furyon, and I get tha⁠—”

I silence her with the barest of kisses on those pretty pink-painted lips. “Nothing,” I reiterate. “I want you with me all the time, city girl, because I wanna show you just how hard a country boy loves.”

Her breath hitches, so I take the moment to slant my mouth over hers, a needy groan rumbling from my chest. Godsdamn, this woman does something to me. Our kiss grows hungry as she slides her arms up around my neck, soft body pressed to mine.

When someone clears their throat, I part long enough to scowl. But Bryony just grins at me like the cat with the cream, sipping at a mead as she waggles her brows. In my arms, Lemon groans and plasters her forehead to my pecs.

Bryony swans off, wings fluttering frenetically behind her like she can’t wait to tell her sister what she just saw.