Running Wild: A Second Shot Novella Read online

  She broke away, but his attention, every cell in his body, remained focused on her.

  “Have you ever ridden the bull naked?” she asked.

  “No.” But her low voice made the sound of cowhide against bare butt seem like a brilliant idea.

  “Hmm,” she murmured, glancing down. “Place your hand on my thigh.”

  He released his hold on her waist and followed her instructions. Her skin felt so damn good beneath his palm. He inched upward. “For a better grip.”

  “You’re going to need it,” she said. “I’m letting go.”

  A second later, both of her hands were reaching for the bottom of the material bunched around her hips. Holding tight with his thighs, he withdrew his right hand from the handle and placed it on her other leg.

  She pulled her dress over her head and tossed it forward. One of the thin shoulder straps caught on the bull’s right horn. The dress hung there, spinning around.

  “Looks like the bull’s waving the white flag,” she said.

  Sweetheart, I’m ready and willing to surrender.

  “Lose the bra, Josie,” he said gruffly. “Let’s take this naked bull ride all the way.”

  But she didn’t reach for the back clasp. Instead, she slipped her hand in the handle and looked over her shoulder at him.

  “You’re sure?” she said softly.

  “I want you.” And yeah, he supposed he’d known that he would need to toss that fact out there tonight alongside a few others. “I have for a while. I’ve respected your brother, steering clear, but I want to spend the last few hours before I go with you.”

  “Noah—” Her eyes widened as if she hadn’t expected this speech.

  But he wasn’t done yet. “You can pull your dress back on and we can just sit here, watch the bull spin, and talk until the sun comes up. But I’d rather take that naked ride.”

  She let go and leaned forward, her fingers deftly working to strip off her bra. “Don’t let me fall.”

  “I won’t.” He slid his hands up her thighs, over her white underwear to her waist while she tossed her bra to the mat.

  “Ah hell, Josie, I want to turn you around and bury my face in your breasts,” he said. And yeah, he heard the raw desire in his voice. “I want to claim every damn inch of you.”

  His hands moved higher, brushing the underside of her breast. He couldn’t resist. He had to touch her. Cupping one full breast in each hand, he ran his fingers over her nipples, offering gentle squeezes. She gasped and leaned back, her hips moving with the bull’s rhythm.

  “I want to taste you, touch you, fuck you right here,” he growled. “I want you so damn much. But—” He had to tell her. He needed to make it clear. “But I’m still leaving in the morning. Nothing will change that.”

  JOSIE FELT REALITY rush in, fighting for space alongside the tantalizing feeling of Noah’s hands on her breasts, his lips on her neck, his body pressed against hers. And this bull—the hum and gentle vibration beneath them threatened to push her over the edge. Until he said those words.

  I’m still leaving in the morning. Nothing will change that.

  “I know,” she said simply.

  His hands stilled, no longer tracing circles and exploring her nipples. Oh no, he’s walking away. He’s heading for the honorable path.

  “Is it possible?” she asked, needing to keep him here, mounted on this spinning, bucking machine. “To turn around and face you for the rest of our naked ride?”

  He chuckled. “I don’t know. Might depend on how flexible you are.”

  “I don’t think that’s our problem,” she murmured. Although that might be a little white lie. She wasn’t Gumby. Not even close. “But you still have your clothes on.”

  He released her and she felt his hand moving behind her. A second later, his shirt landed on the faded red section of the surrounding mat. “I can’t get my jeans off on this thing,” he said.

  “How about I turn around and release your zipper?” She drew one knee up and froze. “I might need some help,” she added.

  His hands returned to her waist. “Can you move your leg over the head the next time it dips forward? I’ve got you.”

  She nodded, trusting in his hold. The bull reared and she swung her left leg over the top and . . . slid right off the other side. She landed on her hands and knees.

  “Shit,” he cursed. And then he was beside her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her away from the faded blue into the not-so-pure white area. “Before it swings back around,” he added.

  She ended up on top of him, her bare chest against his superman-sized muscles. “Sorry. I just really wanted to get you out of your pants,” she said, looking down at him.

  “Done.” He gently shifted her onto the mat beside him and reached for the button. She sat up and watched as he stripped off his jeans and boxers. He kicked them aside and unveiled his long, thick cock.

  “I want to take you for a ride,” she said, unable to keep a healthy dose of “oh wow” from her voice. She’d only been with one man before. And even though he’d played football like Noah, he’d clearly been an inch or two shorter on all counts.

  “Josie.” He weaved his fingers through her hair, curled his upper body up off the mat, and crushed his mouth to hers. There was nothing tentative about his kiss this time. He was taking her, claiming her, demanding everything she had to give.

  His other hand slipped beneath her panties, touching her, exploring her.

  “Help me get them off,” she murmured, pulling back from his kiss. “My underwear.”

  “There’s no rush. We can take our time,” he said, but he helped draw her panties down as she brought her legs closer, one knee on either side of his thigh.

  With a few more wiggles and kicks, she won the battle with her panties. She stared down at the amused man beneath her. Noah. The man of her dreams. The guy who always smiled. But this time it was for her.

  She shifted back. Her bare ass rested on his thigh and she wrapped her hand around his cock. She placed her other hand on his abs. “Do you know what it feels like to have a giant machine rocking beneath you, vibrating just a touch but not enough to do more than tease?”

  He let out a low laugh, his eyes darting between her face and her hand, now moving up and down the smooth skin of his erection. She kept her touch light. She didn’t want him to come like this.

  “When what you really want, what you’ve wanted for so damn long, is sitting right behind you?” There, she’d said it. She’d admitted that she’d wanted him too. “And knowing that you only have a few hours before the man you never thought would ever take you on a naked bull ride leaves?”

  His smile faded and he reached his hand up to cup her face. “I know, Josie. Not about the vibrating, but about the wanting.”

  “I’m not waiting, Noah.” She kept her hand wrapped around his cock as she lifted her hips off his leg. She moved forward until she was poised over him, ready to sink onto his oh-wow length. She sank down, feeling him stretch her open, filling her up.

  “Jesus, Josie,” he hissed. Then he grabbed her hips and tried to lift her off. “We need a condom.”

  “Just pull out,” she said, claiming another inch. She’d expected discomfort, something other than this I-might-come-before-my-clit-even-rubs-against-him feeling. And that had never happened before. “Plus—”

  “I can’t risk it. I’m leaving,” he said through clenched teeth.

  “—I’m on the pill.” She rocked her hips back and forth as she’d done on the bull, lifting an inch and feeling him slide out before lowering back down.

  “You’re sure?” he gasped, his hands holding tight, but no longer trying to stop her.

  “Please, Noah, take me for a ride.”

  Chapter Five

  I’M GOING TO picture her breasts every damn time I close my eye
s.

  Noah couldn’t take his eyes off Josie as she placed her hands flat on his chest, arched her lower back, and began to ride him. Her breasts swung forward and he took it as an invitation. Curling his abs, he caught one sweet, tempting nipple with his mouth and began to suck.

  “Oh God, Noah,” she called above him, her words drowning out the sound of the bull still spinning and bucking beside them. Her hips ground into him in earnest—searching, needing, wanting . . .

  Sweetheart, I’m going to give you a ride you won’t forget.

  He rocked his hips up and off the mat, driving into her. He released her breast, but quickly replaced his lips with his hands. He wanted to see her, watch her face while she came. And he sure as hell wanted to remember this moment.

  “Noah. Oh, Noah,” she screamed. His named echoed in the barn as she moved faster and faster, taking him with her. He was so damn close . . . But he couldn’t, not yet. She had to come first. She had to—

  “Noah!”

  Her body gripped him, convulsing around him as her hips slowed their needy, desperate motions.

  “Noah,” she said, her voice shifting from a scream to a near whisper. But she kept her head thrown back, her eyes closed. “Oh God, Noah. I love you.”

  No. She couldn’t.

  “Don’t say that, Josie.” Agony rose up to great the pleasure radiating from his very happy dick. But the pleasure won. “Oh fuck . . . you can’t . . .”

  He couldn’t hold back. He thrust up into her and gave in to the blinding, mind-numbing sensations, the pure contentment that took hold, making the rest of the world fade away for one beautiful, perfect moment.

  And then it came rushing back. Josie Fairmore had said “I love you” while he had his dick buried in her.

  He opened his eyes and looked up at her. God, he’d rip out his heart and hand it to her if he could. But he was leaving. And the place he was going, where they would train him to shoot at people instead of paper, to rush into a war he didn’t fully understand—he couldn’t take her heart there.

  He needed to say something, to leave her with something. But what could he say to the beautiful woman looking down at him as if her orgasm had sent her tumbling into a pit of sadness?

  “I’m sorry,” she whispered.

  “Don’t be. Josie, I’m the one who should apologize. I’m the one . . .”

  Who wants to love you, but can’t.

  “Noah?” A fist pounded on the side door. “Noah, are you in there?” His best friend’s voice called through the door.

  Shit, I hope I locked it.

  “Hold on. I’m here,” he called before Dominic tested the handle.

  Josie’s eyes widened, but she didn’t move.

  “Sweetheart,” he murmured. “I’m sorry.” And yeah, it was becoming clear it was one of many apologies he owed her. He’d wanted to be the one who made sure no one ever hurt her again. Her hero. Not the man who broke her heart. But playing the hero had slipped out of reach this time, beyond his control.

  “I need to go,” he said. “I think I locked the door, but—”

  “That won’t keep Dom out.” She raised her hips, letting his semi-hard dick slip out as she moved to the mat.

  “Yeah.” He got to his feet and started pulling on his clothes. But she didn’t move. “Josie?” he asked, slipping his feet into his shoes.

  “I just need a minute,” she said softly, wrapping her arms around her naked legs.

  “What are you doing in there?” Dominic called. “Riding that bull alone?”

  “What makes you think he’s alone?” Ryan said dryly.

  Ah hell.

  Noah stepped off the mat. “I’m sorry, Josie,” he murmured, hoping Dominic wouldn’t overhear.

  She just stared back at him. “Goodbye, Noah.”

  He heard the knob rattle. He’d locked it. But still, Dominic wasn’t stupid. If he’d realized Josie was missing from the party too . . .

  “Don’t break the damn thing,” Noah called as he opened it. He stepped out into the night, forcing his friends to move back. He quickly pulled the door closed behind him.

  “What’s up?” he asked.

  “The party’s dying down,” Ryan said. His friend wasn’t smiling and hell, he looked as if he’d gotten into it with someone. His button-down flannel was untucked from his jeans, and he was off by a button.

  And yeah, Noah was too busy wondering what had happened to Ryan to see it coming.

  At the last second, he saw a flash of skin near his face. A fist. And then pain shot through his jaw. He reeled back, lost his footing, and landed on his ass in the dirt outside the barn door.

  “Zip up your damn fly,” Dominic growled, lowering his fist.

  Shit. He deserved that hit. Maybe another one for the way he’d left Josie naked and in fucking love with him beside the damn bull.

  Noah slowly got to his feet, stepped back out of Dominic’s reach, and zipped up his fly.

  “I’m not stupid,” Dominic said as he turned and headed back to the fire. “Josie’s been missing from the party for a while.”

  “I know. But you should know . . . I care about her,” he said, following him, Ryan falling in at his side.

  But I can’t love her. . .

  Dominic kept walking toward the bonfire, Lily, and the circle of friends determined to send them off on a high note.

  “Doesn’t change the fact that you’re leaving,” Dominic said flatly.

  “No.” Noah glanced back at the barn. He should go back in there. He should turn off the damn bull and help her find her dress. And then what? Tell her he was sorry again? He was leaving tomorrow and he might never come back. He couldn’t offer promises because he damn sure couldn’t keep them. “You’re right, it doesn’t change a thing.”

  Except Josie.

  Yeah, he had a feeling the hurt he’d left behind had cut deep. And he didn’t have a clue how to make that right.

  That was on him. But he hoped like hell the pain would fade. She’d find someone else, a man who wasn’t heading for a war zone.

  Noah closed his eyes. If the next guy hurts her. . .

  “One more drink,” Dominic said. “And then that’s it. The party is over. Time to head home and prepare to leave in the morning.”

  JOSIE WATCHED THE bull spin in slow circles. Her discarded dress waved through the air like a bright white flag. She hadn’t planned for her clothes to end up riding the machine without her. She’d walked into the barn hoping for a kiss, maybe a little more.

  But she hadn’t planned on this. She’d never in a million years wish for this ending.

  “He left,” she whispered as she sat up. But even if her words had been audible over the constant mechanical hum, there was no one here. He’d walked away.

  And yes, her brother had knocked. It was either be caught naked together or find a way to keep Dominic out. She understood that. But when he’d rushed to gather his clothes, mumbling apologies, she’d felt the wound open up. He’d taken a piece of her with him. And she had a horrible feeling it was her heart.

  “That’s going to leave a scar,” she told the bull as she pushed off the mat and headed for the controls. She hit the red stop button and then climbed onto the red section to reclaim her clothes.

  I’m strong enough to put it behind me. Bury the pain and move forward. I’ve done it before and I’ll do it again.

  But that wouldn’t erase the scar.

  Dying to know what happens to Josie and Noah?

  The rest of their story unfolds in

  SERVING TROUBLE

  the first full-length novel in Sara Jane Stone’s new Second Shot series!

  Five years ago, Josie Fairmore left timber country in search of a bright future. Now she’s back home with a mountain of debt and reeling from a loss that haunts her. Desperate for a job,
she turns to the one man she wishes she could avoid. The man who rocked her world one wild night and then walked right out of it.

  Former Marine Noah Tager is managing his dad’s bar and holding tight to the feeling that his time overseas led to failure. The members of his small town think he’s a war hero, but after everything he’s witnessed, Noah doesn’t want a pat on the back. The only thing he desires is a second chance with his best friend’s little sister.

  Josie’s determined to hold on to her heart and not repeat her mistakes, but when danger arrives on Noah’s doorstep and takes aim at Josie, they just might discover that sometimes love is worth the risk.

  Coming March 2016

  An Excerpt from

  SERVING TROUBLE

  “I DROVE TO the wrong bar.”

  Josie Fairmore stared up at the unlit sign towering above the nearly vacant parking lot, her cell phone pressed to her ear. Nothing changed in Forever, Oregon. Everything from the people to the names of the bars remained the same. The triplets, who had to be over a hundred now, still owned The Three Sisters Café downtown. Every car and truck she’d sped past had the high school football team’s flag mounted on the roof or featured on the bumper. And her father was still the chief of police.

  Nothing changed. That was why she’d left for college and never looked back.

  Until now.

  She’d blown past the Forever town line ten minutes ago. She’d driven straight to the place that promised a rescue from her current hell. And she’d parked under the sign, which appeared determined to prove her wrong.

  “Josephine Fairmore, it is ten thirty in the morning,” Daphne said through the phone, her tone oddly stern for the owner of a strip club situated outside the town limits. “The fact that you’re at a bar might be your first mistake.”

  Damn. If the owner of The Lost Kitten was her voice of reason, Josie was screwed.

  “When did they take the ‘country’ out of Big Buck’s Country Bar?” Josie stared at the letters above the entrance to the town’s oldest bar. She twirled the key to her red Mini, which looked out of place beside the lone monster truck in the lot. She should probably take the car back to the city. The Mini didn’t belong in the land of four-wheelers, pickups, and logging trucks. The red car would miss the parking garage.