Chasin' Eight (Rough Riders 11)

Ava felt weightless. Boneless. Dizzy. Buzzed.

Buzz, buzz, buzz.

She batted away the annoying insect but it kept buzzing around her head. Go away. I’m basking in afterglow. She swatted one more time and her hand connected with a solid object.

Her eyes flew open.

Stars twinkled above her. She was still stretched out on the mechanical bull. But she was alone. No heat and stickiness between her thighs. No weight of Chase’s body on hers as he kissed her sweetly in the aftermath of zealous lovemaking.

It’d just been a damn dream.

The truth was, she knew that for at least the next two weeks, the only place she’d get down and dirty with him was in her dreams.

Chapter Ten

Ava checked the guard on the electric clippers. Better to leave it a little long than trim it too short. She bent down, letting the ends of his dark hair tickle her cheek as her lips grazed his ear. “You ready?”

Chase released a shudder and she smiled. He wasn’t the only one who could send mixed signals.

Standing above him, she wedged his knees between her thighs as she wrapped the fingers of her left hand around his jaw. Keeping his head at the proper angle, Ava warned, “Hold still,” and clicked on the clippers.

The first strip of hair to go was dead center, front to back. Then she moved to tackle the right side and finished with the left side. She brushed the hair from his shoulders, wishing some had landed on his arms, giving her an excuse to feel those bulging biceps. “Have a look.”

He stood and meandered to the mirror. Ava watched him smooth his hand over his scalp. “Wow. That looks different, huh?”

“Ever worn your hair that short?”

“Nope.” Chase slanted this way and that.

“Is it good? Or bad?”

“Good, I guess.” Chase’s vivid blue eyes met hers in the mirror. “What do you think?”

I think cutting off your gorgeous black locks just increased your hotness by a factor of ten million.

“I like it.”

He mugged in the mirror. “I like it, but I think I wanna go just a hair shorter—ha-ha.”

“Fine. Stop admiring your handsome self and sit so we can get this done.”

He plopped back on the chair.

Ava straddled his legs and held his head in place. The second trim didn’t take as long as the first. She shaved the hair on the back of his neck. Her hands took one last lingering sweep over his shorn hair, down his beautiful face, to his broad shoulders. She scooted back. “You look good with short hair, Chase.”

“Thanks. Do I look recognizable?”

“The goatee helps.”

He snagged the broom from her. “I’ll finish up. We need to get on the road so I can make my check-in time.”

“How far is it?”

“Four hours.”

Once they were cruising down the blacktop, Ava cranked her window open for fresh air. “Where are we going?”

“A one-night rodeo in Broken Bow, Nebraska. Then we’ll hit smaller rodeos within driving distance during the week. Next Thursday, Friday and Saturday we’ll be in Scottsbluff, Nebraska. At some point I’m thinking we’ll head to Cody, Wyoming. Their rodeo is set up differently. During tourist season, they have a new slate every night, and hand out a new purse every night.”

“What kind of purse? Because I’d like to win a purse.”

Chase laughed. Hard.

“What’s so funny?”

“You. In rodeo, purse means the amount of money paid out to the winners.” He laughed again. “Ain’t like a purse you can buy on Ro-day-o Drive in LA.”

“You are getting a huge kick out of me being such a neophyte.”

“Check you out, using fancy words to confuse a simple cowboy. What’s a neophyte?”

“Someone who’s inexperienced in a certain area.”

“You mean a greenhorn. Or a tenderfoot.”

“Of course you’d prefer old Western terms.”

“As long as we’re on the subject, we need to get a few things straight about this road trip. Traveling partners split the expenses fifty-fifty. The goal is to get to the next event as cheaply and quickly as possible. Sometimes that means no time to check into a motel and clean up, especially if the events are geographically spread out.”

“Was it my imagination, or did you emphasize cheaply?”

Chase grinned. “Glad to hear you picked up on that. We ain’t gonna be staying anyplace as fancy as the Cooper hotel chain.”

“I sorta figured,” she said dryly.

“Is that gonna be a problem?”

“Why would it be?”

“Because, Hollywood, you’re rich.”

“So?” Ava said a little abruptly.

“So your idea of roughin’ it and mine are likely polar opposites.” Chase took his eyes off the road and peered at her over the top of his sunglasses. “I ain’t askin’ this to be a nosy dick, but have you ever tried to live on a budget?”

She’d had no reason to. “What does that have to do with anything? I can pay my half of the traveling expenses, no problem.”

“In cash? We ain’t using credit cards at all on this trip. We’re both supposed to be under the radar. Heck, we’re even using fake names.”

“Give me some credit, Chase. I actually know how not to leave a credit card trail.”

“But that still doesn’t tell me if you’ve ever made a budget and stuck to it? Do you know what it’s like to be completely out of money?”

Ava fought a shudder at the very idea of being out of money permanently. “No.”

“Didn’t think so. How much cash do you have on you right now?”

“I don’t want to discuss money with you,” she snipped.

“Tough shit. How much?”

She debated on telling the truth, or lying and stealthily lining her pockets with cash from an ATM during their next stop.

Chase eased onto the shoulder. “Dump your purse and count out the money in your wallet.”

“Why do we have to do this right now?”

He offered her a wolflike smile. “Because I don’t think you’ll play fair.”

Ava gasped with total sarcasm. “You callin’ me a liar or a cheat, McKay?”

“Both, I reckon.” He patted the bench seat. “Lay it on me, baby.”

I’d like to lay something on you—my lips, my hands, my whole body.

Friends, Ava, remember? Friends, buddies, pals. Focus.