Kissin' Tell (Rough Riders 13)

As soon as she was upright, he tugged her into his arms. Then his mouth was on hers, reminding her that he knew how to kiss. Georgia’s head was pleasantly muzzy by the time he pulled away.

“I like hearing that happy little hum when I kiss you. Gets me all kinds of curious about what other noises you make when you’re turned on.”

Georgia laughed softly. “Don’t get my hopes up that you’ll find out tonight.”

Tell frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Nothing. Where we going?”

“To Bill’s Burger Shack in Hulett. Best burgers around. Been there yet?”

“No. But first ice cream? And now burgers? You’d better have a plan to help me work off these extra calories, Tell McKay.”

“I do.”

“Which is…?” Should she mention sex burned a lot of calories?

“If I told you, it wouldn’t be a surprise.”

“I don’t like surprises.”

“So I gathered. Come on. Let’s go.”

The drive was beautiful. The years away from this area had allowed her to forget just how spectacular the scenery was. Had she ever really appreciated it?

They scored the last table in the burger joint. Between bites of an oversized burger, Tell asked about scheduling for upcoming rodeos. She responded as best as she could, but each event had different parameters and she hadn’t memorized the details.

That didn’t make him happy. She knew he was anxious to get scheduled to judge, but he’d brought it up on the drive back to her house after the trip to DQ too. Was that all he cared about?

Did he think she only cared about the reunion?

Maybe. To prove she had interest in his life, Georgia asked about his day. He mumbled about Dalton being hungover, his sister-in-law Jessie having a short fuse and broken fences that don’t fix themselves.

Then he clammed up and this slid into awkward date territory.

Tell didn’t talk to her but he sure didn’t have a problem talking to anyone else—or everyone else that stopped by their table. When Tell introduced her, a few people remembered her; mostly they remembered her brother RJ.

While Tell chatted with yet another person she didn’t know, she was reminded of her biggest mistake after moving to Sundance the beginning of her sophomore year: letting her high school boyfriend become her everything.

Deck’s interests, activities and friends took priority over hers. Cheerleading was the one activity she could claim as her own. Being back here was a harsh reminder that she’d spent her high school years as arm candy. Virginal arm candy. Silent, virginal arm candy. A girl so sweet and demure sugar wouldn’t melt in her mouth. A girl whose opinions were considered as fluffy as a bag of cotton candy. She snorted. There was a past persona to be proud of.

So as proud as she was that she’d grown a spine and left Deck, she knew few people would see the new and improved Georgia Hotchkiss—because no one had really known the old Georgia.

Tell leaned forward to capture her attention. “Sorry about that. Tim, from my dart team, tends to go on and on.”

Georgia bit back her smart response, I hadn’t noticed.

“He’s one of those guys who believes we oughta have a strategy for winning the league. When most of us are just there to bullshit and drink beer.”

“That’d be the only draw for me.”

“Speaking of… Would you come to Ziggy’s tomorrow night and watch the match?”

Nothing she disliked more than being a spectator at a guys’ sporting event—she’d done that more times than she could count. But if she wanted to spend time with Tell, hopefully naked time, she’d have to take one for the team first. “What time?”

“League starts at seven. It’s usually done by nine.”

“I could show up for a little while.”

He grinned. “Good. As far as tonight… Are you a fan of John Wayne movies?”

“I’ve only seen a couple, so I don’t know if that qualifies me as a fan. Why?” Please say we’re going back to your place to watch movies. In your bed.

“The Sundance Arts Council plays movies in the park every Monday night in the summer. They have a big projection screen by the band shell. You interested in checking it out?”

Tell wore such an earnest look she couldn’t say no. “Sure, as long as it doesn’t run past my bedtime.”

“When’s that?”

“Whenever you decide it’s time to take me to bed,” she purred. Then she stood, adding an extra wiggle as she dumped her empty cup in the trash.

Tell was a lot friendlier on the drive back to Sundance.

At the park, he spread out a blanket on the grass, away from the families with small children. She looked around, feeling so far out of her element she might as well be on Mars.

Then Tell’s hand gently touched her face. “Georgia? Something wrong?”

I don’t fit in here. I never have. “Just lethargic after eating.”

He scooted back, stretching his legs into a V. “You can use me as a pillow.”

Georgia crawled toward him. That bad-boy grin with smirking dimples was impossible to resist. She nestled her backside into his crotch, wiggling to get comfortable. Rolling her spine against his chest, she releasing a tiny sigh. Tell was so warm and firm. She turned her head to kiss the bottom of his jaw, getting a noseful of his pine-scented aftershave. “You are kinda hard for a pillow.”

“And getting harder in some places.” He set his chin on top of her head. “You feel good on me.”

“You’d feel good in me.”

He chuckled. “You never give up, do you?”

“Nope. So be prepared to be worn down by my feminine wiles, cowboy. Because not only do I talk dirty, I can act out all the dirty suggestions. Wanna see?”

“Maybe later.”

The movie started and she blocked out all sounds, concentrating on the steady beat of Tell’s heart and the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest. Onscreen, John Wayne was shooting at an outlaw. She tried to focus on the action, but her eyelids kept slipping shut. It wouldn’t hurt to rest her eyes. Just for a couple of minutes.

A rough hand skated up her arm and she jumped.

“Relax. You conked out for the first half.”

“It’s not over?”

“Intermission gives the local kids’ groups a chance to sell popcorn, candy, soda. The rodeo club is scheduled to work the concession next month.”