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  UNBRANDED

  8 Seconds to My Heart series

  #2

  by

  Barbra Campbell

  Copyright © 2020 Barbra Campbell

  All rights reserved.

  This is a work of fiction.

  Cover design by Hans Campbell

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  https://BarbraCampbell.com

  Rose

  I ran my tongue back and forth over Travis’ spent erection. The darkness in the shed kept me from watching his expression as I teased him.

  I’d corralled the cowboy of my obsession for a naughty romp. The first time we’d talked was a year prior. Travis had approached me when I ordered a footlong hotdog at the concession stand and I’d barely been able to contain my dirty thoughts as I wondered how close he was to a footlong. Pretty damn close was the answer.

  He grabbed my head so I gave one last suck then dragged my lips off his length. Sex was a power struggle I intended to stay on top of. Besides, I loved it.

  I rose from my kneeling position and dove my tongue into his mouth. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tight, like what I’d done had meant something, but neither of us were the settling down type. We could steal a few more seconds before he had to start his pre-rodeo ritual and I had to help my sisters in the medical trailer. Doctors weren’t immune from playing out fantasies.

  One of his hands snaked between us and he unbuttoned my jeans.

  “What are you doing?” I asked through our kiss.

  He chuckled. “Returning the favor.”

  “I thought you didn’t have time.”

  “I was wrong.” He’d unzipped my pants and maneuvered his hand inside.

  A shudder raced over me as his fingers expertly found my clit. Thank god his other hand was wrapped around my back. The excitement running through my body and down my legs was making it hard to stand.

  Bracing my hands on the shelving behind his shoulders, I sank my head onto him and quit trying to resist. I would have been a fool to turn down an orgasm by Travis Parker. Or more accurately, I’d have been a fool to turn down an orgasm by anybody I was interested in.

  The woodsy scent of his cologne, his hard body, and the taste of his cum still on my tongue had me barreling toward climax. Since we were holed up in a maintenance shed while his friends and my sister had to be wondering where we were, I wasn’t holding back.

  “You like riding my fingers?” He whispered into my hair. “Keep moaning and I might come again.”

  I hoped he would. Angling my hips, I settled as the swell of orgasm grew heavier and heavier. “Travis…”

  “Come on my fingers, Rose. Show me how good I make you feel.”

  His words trickled from my ears down through my core, coupling with the perfection of his touch. Other than not going all the way, it was the perfect ride.

  I plunged into climax, the weight of my body falling into him, relying on him to keep me upright, to keep me floating in the bliss of my release.

  My arms dropped from their secured hold of the shelving and I tucked them behind his back.

  Considering myself adequately experienced to be an official judge of orgasms, I considered telling Travis he scored a perfect one hundred. Two problems… first, it might make him think I wanted to get comfy. Second, I was probably lost in the moment. I’d had a thing for Travis for a long time.

  A harsh thumping of the wooden door against the deadbolt helped me get the hell out of a dangerous mental place, boyfriend land. I’d simply bagged a fantasy. Nothing more.

  I shoved myself off of Travis but he kept his hand in my pants. Another twitch of his fingers and I gasped at the jolt shooting through me.

  “I’ll be out in a second,” he called then whispered to me. “What’s the hurry?”

  I plucked his hand out and fastened my pants. “We both have places to be, things to do.”

  “Whatcha doin’? Or should I say who?” The voice called, clearly aware of Travis’ reputation.

  “Go oil your saddle or something, Luke, I’ll come out when I’m ready.” Travis sucked my cum off his fingers then stuffed himself back in his pants.

  He pulled me into an embrace. “This is going to be my lucky hand tonight.”

  “A little crass.” I had to taunt him. I also had to protect myself from the strange desire to see if every orgasm he gave me would be as earth-shattering.

  My mom had raised my two sisters and me to be strong, self-reliant women. Every time I got close to a guy, I felt like I was giving up my independence. For once, I wasn’t feeling that.

  “Let’s see. How do I define crass? Would that be a gorgeous woman I’ve talked to on numerous occasions asking me to help her with something in the maintenance shed then coming on to me. Or are gorgeous women exempt from being called crass?” He continued to hold me tight, trail kisses over my cheek and down my neck, and do everything perfectly.

  The tingle between my legs had transitioned from post-orgasm glow to ‘let’s get it on’. The last thing I wanted to do was spend another second away from Travis, but that’s exactly why I had to wake myself up, and fast. “I bet you’re worried what your friends are going to say when we walk out of here. I’ll go calm them down.”

  “There’s no way on earth you can calm them down.” He tried to keep me from leaving but didn’t force it when I pushed away.

  I swung the door open and the group of cowboys standing nearby turned. “Sorry boys, you’ll have to wait for your ride in the arena.”

  Sauntering off, I didn’t look back. Couldn’t give any hint Travis made me weak. But contrary to my normal independent streak, it wasn’t a bad weakness.

  I headed to the medical unit to find my sisters. The three of us were volunteering our medical expertise for the rodeo. Daisy and I had done it several times, but tonight was Lily’s first rodeo as anything other than a spectator.

  The downside to offering medical help to the cowboys was that we got all the gory details. Attending a rodeo as a spectator offered a lot more room for denial of the dangers of the sport.

  The good news was that I garnered immediate respect. Not from all of the cowboys, but it got rid of all the guys who weren’t man enough to handle a dominant woman.

  Travis

  Holy crap. When I’d said Rose wouldn’t be able to calm the guys down, I meant there wasn’t any way to combat us being caught in the shed together. Obviously her curves, her shit-ton of confidence, and her sexy smile were trouble, but her comment threw gas on the fire.

  Bragging rights were secured. But since I’d met her, they weren’t what I was after. Something I didn’t understand, adding to the confusion of why I’d been celibate since we first met. She was smart, witty, and gorgeous. What more could I ask for? For her to be interested in me? I would have said that was a given since she seduced me. She’d rocked my world but almost didn’t let me return the favor. Then waltzed out. I felt used.

  Damnit, getting her off wasn’t a favor. Favors didn’t have you blind to all other women except the one whose scent lingered on your fingers. Like she’d branded me.

  My wild cowboy persona offered security. I could do anything I wanted and get away with it. No commitments. But something about Rose hogtied my normal strategy and had me thinking about second dates, and more.

  I tried to find her while I waited for my Saddle Bronc event. I’d been working up the courage to ask her out over the last few rodeos and I wasn’t waiting any longer. No more being intimidated.

  Sneaking into a shed for a hookup wasn’t how I imagined we’d get together, but one guarantee with a rodeo was that you never knew what to expect. I just had to be sure that wasn’t our last time.

  My inability to find Ro
se gave me the impression she was avoiding me. Wouldn’t that be the kicker if I was the one begging for more? Was she punishing me for how I’d treated other women?

  The situation had me reconsidering my love ‘em and leave ‘em approach. I’d always rationalized that anyone primarily interested in sex wasn’t in it for the long haul. I wanted Rose to want more.

  I had to put my quest for her on hold when my event approached. Strapping myself onto a thousand-pound animal whose sole interest was getting rid of me required my full attention.

  The riders before me did well, making it clear I’d have to rack up as many points as possible to progress to the next round. Good news was that the animals were cooperating, making it possible for the riders to get a lot of points.

  Straddling the top rail, I admired the chestnut bronc below me. His spirited nature would serve me well. No chance I’d have to do a reride because of a horse who wasn’t in the mood to buck.

  Hopping on, I secured myself in the saddle. Feeling a weight, a pull of some kind, I lifted my eyes. They immediately landed on Rose. Her hair trailed over her shoulder, and for a split second I craved running my fingers through it again. But the intensity of her gaze caught me. Nothing casual, not the usual hyped attention of a spectator. A damn bond. Had I read her wrong?

  “Travis.” A voice called me back to the moment.

  “Just a second,” I mumbled. Damn. I reassessed my grip, my feet, and shucked myself in the saddle. I was riding for Rose. I’d never ridden for anyone before.

  I nodded and the chute flew open, giving the horse an idea of how to get rid of me. Working my spurs, keeping the animal engaged for the full eight seconds, I twisted and turned my body to stay in sync with the motions of the animal.

  The buzzer echoed through my mind. I loosened my grip and let the horse calm down, gauging the next few bucks for my chance to dismount.

  Next thing I knew, I smelled dirt. Not the normal ‘dirt is life’ aspect of being a cowboy, something bigger. I couldn’t orient myself. What was wrong? My mind alternated loosely between panic and calm.

  “Travis.” Rose’s voice entered my dark world. Were we in the shed? No. I couldn’t feel her. I tasted something. It wasn’t the sweet cream she’d left on my fingers… it was dirt. It wasn’t right. Everything was muffled and heavy. Was I under water? Confusion plagued me.

  “Travis,” Rose called to me again. There was another voice too, but only hers made sense. The gentle pressure of a hand on my shoulder helped me focus.

  I couldn’t find my way to the surface. Couldn’t open my eyes. I had to see her. Willing my mind to fight its way up from the depths, her voice became clearer.

  “Travis, can you hear me? It’s Rose.” She sounded upset. Why?

  The length of my body was pressed into something and it took a second to figure out it was the ground. Dirt. Rodeo arena. Shit. Had I been bucked? I remembered the buzzer. Remembered initiating my dismount. Then black.

  “Travis.” Rose’s hand brushed over my cheek.

  I couldn’t have her worrying about me. Couldn’t risk not spending the rest of my life with her. Why was that my lucid thought? I fought back from the darkness. Trying to call out to her, the words were heavy in my mouth.

  I wiggled my fingers, oriented myself into my physical body, and pushed upward so I could see Rose. She would make everything right.

  The tears running down her cheek surprised me. She said, “We’ll take care of you, Babe.”

  My mind tried to drift away but I willed myself to focus, bring happiness to her sad brown eyes.

  Her hand gripped my shoulder. “Travis, stay with me. Don’t try to move. I’m going to ask you some questions, figure out what all is hurt.”

  “Rose, I love you.” I was swimming to the surface, gaining awareness. Everything would be fine.

  My brother’s voice was oddly comforting. “He definitely hit his head if he’s telling a woman he loves her.”

  Shit, he was right. I’d never said I loved anyone but my mama. I didn’t want to take it back, though. Relief washed over me. Or was that part of regaining consciousness?

  Rose

  I had to put my role as a concussion specialist and chiropractor before my feelings. Lily had rushed into the arena with me while Travis lay motionless. She looked at me for guidance, unaware Travis and I had hooked up.

  Her expression shifted to confused and I realized I’d shed tears. Lily was bound to ask later. Travis was way under my skin. Relieved that he was conscious, I checked him out. His declaration of love was going to require even more explanation, to Lily and me.

  Travis was responsive, was able to feel his entire body, and his reflexes were strong. I breathed a sigh of relief. Against his wishes we put him on the gurney then took him back to the medical trailer.

  “Stop lugging me around like a damn invalid. I got shook up but I’ll be fine. Set me down or I’ll spur you.” The tough decision of whether to send him straight to the hospital or evaluate him on site was settled. He was coming around quickly.

  I ordered Colt and Luke to set the gurney down. They helped Travis to his feet and stayed by his side while he regained his balance. Their expertise in handling the situation assured me this wasn’t the only cowboy they’d brought back from unconsciousness. They also offered some razzing at having to carry him out.

  Jokes were a normal method of dealing with stress, and relieving tension was a powerful tool, but the hard work was ahead of us. Travis wasn’t going to like it. Even before running the concussion test, I suspected he would fail, and he wouldn’t be able to ride again until he passed.

  I directed the guys to help him up the couple steps.

  “Don’t let him give you any trouble, ma’am,” Luke said.

  Travis grumbled from the chair they’d helped him into. That alone was a sign he wasn’t doing well. Travis tended to speak his mind.

  “Everybody out.” I shooed them toward the door. Amazing how small the trailer felt with three cowboys and my sister crowding me.

  Lily grabbed the laptop but I took it from her. “I’ve got this one. Go make sure the rest of the riders stay safe.”

  She dragged me aside and whispered, “You called him Babe out there. He said he loved you…”

  “Surprised me too but I’ll be objective.”

  Lily left me alone with Travis and somehow the space in the trailer had shrunk. An hour before we’d been busy satisfying superficial desires in a shed. How did I end up scavenging the million pieces my heart had shattered into when Travis was unresponsive? No sense embarrassing myself by pretending his half-conscious declaration of love meant anything.

  My gaze travelled up and down his body. His mussed hair gave a cute appearance. A million questions ran through my mind. Why did he compete? Why had he said he loved me? Why did I want to give in to a ladies’ man?

  “What I said out there…” He paused just long enough for me to cut him off.

  “Wait. I have to evaluate you. No talking unless I ask you a question.” Smooth, Rose. Was I so desperate I had to hang onto his words a few minutes longer before letting him backpedal?

  Once his vitals were recorded, I sat across from him and opened the concussion program on my laptop. “You gave us all quite a scare.”

  He grimaced as he reached across the table and put his hand over mine while I tried to type.

  Nervous energy rushed through me. I could have blamed it on how fast that hand had gotten me off earlier, and I would have been lying to say it didn’t send a tingle straight to my sex. But it was different. His touch was warm and comforting but needy, nervous… a crazy mix of emotions swirling between the two of us.

  The screen blipped to life as the program loaded, a stiff reminder not to misread Travis’ nerves. He had every right to worry. I was going to be the one signing the medical order that would prevent him from competing. I was about to be enemy number one.

  Tugging the laptop a bit closer to myself, I freed my hand from his and upl
oaded his personal information. I wasn’t going to be the doctor who couldn’t separate personal favors from medical truths. If I really loved him, or cared about him, or was going to be his doctor, it was my duty to make sure he was physically and mentally stable.

  I swiveled the laptop to face him. “Follow the instructions.”

  He made it through the test but the results were as expected. I explained that he wouldn’t be able to ride again until he passed.

  “Come on, Rose. I’ll be fine tomorrow. Guys ride with concussions all the time.” The firm grip of his hand on mine made me question why he’d hooked up with me. Most of the cowboys respected the medical volunteers, but every once in a while, someone tried to sway the doctor.

  I let his fingers tangle with mine before I dragged my hand away. I reminded myself of my original plan to fulfill a fantasy with him and move on. “Then meet me back in here before the rodeo tomorrow and prove it.”

  The edges of his lips curled, and a flicker of realization hit me.

  “Whoa, cowboy. So you can retake this test.” I patted the laptop.

  Embarrassment flashed over his expression. Not the expected reaction for a guy with his reputation. “Sorry, Rose. I didn’t mean it like that. But earlier, I…”

  Did I hear hope in his voice? Priorities. “Concussions are serious. And this isn’t a test you can study for or cheat on. Your brain’s either ready or it isn’t. No sweet talking the doctor.”

  Travis stood and only briefly touched his hand to the table for balance. I stared up at him, worried. Of course, he’d be pissed. “Fine, doc, I’ll pass your damn test tomorrow.”

  He took off.

  With the medical facts out of the way, I wanted to comfort him? What if he was truly interested in me? The damage I’d done to his ego would only serve as a further burden for recovery. I rushed to the door.

  All I wanted was a minute to tell him I’d had to fulfill my role as his doctor before I could be anything else. Or I could sign his care over to another doctor.