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“It’s domestic. I think.” She looked at the plastic encased tag attached to the key. “Here’s the plate number. Right?”
He took her wrist and turned her hand so he could see better. Her skin was really soft and she smelled awfully good. “Tell you what...let’s go to my trailer, talk, have a beer. By then the lot will have thinned out and you can take whatever car’s left.”
Narrowing her gaze, she yanked back her hand. “I’m glad you find this so amusing.”
He grinned. “No sense getting worked up over it. I have a fifth wheel sitting across the street. It’s got plenty of room.”
“First, what’s a fifth wheel? And plenty of room for what?”
“Not what that warped mind of yours seems to have conjured.” It tickled him the way her cute little nose went up in the air. “But I’m sure we can come to an agreement.”
“Oh, we already have, Mr. Tanner,” she said, suddenly all sweetness. “For the next ten days, I own your ass.”
3
SURPRISE WASHED OVER Tanner’s face, and Lexy tried not to react. She needed to take control of the situation and not waste the lifeline Norma had thrown her. Time was important. She was operating on a tight schedule and an even tighter budget. The longer it took her to drag his butt down to Houston for the photo shoot, the more money it would cost her. Money she didn’t have. She didn’t even have a credit card with wiggle room as backup. All because of her idiotic pride.
“Well, that explains it,” he said, rubbing his shadowed jaw, his hazel eyes lit with amusement. “I saw you checking out my ass earlier. Seeing as how you think you own it, I understand why you felt the need to inspect it so closely.”
She allowed for a small smile. If he thought he could ruffle her, he was in for another surprise. She slowly circled him, making a show of ogling his broad chest and muscled forearms. For good measure, she tilted her head to the side while she studied the seat of his worn jeans. “Yes, you’ll do.”
Watching her from over his shoulder, he lifted a dark brow. “You having fun?”
“Oh, I wouldn’t call it that.” She continued all the way around while he tracked her with his interesting gold-and green-flecked eyes.
He had a strong chiseled jaw the camera would love, with or without the few days’ stubble. His brown hair was a bit long, touching the collar of his blue Western-style shirt. But it was a decent haircut and he had a great smile. It was possible she’d have to take him shopping before they showed up at the photo shoot, but by then her corporate credit card would have been issued. If not, she’d have to swallow her pride and hit up Norma for some cash. Something Lexy should’ve done in the first place.
She heard someone wolf whistle and looked up to see Tanner’s mouth tighten. A pair of cowboys were walking by and laughing, the taller of the two giving Tanner a thumbs-up.
“Okay, that’s enough,” he muttered, tugging his hat lower. “We either finish this conversation in my trailer, or we can part company right now. The latter being my preference.”
“Your trailer it is, then.” She briefly reconsidered. A crowded parking lot might be the better option. Tanner was bound to give her a hard time. Probably flat out refuse to have anything to do with the calendar or the fragrance line. Just like most of the other rodeo cowboys. But unlike them, Tanner would be in breach of his contract if he refused to play nice. Unfortunately, she had the feeling a guy like him wouldn’t care.
He started walking and she fell into step beside him. “Tell me straight up,” he said, giving her a sidelong look. “Am I in hot water with you people?”
“Not that I’m aware. Why? Did you violate the indecency clause?” Dammit, she was warm.
“No. Maybe.” He didn’t look too happy, perhaps even a bit guilty. “Explain what that means and I’ll let you know.”
Lexy hid a smile. “How about you tell me what questionable behavior is bothering you and I’ll let you know.”
He snorted. “I might be a simple cowboy but I’m not stupid.”
“I was teasing.” Good to know he was concerned about violating his agreement. She had no idea if there was a decency clause, but she saw no reason to share that with him. No sense handing him ammunition to wiggle out of his contract.
“Oh...so that’s you joking?” He mocked her with a pitying look. “You don’t cut loose much, do you?”
Ha, she could shock him in that department. Playing loose was partly why she was here, overheated and wearing a suit she hated, worried about her maxed-out credit cards and holding her breath every time the warm breeze carried a whiff of horse dung. And now she was being punished instead of sitting in a cushy corner office on the top floor.
They stopped twice for Tanner to sign autographs for kids who bombarded him with questions. The women seemed to like him, too, flashing him smiles and giving him suggestive looks that he fielded like a man accustomed to feminine attention. That was good, excellent. Lexy had seen several headshots of the men already lined up for the calendar. Tanner would have some stiff competition.
While he signed, she thought about taking a couple pictures of him against the stunning background of the Rockies. The hills leading up to the snow-capped peaks were as green as emeralds and would really show off his eyes.
Before she could get out her phone, he finished with the boys and was promptly intercepted by a cowboy trying to get Tanner to join a late-night poker game. He shook his head and kept walking until they reached a trailer parked behind a late-model motor coach. In fact, all the other RVs in the park were much nicer than Tanner’s. He opened the trailer door and didn’t even flinch at the annoying creak.
“I can’t recall how I left things. So enter at your own risk,” he said, yanking off his Stetson with a sweeping gesture for her to go first.
If he was trying to scare her off he’d be disappointed. She’d spent time in too many frat houses to worry about when she’d gotten her last tetanus shot. The first step was a tad wobbly, but she ignored the hand he offered and made it inside.
The place was roomier and neater than she’d expected. Though the kitchen and living areas were small, they were well laid out with appliances, cabinets and built-in furniture. At the far back she could see part of a bed.
“Home sweet home,” Tanner said, crowding in behind her, near enough for her to feel the heat from his body. “Ever been in one of these?”
“No,” she murmured, unsure which direction to go to give him room.
“I didn’t think so.”
“What does that mean?” She turned around to look at him, finding out too late he was even closer than she’d imagined. She bumped his chest with her right breast, then made everything worse by clutching his muscled arm for support.
He took it as a cue to put a hand on her waist. “You okay?”
“Fine.” She looked into his hazel eyes, the oddest thought niggling at her. He smelled good. Even though he shouldn’t, not after having ridden a bronc. The scent was vaguely familiar, an unexpectedly wonderful combination of leather and something spicy.
She leaned closer, her eyes drifting closed on a deep inhale. When she opened them, she found him staring at her.
“It’s kind of stuffy in here,” he said, his voice lower and rougher. “Why don’t you take off your jacket while I open windows?”
Her fingers were still wrapped around his arm, the tips digging into the hard, muscled flesh. She jerked back her hand. He seemed reluctant to remove his from her waist, letting his palm slide to her hip before he withdrew altogether.
“What is that cologne you’re wearing?” she asked, retreating into business mode and breaking eye contact. Feeling like an idiot, she moved to the small brown couch. “I can’t quite make out the scent.”
“Cologne?” He said it as if it were a cussword, prompting her to look at him again. He was fiddling with a window, and her gaze went straight to his butt. The man filled out a pair of jeans quite well...both front and back. “I wouldn’t wear that crap if you paid me.”
That snapped her out of her preoccupation. “Well, that’s a problem.” She really did need to lose her jacket before she passed out from heatstroke.
“How so?” After forcing the window open, he turned to her, his gaze lingering on her breasts as she struggled out of the blazer.
She could hardly object after staring at his ass. Which she unabashedly did again when he bent to bring two beers out of the fridge. He twisted off the cap and held one out to her.
“No, thanks. Water or iced tea would be great, though.” She glanced around for a place to hang the jacket, then just draped it over the arm of the couch.
He’d exchanged the unopened beer for a bottle of water that he passed to her. While she took a sip, he tipped the beer to his lips.
“Take the couch,” he said, straddling a chair at the table. “Stick to the right side. There’s a lump on the left.”
She twisted around to check it out before she sat.
“It’s clean.”
“That’s not what I was—” She sighed and sank into the cushion. This was the good side?
“You wanted to talk. I’m listening.”
Lexy met his watchful eyes. They seemed darker now, more green than gold, and for all his easygoing manner, she had the impression that he missed very little of what went on around him.
“I have something I need you to do. We,” she quickly amended. “The Worthington Group.”
“My contract was with Sundowner.”
“Your contract is actually with the holding company, and we have you for ten more days.”
“Ah, you own my ass I believe is how you referred to my indenture.”
Lexy smiled at the term he’d chosen. He possessed his own brand of charm and she could see why women found him attractive. Perhaps this silly errand wouldn’t be as big a pain as she’d expected. “Yes, that might have been an overly ambitious statement. However, it seemed appropriate at the moment.”
His slow grin made her heart speed up. He took another pull of beer, his eyes staying on her face even as his head went back. He lowered the bottle, then used the back of his wrist to wipe his damp mouth. “Where are you from?”
“Oklahoma.”
His brows went up. “Born and raised?”
She nodded. “Outside of Oklahoma City. Why do you seem surprised?”
Tanner’s broad shoulders moved in a slight shrug. “Your family ever been ranchers?”
“Quite a few generations back. Then they struck oil and eventually branched out into several different businesses.” Hard as it was to believe, he honestly didn’t seem familiar with the far-reaching Worthington Group. Most people would recognize the name. “I’ll get to the point. We’ll be introducing a men’s fragrance line next year and we’re looking for a spokesperson.”
She paused to take a sip of water. A second later, her stomach rumbled loudly, but she willed herself not to react. When she looked at Tanner again, it was as if another man had taken his place.
His mouth had pulled into a tight, thin line. Wariness and scorn darkened his eyes. “So...what’s it to me?”
“I’m not saying we’re asking you to be that person but—”
“Good.” He stood and started unbuttoning his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m gonna take a shower. Wanna join me?”
“Oh, so we’re back to you trying to scare me off.” So interested in his smooth, muscled chest, she almost missed his cocky smile.
“Definitely not what I had in mind.” He deliberately ran a gaze down her front. “Why not have a little fun before you go?”
“I’m not going anywhere without you.”
“Wanna bet?”
Lexy thought for a moment. Of course he was only taunting her but it could work in her favor. “Sure. Five hundred bucks. Unless that’s too rich for you.”
He got to the last button and yanked the shirt from his jeans. “I’d feel real bad taking advantage of you.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that.” She sounded too confident, she realized. The goal was to win that five hundred off him. Later she’d give it back, tell him she’d been joking, but she could use the cash now. Dear God...what had become of her? Her father would just— “Do we have a bet?”
He shrugged out of his shirt and she had to watch. He had a fine chest. Great shoulders, too, well-defined muscles bunching and releasing with the movement of his arms. When her gaze finally made it back to his face, he looked a little suspicious.
“You know I didn’t mean an actual bet,” he said, walking past her to drop his shirt into a basket near the bed. “But you seem all fired-up sure you can take five large off me. That’s got me curious.”
“And worried.”
He let out a short laugh. “Nothing you can say or do will make me pimp your perfume.”
“Men’s cologne.”
“Hell, call it whatever you want.”
“You haven’t even heard the details.” She’d noticed the three-inch surgical scar on the back of his shoulder. The other one below his ribs was jagged and definitely not left by a surgeon’s knife.
“Don’t need to.” Tanner unbuckled his belt.
“Really?” She leaned back, got comfortable and stared at his fly. Oh, he did not want to play chicken with her.
His only answer was to unsnap his jeans and pull the zipper down halfway.
“Let’s see what you got. I should know what I’m peddling.”
He narrowed his eyes, then laughed. “I knew you were a whack job from the get-go. I should’ve ditched you in the parking lot.”
“Yet here we are.”
Tanner studied her face, the amusement gone, replaced by annoyance. As though he couldn’t figure her out. “Last chance.”
She smiled and kicked off her shoes.
He unzipped the rest of the way, and receiving no reaction, pulled off his jeans. She hoped he couldn’t see her holding her breath and didn’t notice her relief when she saw the brown boxer-briefs. If he’d gone commando, she wasn’t sure what she would’ve done. No, not true. She would’ve stayed where she was, cool as could be. That’s what she chose to think, anyway. Because staring at him in the body-molding underwear wasn’t easy, either.
Will Tanner was really...something. No spare flesh, just muscle. His thighs, butt, calves, his...Lexy silently cleared her throat. The man was quite well-endowed.
“Very good,” she said, grateful her voice didn’t crack or climb several octaves. But damn, she had to stop looking. She pulled out her phone and concentrated on the screen, flipping from one picture to the next. “You should have no trouble getting a month on the calendar.”
He flung his jeans at the bed, then faced her full on. “The what?”
“The promotional calendar that will debut the fragrance and decide the spokesperson. Didn’t I mention it?” She looked up, undaunted by his dark, menacing expression. “We want you to be Mr. October.”
* * *
HE STARED IN stunned silence, and then laughed. “Who put you up to this? Charlie?”
“Um, no one. I’m really here on behalf of The Worthington Group.”
