Strung Up: A Blacktop Cowboys® Novella Read Online Free PDF Page A

me.”
    “But you didn’t, did you?” he asked alarmingly.
    I shook my head. “How would takin’ their choice away make me any different than what Carlyle did to me?”
    Cres seemed relieved. And surprised.
    Because I acted like a decent person? At one time I’d been proud of my asshole reputation. No wonder I’d isolated myself.
    “Anyway, back to you. Did anything else besides seein’ me livin’ a lie prompt you to come out?”
    “I’d gotten tired of the fix ups. Tired of women coming onto me and creating excuses about why I wasn’t interested. Tired of the questions about when I planned to settle down. I wanted to be done pretending.”
    “You showed more maturity than I did. At an earlier age than I did.”
    “Yeah. Well, we’re all different.” He readjusted his hat.
    Even a basic compliment still made him squirm and that just got to me. And charmed the hell out of me.
    “Was there any fallout from the women you’d been linked to?”
    “I’d only had two girlfriends during my years on the circuit who could be considered long term. They both knew I preferred dick and had their own agenda as to why they let me use them as cover. Celia Lawson—Celia Gilchrist now—wanted to build a reputation for bein’ wild. And Lally Bunker…” I smirked. “She happily joined in threesomes—as long as it involved girl-on-girl time for her. So I got the rep for demanding girl-on-girl action from the bunnies chasin’ after me, which worked as cover for both of us.”
    Cres studied me. “That week we spent together, you told me you were bisexual.”
    I rubbed the back of my neck and gave a sheepish chuckle. “I was an idiot, okay? I thought if I said it enough times then maybe I’d start to believe it. It would’ve been an easier road, refuting the ‘you’re gay’ accusations by telling people I liked sexual variety and hated sexual labels.”
    “You still could’ve taken that tack after the article released,” he pointed out.
    “But like you said, I wanted to be done pretending. So your family was okay with you when you told them about batting for the other team?”
    “They were surprised, but it didn’t change anything. I still had a job on the ranch. A home near them. And yeah, I do know how lucky I am to have that family support when I hear that others don’t. So speaking of family…” Cres stood. “I’d probably better get back to the party. My brothers will wonder why I disappeared again.” He offered his hand to help me up.
    “Thanks.”
    Cres pulled a little too hard and I nearly knocked him over when I popped to my feet. I kept ahold of his hand and circled my arm around his lower back to steady him.
    At that moment a breeze from the ravine eddied around us, gifting me with a whiff of his skin and the lime scent of his shaving cream. During our time together in Denver, I spent hours kissing and nuzzling that strong jawline and the smooth contour of his throat. Now, with my hand on his strong back and his scent beckoning me, I wanted to haul that hard body against mine and surround myself with him.
    Maybe only your dick is hard right now. Maybe this lust is one-sided.
    But Cres tilted his head back, almost as if he was offering me a taste of his mouth or his throat and murmured, “You’re not as heavy as I remember.”
    The heat in his eyes when straight to my balls. “No need to maintain all that bulk if I’m not usin’ it to take down a steer.”
    “How is it that less looks good on you?” he said huskily.
    My eyes searched his. I liked what I saw when I looked at him—eagerness, which hit the perfect mark between shy and sexy. “You flirting with me, Cres?”
    He blushed and tried to retreat. “That isn’t why I followed you.”
    I softened my stance and my tone. I didn’t want to scare him away. “Why did you follow me?”
    “To apologize for making assumptions about you. I understand probably more than anyone that people do change.”
    There was another thing I