Page 129 of Reckless Skye

He gave her another inch, forcing her unbearably tight body to clench around him. ‘Tell me you’re mine.’

‘I’m yours,’ she panted. And because she could hear the restraint in his voice, she looked over her shoulder at him, and she said, ‘Now fuck me like you want to ruin me for anyone else.’

TJ’s head dropped back as her words unleashed the beast within him. He did not have to be told twice. He pumped into her, forcing her to reach out and grip the saddle in front of her to anchor herself against his thrusts.

He pushed her up and over the edge in seconds, so that Skye sobbed out a moan as her body greedily took him in, holding him close.

TJ wasn’t far behind. He gripped both her hips, holding her up as her bones liquified, and fucked her like he wanted to brand her from the inside out.

His breaths tore through the tack room, joining the sound of their flesh slapping together animalistically. But when he came, he didn’t say ‘Mine’ as she’d expected.

He said, ‘Yours. I’m yours.’

Chapter 39

Scottsdale, Arizona – March 5, 2027

Being back at Rodeo Scottsdale came with a lot of memories for both TJ and Skye. As they navigated the rig through the WestWorld event parking, Skye couldn’t help but reach for him. She put her hand on his thigh, asked, ‘Are you going to be okay – coming back here?’

TJ covered her hand with his. When he turned to glance at her, he was smiling. And it wasn’t bitter or angry. It was calm, relaxed. ‘It’s always hard. But mostly because everyone knows who I am and feels compelled to bring it up when they run into me.’ He squeezed her hand gently. ‘This time I’m totally gonna use you as a distraction though.’

‘A distraction?’ Skye asked.

He whipped up a hand in an exaggerated stop sign, said, ‘Sorry, can’t talk. My girl’s about to run. Gotta go.’

‘The hand signal adds a certain urgency,’ she teased.

‘Yeah, I know.’ He did it again to emphasize his point, making her laugh.

This was the TJ she remembered, the TJ she’d first fallen for. And although she loved his jagged edges too, Skye didn’t feel guilty for wanting that lighter version of him – for wanting him to be lighter. ‘You’re coming back, TJ,’ she said.

He nodded mock-seriously. ‘What can I say? You can’t keep this much charm contained for long.’

Skye scoffed. ‘So modest too!’

TJ pulled into a trailer parking spot. But when Skye moved to open her door and get out, he caught her hand, stopping her. ‘Thank you.’

Skye frowned. ‘For what?’

‘For kicking my butt when I needed it. For staying. For riding through the worst of it with me.’ In a gesture that made her eyes burn, he brought her palm to his lips and placed a feather-light kiss there, before curling her hand closed over it. ‘For loving me when I didn’t love myself and certainly didn’t deserve you.’

Skye reached forward and placed that closed fist over his heart, before opening her hand again and giving it back to him. ‘Ditto.’

TJ gave her a quick kiss. He pulled back, a devilish grin on his face, said, ‘Now, how about we give Scottsdale a real show?’

‘Heck yeah,’ she said. Although those nerves were there, Skye refused to give in to them. She would be strong for TJ today.

They climbed out the truck and moved to the back of the trailer to let Kai out. They’d left the live-in at the farm and brought the small trailer instead. Smokey was safely back at his parents’ farm.

Outside, the temperature was a warm seventy-three degrees, and people seemed to be enjoying the beautiful evening. Folks laughed and chatted as they went about their business, prepping their horses for the night.

A group of saddle bronc and bareback riders walked past, Matthew Savage among them. He didn’t point out the pink hat TJ still wore, only whistled loudly to get their attention and then shouted, ‘Good luck tonight, Skye!’

She waved, replied, ‘Thanks!’ as they walked off.

As TJ got started on braiding Kai’s mane, Skye wrapped the horse’s legs.

‘Remember, push him on the straight. Don’t let him coast.’