Learning
the Ropes
Rodeo
#3
By: T.J. Kline
Releasing September 30th
Avon Impulse
Blurb
Rule #1 - Don’t lose focus...
Barrel
racer Alicia Kanani has had a long road to the top - and she’s not quite there
yet. Finances have always been tight, and in the glitz and glam world of
professional rodeo, that means that second best is probably the best she can
hope for. With the National Finals coming up, she’s certainly not looking for a
pair of cowboys to distract her.
Rule #2 - Don’t gamble what you
can’t live without…
Playboy
Chris Thomas is sure Alicia’s the perfect woman for his level-headed team
roping partner, David Greenly. It seems like a match, until Chris realizes he
wants Alicia for himself. The stakes have been raised; David and Chris are
supposed to be a team, and this time, they’re on opposite sides.
Can
Alicia rope this playboy’s heart, or will they find themselves too tangled up
to let true love in?
EXCERPT:
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Chris
shifted so they could lie down, letting her use his bicep as a pillow while
Chris lay on his side, facing her, his hand at her waist. His brain rang out
with warning bells—move away, don’t touch her, drive home, get himself out of
this—but his body quit listening. His fingers burned where they lay against her
skin but he didn't want to pull away. His gut twisted as need circled,
spreading throughout him, taunting him, tormenting. It would be so easy to
ignore his good sense right now, to bend his head and take those full pouting
lips into a kiss that he was sure would be incredible, to watch her eyes darken
with desire instead of worry. His fingers twitched against her satin skin and
her fingers curled against his chest, clutching his t-shirt.
And
then he saw the tears in her eyes. Concern filled him.
“Ali,
what is it?” He forced himself to move his hand from her waist, from the
glorious temptation offered him, to brush away a tear on her cheek. “Talk to
me.”
“I
don't know if it's what he wants. He always said he did but what if he changes
his mind. And he's getting older. I see the toll it's taken for him to run the
Diamond Bar. He can't do it forever.” She gulped air as the tears continued to
fall unchecked. He’d never seen Ali cry in all the time he’d known her and it
broke his heart to know she was this worried. “What will they do then? They
won't have a place to stay if I can't get this ranch soon.”
“Honey,
your dad is still doing just fine. He's got a lot of years ahead of him still.
Bradley isn't going to let him go or kick him out.” Chris chuckled softly and
brushed another tear away with his thumb as she hiccupped. “You're getting
worked up over things that are a long way off.”
“But
they aren't.” She shook her head in denial. “Do you know how long it's taken to
save this money up to get this place? If I don't get it now. . . .”
“There
are other places, other ranches,” he reassured her. “Relax. Everything will
work out. I promise.”
Her
eyes met his. “You can't promise that. You've got everything, Chris. The
property, the money backing you, the family, the security. There’s nothing you
want that you can’t have.”
Was
that how she saw him? A spoiled, rich kid who didn’t know what it was to want
something and not get it? She had no idea how badly he wanted her but was
denying himself because he couldn’t sacrifice what they’d built over the years.
“You
might be surprised,” he muttered, staring into her eyes. She looked up at him
and he could read her confusion.
He
couldn't help himself. He couldn’t hold back any longer. With her staring up at
him, so trusting, so open, and so damn beautiful, how was he supposed to resist
her? Chris dipped his head, barely touching his lips to hers. He shouldn't have
done it. He should hate himself for taking advantage of the fact that she'd
been drinking and wouldn’t even remember the kiss, let alone most of this
night, but he couldn't stop himself. He didn’t want to.
He'd
wanted to kiss her this way as long as he could remember and he wasn't
disappointed. Her lips were soft and, when his lips brushed hers in a light
caress, she gasped slightly. He knew he should pull away, send her inside, and
pretend this never happened. That’s what a friend would do. Instead he tasted
her, tentatively plucking at her lower lip with his mouth, breathing her in.
Dear God, help him. Other than her surprise, she was open beneath him, her
fingers curling against the hard wall of his chest as his hands found her waist
again, desperate to touch the skin exposed by her shirt.
He
had to stop this now. She was his friend, his sister's best friend,
not some groupie he could leave behind in the morning. Hating their
circumstances, he drew back with painstaking slowness, need throbbing in him,
centering in his loins. “Ali, I'm sorry, I—”
He
didn't get a chance to finish his thought as her hands found his jaw and pulled
him back to her, curling her fingers around the nape of his neck, her tongue
sneaking past the barrier of his lips. The touch sent white hot flames of
desire licking at his resolve, destroying it with the simple touch. His hand
slid up the back of her shirt, gliding over her smooth flesh, his thumb
brushing the lace along the side of her bra as his tongue plunged into her
mouth.
Ali
was unlike anyone else, like candy with a kick. Even the taste of her was
sweet. Soda and whiskey. Sweet and sultry. And it wrecked him completely. One
kiss would never be enough. He dragged her closer to him, groaning as she
arched against his chest, his thumb brushing the curve of her breast. His heart
stopped beating as she sighed against his lips, her head dropping backward,
exposing her neck to him. He couldn’t remember any of the reasons he should
stop as he accepted all she offered, letting his lips find the sensitive curve
at the hollow of her throat before nuzzling the soft shell of her ear. Her
curves fit against him like a part of him he hadn't even realized was missing.
“Ali,”
he growled, his hand moving to cover her breast, his thumb brushing over the
tight peak through the thin material. She arched against him, her fingers
digging into the corded muscles of his back, her nipple pressing against his
palm through the lace, shocking his senses.
What
in the hell are you doing?
This
was Ali and she was as far from sober as he'd ever seen her. One of them had to
keep their wits and, thanks to his stop at the liquor store, he'd made sure it
wasn’t Ali. He couldn't betray her trust and take advantage of her this way,
even if it caused him physical pain to stop kissing her perfect mouth. Chris
eased away from her slowly, brushing back a strand of her hair that fell
between them. The ache in him grew to gargantuan proportions as he separated
himself from her with a hand on her upper arm. She whimpered softly against
him, pressing her lips to his jaw. He was going to have to think fast if he
wanted to repair the damage he'd done to their friendship, praying she was too
far gone to remember anything come morning.
Chris
smiled down at her, giving her his most rakish grin, and arched a brow. “Well,
that was something we've never tried before.”
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Author
Info
T.
J. Kline was raised competing in rodeos and Rodeo Queen competitions since the
age of 14 and has thorough knowledge of the sport as well as the culture
involved. She has written several articles about rodeo for small periodicals,
as well as a more recent how-to article for RevWriter, and has published a
nonfiction health book and two inspirational fiction titles under the name Tina
Klinesmith. She is also an avid reader and book reviewer for both Tyndale and
Multnomah. In her spare time, she can be found laughing hysterically with her
husband, children, and their menagerie of pets in Northern California.
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