Release day is
just a few SHORT days away. Enjoy these
teasers and Chapter 1 of 8 Second Decision.
Release date is July 21st.
Chapter 1
Merek
“Who the hell is she?”
“Back in town for—what?—two hours,
and already scoping out a fresh piece of ass, Merek?”
I just raise an eyebrow to my
little brother, give him that sly Slatter grin, and toss back my longneck.
“Maybe.”
“New waitress. Been here about four
months. About the time you left for Houston and traveled on down the road
riding them bucking horses.”
The tension is evident in my little
brother’s voice, with ample amounts of jealousy laced in there. His loyalty has
always been to the ranch, Daddy’s legacy and Momma’s heart, and I’ve been the
wildcard. Chasing my dreams eight seconds at a time on the road. I love the
ranch and the rich history it holds deep in the soil of the grounds, but I’m
more of my granddad’s type, wild at heart and addicted to the rodeo lifestyle.
“Yeah, four months, Marvel, and
I’ll be home for the next three. Get over yourself.”
“Daddy’s not doing good and—”
I cut his arrogant ass off before
he has the slightest chance of giving me his tired-ass sob story. “I send money
home. I’ve kept shit afloat, and if you ever insinuate that I’d let Granddad’s ranch
go to hell, you can fuck off.”
Marvel receives my message clear as
day and the subject changes quite rapidly.
“Fall calves look real good. Prices
are high too.” Marvel sips on his whiskey.
I nod at the information and would
be lying to myself if I said I didn’t miss the ranch. I’ll just never know if
there’s a true balance between chasing that buckle and living on the ranch. Granddad
always did it until his body broke down and forced his hand. He’s the only
reason I look forward to coming home. Long talks with him always seem to help
ground my ass.
“Anyway, what’s her name?” I ask
again while staring at the new waitress.
Well, at least new to me. She’s
kind of hard to miss with her long, tan legs strutting about in her tight,
white shorty shorts. God damn, there’s something about her long brown waves of
curls that makes me want to take her on the bar. I readjust myself and try to
focus on Marvel rambling on about ranch shit. It’s the same old story. Our dad
has blown the majority of earnings on horse racing. He calls it his hobby, but
in reality it’s going to be the death of the Slatter legacy.
I don’t miss the quick glances she
keeps sending my way either. Her bright green eyes flash over to me as Marvel keeps
talking and I keep drinking. The way I see it, the faster I drink the quicker I
get her cute little ass over here to serve me.
“Dickface, have you listened to a
word I’ve said, or just scheming your game plan to get down her pants?” Marvel
tosses the basket of peanuts into my chest, causing nuts to fly everywhere.
“I’m fucking listening.” I toss
back the rest of my drink and raise the empty longneck.
She spots me and signals with a nod.
“What are we going to do? Dad owes
a bunch of people money.”
“Well, calf prices are good and
I’ve got money in the bank.” I relax back into my seat, kicking out my long legs.
“We’ll handle it like we always do.”
“Something has to give, Merek.
Granddad’s heart can’t take much more, and you know Momma, she’ll never say a
word.”
I shrug off Marvel’s concern. He’s
always been the bleeding heart in the family, trying his damnedest to restore
everything to the ways of our childhood. Our oldest brother, Maverik, is a lot
like me and does a lot of shoulder shrugging.
“Did you need something?” A sexy as
hell voice invades our table.
Turning my head, I come face to
face with a green-eyed beauty and actually stumble trying to talk.
“What did you need? Or is it just
normal to wave beer bottles at women?” She plants her hands on her hips,
glaring down at me.
I can’t help but flash my wicked
grin back at her. Now that she’s closer, her eyes are a piercing green and her
skin a stunning olive tan. I try not to stare, but I seem to be pulled into her.
Marvel throws an elbow into my ribs. “Quit wasting her time, Merek.”
“Sorry.” I shake my head quickly.
“Another beer.”
“That’s it?” Her long brown hair
whips over her shoulder.
My cocky meter hits an all-time
high with the mixture of her voice and attitude toward me. “Yeah, that’s
fucking it.”
“Well, next time march your happy
little ass up to the bar and order.”
I catch sight of her rather large silver
buckle resting below her sliver of skin that’s showing. It’s a state champion
buckle and one that’s near elusive to win in Texas with such stiff competition.
As she walks away, I can’t help admire her backside as well.
“Never seen a girl get to you that
fast, little bro.” Maverik pulls out a chair, swings it backward, rests his
forearms on the back, and settles in. His best friend, Jake, a black and white
cow dog settles underneath him. They’re inseparable. Jake was a birthday
present from Granddad for Maverik’s tenth birthday. All of us boys were damn
jealous of that beautiful pup. “Order me a drink, bitch.”
Maverik glares down at Marvel and
then slugs him in the arm. Marvel doesn’t even argue because he knows it’s one argument
he’ll lose. I let out a loud laugh and send a head nod to my older brother.
“Back in town, uh?”
“Yep, three month break. Figured
I’d come raise hell around here.”
“Good, we missed your ugly ass. Did
you bring me any puss home?”
I toss the empty peanut basket back
at him. “Naw, man, you’ll have to stick to hometown puss for now.”
“Asshole.” Maverik slings the
napkin dispenser toward my side of the table.
A longneck amber brown bottle slams
down on the table with gold liquid sloshing down the sides. “Here’s your beer, Champ.”
I look back up into the lustful
green eyes that seem to love to glare back at me. Not an ounce of amusement
rests on her face this time. Damn, I was hoping to pique her curiosity just a
bit, and it’s clear someone filled her in on who I was. Well, it’s about time
she understands who she’s dealing with.
I rise to my feet and close the
space between us. I feel her move back until she’s up against a wall, and I
follow her until our bodies are softly pressed into each other.
“I’m not Champ. I’m Merek.” I run
my palm up the skin of her arm, leaving goose bumps behind. “But I can make you
feel like a champ. Just give me one night.”
I watch as her eyebrow rises in curiosity
and I know I have her right where I want her. I fall further into her,
listening to our buckles scrape together and then run my hand right back down
the same path.
“Meet me outside after your shift.”
My palms settle on her hips and I’m surprised how she doesn’t fight me touching
her. “What’s your name, gorgeous?”
I watch as she breaks into a fit of
laughter under my touch. Tears begin trailing down her cheeks as she tries to
calm her howls. Her hands settle onto my chest, and the next thing I know I’m
being pushed back down into my seat with more force than I would’ve expected
the little bombshell to have.
“My name is Challis and I’ll break
it to you easy. You don’t stand a fucking chance with me, Champ.”
She turns to walk away, leaving me
with my jaw on the motherfucking floor, and then I do what I do best, play the
dick card.
“How many guys did you have to blow
to get that buckle?”
My words stop her mid-stride, but
she doesn’t turn around to battle back. Instead, I watch as she lifts both arms
and sends me the bird over her shoulder. And my God, if her little action
didn’t cause my jeans to get tighter where they shouldn’t be.
My brothers’ roars of laughter drag
my attention from Challis’s ass sauntering away from me.
“Damn, I’ve never seen a woman do
that to Merek.” Maverik grips his hat waving it in appreciation toward Challis
and her turn-down.
“How’s it feel, asshat?” Marvel
stares me down.
“Shut the hell up, I was just
dicking around with her.” I toss back half of my beer before coming up for air.
“I can get a piece whenever or wherever.”
Maverik leans up on the table,
firmly planting his elbows down. “You did notice her buckle was for chasing
cans, so I’m pretty sure she didn’t have to suck any dick for it.”
My eyes widen trying to recall
exactly what her buckle had on it. The letters for the state association are
the only things I can remember.
“Nah.” I shake my head from side to
side. “There’s no way in hell some state champ is in here bartending and not
rodeoing for a living.”
“Here she comes.” Marvel slaps my
arm. “Look.”
Challis passes our table quite
swiftly, but I catch sight of the barrel racing decorating her buckle and the
year. Well, if it’s hers she’s about four years younger than me, yet a bit
older than Marvel.
“She’s Challis Jones. Remember old man
Jones from Fulton County?” Maverik watches me, waiting for a light bulb to go
off. “Wine Cup Ranch, the godfather of bucking bulls.”
Then it hits me. “She’s a Jones?”
“She’s not just a Jones. She’s Cody
Jones’ only child, and a daughter at that.”
I shudder thinking about the heir
of Cody Jones in the same bar as me. Country roots don’t get any deeper than
Cody Jones. He lived and breathed everything rodeo until he was buried six feet
under. My body shakes remembering the gruesome details of the accident.
“What the fuck is she doing here? She’s
at least a good couple of hundred miles from home.”
“Who knows?” Marvel shrugs. “She’s
kept her distance from everyone in town.”
“So, she just rambled in one day
and lives in the alley?” My frustration level is evident in my voice, and I’m
done waiting for answers.
“Still an asshole.” Maverik relaxes
back in his chair, avoiding eye contact with me. “Lives with her aunt out at
Lazy Hat Ranch.”
“Tori, the one who owns this place?”
“Yep, I guess that’s her aunt,”
Maverik replies.
“Tori is related to Cody.” I tip
back the brim of my cowboy hat and lightly scratch my head, struggling to put
the puzzle pieces together.
“Yeah.” Maverik stands, downing the
last of his drink. “No one knows her story and she’s never come across friendly
enough for anyone to be brave enough to ask. I have a party waiting for me. Later,
pussies.”
Before I can ask another question,
Maverik is heading toward the door where a brunette awaits him while his
faithful companion, Jake, trails right behind. I shake my head wondering if
things ever change. Maverik is a playboy at heart and as the years pass it seems
he’ll never settle down. He had one true love who broke him, and I don’t think
he’s capable of ever loving again, but my thoughts quickly go straight back to
analyzing Challis. I’m not bashful about staring her down or studying each of
her movements.
“Let’s go.” Marvel slaps my arm. “I’ll
go pay the tab and get the truck.”
I just nod to him as I continue
staring down the beauty behind the bar, appreciating each of her moves and the
way her hair dances up and down her back as she pours drinks. Against my better
judgment, I stride up to the bar, continuing to stare her down, and apply a bit
more pressure with my presence.
“What?” Her voice is filled with
displeasure.
“Another beer.”
“Your brother just paid the tab.”
She points toward Marvel at the end of the bar. “Time to go.”
“I’m a big boy.” I adjust myself
before sitting on the barstool and don’t miss the fact her view seemed to
appreciate every single movement.
“Fine.” Challis whirls around,
snags a beer from the tub of ice behind the bar, and sends it sailing across
the bar top toward me. I catch her wrist with one hand before she has the chance
to escape and the chilled beer bottle in the other.
Staring into her green eyes, I feel
chills run up and down my spine. “I just wanted to say nice to meet you,
Challis Jones.”
I let go of her wrist and am
surprised not to see her bolt. She stands straight up, rubs her wrist. “Wish I
could say the same back to you, Champ.”
I relax back onto the barstool,
holding my cold beer to my chest. “In time, Challis. In time you’ll be
impressed.”
“Fuck off.” Challis turns on her
heels, whirling her long brown hair in the air and is off.
I try not to stare at her and keep
pleasantly distracted with hometown people coming up and welcoming me home.
Soon a large crowd settles in around me as we shoot the breeze. Challis remains
cold and distant toward me and the people surrounding me.
“Merek, you’re home.”
Craning my neck I see Madison
Nicholson standing behind me bouncing up and down on her toes. I flash her a
grin and tip my hat to her and then extend my arm out to her. I feel her
fingers wrap around my hand as I pull her into me. Bodies part to make room for
her, and I can’t help but smile when I look up at her.
Madison and I were high school
sweethearts at one point in time. But it was evident our paths were never going
to mesh, so we settled for fuck buddies when the time was convenient for both
of us.
“Home from doctor school?” I ask
her, brushing her blonde locks from her face.
“Duh, winter break.”
“Excuse me, smarty pants.” I slap
her ass, making her squeal.
She leans in, resting her hand on
my chest. “Got plans tonight, Merek?”
“I think I just made some.” I wink
at her.
Without warning, Madison leans down
and places a kiss on my lips. It’s light and sweet just like her. Out of the
corner of my eye, I catch Challis staring at us, so I pull Madison in,
deepening the kiss. A loud crash rings out in the small bar, and when I look up,
I see the front door slamming and Challis is gone.
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