Read Cowboy Country for Free Online Page B

glared in warning as he reached over to pull open the door
    He knows exactly what he's doing to me.
    They slid into a booth across from each other right before the waitress handed them each a menu. "You two are becoming regulars. What can I get you to drink?"
    "Ice water, please," Jacie said. Tucker gave her a knowing chuckle—the jerk.
    "I'll take coffee."
    "Are you ready to order or do you need a minute?"
    "I'm not sure what I want," Jacie replied while she attempted to focus on the selections in front of her.
    "I'll be back in a bit then."
    I need to get my head out from between my legs or the road is going to be hell if this keeps up. Either that or I'm going to have to rethink my no mixing business with pleasure philosophy.
    "What are you going to have?" Tucker asked, his eyes twinkling with mirth.
    "Chicken fried steak, I think."
    "Sounds good. I haven't had any good old fashioned fattening food for a while."
    "What do you eat at home?"
    "My cook is a motherly type woman and tends to force me to eat things I should rather than stuff like chicken fried steak and mashed potatoes."
    "You have a cook?"
    A small laugh sprang from his lips. "Yes, only because if I didn't, I'd never eat. I can't cook a lick."
    Once the waitress returned to bring their drinks, the ice cold water slid down Jacie's throat with each sip, but did nothing to cool the heat raging through her.
    "So it's going to be either I cook for both of us or we eat out the whole trip," she said, keeping the conversation on something mundane and non-sexually related.
    "You cook?"
    "Actually, yes. I love to, but I certainly don't get much of a chance being on the road. My rig doesn't come with a kitchen."
    "You have full use of the trailer while we're on the road, if you'd like."
    "Full use as in what?"
    "Whatever you want, Jacie."
    I'm so not going there. I have to keep this simple. "The kitchen in your trailer is a pretty good size."
    "You know, I've never seen the inside of an eighteen-wheeler."
    "We'll fix that problem, I guess."
    He smiled his charm-the-pants-off any woman smile and she shifted on the bench seat, her clit throbbing hard with every rapid beat of her heart.
    Jacie whispered a prayer of thanks as the food arrived. Eating gave her an excuse to avoid his gaze and the amusement dancing in those incredibly hot, lust filled eyes.
    After dinner, she managed to snag the bill before he did and plunked down her credit card. "My turn."
    "We've got a long couple of days in front of us, Jacie, for us to be worryin' about my turn, your turn."
    A heavy exhale blew the wispy curls off her forehead and the amused chuckle that followed told her he knew exactly the thoughts rushing through her mind.
    "Shall we?" he asked as they stood, his palm coming to rest on her lower back.
    Compatible silence enveloped them as they made the short walk to the bar. A Garth Brooks' song met her ear every time the door opened. The parking lot sported more makes and models of pickup trucks than a new car dealership.
    "Wow. This place is busier than it was before we went to eat."
    "I'm not surprised. This seems to be the place to unwind around here," Tucker replied as he reached for the door.
    "True."
    "Let's see if we can find a table."
    Lights swirled and flashed, cutting a psychedelic pattern on the ceiling—almost blinding her once they stepped inside. An elbow here or boot on her toe there, and she wanted to deck someone as they worked their way across the bar.
    "Easy, girl," Tucker whispered next to her ear. His warm palm grasped hers as he led her toward the dance floor.
    "What are you doing?" With a sharp tug of her arm, she stopped his forward momentum.
    A confused frown crossed his face. "Since there aren't any tables at the moment, I thought we'd dance."
    "Asking me might have been nice, Tucker. Maybe I don't want to dance with you."
    His eyebrow shot up and a disbelieving little grin spread across his lips. The pad of his left thumb brushed between her eyebrows to