Blaine, Destiny - Roping in Forever [Forever 1] (Siren Publishing Allure) (10 page)

He lowered his forehead to hers and kissed her gently, caressing her face as his lips met hers. “I’m terrified of losing you, of waking up without you. If I had to wonder where you are when I desperately want you with me, Bella, I don’t think I could take that.”

She looped her arms around him and hugged him, drawing him tightly against her. “If you’re afraid of losing me, then you must know how I feel. I don’t want to face a day without you. I couldn’t bear it, Corbin, not after knowing your love.”

Corbin slowly unlatched her thin limbs, practically dragging himself away from the death grip she secured. “Honey, listen to me. I want you to pay attention, all right?”

“Okay,” she choked out.

“You and I? We’re gonna love hard, love one another real well. And you’re gonna trust me when I tell you that every single time I get on a wild bull, I’m in control in a way I’m never in control when I’m lovin’ you.”

“Stop, Corbin,” she said, pressing her palm against his arm. “I’m serious here.”

“So am I. You make me crazy, woman, truly reckless. But when I’m out there ridin’, I’m focused. You gotta believe that. I’m real cautious, Bella. I know what I’ve got to lose.

“When I’m with you, I’m unable to think straight. You drive me out of my mind, make me have out of body experiences,” he paused, tilting his head from side to side in an effort to peer under her hair and look at her. “I love you, woman. That’s all there is to it. You’re my whole world, and I don’t want you to ever forget that.”

“Corbin—”

“Bella, stop,” he said firmly. “Life is short, honey. But you and I are just startin’ this journey, and we’re gonna have one hell of a ride together. You got that?”

She nodded, unable to speak, unable to do anything more than listen to the soft soothing sound of Corbin’s voice.

“Now, after I get done with Captain Crazy, I’m gonna come find you, and we’re gonna go celebrate. It’s me and you, Bella. You remember that. We’re gonna have a good life. We’re gonna ride it for all it’s worth. We’re gonna rope in forever and see what’s waitin’ out there just for us. That’s a solemn promise.”

* * * *

Corbin knew he’d drawn a bad bull. He’d sort of had an uneasy feeling earlier that day when he’d first arrived at the fairgrounds, but after he’d held Bella in his arms, everything changed.

She gave him strength. She made him believe in himself and his abilities. If Corbin listened to some of the whispers around him, staying on Captain Crazy was next to impossible, but for some reason he felt like a man who was about to take the best ride of his life.

Tucking his gloved hands under the rope, Corbin realized all eyes were on him. Hell, half the fans were on their feet, acting like they were getting ready to watch a cowboy’s last rodeo. He hated it when these situations happened. Half the time, a bull’s reputation made a loser out of a cowboy. When the crowd seemed to stand behind the bull rather than the man riding him, well, it just seemed like the odds stacked up against a fella.

Corbin searched the stands, found the large letter
A,
and dropped his gaze down, looking straight across the arena into the brilliant-blue sparkling, and quite watered down, eyes of the woman he loved. He tilted his hat and slapped his chest.

Bella was his heart. The rodeo was his job.

“You’re good to go,” Travis assured him, helping Corbin lower himself atop the angry bull that would either make or break him in this competition. “You got this, Corbin.”

Corbin swung his gaze toward Bella, one last time. “You’re damn straight I got this.” Smiling wide, he raised his right arm and his head and shoulders flew back. “Okay, fellas! Let’s see if this bull can give a good ride!”

The massive gate swung wide open, releasing Captain Crazy and Corbin into a slushy muck-filled arena. And Captain Crazy didn’t waste any time gettin’ down to business.

Hanging on tight, Corbin managed to ride his way through numerous spins, jerking to the left and almost losing his balance when he was jolted to the right. The bull turned and jumped, trying his best to lose his rider and gain his freedom.

The eight seconds was coming on, and Corbin realized he only had a few more left and a couple of bucks still left to survive. The bull took a leap and another wild circle of tail-spinning confusion began. Corbin saw Travis leap from the fence, hooping and a hollering something fierce.

The ride was over, but getting off Captain Crazy sure presented challenges. In those few passing moments, as the cowboys in the arena tried to help Corbin safely to the ground again, Corbin had one thought—one picture in his head—Bella.

His hands were caught. It took an additional effort to free himself. He heard the crowd rumble. They were aware of his predicament, no doubt about that. As he tumbled off the bull, he rolled to his feet, gaining his balance and shaking off the hazy confusion. Captain Crazy shot to the far end of the ring, stamping his hoof and pounding out a fit.

“Get out of there!” Travis screamed, the echo of his voice humming in his ears, vibrating over and over again.

Corbin wheeled around just in time to see Captain Crazy’s fury. The bull charged him, and if Travis hadn’t been there, screaming above all others, Corbin might have just taken his last ride.

Instead, Corbin jumped to the fence, barely making it to the other side when nearly fifteen hundred pounds of hellish anger bashed against the thick ringside boards, forking the planks with solid horns and noticeable disappointment. Captain Crazy had every intention of making Corbin a victim. The animal had a temper, but Corbin had still ridden him and walked away with the top prize.

The crowd cheered, and the applause was all the sweeter when he saw Bella pushing her way through the layers of fans. Once the people parted, she ran into his arms. “You scared me to death!”

“I’m gonna scare you all right,” he said, taking her hand and bringing her fingertips to his lips.

“You can’t scare me any worse than you just did, Corbin Cansey.”

“Wanna bet?’

She kissed him crazy. “Go ahead and give it your best shot,” she whispered against his lips.

He cradled her neck and pulled her ear against his mouth. “I had time to think while I was out there riding Captain Crazy.”

“Uh-huh, I just bet you did.”

“It’s true,” he said, nipping at her ear. “I was thinkin’ ’bout how short life is, and I came up with an idea.”

“You did, did ya?”

“Sure did,” he drawled, moistening his lips. “I was figuring that maybe me and you could get down to business and start a family. You know, have a couple of kids of our own, show ’em what it’s like to grow up with a mom and dad that really love one another.”

“What happened to riding the daylights out of this short life we’re livin’ and havin’ a ball doing it?”

“How do you think those kids are gonna get here, woman?”

She laughed. “It’ll take lots of practice, Corbin Cansey. I got a lot of catchin’ up to do, remember?”

“Believe me. That’s the very reason I kept you waiting so long. I want you to spend the rest of your life making up for lost time.”

THE END

WWW.DESTINYBLAINE.COM

Siren Publishing, Inc.

www.SirenPublishing.com