Free Firecracker by Desiree Holt

 
Chapter One
     
    The rodeo arena was jammed. Red, white, and blue bunting celebrating the Fourth of
     July hung in every available spot, and American flags waved side-by-side with Texas
     Lone Star state flags. Between events, the loudspeaker blared patriotic songs from
     the Marine Band’s version of the national anthem to Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the
     USA.” Rodeo competitors were in the swing of things with their clothing and accessories,
     and one penning team even wore red, white, and blue Stetsons.
    Crowds had jammed all of the events for three days, screaming wildly for their favorites.
     With the rodeo in its final day, the winner of each competition would be the overall
     winner of their event, so the excitement level was riding high.
    Chad Bailey had just seen the last of the bulls he leased to the circuit loaded onto
     trailers for transport to the next stop on the tour. The trucks would be on the road
     any minute, so he had a chance to relax and enjoy what was happening. Enjoy was definitely the word. He leaned on the pen railing by the entryway and watched
     the woman in the glittery red, white, and blue shirt expertly race her horse around
     the three barrels in the rodeo ring. Dirt flew from the hooves of her mount as she
     wove a precise pattern, and the encouraging shouts of the arena crowd filled the air.
    “She sure is a firecracker,” he said to the man standing next to him.
    “No doubt.” Brody Hunter nodded in agreement. Chad’s bulls had often helped him win
     a number of prizes along the circuit, including today, when he took top honors. Now
     he, too, was finished with his obligations and enjoying the show with his friend.
    The woman who held their attention, Dani DeLuca, was competing in the finals of barrel
     racing on the last day of the Golden Spur Rodeo. Cowboy hat anchored firmly on her
     head, long red curls flying behind her, she leaned gracefully one way or the other
     as she worked to shave another tenth of a second off her time.
    When she finished her run and her time flashed on the big readout, she was two-tenths
     of a second ahead of all the other competitors. The crowd roared its approval. Dani
     was a perennial favorite of all the rodeo fans. She acknowledged them now by standing
     in her stirrups and waving before she trotted back down the entry tunnel.
    “Thirteen seconds,” Brody noted. “Damn, that girl is good.”
    “She’s been competing a long time, you know. Gets better every single year.” Chad
     had been watching her for the last five of those years, mouth watering whenever he
     saw the graceful movements of that lithe body.
    “You know,” Brody drawled, “I sure do enjoy it when the three of us have dinner together.”
    “Me, too.” Chad laughed. “I’d like to have a lot more than dinner with her, though.”
    “She’s definitely a tasty treat.” Brody snorted. “Man, whenever I see that woman,
     my cock gets so hard I’m afraid it might break off.”
    “No shit.” Chad let out a slow breath. “Same here. She’s one fine little package.”
     One he’d love to unwrap.
    “Amen to that.” Brody rubbed his jaw. “Think she’d be interested in some after-dinner
     activities?”
    Chad’s cock hardened as images of the three of them naked in bed popped into his head.
     He and Brody had frequently shared women, with resulting pleasure for all involved.
     If they could convince Firecracker….
    “I’ve never heard a breath of a whisper about her,” he said in a slow voice. “Although,
     we’re all pretty discreet about our extracurricular activities.”
    “I don’t know. We’ve been friends, the three of us, for a long time. I’d hate to do
     anything to upset that applecart. What do you think?”
    “I think she was giving us some hot, sexy looks the last time we were together. I’d
     like to see if there’s anything behind them.”
    “You know, we’ve never played games with anyone on the circuit,” Brody pointed