Free Rodeo Riders by Vonna Harper Page A

bull.
    Cougar’s gaze left no doubt that he was looking beneath her surface. Perhaps he could see all the way to her heart and nerves. She loved him. Just like that, she understood the meaning of the word in ways she never had.
    “Something is happening between us.” He caressed the side of her neck, leaving electric sparks in his wake. “Something that goes beyond some incredible sex.”
    “Yes.”
    “I want to explore the possibilities and believe you do too.”
    “Yes, I do.” If I can deal with this head trip of mine.
    “Take all the time you need.” Leaning over the highest railing, he grabbed Rampage’s horn and shook it—at least he tried to. When Rampage didn’t so much as twitch, he gave her a rueful smile, then winked.
    The wink helped. A lot.
    She swung a leg over the top of the corral. No matter how far she stretched, she couldn’t get it over Rampage’s back, so she kicked off and let go of the railing at the same time. Her butt landed on a hard spine, and her inner thighs made contact with pure muscle. She had nothing to hold on to. Nothing to do except think about the incredible thing she’d just done.
    Rampage, under her. Rampage, squeezed into an enclosure designed to immobilize him, but still deadly.
    She, her heart pounding like a jackhammer. She, scared and excited, and in awe of the monster.
    The bull’s thick skin shuddered, putting her in mind of a horse trying to dislodge a fly. Rampage pawed the ground.
    “Do you know who I am?” She tapped Rampage’s shoulder. “Maybe not. You have so many grudges against so many humans.”
    Rampage snorted, the sound rumbling up from deep inside his great chest. She thought of thunder rolling through the night.
    “I’m impressed. Got it. I’m impressed. You’re an amazing creature.”
    On the tail of his second bellow, Rampage flung back his head. Because she sensed what he was about to do, she’d leaned away, evading the horns. Shit! Shit.
    “All right,” she whispered once she’d remembered how to breathe. “Duly noted. I won’t take anything for granted.”
    Yet another bellow rolled through him. The sound seemed to press against her. She wondered if an avalanche felt and sounded like this. What would it be like to try to outrun tons of deadly free-falling snow?
    “Magnificent. Absolutely magnificent, big boy.”
    Her legs were starting to ache from being forced into a near split, but she barely paid attention. Rampage’s heat was soaking through her jeans and imprinting her with the reality of his great heart.
    “Maybe you’re all instinct. Sleeping, eating, fucking, attacking what you don’t like. Does that sum it up?”
    Once again, a subtle tightening of his neck muscles alerted her. This time when he flung back his head, his horns came so close she could have grabbed them. She thought of the centuries his kind had been on earth. Someday there might be no more rodeos, but Rampage’s children and grandchildren would still be here—oblivious to man’s self-importance.
    “I envy you. I never thought I’d say that, but I do. No one’s ever going to push you around. You are what you are. You exist, simply exist.”
    Rampage repeatedly pawed the ground. His muscles and skin rolled under her. This was real life—heart, muscle, bone, a brain that wanted nothing to do with humans. The moment the bulls were free of this man-made prison they became aggressors, and sometimes killing machines.
    “I’m thinking too much. Hard to believe, given the need to concentrate, isn’t it? I’d like to be like you, the neighborhood bully. Feed you and leave you alone, and you’re a happy camper. Mess with you, and you take no prisoners.”
    Still pawing, Rampage started rocking from side to side, perhaps trying to smash her legs against the boards. She rested them along the back of his neck, which compromised her balance.
    “End of the ride, old buddy.” With that, she dove for the railing. Just as her hands closed around it, Rampage