sipped his drink. “Sure.” He and Roy left to mingle with the guests, who all wanted to meet America’s current number one cowboy. Patience watched him disappear into the throng of guests and tried not to remember his kiss. So what if it was soft and sweet and just thinking about it made heat rush into places that had never been heated that way before?
It was getting really late, though the party showed no sign of slowing. Half a dozen people had jumped into the pool, clothes and all, while another group stripped naked and climbed into the Jacuzzi. Everyone was laughing and drinking and dancing, but for Patience, the night had lost its glow.
She thought of Dallas and wondered what it might have been like if she had tossed caution to the wind and gone to bed with him.
CHAPTER 8
Dallas followed Roy Greenwood from one group to the next. It was always a big deal for Roy to introduce him to his friends. A lot of them were women. Roy liked women—any size, any age, any shape—and he didn’t mind sharing. Unfortunately, Dallas wasn’t in the mood. There was only one woman he wanted tonight and she was old-fashioned. Not into the one-night thing.
The weird part was, in a way he was glad. There were half a dozen women who would leave the party with him and climb straight into his bed. It wouldn’t mean anything to either one of them. But Patience Sinclair was different. He had known that from the moment she had driven her little red convertible into the rodeo grounds in Rocky Hill, Texas, and left him standing in the dust.
Dallas smiled at the memory. Maybe he had started to want her right then.
The smile slid away. He might want her, but he wasn’t going to have her. She didn’t do one-night stands and he didn’t do anything else.
Dallas sighed. Turning at the sound of voices, he pasted on a smile, and let Big Roy introduce him to another round of guests.
Time slipped past. He was yawning when he spotted the slender little barrel racer, Ruth Collins, hurrying toward him.
“Hey, Dallas! Can I talk to you a minute?” She was frowning, he saw, glancing worriedly back toward the house, and his senses went on alert. She caught his arm and he let her lead him a few feet away.
“What is it, Ruth?”
“It’s Jade. She’s in some trouble, Dallas. I was hoping you could help.”
His back teeth ground together. The last thing he needed was a problem with Jade. “What kind of trouble?”
“Jade went upstairs with some of Roy’s rich friends. She was pretty drunk. They were going to do some drugs. When she didn’t come down, I went up to look for her. She’s in really bad shape, Dallas. Somebody’s got to get her out of there.”
Dallas swore beneath his breath. Jade Egan had been a pain in the neck from the day he had met her. In the beginning, he had been so hot for her his brain hadn’t been functioning quite the way it should. It hadn’t taken long to figure out she was spoiled and selfish, with too damned much money for her own good. And this wasn’t the first time she had gotten herself mixed up with drugs.
He told himself she deserved whatever she got, but he couldn’t force himself to walk away.
“Where is she?”
“Come on,” Ruth said. “I’ll show you.”
Weaving their way among the guests, making their way back inside the house, Ruth led him up one of the sweeping staircases, then down a long hall past a row of bedroom doors.
“In there.” She twisted the knob and shoved the door open and he saw Jade sprawled on the bed. Her midriff top was crooked, exposing the edge of her black lace bra. Her skirt was bunched up and he caught a glimpse of black thong panties.
“You guys back off,” Dallas warned the two men who’d been feeding her booze and marijuana, both in their forties and at least twenty pounds overweight.
“Hey, Jade’s a big girl,” one of them said. “She can take care of herself.” Fat boy number one cut a line of cocaine on a mirror, bent his head and sniffed
It was getting really late, though the party showed no sign of slowing. Half a dozen people had jumped into the pool, clothes and all, while another group stripped naked and climbed into the Jacuzzi. Everyone was laughing and drinking and dancing, but for Patience, the night had lost its glow.
She thought of Dallas and wondered what it might have been like if she had tossed caution to the wind and gone to bed with him.
CHAPTER 8
Dallas followed Roy Greenwood from one group to the next. It was always a big deal for Roy to introduce him to his friends. A lot of them were women. Roy liked women—any size, any age, any shape—and he didn’t mind sharing. Unfortunately, Dallas wasn’t in the mood. There was only one woman he wanted tonight and she was old-fashioned. Not into the one-night thing.
The weird part was, in a way he was glad. There were half a dozen women who would leave the party with him and climb straight into his bed. It wouldn’t mean anything to either one of them. But Patience Sinclair was different. He had known that from the moment she had driven her little red convertible into the rodeo grounds in Rocky Hill, Texas, and left him standing in the dust.
Dallas smiled at the memory. Maybe he had started to want her right then.
The smile slid away. He might want her, but he wasn’t going to have her. She didn’t do one-night stands and he didn’t do anything else.
Dallas sighed. Turning at the sound of voices, he pasted on a smile, and let Big Roy introduce him to another round of guests.
Time slipped past. He was yawning when he spotted the slender little barrel racer, Ruth Collins, hurrying toward him.
“Hey, Dallas! Can I talk to you a minute?” She was frowning, he saw, glancing worriedly back toward the house, and his senses went on alert. She caught his arm and he let her lead him a few feet away.
“What is it, Ruth?”
“It’s Jade. She’s in some trouble, Dallas. I was hoping you could help.”
His back teeth ground together. The last thing he needed was a problem with Jade. “What kind of trouble?”
“Jade went upstairs with some of Roy’s rich friends. She was pretty drunk. They were going to do some drugs. When she didn’t come down, I went up to look for her. She’s in really bad shape, Dallas. Somebody’s got to get her out of there.”
Dallas swore beneath his breath. Jade Egan had been a pain in the neck from the day he had met her. In the beginning, he had been so hot for her his brain hadn’t been functioning quite the way it should. It hadn’t taken long to figure out she was spoiled and selfish, with too damned much money for her own good. And this wasn’t the first time she had gotten herself mixed up with drugs.
He told himself she deserved whatever she got, but he couldn’t force himself to walk away.
“Where is she?”
“Come on,” Ruth said. “I’ll show you.”
Weaving their way among the guests, making their way back inside the house, Ruth led him up one of the sweeping staircases, then down a long hall past a row of bedroom doors.
“In there.” She twisted the knob and shoved the door open and he saw Jade sprawled on the bed. Her midriff top was crooked, exposing the edge of her black lace bra. Her skirt was bunched up and he caught a glimpse of black thong panties.
“You guys back off,” Dallas warned the two men who’d been feeding her booze and marijuana, both in their forties and at least twenty pounds overweight.
“Hey, Jade’s a big girl,” one of them said. “She can take care of herself.” Fat boy number one cut a line of cocaine on a mirror, bent his head and sniffed
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