Taming the Country Star: A Hometown Heroes Novella (Entangled Bliss) by Margo Bond Collins Read Free Book Online

masks in the back. I much prefer feathers to sweaty old Lycra.”
    “Oh, really?” Cole’s eyes darkened.
    “I don’t want to have to wear a mask at all. I don’t want to have to hide.” Kylie’s voice came out huskier than he expected, and he hid a smile as she cleared her throat. “Let me grab my purse,” she said, moving away from him, toward the storeroom.
    When she came back out, he was staring up at the Talk of Texas display. He had folded the mask and tucked it into the back pocket of his jeans, letting half of it dangle out behind him.
    “That’s Trent Andrews, isn’t it?” he asked, gesturing toward the center photo.
    “My father.”
    “I remember seeing him in the nationals when I was a kid. He was one hell of a rider. Kind of nice to see my own face up there next to his.”
    Kylie’s answering smile was strained, her eyes shadowed.
    “So why ‘Talk of Texas’?” he asked.
    “Alliteration,” she said. “A touch of irony, maybe, given the tendency you’ve both demonstrated to land me in the tabloids.” She pursed her lips as if considering whether or not to continue. “I was going to call it ‘Hometown Heroes,’ but since this isn’t your hometown…” Her voice trailed off.
    And since I’m not a hero? Ouch. Well, that will have to change. For now, though, time to change the subject.
    “So where are we going?” he asked. “You promised me a tabloid-free dinner.”
    “Azteca. It’s about two blocks away. You sure you can make it there without a disguise?”
    He glanced around the store. “You got any sunglasses?”
    “With or without rhinestones?”
    “Preferably without. But I’m the man who was willing to wear a superhero wrestling mask to be able to go out to dinner with you, so really, either is fine.”
    “Nice of you to be so accommodating.” She leaned over the cash-register stand and reached into the cabinet behind it. He admired the curve of her hip as she bent sideways and down, twisting to grasp at something beneath the register. One foot came off the floor as she balanced across the counter.
    “Where’s LeeAnn when I need her?” Her muffled voice floated back toward him. “She makes this kind of thing look easy.”
    “Here. Let me help.” He stepped forward and placed his hand on her hip to balance her. She froze when he touched her, and heat sparked from his palm. They remained perfectly still for one breathless moment.
    Then Kylie wiggled back across the counter.
    He held his palm motionless so that her body skimmed lightly under it as she stood back up, then left it at her waist when she stopped moving, enjoying the warmth through her shirt.
    “Here,” she said, slightly breathless. “One pair of rhinestone-free sunglasses.”
    “Thanks.” His own voice was rough. He didn’t move to take the glasses until Kylie pressed them into his fingers. With a mental shake, he straightened them across his face.
    “There,” he said. “Disguise in place. Ready to go?”
    “Wait.” Kylie snagged a red baseball cap with “Texas” embroidered across it. She stood up on her tiptoes to tug it down onto him. “There. Now you’re ready.”
    …
    Sweat beaded across Kylie’s upper lip as she pulled the door to Cowbelles shut and locked it behind her. The Texas heat was certainly part of the reason for it—the sun hadn’t set yet, and it was still almost a hundred degrees outside—but Cole’s presence was contributing, too. She could still feel the imprint of his hand on her hip, the track of heat it left behind, gliding up to her waist.
    As she turned to face him again, a ragged piece of the poster by the door fluttered in a momentary breeze. Cole’s gaze followed her own, and his eyebrows lifted as he recognized the remains of his concert advertisement.
    “Your handiwork?” he asked.
    A hot flush crawled up her neck and she shrugged. “When I first opened the shop, I petitioned to have the no-flyer ordinance extended another block. I lost.”
    “You