Starstruck Cowboy (Working Man Series Book 1) Read online

  Star turned up the volume on her waterproof radio. The bright pink headset covered her ears, blaring the latest hit as the hot water silently splashed on her breasts. She treasured these times when she could stand in the shower and tune out the rest of the world while singing along with the music. Today, however, she had no desire to sing. The only desire she had was to get as far away from Luke Tyler as possible.

  She grabbed the bar of deodorant soap that sat next to the green herbal one her mother bought her last Christmas. If only her mother would quit nagging her about being a little more ladylike. The woman never seemed to stop trying to fix her up and marry her off to some man. If only her mother knew what the last one was like. Teddy was rich all right, and also responsible for taking her virginity before leaving her standing at the altar.

  She palmed the soap, reaching around to scrub her back, not being able to stop thinking about Luke. The man might be handsome and probably rich, but she wasn’t going to get drawn into his false charms the way she did with Teddy. She was too smart to make that mistake again!

  Star purposely took her time in the shower, secretly hoping all the hot water would be used up by the time it was Luke’s turn. How dare he tell her to leave the water running, as if she were nothing but a servant working for him. She angrily squeezed the soap, sending it flying out of her hands and over the top of the shower stall.

  “Damn!” she mumbled over the sound of the rock music blaring in her ears. She pushed open the shower door and stepped out. The bathroom was so steamy that she couldn’t even see her reflection in the mirror. A sliding door on one end of the bathroom led to her bedroom, the other on the opposite wall led to a spare guest room.

  Star scanned the floor for the soap but couldn’t even manage to see past her knees because of the amount of steam filling the air. Sprays of hot water hit her bare body from the partially open shower door. Groping along the wall, she made her way toward the hamper and then dropped to her knees, patting the floor to try to find the soap.

  The music hummed in her ears making her oblivious to anything else. Reaching behind the hamper, she grabbed a wet wadded-up towel. Obviously, someone had carelessly thrown it here earlier that morning. Pushing her hand under the linen shelves that went clear from the ceiling to the floor, she came across something else. Holding it up to her face, she was shocked to see a lacy, see-through, leopard-skinned bra with a cup size of about 36 double D.

  Star amusingly looked down to her own small breasts and then flung the garment over her shoulder. Only one woman around there would wear something that sexy and in such a large size. That one woman was none other than their Hollywood bombshell of a guest, Velvet Barabelle.

  Finally, her hand came across the soap. Picking it up carefully so as not to lose it again, she hummed to the music on the headset as she opened the door to the shower. Stepping inside the steamy little compartment she slammed the door and turned back toward the water.

  Stark naked and smiling like a Cheshire cat, Luke Tyler greeted her inside the shower stall. A scream ripped from her throat as she tore off the headset trying to use it to cover her breasts. One earphone over each breast and, sadly enough, they covered everything. Luke’s eyes followed the headset before he lifted his gaze and, once again, smiled. Star spun around, trying to open the door but her hands were slippery from the soap and the danged door refused to cooperate.

  “Thanks for leaving the water running for me, sweetheart.”

  She froze at Luke’s words and dared to take a quick peek over her shoulder. When she did, she glimpsed the tall, sexy man with water droplets running from his long dark hair down his wide shoulders and sturdy chest. His skin was nicely tanned. Her eyes trailed down to his stomach next. The air was thick with steam, but she couldn’t help noticing the tan line and dark crop of hair just below his waist. Nothing else was noticeable without actually tilting her head downwards which she would never do at a time like this.

  “See anything you like?” Luke chuckled.

  Her eyes shot back up to his face. Blazing white teeth showed against his tanned skin. Star pushed the door with all her might and went flying into the bathroom, landing on her knees.

  “Here, let me help you up.” Luke shut off the water and stepped out. He didn’t seem to care that he was naked as he reached out his hand to assist her.

  “Get away from me!” Star dove for the wet towel, dropping her headset in the process. Wrapping the towel around her, she knotted it in front and got to her feet. The air was thinning now and she could see Luke grab the hand towel and hold it in front of his groin.

  “You low-down, good for nothing, peeping Tom!” She shook her fist at him. “How dare you come into my shower and . . .”

  “I knocked,” came Luke’s cool reply.

  “You did no such thing. If you did, I would have heard you.”

  Luke bent over and picked up her headset, flicking off the volume with his thumb before setting it on the sink. “Oh, really?”

  “Oh,” she said, realizing what had happened. “I, uh, guess I forgot I had the headset on. Still, you should have known someone was in here if the water was running.”

  Luke moistened his lips with the tip of his tongue causing Star’s body to become even warmer. Had he done it subconsciously or purposely, she wondered? Either way, it affected her and she couldn’t think straight. Visions of him kissing her drifted through her head. That made her wonder how his lips tasted or how his tongue would feel against her skin.

  “I thought you were just being a doll by leaving the water running for me like I asked,” he told her.

  “Next time, I’ll be sure to double check that both of the bathroom doors are locked!” Star swung around and slid the door open to her room.

  “Did you forgot something?” asked Luke, causing her to turn around. He stood there dangling Velvet’s leopard-skin bra from one outstretched finger.

  “What do you think?” she spat, making a face. She pulled her towel around her closer, trying not to look at the tiny towel Luke was using to hide his manhood. She watched him hold the bra higher and survey it before his eyes settled on the small lumps beneath her own towel.

  “My mistake, Ms. Starbright. I see now that this isn’t your size.”

  “Well, I never!” Star steamed at the insult as she stepped into her room and turned around to close the door. Luke’s hand caught the door and kept it from closing.

  “I didn’t mean that in a negative way.”

  “I don’t care how you meant it. Now, let go of the door and get out of my bedroom.”

  Luke suddenly let go of the door. It slammed shut and Star heard the lock being turned from the other side.

  “You’ll pay for this!” She took a step toward her dresser, her foot kicking something as she walked. Bending over, she picked up the small hand towel and brought it closer to her face. It was the same towel Luke used but moments ago to shield his private parts from her eyes. It had touched his manhood and was now touching her hand.

  The smell of herbal soap drifted from the hand towel, contrasting drastically with her own scent of the harsh deodorant soap. Now she could think of nothing but Luke’s naked chest, his naked arms, and his naked stomach. She had an urge to rip open the pocket door and storm back into the bathroom to take another look. He’d seen her naked body just as she’d seen his.

  Her heart started beating faster and she found it hard to breathe. She never felt so embarrassed in her life. How would she ever face him again after that?

  In a daze, she pulled open her dresser drawer and dug through it for some underwear. The sound of Luke’s voice belting out Chopped Liver’s latest hit along with the sound of the water running again led her to believe he was wearing her headset in the shower.

  She took a deep breath and released it. Why was she feeling this way about a man she despised? Luke Tyler did something to her and she wasn’t sure if she liked it or hated it. As she dressed, she hoped the water in Luke’s shower was cold. Very c
old.

  Chapter 6

  Star slammed down the metal bucket as she entered the barn. Grabbing the short, wooden stool, she placed it at the hindquarters of the cow and sat down. The cow sensed her anger, turning its head and mooing lowly. It tried to sidestep her cold fingers as they came near its udder.

  “Don’t mind me, Didi.” Star ran a calming hand over the cow’s hide. “I’ve just had a run-in with a naked man. A man who makes my blood boil.”

  “So my naked body gets you all hot and bothered, does it?”

  Star whirled around to see Luke leaning against the open barn door. His arms were crossed over his chest and he had a toothpick dangling from his mouth. His chestnut hair was still wet under his black Stetson, curling up slightly at the ends where it fell inside his open shirt. There was that chest again! Didn’t the man even have the modesty to button up after what had just happened in the bathroom?

  “I said you make my blood boil . . . that’s different,” remarked Star. As mad as she was, she couldn’t help noticing his powerful, bare forearms. He had his red-checkered shirt rolled up at the sleeves but the open ends hung loosely over the slim waistline of his tight blue jeans. Her mind instantly reverted back to the dark patch of hair below his waist that was now hidden beneath his zipper. Over his pants he wore leather chaps with fringes. Her eyes settled on the streak of blue peeking through the chaps at his groin. She wet her dry lips with her tongue and he noticed.

  “Can’t keep your eyes off of me, can you?” He rolled the toothpick to the other side of his mouth, then removed it altogether and threw it to the ground at his feet.

  “Mr. Tyler, I’m sure there must be something a star like you is supposed to be doing instead of harassing innocent ranch girls.” She quickly turned back to Didi and grabbed hold of the cow’s udder. Moving the teats up and down, milk squirted into the pail.

  “By the way your eyes devour me, I’d say you’re far from innocent.” Luke’s voice was low and right next to her ear. Her hands stopped the milking process as she closed her eyes and tried to ignore his hot breath on her neck. He smelled delightfully clean from the herbal soap he’d used in the shower. A soap that was meant for her . . . but one she’d never even touched. Now she could never use it, knowing where it had been.

  “W-what do you mean?” she stammered, feeling a fluttering in her stomach from him being so close to her once again.

  “You’re no longer a girl . . . but a woman,” he said just above a whisper. “I’m not blind, you know. As a matter of fact, I’m damned good at seeing through shower steam.”

  Star jerked her hands away at his mention of seeing her naked. The abrupt action caused the cow to move slightly, the milk squirting straight in her eye.

  “Damn you! Look what you made me do. Don’t you have somewhere to go?”

  Luke chuckled softly and kneeled behind her stool. He pulled a black bandana from his pocket and reached around her to wipe the milk from her eye.

  “Actually, I’ve got nothing else to do until the crew gets here with Isobelle.”

  “Isobelle?” Star asked blankly, as Luke continued to wipe her face.

  “Uh huh,” he replied, setting his bandana on her lap. “I’ll leave this here in case you need it again. Now, let me show you the fine art of milking a cow.”

  He stretched his arms out around her and took hold of her hands. “First, you’ve got to caress her teats to relax her. Just think of it as foreplay. She’ll love it.” He took her fingers and stroked them against the cow’s teats.

  Star felt Luke’s body heat from his bare chest pressed up against her back. His mouth was next to her ear, causing little puffs of breath to caress her earlobe every time he spoke. A tingle rushed through her at the mere touch of his hands on hers. Teddy had been good-looking, too, though he never took the time for foreplay. Star was sure Luke’s foreplay was meant for her and not the cow.

  “So . . . Isobelle is a female?” Star cursed herself for asking such a stupid question. She couldn’t think straight right now and was grasping at straws trying to have a conversation to take her mind off of Luke’s warm body pressed up against hers.

  “Isobelle is a female, all right,” Luke answered. “With one hell of a body. You ought to see her long legs and thick mane of hair that trails down her back almost to her ass. Actually, she’s got one hell of an ass . . . solid muscle and . . .”

  “I get the picture.” Star tried to pull her hands from Luke’s but he only held her tighter. She didn’t want to think of another woman in Luke’s arms while she was occupying them. Actually, after seeing most of his naked body, she couldn’t think of anything else but pressing her own nakedness close to his and discovering what was beneath the tan line at his waist.

  “Go ahead and pull on it, sweetie.”

  “What?” Star froze, hoping he didn’t have the ability of reading her thoughts.

  “Pull on the teat in an up and down motion and you’ll get more milk. I’m a pro at this.”

  “I’ll bet you are!” Star pulled away from him and hurriedly got to her feet. “Why don’t you go find Isobelle and tell her about it? I don’t need some movie star telling me how to milk a cow. I’ve been doing it all my life. Just because you wear a cowboy hat and boots doesn’t mean you know what you’re doing. And I assure you, it doesn’t make you a cowboy.”

  Luke stood and wiped his hands on the back of his pants. He gave her a penetrating stare from his icy blue eyes as if he were thinking about the situation. “No, Ms. Brighton, I guess it doesn’t.” He turned his head toward the sound of truck tires on the gravel driveway outside.

  “Luke!” Brent walked into the barn with Velvet on his heels. “Luke, c’mon, the production crew is here. We’ve got work to do. We’re already behind schedule.”

  “Brent, darling,” broke in Velvet as she tied a bandana around her hair. “I hope we don’t have to shoot scenes in here. It smells too godawful for me to even think about remembering my lines.”

  Star shook her head slightly, amused by the woman who stood inside the barn in high heels, sheer hose, and a clinging red silk dress. If ever there was a woman who wasn’t right for playing the part of an outlaw’s lover, it was the prissy Ms. Barabelle.

  “Of course not, my dear,” Brent told her.

  “I’ll meet you by the trailers,” said Velvet with a snooty sniff. “I need to find the hairdresser to give me a touchup before we do anything,” she complained.

  “But Velvet, darling,” said Brent. “We’re not shooting any scenes until tomorrow. Can’t the hair wait until the crew is unpacked?”

  “Absolutely not!” Velvet turned on her heel and headed out the door. “Sometimes, you just ask too much of me, Brent.”

  Brent looked at Luke and shrugged his shoulders in a surrendering gesture. “C’mon, Tyler. Isobelle’s here and I’m sure you can’t wait to lay your hands on her.”

  “I’ll be there in a minute,” Luke answered. “Make sure no one gets near Isobelle until I give her a good rub down. She’s used to my touch. It relaxes her.”

  “Gotcha, Tyler.” Brent hurried out of the barn after Velvet.

  “A rub down so early in the morning?” Star picked up a pitchfork and started vigorously throwing hay in a pile toward Didi.

  “You should try it sometime. You seem tenser than Isobelle ever is.”

  Star suddenly halted at the feel of Luke’s hands on the back of her shoulders.

  “They don’t call me Magic Touch Tyler for nothing.”

  “I didn’t know they did.” Star felt her muscles going soft under Luke’s warm caress. Strong fingers melded into her, feeling like they belonged there. A tingle ran through her body, making her vibrate at his tender, but firm touch.

  “There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Star.” He rubbed his fingers in small circles down her back. “Isobelle loves it when I do this to her.”

  Star’s heart pounded loudly. Suddenly, she felt the green-eyed monster taking control of her senses. “
Oh, really? What else does Isobelle like?”

  “She likes eating out of my hand and, of course, the way I grip her bare back between my thighs. Actually, I can’t wait to mount her. It’s been too long since I’ve felt her body beneath me. Riding her brings me to heights I’ve never experienced before. Maybe you can watch me sometime, as I’m sure you’d enjoy it.”

  Star jerked away from Luke and held the pitchfork up toward him. “You’re sick! Get away from me, you disgusting, two-timing, good-for-nothin’ pervert. I have no desire to watch you make love with your girlfriend. What kind of a girl do you think I am?”

  “What?” Luke chuckled and grabbed the pitchfork from her in one move. “You’re a little confused, Star. Isobelle’s not my girlfriend.”

  “Figures!” She picked up the stool and held it between them for protection. “Women mean nothing to you. You use them like workhorses to suffice your manly needs.”

  “Isobelle is far from a workhorse.” Luke ripped the stool from her hands and threw it across the room. Didi mooed her displeasure. “And if I wanted someone to help me out with my manly needs, I’d pick someone more like you.” He grabbed her wrists in his hands and pulled her closer.

  “I’m not one of your whores that you can . . .” Her words were cut off by Luke’s lips pressing up against hers. Her eyes opened wide as she pulled back her head. “I’m warning you to let go of me or you’ll be sorry.”

  “Try to relax and enjoy it,” Luke instructed as he let go of her wrists and pulled her body closer to his. Star felt herself melting against his massive chest as he tilted her chin up and brought his lips to hers once again. Her eyes closed involuntarily as she felt herself relaxing, anticipating, and moving her face toward him. He tasted so wildly exciting. Pure man. It had been a long time since she’d been kissed like this. Ever since she’d split up with Teddy, she’d been afraid to get close to another man. She didn’t need her heart broken again. It would be too much to handle.