My feet hit the rock at the bottom first, uneven stone pressing into my soles as I lowered myself in. I sank until the pool lapped at my collarbones.
A low groan slipped from my chest as the mineral water closed around my bad shoulder, melting through the tightnessthat had gripped the muscle for days. I settled back against the stone rim and let my arms rest along the edge.
Sienna stood on the boardwalk a moment longer. Then, her fingers found the buttons of her jacket.
When she turned to face me, the morning light traced the soft curves of her naked body. And just like that, I was half-hard. Damn. I forced my gaze down, shifted my hips, and let the steam hide it.
She didn't seem to notice, just slipped on her flip-flops and stepped down into the pool. The water came up to her neck as she sank in.
“Oh,” she gasped. “Okay, I take back every complaint I made on the way here.”
"Wanted to bring you here before Wren got the chance. Granddad and Dad built this boardwalk when I was a kid.”
I held out my hand through the water.
She smiled, wading over and slipping her fingers into mine. I guided her onto the natural ledge between my legs, pulled her back against my chest, and wrapped my arm around her.
She let out a long sigh, resting her head on my good shoulder.
"I could fall asleep right here," she murmured, her hands covering mine on her stomach.
"You can. I’ll hold you."
We sat there, the canyon silent except for the slow drift of steam and the muffled stamp of hooves on stone. The water took the edge off, the ache in my arm finally backing off into something dull.
Her fingers found my forearm, tracing up slowly until her hand settled on my bicep. "You aren't tensing up."
"Heat does the work. Doc said to keep doing it, that it would help."
Her hand went still. She tipped her head back to look at me, a sudden frown pulling at her brows. "You went to the doctor? When?"
"Yesterday afternoon. You were holed up in the bedroom with your laptop."
"And?" She turned in my arms, searching my face. "Brock, what did he say?"
"Nothing's torn. Mild strain, bone bruise. He said to stay off a horse another week or it gets worse."
She turned in my lap until she was facing me. "The rodeo tomorrow. Tell me you withdrew."
"I withdrew."
Her hand slid up to the back of my neck, her thumb brushing the hairline there. “You actually listened to a doctor."
"I did."
I brushed a wet strand of hair from her cheek. I'd been trying not to think about the standings.
"Leaves me fifteenth. If I sit out the weekend, the guys behind me move up."
"So it all comes down to Pendleton," she said.
"Yeah."
She was quiet for a moment, her hand resting on my chest. "That's a lot to put on one ride."
She didn't need to know my phone had been buzzing all afternoon. Everyone wanting to know if I'd lost my mind. Dave Henderson, my rep at Outlaw, had chewed me out for twenty minutes.
I'd told them all the same thing—I'd be ready for Pendleton.
