I nodded and followed Branch down to collect our gear, never letting go of Frankie’s hand.
When we made it to the hospital, Beau was standing outside a curtained room. I ran over to him and he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling me tight to his chest. “He’s okay. Bad concussion and a couple of black eyes, plus he won’t be able to ride for a few weeks, but he’s okay.”
I let out a shaky breath. Thank god. I kissed Beau’s cheek, and stepped out of his arms. I walked in on a nurse flirting with Dylan as she took his blood pressure. Still so damn handsome, despite the fact he had two massive black eyes. When his gaze landed on me, he smiled so widely my heart felt like it was going to crack.
“Tessa,” he said softly, the flirting nurse forgotten. I just looked at him and burst into tears. Fuck. “Come here, Darlin’.” I rushed to his side and buried my face in his chest as he stroked my hair and whispered that he was okay.
I never judged Frankie for not wanting to watch me ride, especially after what happened with Luiz. But I actually got it now. That ten seconds after he got caught up would be forever etched into my brain. I would see it again when I closed my eyes tonight. I would wonder what would have happened if the bullfighters hadn’t been as good as they were tonight. Actually, I didn’t have to wonder. I knew what would have happened. He’d be dead.
“I don’t think I fully comprehended how hard it would be from outside the barriers,” I confessed into his chest, as his fingers combed through my hair.
“I know,” he said softly, and the nurse left quietly.
I bit my lip, and looked up into his violet blue eyes. “Would you do something for me?”
He grabbed my chin and pulled me up to kiss me softly, his lips chasing the tears on my cheeks. “Anything.”
“Wear a helmet?” This would sound like a simple request, hell a logical request, to the rest of society. But bull riders were a superstitious lot that were married to their routine. They wore the same shirts, the same jeans, the same lucky hat. They never put their hat on the bed, or wore yellow. It was a whole thing, and asking him to change something was a big deal. Plus, a lot of riders felt like a helmet threw off their balance, especially if they learned to ride without one.
Dylan frowned, which looked uncomfortable with his banged up face. “I’ll try. The docs say I can’t get another concussion for a month, so I’m out until then. I’ll train with it on, and I’ll try.”
I grinned, because honestly that was more than I’d hoped for. I kissed him softly. “Can we bust you out of here yet? You can come stay with me and Frankie. We’ll watch you for the night.”
He grinned, pulling me down for another quick kiss. “I normally stay with Branch and Beau, but I never say no to a pretty lady who wants me to stay the night,” he growled, winking. Be still my heart, that man hits me right in the ovaries every damn time.
An hour later, we were all loaded up in Beau’s truck, Branch at the wheel and Dylan stretched out in the front seat. I was squished in the back between Frankie and Beau, which was honestly my version of heaven. I was holding a bag of meds and Dylan’s gear was stowed away in his duffle in the back of the truck.
The nurses looked so sad when I stole all the eye-candy from the waiting room, and I secretly smiled to myself. I felt a bit smug; they all wanted me and that was a heady damn feeling. How I was going to choose between them was a whole other question.
The thought of losing any of them dampened my spirits a little, but when Frankie cast me a concerned look, I pasted on a fake smile. He saw right through it of course, but recognized it for what it was, a sign that I didn’t want to talk about what was bugging me. It wouldn’t put him off for long, but hopefully long enough that we'd be back at the hotel and Dylan would be tucked up in bed with me.
A short, silent ride later, we arrived back at our hotel.They all got out of the truck and walked us to our hotel door. Frankie eyed Branch, who had his arm wrapped around my waist, but didn’t say anything. Instead, he put an arm around Dylan’s shoulders. “Want me to carry you across the threshold, meu bebê dodói?”
Dylan raised an eyebrow at me. “He called you his sick baby,” I laughed.
Dylan grinned at Frankie, causing the split in his lip to open back up and seep a little blood. “Only if you want to be a little less pretty, asshole.”
Frankie led Dylan inside, then it was just me, Beau and Branch standing on the doorstep. “Crazy day, right?” Lameness, thy name is Tessa May.
They had no idea though. There was the high of the eight seconds, and then the absolute lunacy of my moment with Frankie in the storeroom. Then Dylan and now here we were and my mind was struggling to keep up with what I should be feeling. Elated? Terrified? Hell, I had no idea now. Maybe I needed ice cream and a nap.
Branch nodded, stepping closer. “Yeah, crazy.” He leaned forward and kissed me softly, uncaring that Beau was standing right next to him. His kisses were just typical of him, probing and strong, and so fucking hot. Just as my body curled into his, he pulled away. “You rode good today.”
My whole body flushed at the compliment. He strode away and I turned a wide eyed look to Beau. He was grinning, his gold eyes sparkling. “That? That was hot as fuck.” Then he kissed me as well, his thumb stroking over my cheek.
He was still grinning when he stepped away. “I’ll see you tomorrow, Nugget. Don’t forget to come by and let me massage that thigh.” He waggled his eyebrows and I had the distinct impression that wasn’t the only thing he would be massaging. He kissed my cheek again, and strode away. Just before he turned the corner, he sprinted back, grabbed me up in his arms and pressed me against the door. “Can’t let him be the only one who gets a dramatic exit.” He kissed me hard once more, all tongue and teeth, and then dropped me back onto shaky feet.
I gaped after him as he sauntered away. These guys were going to be the death of me.
When he was gone, I finally turned and walked into the hotel room quietly.
My feet stilled when I saw Frankie helping Dylan out of his undershirt, his hands carefully peeling it over the other man’s head. My heart seized in my chest and I bit my lip.
He was the best human being on the planet. How had it taken me this long to see that?
“I was going to offer you a hand, but you guys seem to have it under control.”
They both looked up, and Frankie waggled his eyebrows at me. “Never thought I’d be undressing another man for you, Gatinha, but here we are.”
Dylan raised an eyebrow at Frankie. “What’s Gatinha mean?”
“Kitten,” Frankie responded, stepping away from Dylan to peel off his own shirt.
Dylan’s throaty laugh echoed around the room. “And you didn’t know that he had a crush on you? Girl, you must have been living in a different universe. No one calls another person Kitten unless he wants to pet her, you know what I’m saying?”
Frankie pointed to Dylan, a smug grin on his face. “See? It was obvious to everyone but you.”
I gave them both a sour look that turned smug when I began to unbutton my shirt. They watched me undo each button like I was the balls in the lottery. When I got to the last button and slipped my shirt off my shoulders, the twin looks of lust on their faces made me feel like a damn Queen. “Stop looking at me like you want to eat me alive and get into bed.” I quirked an eyebrow at Frankie, having one of our wordless conversations. It went something like this: