I wonder if I could woo him with consolation blow jobs? Hell, maybe I should get the consolation blow job, because after a day of hanging with a half naked Frankie and Dylan, I felt an itch under my skin that I needed to scratch. Beau had called earlier to see if I needed a ride to the arena, but I’d turned him down. I hadn’t been quite ready to leave the love nest filled with breakfast food and hot bodies quite that early. I’d laid between the guys for most of the day, talking shit, watching daytime movies and eating pizza. Probably not a great combination to ride on, but it had been a really good day.
When I left, Frankie was taking Dylan on a man date to the movies and then the bar to keep him distracted for the afternoon.
God, I loved that man. I’d worried that adding sex to our friendship would cause drama, but it seemed so right that I can’t believe we hadn’t done it sooner.
The niggling thought that eventually I’d have to choose between them all prodded at the back of my brain, but I ignored it. That was a later problem to stress about at two a.m. Tonight’s only problem was a bull named Spitfire and holding my nerve for eight seconds.
I walked into the locker room, and it was like every other sporting locker room. People joked or prayed, most were stretching or caring for their ropes. I could hear Junior’s obnoxious laugh but I ignored it and him. I didn’t have the time or the energy to emotionally spar with that dickhole tonight.
As I stuffed my gear under a chair, I felt more than saw Branch come up beside me. He brushed his fingers subtly down my arm.
“How’s Dylan?” he murmured softly. I can only imagine what Junior, or some of these other guys, would say if they knew that Dylan Montaigne was shacked up in my hotel room with my Brazilian lover. It was practically the beginning of a porno.
I looked up at Branch through my lashes as I unloaded my gear. “Good. Taking his meds regularly, but he looked like his favorite truck had died and his dog had run away when I left. Frankie’s taking him to watch some action movie later to keep his mind off it.”
Branch gave me a crooked grin and nod. “Thanks for taking care of him. Normally, if he’s injured, he stays with me and Beau.”
I shrugged. “It's no hardship, Branch. I like Dylan.”
Branch gave me an intense look, one I knew well. One that said, “We can’t talk about this now, but you are going to give me answers soon.”
“Don’t get too close if you like your dick, Watson,” Junior called, and I winced.
Ah shit. So far Junior and Branch hadn’t been in the same room when I’d been present.
Branch whirled around and Junior was too stupid to read the look on his face. When Branch smiled, I knew it was a crocodile grin. Someone was about to die.
“Why’s that?” He sounded positively genial.
Junior sauntered over, probably so he was close enough to rub his next comment in my face. “Rumor has it that Moore here,” he nodded in my direction, “has fucked every guy in the competition. Plus a few of the officials. You’ll probably get gonorrhea and your dick will fall off.”
“The only person I’ve fucked in this competition is your Mom, Junior. Apparently, she hasn’t had an orgasm since 1979. You must have inherited your microdick from your dad.”
Someone scoffed behind me, but it wasn’t enough to diffuse the situation. Branch’s jaw still clenched rhythmically.
When Junior grabbed his dick, I knew what he was about to say would seal his fate. “The only thing getting fucked right now is you, you filthy whore. I’m gonna fuck your face until you choke on my cock.”
Branch’s fist whipped out and nailed Junior in the jaw. Junior went down like a ton of shit, and the silence around the room was audible. Branch leaned down and got in the other man’s face. “T.M. is mine. Speak to her again, and I’ll make sure you can’t eat for a month, you stupid piece of shit.”
Junior was never too clever though, in case that hadn’t been abundantly clear before now. “You’re going to be off this team so fast your head will spin, Watson. I’m gonna talk to my father. Pack your bags now.”
Fuck. I crossed my arms over my chest. “Because you slipped and fell? You sure do have shitty balance for a bull rider, Junior.”
Junior’s face was beginning to swell when he slid his wild eyes to me. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
I gave him my best wide-eyed innocent look. “You just tripped and then hit your face on the floor. Looks painful too, you might want to ice it. At least, that's what I saw.”
Davi didn’t look up from where he was cleaning his rope. “That’s what I saw too,” he murmured, and then the other Brazilian riders chimed in.
Then a couple of the other riders echoed Davi’s words. Because, while the riders were unsure about me, they loved Branch.
Junior’s face turned a mottled red and he pointed a finger at my chest. “You are dead, bitch,” he growled, and stomped out of the room like a child throwing a tantrum. I watched him go with a combination of satisfaction and trepidation.
Junior was an entitled brat, but that didn’t come out of nowhere. He really could get Branch thrown off the tournament for fighting if he wanted to, as long as he had proof. The thought of Branch losing his dream over me made my gut clench painfully.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
Branch scoffed. “I’ll always defend you, Nugget. Always have. Nothing is about to change that now. No one speaks to you like that, especially not some rich, spoiled, no talent asshole. No one.”
I think I might have swooned. Instead of thanking him, like a normal person, I stabbed my finger at his chest. “You used to bully me all the time, asshole. Remember when you compared my boobs to chicken nuggets?”
“Yeah, but I love chicken nuggets,” he grinned, and I was dazzled by the radiance of his smile.
My heart was in danger now.
14
My bull, Zero Gravity, lived up to its name. I was on my back in the dirt within 3.2 lousy seconds, but I couldn’t find it in me to be pissed about it. I was kind of glad the whole thing was done and as the biggest moths this side of the State line banged repeatedly into the overhead lights, I was more than ready to head home to Dylan and Frankie. Unfortunately, I had to sign at the end of the night.
I packed up my gear and then headed out to watch the rest of the riders. I’d ridden early in the night, so I got the chance to watch the competition. There were some damn good riders this year, and while I wasn’t worried, it was only because I wasn’t here for the money. I was here to prove I was good enough to be here. That was it.
Davi was up in the chutes, and I stepped closer. It was hard to notice, but the Brazilian’s rode differently. They learned on tamer bulls, so their process in the chute was a little longer, but man once they were out, they looked like they were flying. Like they belonged on that beast. Even back when I was a kid, the Brazilian riders were my favorite. Brazilians for style, Australians for crazy.
The bull Davi was riding was unsettled in the chute, slamming around against the rails, making Davi climb in and out a couple of times, and having to reset his ropes each time. When Davi settled into the chute for the third time, he began his process all over again. Miguel came up beside me. “At this rate they’ll have to offer him a reride,” he said, and I nodded as I looked over at the grizzled rider.