The subtle barb was there at Beau, but Beau just scoffed. “Asshole.” Then he nuzzled my neck again, and I sighed softly. “I don’t regret a moment. But I’m definitely anxious to get you naked in a bed with all the hours in the day to wring pleasure from you.”
I shivered as heat pooled lower in my gut. I sucked in a few deep breaths and straightened my clothes. “Lead on, Macbeth,” I said, and Branch laughed.
“I forgot you were a bit of a closet nerd.”
But he strode out of the building like he was daring anyone to say anything about him being in there. Beau rolled his eyes and ushered me out. I smoothed my hair down and hoped I didn’t look like I’d just had a three way in a dirty building. “You look beautiful, Tessa May. Don’t worry.”
A blush lit my cheeks and I swear my face felt like it was on fire. Branch led the way to the signing pavilion, and the organizer quickly ushered me to my spot just before the doors opened.
As the crowd flowed in, I tried not to think about the fact that I’d almost had two threesomes in twenty-four hours. I didn’t know if I should be embarrassed or frustrated that none of them amounted to any sexy times. So instead, I went with content. I wasn’t playing them.
Hell, this poly thing was easy.
When I got back from the arena, Frankie and Dylan had just gotten home from the bar. They’d watched the round at a sports bar, but Dylan couldn’t drink because you know, head injury and pain meds.
He looked a bit sad when I walked in, but his face lit up when he saw me. “Good ride,” he murmured as he kissed me.
I screwed up my nose. “I didn’t make the eight, but Zero was in good form.”
Dylan nodded. “Hell yeah he was. That jump straight out of the gate was high. I’m surprised you stuck with it as long as you did.” He kissed my cheek as he clutched me close to his body. “I gotta go. I have a meeting that started fifteen minutes ago but I didn’t want to leave without seeing you. My manager wants to catch up tonight before I see a specialist tomorrow for the follow up scan, then my sponsor wants me to do a couple of things while I’m off for the month. I’ll catch up with you guys at Colorado Springs?”
That was ten whole days away, and I wanted to pout. I had kind of hoped that he’d travel with me and Frankie to Wichita, but it had been a pipe dream. Sponsors swooped on mid-season downtime. So I resisted the urge to drag him back in the room and fuck him until he wouldn’t even think of leaving, and walked him to the door. His bags were all packed and he was freshly showered. He smelled so damn good, I just wanted to eat him up.
I felt like I needed an award for self control. When he backed me into the doorjamb and kissed the hell out of me, I knew I needed an award. “I can’t wait to see you again already.” One more soft kiss against my lips. “What the hell have you done to me, Tessa? I’m obsessed.”
I laughed and pushed against his chest. “Bewitching men is a pastime of mine, obviously. Go, you’ll be late for your meeting. More late. I will see you in Colorado Springs.”
He waved as he stepped out onto the street, hailing a cab.
I watched him climb in and drive away, before I softly shut the door. Frankie was laying on the bed, resting up on his elbows. He smiled at me and crooked a finger. I took a running jump and dove into the arms of at least one man who loved me.
15
I couldn’t resist the stupid grin on my face as I walked into the stadium in Wichita. Frankie and I had stayed at the hotel in Fort Worth for a couple of days longer than we normally would, and I practiced my riding skills. Not on a bull though.
Heat flushed my skin as I thought about all the wild sex I had that week, and my grin got wider. Yeah, we’d definitely caught up for lost time. Frankie was an amazing friend. As a lover he was… out of this world. The things that man could do with his tongue should be illegal. But bitch, I would happily break the law over and over again.
I was here early because one of the bullfighters had gone down with a knee injury at a rodeo event last week, the other one had to go home to his pregnant wife, and they knew Frankie was traveling with me. He had his own rep amongst the bullfighters so they were going to hit him up to be a reserve fighter, and probably step up tonight. I was so happy for Frankie. I knew he didn’t do it for the love of it, because while I might be insane enough to try and ride a bull, I still never understood the guys who voluntarily threw themselves in front of the pointy parts of a bull every night. That was insane. Last night, after they’d called him, he said he did it because it gave him a reason to stay, but that he’d grown to love it. He was a performer, he had charisma and he was so fast on his feet.
He was a natural and everyone knew it.
He was off talking to Shorty, the head bullfighter, so I rode in early. An empty stadium was an eerie thing, devoid of all the people who arrived early to get the good seats. But the contractors and the bulls were already here, so it was never too early. Some of the other riders would get here soon too to hit up the WBRP sports medicine teams to get strapped and massages on old injuries. Beau was probably around here somewhere already. As much as I wanted to find him, I knew he’d be hard at work so I’d catch up with him later.
It surprised me how much I’d missed Beau and Branch this week. Although I’d caught up with them on Monday, Branch had to meet with a new potential sponsor in Denver this week, so they’d left early. Frankie had done a good job keeping me distracted though.
I walked into the empty locker room, although there were a couple of suitcases around already. I’d drop my stuff off and maybe go and wait for Frankie. I couldn’t wait to see him dressed up in the bright sponsorship uniform of the Bull Fighters. I’d have to take photos and send them to Luiz and his family in Brazil.
I looked around the locker room. It was actually a pretty impressive one. Normally, we had folding chairs and a dusty railing. But they must use this arena for sports other times of the year, so it had a complete bathroom attached. The guys would be excited to wash off the dust and sweat immediately. Or hell, maybe they wouldn’t, because guys were gross.
A door opened, and I turned to smile at whoever was walking in.
I was too slow to dodge the fist that flew at my face. My head whipped back as my feet left the floor and I went down with a thud. Stars burst in my eyes as my head slammed on the linoleum floor. I tried to struggle to my hands and knees, but a booted foot caught me in the gut.
A scream was forced from my lungs and suddenly there was a hand wrapped in my hair, wrenching my head back hard. I looked up in the cruel face of Junior.
Fuck. I was fucked.
He punched me again, and darkness clouded my vision. No. I needed to stay awake.
I couldn’t make my fucking limbs work as he dragged me into the showers. I tried to grab the doorjamb but his hold on my hair was ripping chunks from my head.
No, no, no. This couldn’t be happening.
“Now we’ll see who has the small dick, bitch. You’ll take every inch and I will destroy you,” he spat in my face as he slammed my face into the shower tiles. I blacked out. No.
When I came back around, Junior was hovering over me, his hands around my throat as I gasped for air and he struggled with his jeans. Mine were gone, and vomit surged up at the thought of him having his hands on my body when I was unconscious.