So instead, I turn up the swagger. The confidence. The devil-may-care smile. It’s a mask meant for the fans and competitors just as much as it’s meant for me.
When my name is called, I shove my mouth guard in and swap my favorite brown hat for my favorite black helmet to climb up the fence while Later Gator makes his way down the chute.
My shoulder is sore, really fucking sore, but not like it was before Summer got her hands on it. She didn’t even try to stop me from getting onto a bull tonight, something I appreciate more than she even realizes.
My chin turns momentarily to the stands where she sat last night. Exact same spot. A muscle in my chest twists when my eyes linger on her, leaned forward in her seat, elbows propped on her knees, one hand on each cheek. She looks nervous. And not because she thinks I’ll get hurt. She looks like you do when your favorite hockey team is in a shootout for the win.
She looks invested.
And it makes me grin down at the vibrating two-thousand-pound bull beneath me.
Within moments, I jump down and rub at the bull rope, the rosin warms and softens as I do so that I can wrap it just the way I like.
It’s going to be a good ride. Sometimes I have this gut feeling, and I roll with that feeling, letting it seep into every bone.
Theo says something to me, but I’m not sure what. He smacks my shoulder, and I sink down, finding my center of balance. I don’t even register the pain.
Then I nod.
And the gate flies open.
The angry bull instantly drops his right shoulder into a spin. Dirt pelts my vest, and I find my balance, leaning away from the hole he creates in that turn. I definitely do not want to fall down in there.
Eight seconds feels like it lasts forever when all you want to do is stay on and keep your arm in the perfect L shape. Because of my size, my form needs to be textbook for all the angles to work in my favor. And it is—that’s sort of what I’m known for. I’m an anomaly.
I keep my chin dipped to my chest, because I know this fucker is going to veer left at some point.
And I know it’s going to hurt.
A few breaths later, it comes to fruition. He leaps in the air, twisting like the athlete he is before dropping and turning. My shoulder screams, and I focus on keeping my fingers tight on the rope and my elbow tucked tight against my ribs. It’s all I can do for now.
My body riots, but I force it into position, cursing under my breath as the bull continues his tour of destruction.
The buzzer sounds, and relief hits me.
I used to feel like I could go forever on the back of a bull bucking like this, but lately, the minute that buzzer goes, I want off. There’s this little part of me that knows the statistics are less in my favor every time I hop on a bull. Something is bound to happen after how long I’ve been at it.
No one can be this lucky.
Tonight, my hand comes free, and I leap off, landing on my feet. The rodeo clowns take over, and Later Gator chases them toward the out gate while I race to the side fence.
Standing and celebrating in the middle of the ring always seems very cinematic—until you see a couple of unsuspecting guys get run over by a bull that comes back for seconds behind their back.
Safely on the sidelines, the first place my eyes go is to where Summer was sitting. For the second night in a row, she’s on her feet, whistling like a grizzled, old sports fan. It makes me laugh. When she sees me laughing, she gives me a timid thumbs up, followed by a shy smile.
And fuck, it feels good.
Because that—right there—is not part of her job description.
13
Summer
Dad: How’d the interviews go?
Summer: Good.
Dad: That’s all I get? Did he behave himself?
Summer: He gave excellent interviews. The picture of professionalism. Unlike the way you talk about him, Kip. He’s not a dog, you know.
Dad: Are you scolding your boss?
Summer: No. I’m scolding my dad. Unless you still haven’t figured out your new employee’s name. Then I might scold my boss.
Dad: Poor, poor Geronimo.
This is not a normal level of excitement for a person who is supposed to be doing a job. Watching Rhett ride a bull is a thrill I’ve never experienced. It’s like the ultimate show of masculinity. Crazy enough to climb up on an animal that wants to kill you. Strong enough to stay on. And accomplished enough to look good doing it.
Pretty sure the throbbing between my legs means I’m a buckle bunny now.
I laugh inwardly at the thought as I dart down the stands toward the back staging area, flashing my lanyard pass at security as I go.
Excitement over his ride mixes in my gut with concern that he’s making his injury worse by continuing to ride when what he needs is medical attention. But that’s not my job.
My job is helping Rhett maintain his image. Taking care of him.
Or at least that’s what I keep telling myself, even though I’m pretty sure Kip hasn’t taken a road trip with any of the athletes he represents or spent an evening rubbing their muscular shoulders.
“Hey, Doll.” Some Ken-Barbie looking cowboy is leaned up against the wall when I round the corner.
He reaches for my arm in a way that I don’t appreciate, but I slink past—avoiding his touch—and brush him off with a forced smile and, “The name is Summer.”
The guy smiles back, but it doesn’t touch his eyes. Which is right when a leather glove wraps around my elbow followed by a deep, raspy, “Hey.”
Rhett doesn’t have to pull me hard. My body moves toward him like butter melts onto hot toast.
I turn my back on the other guy and look up at Rhett’s stubbled, rugged face. Fuck. He really is hot. I’ve been trying so hard not to admit that to myself. But every now and then, just a glimpse of him hits me in the gut.
His hair is loose around his shoulders and he’s still wearing the vest covered in sponsor logos over a button-down shirt. A warm gray one this time, unbuttoned just enough for me to see the sprinkling of hair across what I already know is a perfectly toned chest.
I swallow, attempting to move my suddenly dry throat. “I don’t even know what your score was,” I blurt out stupidly. “But you were amazing.”
His whiskey eyes go from pinched in the other guy’s direction to warm and bright.
At me.
“Yeah?”
“Yeah.” I take a step back, needing to put a little space between us and the tempting heat of his body. “You . . .” My hands flap around awkwardly as I search for what is the appropriate thing to say to him. “You rode the fuck outta that bull.”
Rhett’s head tips back as a deep, whole-hearted laugh overtakes him. His Adam’s apple bobs, and his fingers give my elbow a familiar squeeze.
“You should get them to put that in an ad about him.” Theo Silva comes up from beside us, grinning. Handsome, but so damn baby-faced next to Rhett.
He holds his hands up and slides them out straight, like he’s imagining a newspaper headline. “Old as balls but can still ride the fuck out of a bull.”
“You little shit.” Rhett’s left hand shoots out and playfully punches at Theo’s vest. They laugh.
Until the blond guy adds, “And every buckle bunny on tour,” as he saunters away.
And that’s when I step out of Rhett’s hold. Because that guy may be a dick, but he’s not wrong. Rhett has a reputation, and I have a bad habit of letting men I should stay away from break my heart.
Our drive back to the hotel is quiet. Strained almost.
Back at the arena, things felt natural. I was laughing, he was laughing, his hands were on me, and his friend was poking fun at him. He seemed himself.
And then that one snarky comment brought it all crashing down into reality. Because I’m here working, and he’s the gig. It’s something I have to remind myself.
This time in the elevator, we don’t stare at each other. At least, I don’t stare at him. Instead, I fixate on my boots as I wiggle my toes inside of them.
I can feel him staring at me, but I don’t meet his gaze. Because when I gave him that thumbs up and he grinned back at me, my stomach flipped and then bottomed out. The same way it used to when Rob would wink at me, and I can’t do that again.
“Did they fix the heater in your room?”
I think the only thing accomplished by him flashing his smile at the woman at the front desk while inquiring about the heater in my room this morning was her sliding her number to him across the countertop. Any comprehension of what he was talking to her about was gone the minute she caught sight of him.
I’d been waiting until we were out of earshot to crack a joke about it. But as soon as we walked away, he casually dropped the piece of paper with her number on it into a garbage can in the lobby.
“I’m not sure. I haven’t been back to my room.”
When I chance a look up at him, his eyes dart away, and he nods his head.
“How’s your shoulder?” I ask, realizing I haven’t checked yet.
“Not worse.”
“Good.” I lick my lips and rub them together. “That’s good.”
“Listen. About what Emmett said. . .” He trails off and I hold up a hand.