Wild Ride: BBW Western Romance (Under Open Skies Saga Book 2) (25 page)

Somehow it felt really good.

Cody smiled at her, when he saw her coming back up towards the seating area.

“
He alright
?
”

“
H
e’
s fine. Just a bit banged up. Gonna go again
.”
She put her hat back on her head and settled down into the stands.

“
Well, no shit. What did you expect? Tonight is his night. I can feel it
.”
Cody was excited.

“
You really care about this
?
”

“
Hell yeah, been cheering that asshole on since we were kids. I want this for him. He deserves it. Especially after all that shit in his life
.
”

“
Yeah
,”
she did
n’
t know what he meant, so she just nodded. It was
n’
t the first time she had heard that he had a tumultuous past.

“
Damn bitch, took away his whole world. Married him, made him walk away from all of this, only to chew him up and spit him out
.
”

What
?

Vitriol. His voice was full of it. Whoever she was, she really did a number on Hunter.

“I’
m sorry, you probably hate hearing about it, but even after three years it still fucking sticks in my craw
.”
He spit into the dust and looked over at her.

“I…
I had no idea
.”
She admitted looking down.

“
Shit. I really put my foot in it. Huh
?”
Cody leaned towards her
,“
I thought you knew
.
”

“
I mean, I knew something happened. People talk, but I did
n’
t know what. He never told me
,”
she chewed on her lip.

“
Shit. Well. This is all my damn fault. He does
n’
t like to talk about her much. Sh
e…
she ruined his life
.”
Cody ran his hand through his hair and looked over at her
.“
You really need to talk to him about this
.
”

“
I plan on it
.”
She had
n’
t asked for a single detail. Not one. This was not Cod
y’
s story to tell, it was Hunte
r’
s. Still, she felt the small nagging of anxiety. He had
n’
t told her. Had
n’
t wanted too, not yet. Did he not trust her?

The man was more of a mystery than she realized, more than she wanted him to be, really. But she could be patient. She could wait.

He was worth it.

“
H
e’
s about up.
I’
m feeling good about this one, are you
?
”

“
No
.”
She bit down her worry as she touched her hat, and thought about her father. If there was anything out there, surely it would listen to her. At least this once. She needed this, Hunter needed this. Cody was right, this was his last chance, he had a few more years in him, but he needed to get something started soon, and he was capable of it. She knew it. Or else she would not have been so eager to sign him, her father would
n’
t have been either.

She saw him in the chute on the bull before they even called out his name, or the bulls. It was all a blur. Him, the bell wrapped around his arm, the angry bull. This one had to be better. It just had to be.

She held her breath as he shot out of the gate on this one, the bull making a clean break into the arena, his bucks strong and high into the fades. This one was a tough one, but each second ticked by, Hunter holding strong, his hand high as the bull turned into his hand.

He was clinging onto that bull.

One high kick and she held her breath, worried he was going to get dislodged, but the man was stuck in the seat.

The buzzer.

He made it. All eight seconds.

Hunter jumped down from his bull, a clean dismount as he took off for the fence, climbing it while the bull was distracted and lured into his pen.

He did it.

Kat stood and screamed for him, clapping and cheering right along with the rest of the crowd. It was a magnificent ride. Almost textbook.

94.3

It was
n’
t enough to get him into first place, but he was in a strong second. It was enough, to get him seeded.

This opened up so many more avenues for him. Bigger tours. Better competitions. More money. More exposure.

It was his victory, but it was also really good for their agency. Really good.

This was one victory she could revel in.

“
Let me see your bruises
.”
As soon as they closed the door to the small hotel room the words came out of her mouth. It was
n’
t a request. He was so good at doing that, demanding things from her, but now it was her turn. She was
n’
t taking no for answer.

“
Is that all you are going to say to me? Not, damn, you rode good. Not, hey sexy let me see you naked? Nothing
.”
He was being playful but she was
n’
t in the mood for it.

“
Let me see the damn bruises. I have some salve in my purse, the kind dad always used to use. Take off your damn shirt and let me take care of you
.
”

He glared at her, but the little quirk in his eyes let her know that he was enjoying it. Every moment of it.

“
Fine
.”
He pulled off his shirt to reveal a multitude of bruises across his torso. She was
n’
t a medical expert but she was surprised he did
n’
t have broken ribs.

“
Jesus, and medic cleared you
?
”

“
It looks worse than it actually is, I promise
.”
He grunted as she pulled a little tub of salve out.

“
What the hell is this stuff
?
”

“
It is
n’
t anything magical, just a concoction of herbs and essential oils in an oil base. Something he got from a local herb woman. He swore by it
.”
It smelled of lavender and patchouli, but it worked.

“
Then put it on
.
”

She dipped her fingers into the little tub of salve and brought them up to his torso, the cool gel going on clear as she rubbed it in.

Kat had to give him credit, he did
n’
t so much as flinch as she rubbed it in, place after place. His muscled body strong under her hands, even if the bruises marred the canvas.

“
You are so beautiful
.”
She said finally, looking up and him from her kneeling place on the floor
.“
I have never really appreciated just how beautiful. Each muscle. Each little freckle, each mole. They are all part of what makes you so amazing
.
”

She almost never spoke that candidly, but she meant every word of it.

“
Now you know exactly how I feel about you. All your curves, all your edges. Do you even know how breathtaki
n’
it is
?
”

She shook her head.

“
Come up here honey, let me hold you
.”
He pulled her up and into his lap, a small grunt escaping as he held her.

“
Does it hurt? Really? Tell me the truth. You can do that
.
”

“
Just a little, Kat.
I’
ve been hurt worse
.”
The look in his eyes made her think he was
n’
t just talking about a few bruises and scrapes.

“
In what ways
?”
she asked.

“
More than you will ever know
.
”

“
Wanna tell me about it
?”
Please, please tell me.

“
Not yet, someday. But not just now
.
”

She wanted him to trust her. To tell her all his secrets. All his hopes, all his dreams. All his failures. She was strong enough to handle it. Strong enough to handle him.

Why would
n’
t he just trust her?

She wrapped her arms around his neck and looked up into his eyes.

“I…
I love you, Hunter. I love you
.
”

She bent down and kissed him before he had a moment to respond. She did
n’
t want to know, one way or the other. She did
n’
t want to hear those words come out of his mouth, it was scarier than any kind of rejection. Love wasn't something she grew up around, and it never worked out, from what she knew. She could
n’
t handle it.

“
Do
n’
t, do
n’
t tell me yet, okay? Please.
I’
m not ready to hear it
.
”

“
I can do that, if that is really what you want, Kat. But either way, I am going to have you. Here. Now
.”
His hand was on her neck in moments, gripping it hard as the other arm wrapped around her waist. And then he picked her up, and she felt like she weighed nothing in his arms, the ease of his movements obvious. He was strong, so strong.