Page 108 of Bulls and Their Boy

“Sounds good as hell! I ne’er ‘ad much Italian food. Mama said it gave her heartburn fierce.”

He pronounced Italian with a long I and it made me cringe, but I didn’t correct him. “I’ll make more. I think the point he was trying to make, though, is that you have a lot of parents now. Mine, and your mom. My folks love Damon, and I’m sure they’ll love you too.”

“I…I’m sorry, Sir.”

“Sorry for what?”

“I freaked out like a danged ol’ lunatic. I swear I’m not off in the head.”

I looked him in the eye, and though I could laugh, I didn’t. “I know that, Joel. You maybe should have dealt with it in therapy or something a long time ago, but it explains a lot.”

“Like what?”

Damon answered. “Like me, Joel, your dad made you feel like you’d go your whole life without love, because, hey, if your own dad can’t love you, how could any other guy?”

I pointed to Damon and nodded. “Right there.”

“Ya think?”

“I went through therapy for years with this, Joel. Before Burke, I had a string of really bad relationships, and that’s when I let myself get in one at all. I didn’t think I was worth love. After therapy, and meeting Burke…that changed.”

“Yeah. Y’all changed me too.”

“Good. I’m glad,” I told him. “Drink your tea. And I called Eli. Noah is handling the people around the area, so don’t fret on that.”

“Oh, no one much likes my dad. They heard all ‘bout him from Mama.”

“I bet they did. She’s not exactly discrete about your past with him. That’s fine.”

“She hates ‘im. I do too, I guess, but it’s hard, hatin’ yer own daddy.”

“You don’t have to hate him,” Damon explained. “Pity him. I do my folks. Their bigotry lost them a child. And not just that. It must be draining to hate so much all the time.”

I moved up on the bed when Joel was finished with his tea. I placed the empty cup on the nightstand as Joel admitted something to us. “I was a little thin’ when I first started ridin’ thin’s. Calves, horses, then bigger stuff, steers and such. At first, I maybe hope it would just bust me up, so maybe Daddy would worry over me, like y’all did. Then, I saw people a cheerin’! They liked me on that bull. I liked that a whole bunch.”

“I know, Joel. Damon and I figured that out a while back, and not only that, but we think that you’re gonna be an even bigger star in the club. People are gonna see how strong you are and what a good submissive you are, and you’re gonna shine.”

“Yeah? Ya really think so?”

“Yeah, Joel. We do.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

The next morning, I got Joel out of the cage and hugged his sweet, naked body once he was standing. “How was your first night in there?”

“The truth?”

“Always,” I growled.

“Well, I’ll tell ya. I love y’all, you know it’s true, but sleepin’ wit’ y’all ain’t much fun. The snugglin’ up is fine and dandy, and o’ course, the fuckin’, but after that, I need some room! That cage…”

“Gives you room to sleep?”

“Yessir, sure does.”

I laughed to myself, but then I had to get serious. I had a new routine I felt I needed to start. Damon knew about it but decided to leave this one all to me. He was anxious to get out to the baby goats.

“Joel, you know about discipline. We’ve spoken about it a couple of times, how it’s different than a punishment.”

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