Page 68 of Unguarded

Dolly nods. “Fiancée. The wedding is this month. She’s feeling sick, what with the pregnancy and all. Twins make it that much worse during the first trimester.”

I gape at her. “Oh wow, twins. That’s … that’s exciting.”

The mere thought of twins, babies, or getting pregnant right now fills me with dread. My life is a chaotic whirlwind with concerts going past midnight and private flightsacross the country. It’s bizarre to hear about a woman close to my age experiencing such a different life.

Dolly smiles. “She’s taken a little bit to get used to the idea, but Holden was thrilled from day one. They’ll be incredible parents, and I’ll be the best auntie ever.”

I don’t know what else to say, so I nod, turning my attention back to the arena. The life they live here at the ranch is the polar opposite of mine. Cash is probably on the hunt for a girl like Rosie, someone to give him twins and cook him a big pot of chili every night.

I swallow over the lump in my throat as I watch him stepping up to the pen, preparing to climb onto the next bull.

“I can’t believe they actually ride those things.” When I saw him riding for a few seconds the first time, I didn’t have the emotional connection to him that I do now.

“Honey, don’t you worry. Cash is one of the best.”

“It looks deranged,” I whisper.

The animal has a tanned hide with black scars marking half of its back. I can’t tell what they’re from, but the beast is thrashing around in the pen like it has truly gone mad and is ready to kill whoever dares to touch it.

“We supply bulls to the Riders, an underground bull riding ring, but we also take on and train some of the ones who have been abused at other ranches or got kicked out of the PBR for being too wild and dangerous. The guys attempt to teach them manners and how the eight-second ride is supposed to go, but there’s always that first go-around when somebody’s gotta take on a new bull who’s either killed or injured another cowboy.”

My jaw slacks open. I can’t look away from Cash’s back,his muscular arms glistening in the sun. He’s looking down at the animal, trying to find a way to mount it in the chute while it’s slamming its body against the iron railing.

“So, he could, like … die, doing this?”

“I mean, yeah. Technically, every time they ride, they’re taking a risk. It’s stressful, to say the least, but that’s how we make a good part of our living. Cash is fearless, but he’s also incredibly smart. He’s a natural. I worry about him the least.” She reaches over to grab my hand reassuringly. “Just watch. He’s got this.”

My stomach feels like it’s full of lead, but I can’t seem to peel my eyes away from the scene. Cash waits patiently until the animal finally calms down a fraction. He swings his leg over, dipping his cowboy hat to the man holding the gate. I gasp when the chute opens a second later and he’s sent flying into the arena, still latched on to the back of the bull.

Terror spikes in my lungs as I watch the scene unfold. I squeeze Dolly’s hand so tight that I’m afraid I’ll hurt her, but she squeezes right back. My bodyguard is thrown through the air like a noodle, thrashing around with each thrust of the bull like he was born to do it. He holds on with one hand, the other stretched high in the air. At one point, he’s facing directly toward us, and I swear I see a smile across his lips.

He is an absolute lunatic.

A hot-as-fuck lunatic.

A hoot and holler from the cowboys surrounding the arena makes my heart rate gallops. I can’t tell how long it’s been when Cash ejects himself from the back of the bull. He tucks his body in as he rolls to the side, narrowly missing a pounding hoof to the chest. He hops up, joggingto the side of the pipe fence like it’s just another Tuesday afternoon on the job. His back is covered in dirt from the arena.

Holy shit, that was sexy.

A manly man, who not only protects me from rabid fans and my stalker, but also rides savage bulls like it’s nothing, feels like a fantasy come to life.

“See! I told you he’d be fine. You just need to understand that Cash is the one who takes calculated risks. He knew he’d win that.”

I attempt to control my rapid breathing, focusing on slow exhales, like my trainer, Marty, taught me. This means nothing. So, he rides feral bulls and isn’t afraid of them? So what? I’m unaffected. Irefuseto be affected.

Hot damn, I’m affected as fuck.

If my dampening panties are any indication, I think that might be the sexiest thing I’ve ever witnessed.

Cash removes his hat, dusting it off on his pant leg. He walks up to where we’re sitting on a platform above the arena. I let go of Dolly’s hand to stand up and lean over the side to look down at him, inspecting his body for any injuries.

His health is vital to my safety.

He tilts his head up to look at me. “Hey.”

I bite into my lower lip. “Hi.”

A smirk pulls at the corner of his lips. “I’m out of practice.”

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