Page 37 of Twins for the Secret Prince
“Let me get this straight. You saved my life, only to have me killed here in the roadhouse.”
“I doubt it will kill you,” Eva answered. “It might give you a concussion. I’ve seen a few broken bones in my time, but that’s it.”
“Very reassuring,” Pieter said, wishing that he’d stayed at the base.
“Don’t worry. I’ll go first. Show you how it’s done.”
Eva walked over to a console next to the mechanical bull, dropped in some coins and then, in one deft motion, climbed up onto the hideous-looking thing. She held on with one hand as it started to move — dipping up and down slowly at first, then tipping side to side as it picked up speed. After a couple of minutes, the bull started to move faster, bucking and jerking like a thing possessed.
“Woohoo!” Eva yelled, waving her left arm in the air.
“Go, Eva!” Pieter shouted, hoping that she’d decide to stay on the bull all night so that he wouldn’t have to take a turn. “You’re really doing it!”
“Of course I am, this isn’t my first rodeo!” Eva yelled back. She was grinning, looking ecstatic and completely at home as she gracefully held on.
“Let’s see if you can start a new record for the longest time spent on a mechanical bull!” Pieter called out, pumping his fist in the air.
“Good try, but you’re up next,” Eva called back.
As the bull ground to a halt, Pieter gulped. Not only did henotwant to get on the cursed machine, but he also really didn’t want to go flying off it in the first couple of minutes. Especially not after Eva’s impressive display.
“I forgot to tell you that I have a suspected groin injury,” he told her, grimacing. “I’m supposed to take it easy. Definitely no bull riding.”
Eva stared at him as though trying to decide if he was telling the truth. “Mechanical bulls are part of rehabilitation programs for groin injuries, so you’re in luck,” she said, smiling.
Pieter told himself just to get on the bull and give it his best. He had no idea what skills or muscles were required to ride well, but he would just have to go for it and hope his body could find the right positions, or balance, to keep him from looking like a complete fool.
He climbed up onto the bull and watched as Eva fed more coins into the machine. Within seconds, he felt the bull start to move. Even at a slow speed, Pieter felt he was fighting gravity and centrifugal force in a way that was more than uncomfortable. Parts of his body were being pressed painfully into the metal saddle, and he was sure he’d never looked as ungraceful.
When the bull reached its peak speed, Pieter no longer cared what he looked like — he was too busy hanging on for dear life. And then, suddenly, he wasn’t hanging on to anything; he was airborne. He landed with a thud next to the bull, which was still bucking at a frenzied pace, even without a rider.
“Are you hurt?” Eva asked, her hand on his shoulder, her eyes full of concern.
“My pride is dead,” he groaned.
Eva let out a snort. “You should have seen yourself. You flew through the air like a crash test dummy!”
Pieter groaned again. “My groin injury has just become a full-blown medical emergency.”
Eva’s laughter bubbled up out of her. Pieter would have been happy that he’d made her laugh so hard, except for the fact thatit was the mental image of him flying through the air that had done it.
“Okay, that’s enough,” he said. “Help me up into a chair.”
Pieter was too ashamed to look at Eva as she helped him, and once he was in the chair, he dipped his head onto the table.
“I’ll get you a drink to numb the pain,” Eva said, rubbing her arm across his back.
“It’s going to take more than beer,” Pieter said.
A minute later, Eva was back with a bottle of bourbon and two glasses. “Here’s your painkiller,” she said, pouring two large shots. She clinked her glass against his and said, “Bottoms up!”
Pieter took a large swig and then another. “Never mind painkiller. What just happened in this room was a totalmoodkiller.”
Another laugh bubbled up out of Eva. “And just what do you think the mood was before it happened?”
“Well, whatever it was, it’s been decimated by the sight of me in failed stuntman mode.”
Pieter waited while Eva laughed again. “I’m sorry for laughing. Really,” she said. “It’s just— you looked priceless.”
