Page 180 of Roulette Rodeo
"TWENTY SECONDS!" Red screams, and I can hear her jumping, probably doing that little bounce she does when she's excited. "YOU'RE ALMOST THERE!"
I grit my teeth and hold on, muscles screaming, the burn in my thighs reaching an almost unbearable level. But I've dealt with worse pain. I've extracted bullets from my own flesh, set my own broken bones, pushed through injuries that should have killed me.
Twenty seconds of riding a mechanical bull for my omega? Child's play.
Even if my cock is so hard it might actually burst through denim.
The image of Red in her nest, curled up with that giant plushie, maybe wearing one of my shirts and nothing else?—
The buzzer sounds.
Two full minutes.
The crowd erupts, but I don't let go. Not yet. I've come this far; might as well make it memorable. The bull continues its frantic pace for another thirty seconds before the operator seems to realize I'm not planning to dismount voluntarily. Forty-five seconds. A full minute past the required time.
Finally, I release my grip and let momentum carry me off, landing on my feet on the inflatable mat with more grace than I probably deserve given how my legs feel like jelly.
The roar of the crowd is deafening now, but before I can even straighten fully, I'm tackled by three bodies at once.
"Holy shit, Crowne!" Talon is practically screaming in my ear. "That was fucking incredible!"
Shiloh's pounding my back hard enough to bruise, grinning wider than I've seen in months.
"Fucking Show-off," he says, but there's pride in it.
Even Rafe is smiling—actually smiling, not his usual smirk—as he grips my shoulder.
"Well done."
"This year's winner," the announcer booms over the PA system, "lasting an incredible THREE MINUTES on our bull, is Jackknife Ridge's favorite and only medical doctor, Doctor Corwin Ashford!"
The whistles and cheers are overwhelming, people pressing in from all sides to congratulate me, but I'm only looking for one person.
And then she's there, pushing through the crowd like a force of nature.
Red looks like something out of a dream in a white flowy sundress that hits mid-thigh, the fabric light enough that it flutters with her movement. Her hair is down, those auburn curls wild and free, catching the lights from the fair rides. The dress has tiny cherries embroidered along the hem—of course it does—and the sweetheart neckline shows just enough cleavage to make my mouth go dry.
She doesn't slow down, doesn't hesitate, just launches herself at me with a squeal of pure joy.
I catch her easily, her legs wrapping around my waist as her arms go around my neck. "YOU WON! YOU ACTUALLY WON!"
I laugh, spinning her around as the crowd continues to cheer. "Are you happy?"
"Hell yeah!" Her eyes are bright with excitement, her whole face glowing. "You see how big that thing is? It's bigger than me! Triple my size!" She's talking a mile a minute, the words tumbling over each other. "How is it gonna get in the house? Can it fit in the house? Maybe we have to put it in one of the barns?—"
I silence her the only way I can think of, crushing my mouth to hers.
The kiss is immediate fire, all the careful restraint of the past months evaporating in an instant. She makes a small surprised sound that turns into a moan as I deepen the kiss, one handtangling in her hair while the other supports her weight. She tastes like funnel cake and cherry lip gloss, sweet and addictive.
She kisses me back with equal fervor, her fingers threading through my hair, tugging slightly in a way that makes me groan against her mouth. I can feel every inch of her pressed against me, the heat of her through the thin dress, the way her thighs tighten around my waist.
The wolf whistles and cheers get louder, and I'm vaguely aware of camera flashes going off—everyone with their phones out, capturing this moment. By tomorrow morning, this will be all over the town's social media, probably with captions like "Doc Claims His Prize" or some equally embarrassing shit.
I don't care.
Allow this grand moment for everyone to know that this brilliant, beautiful omega is ours.
When we finally break apart, we're both breathing hard. Red's lips are swollen, her eyes slightly glazed, and the look she gives me is pure heat.
