Page 154 of Spur It On

They looked so good like that. Those two men just worked with her. I could see the white of her teeth as she smiled at her boyfriend. J.D. just beamed at the pair of them, acting like they were the only ones in the entire world.

And here I was, the poor fool standing alone, wishing I was one of them. She didn't need a damned protector. What the fuck had I been thinking? Sadly, I knew the answer to that question.

I'd been worried about me. I'd been so stuck on someone thinking the wrong thing that I'd forgotten Cody had dreams of her own. That woman was going places, and I'd actually had the chance to be at her side, but I'd thought I should be leading.

I was a damned fool.

When they reached the last door on the hall, J.D. fumbled with the lock while Cody laughed at him. The sound hit me hard. That was perfection. It was the thing I would never be able to get out of my mind. Because I'd been so worried about getting laid, I'd lost it - her. I'd given up the best thing I'd ever known in my life, and for what? Because I thought I was a man, and that meant she should act like a woman? Fuck that.

So, settling my hat onto my head, I turned the other way, aiming for the elevator. I barely made it a step before I realized I wasn't the only one watching them. Across the hall and two doors down, there was Eli Tripwood. He'd changed out of his signature red and yellow colors, the blue denim and grey t-shirt making him look a lot less impressive.

"The fuck they doing?" he asked me.

I glanced back just as the trio vanished into their room. "Not my business," I assured him. "Or yours."

"Yeah, fuck that," Eli grumbled. Then his eyes narrowed. "Or didn't you hear?"

"Hear what?" I asked.

Eli took a step closer, which made me move to meet him. "That little bitch almost got Austin suspended!" he hissed. "She picked a fight with him and Derek, and now they've both been fined enough that it's gonna hurt. Full PBR report, the whole deal."

Cody? Pick a fight? Yeah, not fucking likely. "Or maybe they started it and she finished it?" I asked.

Eli scoffed. "C'mon, Ty. I figured that after she shot you down last night, you'd be a little less blind to the shit she's pulling."

"And what shit is that?" I asked.

He flicked a finger in the direction Cody and the guys had gone. "You think that shit's normal?"

"That she's with her boyfriend and mentor?"

"Yeah." He lifted a brow. "One bitch and two men? How the fuck isthatsupposed to work? You can't tell me they aren't getting kinky in there, and I heard J.D. Adkins likes to suck dick."

"Thought Austin was trying to say Tanner was the gay one," I reminded him. "I mean, right up until Cody started dating him. Sounds to me more like someone got shot down."

"You did," Eli huffed. "Austin doesn't want to be with her. He wants her gone, and know what? I agree. Ever since she got here, shit hasn't been the same."

"How so?" I asked, daring him to give me a real reason.

"Bulls have been off. Sponsors aren't begging. Scores are all over. She's fucked up the PBR because the uppity-ups are all trying so hard to prove how fucking woke they are. Hey, it's diversity, right? Add in a woman, a few gay guys, maybe some minorities and shit? Before you know it, there will be nothing country about any of this. Nothing but heavy metal music, libtards hugging trees, and shit like that."

I scoffed. "Man, I don't give a shit about your American politics. Doesn't help my Canadian ass at all."

"Will when you're not getting paid because the money's only going to the minorities," Eli countered.

"Yeah, that is not how it works," I assured him. "Trust me, we've done this north of the forty-ninth."

"The what?" Eli asked.

I closed my eyes and groaned. "The forty-ninth parallel. You know, the border between the US and Canada?" I huffed in frustration. "Maybe start worrying about your own shit before you wake up and realize you're no longer qualified."

I turned to walk away, but that was a little more than Eli could take. "Don't think that's going to be a problem, Ty. Soon as those three are out, nothing's going to stand in my way."

"Like shit," I shot back. "Besides, good luck getting rid of any of them. She rides good, even if you don't like it."

"And I'm not about to have some queer running around behind the chutes with us!" His voice was getting loud enough that I was sure people could hear it in their rooms. "Those two are disgusting, and if you think we're just going to turn a blind eye to that shit, then maybe you're not the man I thought you were."

"I'm not," I promised. "I don't give a damn if the pair of them are tag-teaming Cody. Nothing wrong with a little kink, and if you don't think everyone else is having fun with the women we meet at those bars? Shit." I laughed, making it clear that was directed right at him. "What, Eli, are you still doing it missionary, or haven't you met a buckle bunny desperate enough to go home with you yet?"

---