Page 20 of Spur It On

"And Ty gives it to her," I reminded him. "That guy is the hottest in the PBR, and he's chasing her. Remind me again why she'd be interested in me? I mean, unless it's a pity fuck - which is pretty much how this all started out."

"Nope," he countered. "Ty chased her. Ty got her in bed - so be prepared for him to act like his head's up his ass for a bit. But you? You talked to her. You act like she belongs here. Not like you're trying to convince her that she does. Plus, she knows you didn't out her that first day."

"Was kinda hoping none of y'all would notice her," I admitted.

J.D. grinned. "Sorry 'bout that. But trust me, she's into ya. She just doesn't know how to act on that, so you give her a way, and I bet you'll figure out that our little cowgirl..." His eyes jumped over my shoulder. "... Is gonna make me work for it next weekend."

The change in subject was enough to let me know that Cody was headed this way. Turning, I saw Ty with his arm draped casually across her shoulder, just like they were old friends and nothing more. Cody also had a little flush to her skin, and her eyes were sparkling like she was having the time of her life.

"Shoot whiskey with me," J.D. told her.

Cody headed to the table and grabbed a shot. Lifting it up, she waited for J.D. to tap his little glass against hers, and then they both tossed them back together. The best part of that was how she didn't wince or cringe at the burn of it. Nope, that girl shot whiskey with the best of them.

Which was one more hint that J.D. was right. My problem was that I kept thinking of her like a girl. Yes, she was a woman, but all the things I'd been taught about talking to ladies didn't really apply to her. What I needed to do was treat her the same way I did J.D. After all, she was his rookie, right? And if I thought about that with the new definition, it gave me even more confidence with her.

"Hey, beautiful," I said, getting out of my chair just to offer it to Ty. "And I meant her," I assured him before reaching out a hand to Cody. "I'm not ready to pass you off yet."

She nodded at me and accepted my hand. "Don't worry, I can handle all of ya."

Ty leaned his head back and laughed, which was when she realized what she'd said, but I didn't give her the chance to take it back. Nope, I tugged her up against my side, wrapped my arm around her waist, and guided her back to the dance floor.

"Think so, hm?" I teased. "Because that sounds like fun to me."

Her cheeks were getting darker, but she refused to look away. "I don't even know how to respond to that."

"You say, 'Yes, Tanner, I would love it if you come back to my room later tonight. I plan on ripping off all my clothes and jumping on you,'" I joked.

But damned if that pretty little blonde didn't lift her face, ignoring her bright pink cheeks, and tell me, "Yes, Tanner, I think you should invite yourself back to my room and throw me in a bed, then have your way with me."

"Your wish," I swore, "is my command."

And then I caught her mouth with mine and kissed her, making it very clear I'd meant every single word.

Chapter8

I was doing this.From the moment Tanner kissed me beside the dance floor, things had started to heat up between us. I was pretty sure it had a bit to do with Ty and J.D. being honestly ok with this. The way Ty had laughed at my unintentional joke? That had been the approval my mind really needed.

Another shot of whiskey with J.D., plus one more beer, had me feeling invincible. When the other bull riders started taunting me to get a little closer, grab Tanner's balls, and those sorts of things, I decided it was time to call it a night. The kind that ended in my bed. Tanner promised me he liked that idea a whole lot.

The drive back home was filled with a lot of silly flirting and bad innuendos. Tanner also held my hand on the console in the middle. When we made it to the hotel, he parked J.D.'s truck in the same place where he'd found it, then hopped out and hurried around to my side. I'd already made it down to the ground before he got there, though.

So Tanner just pressed his hand against that spot in the small of my back and directed me inside. He walked just a little too close, I kept looking over at him, and it was nice. I was doing this. This was ok. More than all of that, my mind was stuck on the fact that he really, truly, and honestly wanted me.

Once we made it inside, he moved around behind me. His hands stayed on my waist. I could feel his strong chest pressed up behind me. We reached the elevator and he leaned around me to press the button before I could. That put him closer, so he kissed my neck as we waited for the car to arrive.

I had my head tilted to the side when the doors opened. An older couple stood there, looking at us like we were disgusting. The old lady sniffed in disapproval even as we moved out of the way. Her husband just glared at Tanner. Then once they were past us, the woman mumbled something about "loose morals."

"Bitch," I shot back as Tanner pulled me onto the car and pressed the button for the second floor.

He laughed, and then turned into me. "This version of Cody Lane is fucking hot," he said.

I leaned back against the wall as the doors closed. "Yeah?" I asked, lifting my chin.

Obediently, he stepped into me just as the car moved. Both of his hands found my face, and before I knew it, we were kissing again. Damn, I liked that about him. He focused on my face. Not trying to grab my tits or ass. Nope, Tanner held my face as he plundered my mouth, making me feel like he was chasingme, not just a woman.

So I grabbed his shirt and pulled. I meant to drag him closer. In reality, I tugged the bottom from his pants, which gave me the chance to get my hands inside. His moved down to my neck, his thumbs holding me where he wanted, and the only reason either of us stopped was because the door dinged to announce our floor.

"And now I'm hard," he breathed.

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