Page 50 of Spur It On

Right. Yeah, and it sounded like Ty was feeling a little insecure about Cody lately, so I could see that hurting his balls a little. Well, too bad for him. Kaleb had warned me that Austin was talkin' a lot of shit, so I'd rather bruise some pride than have Cody's face take the pain.

"Austin's got a hate on for her," I told him. "Jake's nothin' but eyes, man. Promise."

"You got all your cronies looking out for her or something?" Ty asked.

I scoffed at that. "Yeah, I wish I had cronies. Mostly, I'm just smart enough to use their ego against 'em. Jake wants to see if she's all that. I told him he'd get a real good look from the gate while he holds her hat. Got called a few names, but she's got her hat, and ain't no one fucked with her yet."

"Starting to see a whole new side to you, J.D.," Ty teased just as the first chute finally opened and the rider came out with a bang.

For a whole three seconds, I swore the guy was going to pull it off. Sadly, at six, he took a face full of dirt, but the next one was already up. That meant it was time for Ty to get serious, but he knew the drill as well as I did. Passing his rope to the chute guy, the attendants finally started working it under the bull without a second thought.

Jaxon Cade went out next, and things were starting to move again. In the chute beside us, one of the guys was now on the gate, working to get the rope tight enough. Beside me, Ty strapped his helmet onto his head. The moment the chute beside us opened, Ty was over the rails and balancing himself over the bull.

For just a moment I paused to watch as Tanner hovered at the edge of the arena. The look on his face was pure intensity. His eyes were locked on the bull, doing his job. That straw hat on his head made the line of his jaw look sharp, just the way I liked 'em. Then, once the buzzer sounded, he moved in to get to work.

Damn, those guys were a bit wild. When the rider hit the ground, Tanner slipped between him to distract the bull, probably saving the rider's ass. Jorge shifted the other way, getting Tanner out of the mess he'd just put himself in. Then, in only a handful of seconds, they had the beast under control and heading for the gate.

That was when I stepped over. Ty handed me the tail of his rope, and then started warming it. The first time he pulled, I damned near tipped forward. That earned me a warning look, but I hadn't expected him to be quite that strong. Then again, Ty wasn't one of us little guys.

He was tall for a bull rider, and built. It was what made all the women notice him, but it didn't do him no favors on the back of a bull. I knew it, and I was pretty sure he did too, so I wasn't about to rub his face in it. Not like any of us could change how we were made. Instead, I braced my legs a little better, then nodded to show him I could take it.

Ty yanked hard this time. His glove slid the whole way down, that rosin stringing off as if it was trying to prove it was there. Again, and again, Ty ran his hand over his rope. Then, he turned his attention to the handle. That got a few tugs, and then he was gesturing for me to tighten it all up.

I pulled, he shifted, getting his handle right where he wanted. From the corner of my eye, I caught a flash of pink, but I didn't want to look away. I also didn't want Ty to miss that he was being watched.

"You got a fan club," I told him.

"The girl from the bar?" he asked.

"No, dipshit. Cody."

And now I was wondering what girl. Was that why he'd been out looking at the crowd? Was he already sick of this shit? More importantly, if he was, how the hell would Cody take it? Fuck, and if he was dumb enough to cheat on her?

"You'd better not stick your dick in the wrong hole," I warned him.

Ty laughed. "Been working to avoid her," he promised. "Lacey, not Cody. Now give me that."

I passed him his tail, waited to make sure he wasn't going to have a problem, then stepped back over. I was barely out of the way when his bull decided to do a little shuffle. Ty snarled in frustration, partially undid his wrap, then worked it back into place.

"You good?" I asked.

"Fuck yeah," he said as he eased himself down.

"Then fucking ride like it," I taunted him.

Ty didn't bother answering. He just nodded. The latch to the gate clanked. The door began to swing open. The bull Ty was on bucked, but the damned thing forgot to take itself out first. Ty got one big hop in the chute, and then the bull made it out of there ass first. Ty tilted, and for a second, I was sure this was about to be a bad wreck.

Tanner managed one single step closer. Jorge shifted, braced to wave off the bull and take its attention. Isaac moved to match Tanner, and then Ty heaved himself back to center with nothing more than the force of his will.

Cody fell in right at my side, her eyes locked out on the area. "Get back up," she breathed. "C'mon, Ty, get back up."

Fuck if her words weren't working too. Ty pulled himself back to where he needed to be, keeping his free arm far enough out that there was no fear of a slap. Then, the next time the bull's heels went up, he let it push him forward, right down onto his hand. Like he was trying to show off a little, Ty even spurred.

"Damn," I breathed as the bull began to spin to the right.

"Get in there," Cody was mumbling. "Ride him, Ty."

"Louder," I told her.

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