Page 77 of Spur It On

"Shit," J.D. drawled. "Cody, I'm gonna have to teach you a whole lot. I mean, your boyfriend's a wild boy, I'll give ya that." Then he leaned in to bump my shoulder. "And I kinda like him. Enough for that to happen."

"I'm happy for you," Ty said.

J.D. just nodded. "Yeah. I'm kinda happy for me too. Got me a damned good rookie, a bullfighter on my side, and one hell of a good friend. I'm thinking this year might be the best I've had yet."

"Aww..." Ty said, being all dramatic about it. "Gonna make me get all up in my feels if you keep that up, man."

"Then ride like you got a pair," J.D. taunted. "Because my girl's gonna put you to shame. Shit, you're sitting at number one right now, but Cody's on a roll."

Which was exactly what I needed to hear. J.D., the best bull rider in the Tough Enough series, thought I was doing just fine. The worries spinning through my head were lying to me, because J.D. knew more than I did, and I was going to convince myself of that. Or at least act like I had.

"And I've learned how to spur," I reminded them, holding on to my latest success.

So J.D. leaned close to my ear. His next words came out as a whisper, and the kind that sent shivers down my spine like a promise.

"Just gotta teach ya how to take what you want. Promise I'm up for the job."

Chapter29

There werefour bulls on a side. That meant I was in a different group than the guys. Riding in fifth place, my bull would be the last one in the next-to-last group of bulls. It would give me just enough time to get done and help both J.D. and Ty strap in.

So when the list got short enough, the three of us headed up to the catwalk behind the chutes. J.D. and Ty were bickering over who'd pull my rope, but I ignored them to look out at the arena. There, Tanner's purple shirt caught my eye.

Cletus was rambling on about something, the bullfighters all looked like they were catching their breath, and the sky was dark. Those massive stands of lights lit everything up, and the swarms of bugs around them may as well have been halos. The smell of gunpowder - or whatever the pyrotechnics used - added a scent to the mix of sweaty men and bull shit. I loved all of it.

Then Tanner looked up, his straw hat making the gesture obvious. I could almost feel it when his eyes found me, so lifted my hand in a shy little wave. His face split into a grin, and he blew me a kiss. That made the crowd on the other side laugh, which mademeturn to see Tanner on the big screen over my head.

Yep, we were a spectacle. I kinda hated it. Not that I didn't adore Tanner, or the way he treated me. And I was happy for the guy, since it sounded like last night had gone pretty good for him and J.D. The part that annoyed me was what Jake had pointed out the other day. No matter what I did, the PBR wanted to make it a big deal.

Didn't matter if that was dating a perfectly normal guy, riding well, or even getting bucked off. IfIdid it, then it was big news, and the pressure was starting to build. J.D. had said all I needed to do was ride this bull, just this one. I didn't need to worry about anything else, but how could I not?

"Hey," Ty said from right behind me. "I'm pulling for you."

I glanced back, the brims of our hats almost colliding. "Yeah?"

He nodded once. "Yep, since I go last this time, I got more time between us. You ok with that?"

There was something in the way he said that, almost like he was bracing for rejection, so I nodded quickly. "I figured one of the chute guys would pull for me, so yeah. You do a much better job."

His smile looked relieved. "Who ya riding?"

"Monologue," I said, listing the same bull J.D. had ridden the day before.

"And he's lazy," Ty muttered. "Yeah. Just spur the shit out of him and you should be fine."

I jiggled my head again, hearing him but also knowing that. Spur. It was always spur more, spur bigger, or even spur better. I kept hoping someone would tell me something I didn't know, like some secret to making it to the top, but it seemed there wasn't one.

Then J.D. pressed my rope into my hands from the other side. "Your side's being loaded."

I turned back, intending to grab my helmet and glove, only for Ty to hand them to me. The guys were both hovering, and I knew it. The real question was why, so looking from Ty to J.D. and back, I tried to figure it out.

"What?" I asked.

Ty's eyes jumped to J.D., and my mentor just shrugged. "You look nervous," J.D. said. "Promise you can ride this fucker. He'll be nothin' for ya."

"Yeah, but I need the scores this weekend," I reminded him.

"So get 'em," J.D. shot back. "Stop acting like a girl, Cody, and cowboy up."

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