Page 20 of Hung Up
And I stand by that. Who needs to worry about sexually transmitted diseases because the guy you decide to sleep with enjoys adding new notches to his bedpost? That’s a risk I’m not willing to take. No matter how much I hate to admit he might be growing on me just a little bit.
Entering the arena, I’m surprised to find the riders have already pulled their bulls for the night, and the announcer’s voice is echoing over the loudspeaker. I glance at my watch and see it’s only four o’clock. What the hell is going on?
“Faith,” I hear Kai call, and I turn to find him jogging over to me. “Thank god you’re here. I never took you for the type to be late to something.”
“But I’m not late.” My brows furrow as I glance around. “It’s not seven yet.”
Kai slings an arm around my shoulders and begins to lead me to the small nook they created near the chute so I can see better—courtesy of a certain bull rider’s request. Yeah, I can’t think about that one for too long or I get confused all over again. “You really need to be better about checking your phone. I textedyou this morning. They had to move it up due to a scheduling conflict. Luckily, you made it just in time. Stetson is up first.”
“What’s the order?” I reach into my bag and pull out my small notepad and pen.
“Stetson is first, Jesse is third, Lee is fourth, I ride tenth, and Bryce is lucky number eighteen. We all pulled in the first half this time.”
Once I get them written down, I frown. “What about Wyatt?”
“Oh.” Kai’s face falls slightly as he lets his arm fall off my shoulders, stopping just outside the nook. “He had a family emergency back home and left in the middle of the night. He forfeited this ride.”
“What does that mean for his score?”
“It’s not good,” he informs me with a sigh, leaning against the rail. “It normally doesn’t matter when it happens in the season. If you forfeit a ride, you basically throw away any chance you have of making it past eliminations. Wyatt doesn’t really care anymore, though.”
I cross my arms over my chest. “But it’s his last season.”
“That’s what I said.” Kai shrugs. “I guess some things are just more important.” His eyes snag on someone down the hall and I follow his gaze to see Jesse pacing, his hands interlaced behind his neck. “It’s going to tank Jesse’s ride, though.”
“Wyatt not being here?” He nods. “Why?”
“Jesse isn’t the superstitious type, but he only tends to do well when Wyatt gives him a pep talk before he gets on the bull and watches from above the chute. Last time he wasn’t here, Jesse got hurt. I’m sure that’s all that’s going through his mind right now. Plus, he pulled Titan for tonight. That bull is a beast, one of the hardest ones to ride. I don’t know how?—”
I walk away, not bothering to stick around and hear what else Kai has to say. If there’s anything I learned from his ride in Salt Lake City last weekend, it’s that he needs reassurance as muchas the next person. He’s in his head more than he lets on; that confidence is only there because other people feed into it. And if they don’t? I don’t want to know what will happen to him out there.
“You have a bad habit of pacing,” I announce once I’m in earshot. Jesse doesn’t stop, nor does he look in my direction. So I say, “I hate roses.”
That gets him to stop. He studies my face for a moment before glancing down at my outfit. I listened to what he had to say this morning, so I changed. Instead of the dress pants, I slipped into a pair of skinny jeans. I kept on the pale pink dress shirt, though.
Jesse stuffs his hands into his pockets. “So that’s why they were in the parking lot?” I raise a brow in surprise. “The lady at the front desk called me. She’s the one who helped me figure out what car was yours.”
“Hopefully she’ll like them.” He tries to give me a smile, but it falters. He starts to pace again, which causes me to sigh. “Okay, Pretty Boy. You’re making me dizzy.”
“Sorry,” he breathes, walking toward a bench off to the side and taking a seat, placing his hat beside him.This feels familiar.“I can’t ride, I just can’t. But I also need to, otherwise I can flush all thoughts of the buckle down the drain.”
“What can I do?” Jesse looks at me, those green eyes wide. “Oh, don’t look so surprised. I’m not heartless. I don’t want to see any of you get hurt.”
He gives me an apologetic smile as he moves his hat, gesturing with his head for me to sit beside him. I don’t hesitate as I take a seat and wait for him to speak. “You any good at pep talks?”
“Normal ones? Absolutely.” I shift my gaze to his, our eyes connecting. “Ones that’ll help someone ride a beast that shouldn’t be ridden? I guess we’ll find out.” Jesse laughs, agenuine laugh, and I can’t stop the smile that tugs at my lips. “Look, I don’t know much about this whole bull-riding thing. I can’t tell you how you need to set your body or how you’re supposed to move. What I can tell you is that you’ve been doing this for years and you know exactly what it is you need to do.”
“That’s your pep talk?” he asks incredulously with a raised brow. “Just do what I’ve always done?” I shrug with a nod. “If that was working for me, I would’ve won the buckle by now. So clearly what I’m doing isn’t working.”
I hum as I tap my foot. “So let me get this straight. Wyatt always gives you a pep talk beforehand and then watches your ride from above the chute, and you’re freaked out because he’s not here to do so.” Jesse turns to stare at me, a suspicious expression covering his face. “Yet, you just admitted that what you’ve always done hasn’t won you a buckle. So, I’ll ask you again, Pretty Boy. What can I do?”
He releases a surprised chuckle before he jumps to his feet. Turning to look down at me, he gives me a genuine smile and holds a hand out in my direction. I hesitate for a moment before I slip my hand into his, the calluses rough against my skin as he pulls me to my feet. The crowd starts cheering loudly as the announcers read off Stetson’s scores before introducing the next rider.
“You’re right,” he says as he releases my hand and smiles down at me. “Maybe it is time I switch things up a little.”
“What do you have in mind?”
Jesse gives me a sly grin. “Have you ever watched someone from above the chute?”
