Page 99 of Hung Up
dress the part
“We’re headinginto the final day here in Arlington and you’re trailing just point eight points behind Jesse Hayes.” Carson scoffs and shakes his head, and it takes everything within me to be professional and not call him out, especially considering we’re on camera. “What is your plan heading into your ride today?”
“Simple. Win.”
I nod, expecting him to continue, but he just stares at me. “Your fans want to know what your plans are if you take home that golden buckle. Any big celebration? Would you wear it or display it?”
“That’s a stupid question,” he scoffs, the mic on his shirt picking it up as clear as day. “Do they really want to know that?”
“You strike me as the type who would display it. On a mantle, probably?” His eyes narrow on me, so I turn my attention back to the camera. “That’s Carson Bell, current runner-up as we head into the final day here at the PBR Championships in Arlington.When we come back, I will be sitting down with Jesse Hayes, so stay tuned.”
When the red light on the camera turns off, my shoulders sag and I slide off my stool, setting the microphone on top of it. I completely turn my back on Carson—who has the energy to deal with a guy like that, anyway?—and walk over to Rylie.
“I can’t believe you made that mantle comment,” she whispers as Carson walks by, not sparing me even the barest of glances. “Did you see his face?”
“God, I hope Jesse kicks his ass.”
“I plan on it, Sweetheart.” I turn at the sound of his voice, welcoming the hug he gives me. “That guy needs to be put in his place, especially after what he said about Kai.”
I raise a brow. “What’d he say about Kai?”
“That if he let the bull throw him off like that, he deserved the injury.” My eyes widen as my cheeks flush with anger. I spin on my heel, ready to give that asshole a piece of my mind when Jesse’s hand wraps around my wrist. “Slow down there, hot shot. Don’t we have an interview?”
“He can’t just?—”
He cups my face between his hands, effectively silencing me. “We beat him on the scoreboard, love. I got this.”
Love. That term of endearment has a different kind of blush seeping into my cheeks. I sigh heavily but nod all the same, and he presses a quick kiss to my forehead in response.
Ever since I told him I love him and heard him say it back, there’s been a new ease to our movements, to our interactions. It’s like everything snapped into place and nothing has ever felt so natural in my life. I don’t find myself shrinking away or embarrassed, instead I find myself constantly looking for him, wanting to feel him in some shape or form. And when we both have our own commitments, I can still always sense him when he’s around, and that’s enough for me.
“Okay, Pretty Boy.” I grab his hand and drag him toward his stool, gesturing for him to sit. Once he’s comfortable, I grab the other microphone and hand it to him.
“I don’t get the one that clips on my shirt?”
I have to bite my lip to stop the sly smile from giving me away as I shrug. “Let’s just say that I’ve noticed from his previous interviews that he gets frustrated when he doesn’t have something to fidget with.”
“You did that on purpose?” He’s laughing so loudly that the few people lingering in the hall where we’ve set up turn to look. “You’re something else.”
“That’s why you love me.”
“One of the many, many reasons.”
Taking my seat, I smile at Evyn and nod as he gives me the countdown ‘til we’re live again. Today is the first time I’ve done a live interview during this race to the championships, but there’s something about doing a live interview for the first time the day of the finals that just hits different. The energy is more electric, the viewership higher, and the interviews tend to mean more. Not just for me, but for the athletes as well.
Once that red light turns on, I plaster on my usual reporting smile.
“Welcome back to our coverage of the PBR Championships here in Arlington. We have one more rider to hear from before we get to see who is taking home that golden buckle. Jesse Hayes.” I turn to look at him and see him already smiling at me, adoration in his eyes. “Jesse, how’s it feel to know that you’re in that top spot heading into a day as big as today?”
“It’s bittersweet, as I’m sure a lot of people would expect.” I nod, thinking about Kai. “You know, getting that spot because someone else got hurt is never a nice feeling, but after a very long pep talk from him, I know that it’s still well deserved.”
I have to fight the urge to smile at him too widely, constantly reminding myself that I need to be as professional as possible—but he definitely makes it hard. “Speaking of getting hurt, you sustained your own injury this season. How was it coming back from that?”
“Awful at first,” he admits, and I think back to everything that happened between us behind the scenes that contributed to making it just a little bit harder. “But thanks to my sister, I was able to push through. I’ll be the first to say that the ride back afterward shouldn’t have happened, but sometimes we make poor decisions when we think that the thing we love might get away from us.”
I catch myself staring, my entire expression softening at the hidden meaning in his words. Even though we’re finally past all that, he made it known that he still has some regrets for how a few things transpired. How he had let his frustration over the injury compile with his anger over my hesitation and his own feelings dictate so many of his actions and his words for those few days.
If only we had talked back then without any pretenses and had just been open and honest, maybe things would have panned out a little differently.
