Page 61 of Wild Lies

The emcee’s voice blares from the speakers. “Let’s hear it for King. That was a solid ride if ever I saw one. Judges give him eighty-nine, and that moves him to the top of the leaderboard.”

When he sees me, his eyes crease with his smile, and I throw myself into his arms, landing with a thump against his chest. He makes a sound of surprise before circling his arms around me and spinning us around. Relief washes over me, quickly replaced with elation. He’s okay.

Pushing down the worry that took up residence in my gut, I gush, “You did it, handsome.” Pride swirls in my chest as I step back and let my gaze rake over him from head to toe. “I might not know much about the rodeo, but top of the leaderboard sounds pretty damn good to me.”

Kade snickers, brushing the hair back from my face. “Woah there, buttercup. Someone might beat me yet.”

I pout, resting a hand over his heart to reassure myself, more than anything, that he’s really okay. “Well, I guess I’ll have to take care of them for you then.” I wink, fiddling with the buttons on his plaid shirt.

Growling, Kade pulls me into him, gripping my ass cheeks as he rests his forehead on mine. “Ain’t no way I’m going to lose you over a stupid title, Chloe. If I win⁠—”

“When you win,” I correct.

He shakes his head. “When I win, I’m taking my girlfriend out for dinner and then we’ll have to figure out a very non-PG way to celebrate.”

“Your girlfriend? Is she coming soon?” I tease, looking around as a kaleidoscope of butterflies takes up residence in the pit of my stomach.

Kade doesn’t laugh, and my grin slips from my lips as our eyes lock, the noise of the arena dulling around us. He looks so sure and steady in his decision.

“Is it too soon?”

Darting my tongue out to wet my lips, I shake my head and reply, “No, I think it’s just right. And as your girlfriend”—the word feels like it fits—“I can think of a few ways for us to celebrate.”

He pulls my hips tighter against his, the hardness of his cock unmistakable. “Yeah, I can too.”

The emcee’s voice booms over the speakers, breaking through our bubble as they announce the next rider’s score. I was so caught up in Kade that we completely missed their ride.

Jerking a thumb over his shoulder, Kade asks, “Shall we go watch?”

I lace my fingers with his, wondering if this is going to be our Saturday nights from now on: Kade riding in the rodeo and me on the sidelines, snapping pictures. It doesn’t sound so bad, if only it wasn’t a secret we had to keep between ourselves.

We’re leaning against the railing, in the riders’ area watching another rider prepare to vault out of the gate. There’s a group of people cheering him on in the stands, and I can’t help but say, “I know you’ve said you can’t, but I really think you should tell your family about all of this, Kade. They should get to cheer you on from the sidelines too.”

I feel the tension seep into his bones, and I wonder if I’ve overstepped, but he simply shakes his head and replies, “I can’t, Chlo.”

“Why not? I don’t understand. If Autumn is anything to go by, your family are supportive, I don’t see them banishing you for doing something you love.”

Hurt and a hint of fear shine in his eyes. “But what if they do? What then? I lose everyone and everything because my life is so deeply ingrained in my family. I’ve lied for over a year and broken a promise I made to my dad. There’s no way they will forgive me for risking my life like my uncle did and lying about it.”

“You’ve got to at least give them the opportunity to respond,” I plead. “God forbid anything happened to you, Kade.”

He turns back to look at the now empty arena floor. “I’ll think about it, okay?”

I nod, because that’s all I can ask of him, even if it feels like he’s just telling me what he thinks I want to hear.

The emcee’s voice blasts over the speakers again. “That’s all for the bareback bronc racing, folks. Judges’ scores are in, and in third place we have Clay Rawlins.”

The crowd cheers as the rider enters the dust-covered arena floor.

“And in second place is our very own Tucker Payne.”

The roar of the crowd is even louder this time, and the cloud that was hovering over Kade and me dissipates, replaced with a nervous energy. I cross my fingers, clutching his arm as I wait for the announcer to speak again.

“And our winner, taking home the cash purse and custom buckle is…” He drags out the pause, and I daren’t breathe. “Kiiiiinnnnnggggggg.”

39

KADE