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Dean crossed his arms over his chest. "Yeah? And when she's no longer making those calf eyes at you, you gonna leave her high and dry, having to find her own way home?"
"No," J.D. said. "See, that's the thing. Ty and me? Yes, sir, we like your daughter. Thing is, we aren't being so nice to her because we're trying to get into her pants. We're here because she deserves this. I know when I joined up, I got shit on bad for my name and my tattoos."
"Your name?" I asked, because J.D. had started with the PBR before I did.
He gave me a dirty look. "Yeah, I shortened it because José Diego Adkins don't make no sense. Half Mexican, half American, right? So I know what it's like to get hell at every event. I also know that I've never seen anyone ride a bull like Cody. I respect the shit outta that."
"And you?" Dean asked, turning his eyes on me.
"I'd like to think that I'm man enough to not take out my hurt feelings on her," I told him. "And yeah, if she stops looking at me like I'm her hero, it's gonna hurt real bad, but I'd rather be her friend than her ex."
Dean slowly smiled. "Good answers, boys. Now you two wanna come inside and get a beer?"
"Um..." I said. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"
"My little girl made ten grand in a weekend," Dean explained. "Now she's got a sponsor coming over. I took the next few days off - since she's paying for it - so I can make sure that no bull riders and no big company men can screw her over. Figure if I can make you two ready to piss yourselves, then this guy from the jeans company won't stand a chance."
"No, sir, he won't," J.D. agreed.
I followed the man inside, pausing to look around. The place looked like a bachelor pad. The furniture was from the 90s, but it was clean. The seating all faced the TV, and the pictures on the wall were definitely family. No one in this trailer had spent time worrying about what the neighbors would think, but it looked homey in its own way. It also looked perfect for Cody.
"Beer's in the fridge," Dean offered. "I need to take a shower, but..." He raised his voice. "Cody! Company!"
She came around the corner almost immediately, but the house wasn't that big. Still, the sight of her in a pair of jeans, Fatboy boots, and a little white tank made me stop in my tracks. She'd taken a little time to put on makeup, but not too much. I loved the eyeliner, though. She had those swoops off the edges that made her pretty blue eyes pop.
"Hey," she greeted us. "Make yourselves at home."
"I can't," I admitted. "You've got business, and J.D.'s gonna take care of ya. Reps don't really like too many ears listening to deals. Just came by to get my truck, in all honesty."
"Oh," she said.
"But you can walk him out," J.D. said just a little too casually.
"You sure you don't need anything?" she asked.
"Baby," I said, dropping my voice. "I need to get back to St. Louis and get a little sleep. You coming up tomorrow night, or tomorrow morning?"
"In the morning!" Dean called from the hallway. "I'm driving her."
"Evidently, I'll be there tomorrow morning," she said.
I nodded. "Well, the earlier you check in, the better draw you get for bulls." Then I jerked my thumb back toward the door. "You gonna make sure I don't get lost?"
Cody glanced over at J.D. real fast, but he'd already started moving toward the kitchen. Still, I could see that awkward look on her face, like she didn't want to give anyone the wrong impression. It kinda proved what I'd been thinking earlier. We weren't even an official thing and she was already worried about pissing one of us off.
Yeah, fuck that.
"Just wanna make sure I remember how to get to the highway," I lied, offering her the out.
"Yeah," she agreed quickly, heading for the door.
And damn, her ass looked good in those pants. Of course, they were Fierce Denim. If she was already wearing them, then it proved J.D.'s point to his sponsor. That they weren't a new pair was easy to see. Still, they did great things for her backside, and I definitely stole a long, hard look. I also didn't dare make a comment.
When we reached my truck, I opened the door, but didn't jump in. I could feel the heat pouring out, and waiting gave me an excuse to talk to her. Hooking a finger in her belt loop, I tugged her a little closer.
"Hey," I said, looking down into her eyes. "I'm gonna just lay this out there, and you can do with it what you will. See, I get it that you and J.D. are friends. I'd like to think we are too. Friends first, Cody. And maybe they don't do that out here in the sticks, but where I'm from, it's pretty common."
"Ok?" she said.
"I just saw you get nervous in there, and wanted to make sure that if things were reversed, you know up front that I'm cool with it. If you and J.D. end up getting closer - or not - it's not any of my business. I've been pretty honest with you about the girls I've picked up on tour. I'd like to think that you can do the same back. Guys, I mean. Unless you wanna pick up girls."
"No!" she retorted, slapping at my chest playfully. "Ty!"
"All I'm saying, baby, is that I'm cool with casual. I'm cool with just friends. The only thing I don't want is for you to end up hating me. You're too sweet for that, and having you around this week? It's been kinda nice."
"So, you don't want to date me?" she asked.
I tilted my head. "I wouldn't go that far. I'm just saying that I'm not standing here cheering you on because I wanna get laid. I'm honestly here because I wanna see you ride, ok? Now, I happen to like you a whole lot, but it hasn't even been a week, so you don't owe me anything. You also don't owe J.D. or any of those other guys. You do you, baby. We'll still be cheering you on and checking you out."
She bit her lower lip and nodded. "Thanks, Ty. I think I needed to hear that."
"Now, I'm gonna steal a kiss just so you know that me being a real nice guy isn't bullshit."
And before I could lower my face to hers, she lifted her chin and leaned in. I didn't even care about the gloss I could feel on her lips. When I flicked my tongue over the seam, her mouth parted, and her tongue met mine. I pulled her hips a little closer and leaned just a bit more, bending her back. The moan that slipped out proved she liked it. The way her fingers tightened on my arm proved she liked it a whole lot.
"That," I whispered against her lips, "is how you should be treated, Cody. Don't let J.D. get away with anything less when he steals his kiss, ok?"
Her eyes searched mine. "Really?"
That simple question spoke volumes. It meant she was interested in him, shocked that I wasn't going to be pissed at her for it, and surprised that I wasn't giving up. It meant she realized that we'd just put her in the driver's seat, and she clearly hadn't expected it. Most of all, though, it proved that she had no intention of shying away from what I'd just offered: for her to take her time about deciding what she wanted.
"Really," I promised, keeping it vague so she could run with that however she wanted. "Good luck with the rep. Don't take less than twenty-five grand per event, and make sure they give you bonuses for rankings."
"Thank you, Ty," she said, shifting her hand to slide it down my chest. "I'll see you tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah, Cody. I'm not going anywhere." I tilted my head back toward the house. "Go make sure J.D. isn't drunk yet."
She stepped back with a little smile. "Yeah. Bye!"
I lifted a hand, watched her jog back towards the house, then climbed in the seat. While the glow plugs warmed up, I stole one last look at my girl, then started my truck. As I backed down her drive, I realized that J.D. might be a genius after all. A demented one, sure, but he really had kept me from screwing things up with her. Even better, I liked the way she looked when she realized that liking both of us wasn't a thing to be ashamed of.
That didn't mean I was happy that she liked J.D., but I could learn to live with it. For her, I'd make sure of it, because this was our girl now, and that meant no one would give her shit in St. Louis.
