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Yeah, well, I was too, but I also knew how to call a cab, Uber, Lyft, or whatever else. So, when the guy came back with the shots, I added on a real beer, not Cody's fruity thing, and told him to keep the shots coming. I also made it clear that these two men were on my tab, no matter what they wanted.
That convinced Isaac to order a soda. Jorge just went with a Corona. The whiskey? Yeah, all three of them ended up going into me, one after the other. I tried to give Jorge his, but he promised a beer was better. Isaac told me I looked like I'd earned it, and that was enough of an excuse for me to latch on to.
But three shots made it a little easier to talk about this shit. "You know what sucks?" I asked Isaac. "Tanner's a good man."
"And that sucks?" he asked.
I nodded, feeling like the alcohol was warming my brain up. "Yep. If he was a dick, I could hate him. If he was mean to her, I could break him. Instead? He's just a good man. And a damned good bullfighter."
"Yeah, he is," Isaac agreed. "We got lucky when he joined the team."
"And better," I pointed out. "The three of you work."
"So do you three," he countered, lifting a brow to make sure I got his meaning. "Ty, we all talk."
"I know," I promised.
"About all of it," he told me. "I just wanna know one thing. Why'd you back off?"
"Huh?" Because I sure as shit hadn't backed off.
"To let Tanner date her," he clarified.
Ah, yeah. I supposed that could be considered backing off. It felt more like being pushed out, but that was more a me problem than anything else. Still, there was something about a little too much whiskey, mixing it with beer - which I knew was a bad idea - and a willing ear that seemed to be the exact recipe I needed.
But first, I looked around, making sure no one was paying too much attention to me. That proved Austin had clearly snagged himself a night with the massage girl. Jake had moved in to chat up the dancing brunette and her blonde friend. Dart girl was still playing darts, doing her best to ignore Kaleb.
And over at the bar, Cody was pinned between J.D. and Tanner. She had her head thrown back, laughing about something. Her arm was around Tanner's waist, and while J.D. wasn't touching her, his claim was there. A man would have to be a fool not to see it. Granted, most guys would assume Tanner had brass balls for getting with Cody and risking his wrath. No one would ever guess J.D. Adkins would prefer to be in the middle of those two.
"He's the kind of guy that girls like her settle down with," I told Isaac. "He's good. He'll take damned good care of her. Shit, he makes her feel like she's on top of the world, like some kind of goddamned princess. Me?" I shook my head. "I know all the fucking pickup lines. I know how to get them naked. Know what the shittiest part about all that is?"
"What?" Isaac asked right on cue.
I scoffed. "J.D. called me on it, man. That's why I got in Tanner's face back in Tulsa. I was gonna claim her. I was gonna make it clear I could get her first, have my way with her, and show off the cool new toy in the PB-fuckin'-R."
"Ty..." Isaac groaned.
"I know, pretty shitty, right?" I asked. "I didn't fuckin' love her, but damned if I didn't want that girl to fall for me. I wanted her to turn those baby blues on me when she won her awards. I wanted her to tell everyone she was my girlfriend. Fuck, Isaac. I wanted to make it all about me, but there's one big fucking problem with all that."
"Yeah?"
"Me," I admitted, pausing as the waiter came back with another round of whiskey. "Thanks, man," I told him.
"No problem, sir. Can I get the rest of you something else?"
Isaac waved him off. "I think Ty's just about done, too. When those hit him, I'll be dragging his ass outta here."
"Shit," I grumbled. "I'm not even drunk yet. Just buzzin' a little."
"Mhm," Isaac agreed. "And three more shots will do you in. Trust me, you don't wanna ride with a hangover."
"I'll bring some water," the waiter offered before disappearing again.
"That," I said, pointing after him. "See, that's how a guy acts in a room full of dumbass bull riders. He sucks up, right? He's polite and doesn't start shit. Tanner?" Thrusting out my lower lip, I shook my head. "Fucker got up in my face. He's not scared of shit when it comes to her. Gotta respect that."
"And J.D.?" Isaac asked me.
I laughed. "He's met his fucking match, man."
