Page 73 of Spur It On

But I meant it. We all knew what would happen if rumors of those guys being gay started to circulate. It didn't even matter that they weren't gay! Just the rumor would be enough to ruin both of their careers – and quickly. To me, taking a punch seemed like a lot better option.

Then, tossing my keys over to Cody, I let her know she was driving us to the arena today. My excuse was that I was waiting for my Advil to kick in. The reality was that I honestly felt like shit. Sure, maybe my headache had faded to a dull throb, but the rest of me still felt like warmed-up bull snot.

Seeing my girlfriend behind the wheel of my truck, however, was hot. Yeah, she had the seat pushed all the way forward, but she drove this thing like it was a part of her. When we pulled into the arena, she headed around back to find a parking space that wouldn't be too obvious. Unfortunately, this was where we had to separate.

"Go on," I told her. "Get checked in, draw your bull, get your gear set up. I'll be right behind you."

She looked over at me and pushed out a heavy breath. "You know you're still allowed to be my friend, right?"

I chuckled at her. "Yeah, because none of those guys will wonder why Tanner is so ok with this? Because no one's gonna stop to ask why I'm not chasing every buckle bunny out there? Cody, I dunno how to break this to you, but if we don't want questions about this thing we're doing, then we're gonna have to hide it."

She pushed her next breath out through her nose. "It's fucking stupid," she grumbled as she got on the truck.

"It is," I agreed, "but the only reason any of us guys can wrap our minds around someone wanting to spend time with a girl? It's to get laid."

She just shut the door in my face, then went to the back seat and opened that one. "Because you'd never talk to a girl unless you wanted to sleep with her?"

Yeah, that was the problem. I wouldn't. I had bull riding to keep me entertained, the guys to drink beer with, and women to make me feel good. That was how I'd been doing this for years, and every other man on this tour with us was doing the exact same thing.

"We also don't want people to think about why your boyfriend is spending time with your mentor," I pointed out, hoping that would get me out of this.

So she grabbed her bag, nodded at me, then stepped back. "Then I'll see you inside."

I sat there in the passenger seat, watching her in the rearview mirror. This fucking hangover made me feel like an even bigger asshole than I usually did. Sadly, she was right. The way we guys thought about women was exactly why she was getting so much shit in the PBR.

It all basically boiled down to the fact that we were men, she was delicate, and this was a dangerous sport. Therefore, it made sense to us that she couldn't keep up. Chasing her out was just doing her a favor. It was our way of protecting her. The scariest part of all of that was I could understand how those assholes were thinking. And while I hated to admit it, I may have thought like that myself before I'd met her.

Ten minutes later, I gathered up my stuff and headed inside. The line to the check-in window was short. The woman behind the window passed me a slip of paper with my bull on it. His name was Pumpkin Spice, and I'd never heard of him before. So, I had my phone open, googling any videos of this creature I could find, when I made it into the main room where the riders were warming up.

Cody was in the same place where we'd set up yesterday, but she wasn't alone. Derek Mitchell and Casey Davis were hovering on either side of her. A split second later, I realized Derek was holding a bull rope in his hand, just high enough that Cody wouldn't be able to reach it. She was glaring at him, but refusing to jump for her gear.

Instead, she bent to where her bag rested on the ground and pulled out the backup rope I'd gotten her. Before I could even call out, Casey snatched it from her hands and lifted it the same way Derek was holding the other.

"What ya gonna do now, little girl?" Casey taunted.

"How you gonna ride if you can't even hang on to your rope," Derek sneered.

My feet started moving faster, but Cody just clenched her jaw, lifted her chin, and looked between the two men. "Keep-away?" she asked. "Real mature, boys. No, I'm impressed. Keep it up."

Yeah, fuck that. Soon as I was close enough, I tossed my bag beside hers, snatched the rope from Derek's hand, and shoved him out of the way. Pressing Cody's main rope into her hands, I turned for Casey with my fists clenched, ready to punch that bastard right in the face.

"Give the rope back," I warned, ready to kill this man for fucking with my girl.

Casey just scoffed. "You're willing to lose fifteen grand for a woman that won't even sleep with you? Come on, Ty. Are you really that desperate?"

So I leaned into his face and grabbed him by the collar with both hands. "My momma told me that a real man stands up for a lady. Maybe Cody's the only lady we got on this tour, but if she needs someone to throw a few fists for her and pay a few fines? Then yeah, I'll be that guy. My balls are big enough to take it. How about yours, Casey?"

The guy's hand had dropped when I grabbed him, and that was all Cody needed. She snagged the rope from his fingers. I felt Casey reach for it, so I shook him a little harder, keeping his focus right on me.

"Tell your friends. Anyone who fucks with her, fucks with me." I added another shake just to make sure he knew I was serious.

"Fuck you, Ty," Derek grumbled behind me. "We're just having some fun."

So I shoved Casey away from me and spun on Derek. "Maybe she didn't choose me. So fucking what? Unlike you idiots, I know that having a woman on tour is gonna bring twice the media coverage, which means higher paychecks for all of us. So, if you wanna fuck up my future, then I will definitely fuck up yours."

"What, you her protector now?" Derek huffed.

"Yes."

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