Chapter 19
My boots scuffedon the asphalt parking lot as I wandered back toward the Tulsa Convention Center, but my mind was on the little blonde in the big truck who'd managed to turn my world upside down in a single weekend. A little smile twisted my lips higher.
Now she was the type of woman I could get stupid over. Hell, I was already pretty stupid over her. She didn't care about crap like spending my money or what some Instagram model was doing. Cody hadn't tried to hide her face from me in the morning. Yeah, she'd been wearing too many clothes, but I didn't even care. Just kissing that wild little thing had been enough to keep me satisfied, and that hadn't happened in a long time.
Damn, I liked her, and I knew the whole next week was going to be a lot of ribbing from the guys. But it'd be so worth it if she texted me in the morning. Hell, I probably wasn't going to sleep a wink waiting for it.
In some ways, this was my payback. When Renato first met Hannah, I'd given him so much shit for it. We'd hung out and gotten in a lot of trouble before he met her, but she'd changed him completely. I'd known that he had a fondness for the Latinas, and he liked things to get a little wild. Hannah was the second, but not the first. Maybe that was why them getting together had shocked me so much.
Then again, was I really any different? I liked blondes, brunettes, and even redheads. Didn't care about those sorts of things, but the girls I picked up were always the same. I liked them tall, curvaceous, and well-endowed. Painted lips were a personal weakness, especially when they were slapped right around my dick.
Cody was none of that. She was maybe five feet, five inches tall and while she had some real nice curves, I was pretty sure she wasn't more than a B cup. And lipstick? I'd never seen her wear it. She looked good with nothing at all on her face, and it was kinda nice to not have to worry about getting it off me when we were done.
But the girls I took home for a one-nighter were nothing like the ones I'd actually dated back before I got on this wild ride. I'd always liked the real ones - like Cody. I had a weakness for the innocence in her eyes, and the women who came on to a stranger in a bar rarely had that. I loved the way she blushed so easily, but that would fade with a little more experience. Sadly, women like her didn't usually go for men like me. Oh, I could make them smile, get their panties all wet, but they always walked away, looking for something a whole hell of a lot more stable, so I'd stopped trying.
And that was what made Cody special. She wouldn't ask me to settle down. She wasn't going to try to change me. She knew exactly what I did for a living, and I knew this was her dream. I didn't care at all if she beat me like tonight, lost to me like she would next weekend, or had a crappy time of it and no-scored the whole way through an event. From what I could gather, she just wanted one thing in a man, and that was honesty.
It was also something I could do. May have been a long time since I'd spent a night alone, but I'd made it through Friday night just fine. Yeah, I was going to miss her beside me tonight, but if it meant I got another chance with her, it'd be so worth it. If that was what it took to get another one of those kisses like she'd just given me? Well, whatever came after that - once I could finally get her alone - would rock my fucking world.
I was almost to my truck when I got spotted. J.D. Adkins skipped toward me, taking it easy on his busted-up knee. We were all like that, and we all tried to ignore it - even Cody. She hadn't whined once when she'd taken that hit, just shrugged it off and got back on the bull. I just had to figure out how I was going to keep her attention on me and off all the other guys trying to steal her away. Wouldn't take long before the rest of them realized what kind of a catch she really was.
"Ty!" J.D. yelled again.
I stopped, rubbing at my mouth to wipe away any hints of what I'd just been doing. "Whatcha need?"
"Where's Cody?" When he got close enough, he punched my shoulder lightly. "You're the one that seems to have a line on her comings and goings."
"She left. Just pulled out a few seconds ago."
He grinned. "So'd that go ok?"
"Huh?"
"You. Her. Saying goodbye. That go ok?"
Not at all what I wanted to talk about with him, but since he'd been cool, I wouldn't totally blow him off. "Went fine. She just had to get back before her dad heads to work in the morning."
"Ah, gotcha. Well, she coming back, or was this just a fling for her?"
"Don't go there," I groaned. "Jesus, J.D. The last thing that girl needs is someone else telling her she can't do this."
He just waved me down. "Seriously? Is that what you think I've been doing, getting her a helmet, beating the crap outta that guy, and shit? You think that's how I run people off?"
"No," I grumbled, annoyed that he didn't understand. "Calling it a fling. She's real sensitive about it. I guess she got a lot of crap at home, and I just have a feeling that calling what she does a fling would piss her off a bit."
He took a long breath and nodded. "Nah, I get ya. Not like that with me and her, though. Least I don't think it is."
"I'd love to hear what it is like." Because I sure as hell didn't approve of the way that sounded.
He chuckled. "She's cool, man. Me and Cody got an understanding. I'm the asshole, she's the nice one, and together we're gonna take all the money in the PBR after I show her a few things. I mean, not like I've met anyone else good enough to teach, but your little girlfriend? Damn, man. She can ride."
"And you expect me to believe that you won't be hitting on her every chance you get?"
He just held up his hands. "Naw. See, I'm gonna tell you a secret. I sorta like Cody. Think she's pretty cool. Now here's the not-so-secret part. I suck with women. They love me when they hear my name. We spend any time talking 'stead of fucking, and it's a big ol' crash and burn. So, that makes it real easy. I wanna hang out with a damned cool bull rider, so I'll let you do all the lovey-dovey crap, and I'll teach her how to get the big checks." He paused with that annoying smile on his face, then chuckled and offered his hand. "Sound like a deal between us?"
"J.D., you're fucked up, man." He was, but he was also trying, so I accepted, slapping my palm against his. "And if you screw me over, I'm gonna break your face."
"Yeah. I think I can take it." For a minute, I thought our happy little chat was over, then he lifted a finger. "Oh. And did you notice those jeans she was wearing?"
Just when I finally thought he was trying to be cool, the man starts talking about her ass. "Yep."
"You ever stop to think about it?"
At that moment, I decided it was official. His mother must've dropped him on his head way too many times. "About her jeans?"
"Fierce Denim, dumbass. Same company as Lasso." Then he pointed right to the big patch on his chest. "Tillman International. I'm gonna talk to my rep. I'm betting they'd love to get a chance to hit the women's market. You have any idea what the conversion is on PBR sponsorships?"
Yeah, no. I wasn't even going to touch that. Just the fact that crazy-boy here had figured it out when I hadn't? Now I was starting to wonder about my own sanity. But he was right. Companies that specialized in western clothing went crazy for the chance to paste their name all over us. Pretty sure there wasn't anyone else who'd wear the girly pink logo they used for Fierce Denim. Wait.
"Pink?" I asked.
He just winked. "Which is why I wanted to talk to you. I'm gonna get that girl a sponsor. Now don't go thinking this is all some benevolent thing, or anything like that. They'll give me a real good cut if she signs, but..."
I knew exactly where he was going. "She'll also get the money to keep touring. So what's the catch?"
"I'm probably gonna make a surprise visit, stopping by your girl's place between now and next weekend. Just wanted to make sure it was all on the up and up."
"You know where she lives?"
"Google, Ty. It's all about Google. Spring Creek is right off I-44 between here and St. Louis. Damned near dead center."
This time, I was the one thinking fast. All those little pieces she'd been dropping this weekend were slowly coming together. Small town, local to both of these shows, worried about a ride, and then there were the bits about the guys she'd grown up with. I knew Renato would be all in to help her out. I could guess that J.D. was up for anything that got him into more trouble. Probably wouldn't be hard to find a few more, I just needed to know a little about the guys who'd been giving her grief.
"I see smoke," J.D. teased when I didn't say anything for too long.
I just nodded. "You have any idea the kind of crap she's been getting from the local bull riders? She said she grew up with most of them. To me, that sounds like they all live near her."
"Yeah, and?"
Ok, so maybe J.D. only played a genius once every full moon. "How the hell do you think those small-town hillbillies would react to having us come crash their local hangouts?"
The smile that took over his face may have been the most terrifying thing I'd ever seen in my entire life. "And I know just the people. You keep sweet-talking your girl. I'll sweet-talk my rep. When I know something, I'll set up a real nice meeting, and we can make sure our rookie gets a little bit of her pride handed back on a big ol' silver platter."
"Sounds like a plan. Let me know when you hear something." I offered my hand again, and this time he took it like a normal human, then I turned to find my truck. I was halfway there when an idea popped into my head. "Hey, J.D.?" I called back.
"What now?"
"Know a local place that makes custom chaps?"
That wicked grin of his shone in the amber lights. "I can find one. Lemme guess. Pink?"
"You get her the sponsor, I'll convince her to wear the colors, and we can fight over her at the next event. Sound good?"
"Sounds real good, Ty. Real good. Now, I'm headed to the bar. You're welcome to come with."
I just shook my head. "I'm not looking for a date, and I can have a beer at my place. Night, J.D. Don't do anything stupid."
"Not more than once," he agreed.
For some strange reason, I believed him. I also believed that he'd try every single stupid thing he could until he ruled them all out. Thankfully, he was on Cody's side, and that would probably keep her safer than anything else. Now that he'd made it known that he was her mentor? Yeah. The guys would have to have a death wish to keep harassing her like they had today.