Chapter 49
I wokeup with my face in the pillow, naked, with the sheet only partially over my ass. It took me a minute to realize why I was no longer sleeping, but then I heard the door open, words were mumbled, and then something clanked. The door closed again right after, but now I could smell coffee, and not the cheap, instant kind.
Tugging the sheet closer, I rolled over, pulled it above my breasts, and sat up just as Ty carried a tray into view. He glanced over at me and smiled, but kept going. Once he set everything down on the little round table over by the couch, he came back.
"How do you feel?" he asked as he sat on the mattress by my hip.
I actually had to think about it. "I'm ok," I decided.
"Need some Advil?"
I shifted, feeling the ache in my core. "Probably not a bad idea."
But he still didn't move. "Hey." He paused to take a deep breath. "This guy you're going to be dating? Um, you think that means an end to this? Or can I sneak you away for a torrid affair?"
"I think that's going to be part of the deal." Then I realized what he hadn't said. "I guess I should probably tell J.D. I ended up with you, huh?"
Ty just shook his head. "There's nothing official here, Cody. Remember, you're about to start dating someone else. Look, the truth is that J.D. and I talked before your little hay party back home."
"And?" I asked, hoping this was more of what he'd been saying so far, but I couldn't shake that stupid fear in the back of my mind.
"And," he said, letting the word out with a heavy breath. "Cody, I want you all to myself, and I don't. Maybe I just think I want you all to myself? I don't honestly know. But every time I see you with J.D., even just when you're pulling his rope, or he's holding up yours, I can't help but think that you belong with him. I mean, I want you to belong with me too, so if that means we share you..." He paused as if he'd just realized what he'd said.
"Ty?" I asked.
He laughed once. "Share. Um. The truth is that I used to be into some kinky shit, Cody. And I kinda liked it. One of the guys and I? We'd pick up the same girl, have a little threesome, and well, it was pretty good. And now here we are. You, J.D., and me. I mean, you didn't seem so upset the other night when he was kissing on you. I actually wasn't bothered at all when I walked in to see you curled up on him breathing hard. I..." He shrugged weakly. "I like this. So, if you wanna keep things going with your secret boyfriends, then I'm down with that. I just wanna ask for one thing, ok?"
I nodded quickly, not wanting to miss my chance. "What's that?"
"I kinda want something. Like, some kind of relationship. Um, so it's not just friends with benefits or like a scratching post for that itch. I want... I actually want to be a boyfriend, even if that's the secret kind."
"Yeah," I agreed. "I kinda want that too. I don't want to just slut it up."
"Please," he begged, "don't use that word, ok? Not after what Cole said. There's not a damned thing wrong with you liking sex as much as the rest of us. Cody, you're a fucking bull rider. Just like us boys. I'm just wondering... Maybe we can have some deal where you talk to us before you get involved with someone else? Not that we'll say no, but more like so we won't be shocked and make a mess of it?"
"Ty," I said, reaching up for his arm. "That's what you said the other night. You wanted me to tell J.D., remember?"
"Yeah, but when I said that, I was thinking more like where you were. After last night? I'm kinda wondering if we can make it more of an approval process? Hell, maybe I'm jumping the gun on this, but some of these guys are just like your ex, and Austin isn't the only one."
"So..." I paused, wondering why it felt so wrong to just talk about this like adults. Lack of practice? "Maybe like an open relationship? Like poly?"
Ty chuckled, but he also nodded. "Yeah, just like poly, but I'm pretty sure J.D. and I won't be looking for any buckle bunnies. Cody, all I want is you. I'm not dating anyone else. Not sleeping with anyone else. When I'm not with you, I'll just have a few beers, catch up on sleep, and spend my time thinking about this amazing girl I met in Tulsa, how's that?"
And that, right there, was the thing that had felt so wrong about this idea to me. I hadn't even realized it, but the idea of Ty with someone else? Or J.D.? Well, Tanner notwithstanding. Mostly, it was the thought of them having a relationship with me and slutting it up with everyone else, as if I didn't mean anything. Regardless of how Ty felt about that word, that was what they used to do, and the truth was that I hated the idea of them with anyone else.
Well, anyone else not tied to me. Anyone else female? Hell, I didn't even know how to say it, but I knew what I wanted, and I knew what felt right. The problem was that if I couldn't even get the thought to make sense in my head, there was no way I was going to figure out how to explain it to Ty.
But here he was, saying it for me, so I nodded at him one more time. "Me, you, J.D., and my potential new boyfriend, all in a relationship, then? Or a couple of relationships?"
"Let's go with a relationship, just because it's easier to say." He gave me a really sweet smirk. "Speaking of that, am I gonna find out who this mystery guy is today?"
"If he's interested in the plan, yes," I promised. "I asked J.D. to handle the details."
"So J.D. knows who he is?"
"J.D. was there when I kinda found out. Look, we all promised not to tell, so I just need you to trust me a little longer, ok?"
"I'm fine," he promised, leaning closer. "Cody, I like this. And I kinda want last night to happen a whole lot more, but your breakfast is getting cold, and I got pancakes."
"Oh!" I gasped, tossing off the sheet to hop out of bed. "I love pancakes."
Ty took one long look at my naked body before he got out of my way. Naturally, I had to stop by the bathroom first, then I had to find a sports bra and some clean boy short undies so I wasn't completely naked. By the time I made it to the table, he had a coffee mixed just right, a pair of Advil set out beside them, and my plate ready and waiting for me.
It was like a date, but the casual kind. We took our time eating, laughed about our spectacularly bad rides this weekend, and speculated about how tonight would go. We talked about the next show in Cheyenne, how he wanted me to ride with him, but knew J.D. would probably say the same, and more.
It felt so good. So completely normal. This was what I'd hoped to have with Cole, but had never quite achieved. This was the fantasy that most girls had when thinking about a boyfriend. Not just the hot sexy guy and the amazing sex, but also the fact that I actually liked his company. The truth was that I just felt so good when I was with Ty McBride.
We took our time about getting ready. I made an extra check of my gear, Ty helped me carry my things down to his truck, trading his chaps for my over-packed bag, and we arrived right on time to check in. I couldn't help but see the big black truck with J.D.'s logo waiting in the spot beside where Ty had parked yesterday. Inside were a pair of hats, and since I was pretty sure those weren't resting on the seats, I assumed he and Tanner were attached to them.
When Ty parked, J.D. opened his door and jumped out. The moment I had mine open, he told me, "It's a go."
On the other side, Ty opened his door, stepped up on the rail, and looked over the roof of his truck. "So do I get to meet the man who's replacing me?"
J.D. stuck his head back in his truck. "It's cool, man. I trust these two. Like, with my fucking balls, man."
When his passenger door opened, all I could see was the straw hat. I knew who it belonged to, but I didn't want to stare. Still, in the reflection of J.D.'s window, I could see Ty's eyes go wide when Tanner made his way around the back. He was wearing a simple white t-shirt, but he had on the loose shorts and strange running shoes the bullfighters used on his lower body. His purple jersey was nowhere to be seen.
"Seriously?" Ty asked.
Not the reaction I expected. Not at all. Tanner just lifted his hands. "Yeah, so this feels fucking awkward."
"No shit," Ty agreed as he hopped down. Still, he made his way around the back of both trucks to meet Tanner in between them. There, he looked at me one more time, then simply offered his hand to Tanner. "I'm not about to fuck up your life."
Tanner's shoulders finally relaxed, and he nodded before accepting Ty's hand. "I wouldn't be doing this if Austin wasn't already trying to catch me. Swear."
Ty just clenched his jaw. "Yeah. Well, we both know that if this is going to work, you'll need to be a little hands-on with her."
"Not a problem," Tanner said.
Ty leaned a little closer. "No, I didn't figure it would be. Just a little free groping, right?"
"Ty!" I hissed. "C'mon. You said you'd be cool."
"Cody..." he tried.
But I was having none of it. I shoved myself between the two of them to stab a finger toward his face. "You want me in your bed again, cowboy? Then you'd better figure out how to deal with this jealousy issue of yours. I'm pretty sure that Tanner isn't a threat."
Ty's eyes narrowed at me, as if he was trying to figure something out, but I'd made it this far, and I would not let everything fall apart already. No, I'd promised Tanner last week that I wouldn't make problems. Well, not exactly, but that's what I'd meant. He'd jumped into the fight with my ex for me because of it. The least I could do was make sure that Austin had more than enough proof that he wasn't as gay as he really was.
"You're the one who said him kissing me wouldn't be a problem. Yesterday you were fine with this. Hell, this morning you were fine with this, so what the hell crawled up your ass and died?"
He looked over at Tanner. For a moment they just stared at each other, but then it felt like Ty finally realized something. He laughed once and shook his head. "Yeah, so he's your gay best friend now, huh?" he asked, but his eyes were on Tanner.
"About to be my boyfriend," I corrected.
A choking sound came from Tanner's throat. J.D. grunted like I'd hit him with a low blow. I had no idea what I was missing, but my eyes were locked on Ty, waiting for him to ruin my perfect little fantasy.
Instead, he nodded. "Ok. If this is what you want, baby, then this is what you get. But if Tanner fucks you over, I'm pretty sure that J.D. will help me beat the shit out of him."
"Fuck," Tanner grumbled.
I looked back at him. "That's not going to happen," I promised.
"No, Cody, I'd never..." he tried.
"Look," I said gently, turning to grab Tanner's hand. "I'm the only woman in the PBR. Austin's trying to find a reason to fuck with both of us now. The way I see it, nothing else matters. I promise I'm not really the touchy-feely type in public, so it's good. We'll figure this out, ok? But right now, I need to check in. If you still want to do this, just, I dunno, flirt with me or something?"
Then I grabbed Ty's wrist and pulled, hauling him away so we could grab our stuff and get the hell out of this awkward. As I walked beside Ty toward the back entrance of the arena, I pulled my phone out of my pocket and sent J.D. a text.
Cody:Fix this!
The reply came back almost immediately.
J.D.:As soon as I know what the hell happened, then yeah. I'm on it. <3
It was the little emoticon heart that made me feel better. That made me feel like I wasn't losing my mind, and with J.D. on it, well, no one fucked with him. Now, I just had to figure out why Ty had changed his mind. Something was up, and that had the tense feeling back in my gut with a vengeance.