Who’s Your Daddy #2
The volume rose up higher, thanks to Cash, and his cousin shot him a scowl before turning the dial down a notch or two.
The feminine voice continued. “Just remember not to get distracted by any buckle bunnies, jezebelles, or harlots lookin’ to pull you off the path. Your path. The path to greatness.”
Oh God. Stop it. I couldn’t—I couldn’t stop laughing.
“Jesus, Violet, you’re actually doin’ this shit for him?” A deep, gruff voice cut in. “Don’t you think this is a little weird… A little psych—” a high-pitched, obnoxious barking drowned out the rest of whatever the man was trying to say.
“Damn dog!” The man growled. The voice sounded familiar, and I thought of his dad.
The woman’s voice no longer held that soft, lilting tone as she snapped, “Bad, I’m tryin’ to do somethin’ for Cash, now get outta here!”
Yep, definitely his dad.
“I ain’t payin’ for his therapy!” His voice sounded a bit tinny—like he was far away, probably leaving the room.
Smart man. This was the most bizarre, delusional thing I’d ever fucking heard. I don’t think if someone were to tell me about this ahead of time that I’d believe this was possible. But fuck, this was as real as real could get.
“Get out!” Cash’s mom snapped out, before softening. “Don’t you listen to him, Cash. He’s just jealous because the Good Lord gave him work ethic instead of the mountains of talent He gave you.”
Another cackle fell from my lips. “I’m trying to imagine him listening to this in the locker room before, like, a football game or something…I—” My side hurt with how much I was laughing. Sucking in a deep breath, I said, “I just can’t see it.”
The smirk Cash’s cousin wore turned into a full-fledged smile. “He had a different CD in high school. And the squad didn’t mind. They thought it was cute.”
“Squad?” My brows furrowed, halting my laughter.
Ryder chuckled, and when I met his gaze, a shit-eating grin lit up his face. “They must’ve. One time or another he ended up in bed with all of ‘em.”
“Squad?” I wasn’t a huge sports person, but there were only so many teams that considered themselves squads. Was Cash a… A ch—
As if reading my thoughts, Cash turned back to look at me with a smirk on his lips. “Yeah, I did Cheer in high school. I was a base.”
“You did Cheer, as in did the cheerleaders or like…actually did Cheer?” Walker asked slowly.
“Well…both.” Cash’s grin was positively wicked. “While my classmates were playin’ with each other’s balls, I was—”
Maverick’s voice boomed over Cash’s, stopping him in his tracks as he said, “Learnin’ life skills and respectin’ women.”
“Yep!” Ryder shook his head and laughed, before sobering enough to say, “Respectin’ women, alright. Sometimes two at a time.”
I bit back a grin. There was no doubt about it. Cash Mooney got more and more interesting by the second. Professional cowboy, incorrigible playboy, high school cheerleader. There were so many layers to this man, all more entertaining and unbelievable than the last.
If I hadn’t actually met and interacted with him, I’d say someone made him up. But he was real. Very real. And hot as hell.
“Wow. I mean. You really are one of a kind,” I said, exhaling a breath.
His stare met mine, and even though I couldn’t actually see the depths of his eyes, they burned into me with an intensity that made shivers travel the length of my spine. But not the bad kind. “Is that a good thing… Or a bad thing?”
Was that a hint of nervousness in his tone? Well, that was surprising. I didn’t take him as the nervous type.
I bit my lip to hide a grin, all the while aware of his sweltering gaze. “I’ll have to get back to you on that.”
A confident smirk illuminated his face, and if I were being honest, my heart may have, possibly, definitely skipped a bit. Not that I’d ever admit that though. “Still wanna ride with the horses?” he asked.
“No.” The word escaped me before I could stop myself.
Wow, desperate much? I recovered quickly enough with a shrug as I forced an indifferent tone to my voice. “I can’t imagine I’d be quite as entertained back there.”
Ryder’s chuckle snapped the crackling tension between us. Thank fuck. Was it hot in here or was I just seriously in need of getting laid?I fought back the urge to fan myself.
“Don’t worry,” Ryder said, “you’d still be able to hear it. He plays this on a loop on the trailer speakers for his horse.”
Dear God, he really was crazy.
“He does not!” Walker squealed.
Without even missing a beat, Cash shrugged before turning around and pressing the ‘back’ button on the console.
His voice echoed through the speakers once more. “Hey, Stud. Well, I guess you’re on your way to another rodeo, and you know what that means! It’s time to kick. Some. Ass!”
“Oh, fuck me,” I let out another cackle. It was just as unhinged and hysterical the second time around. “Not aga—”
“If you don’t want to hear it…” Cash turned back to grin at me.
“You better stop talkin’ through it. This is how I win.
And Big Daddy always wins.” It was a statement.
Not a single ounce of worry or doubt in his tone.
And even though what he said was completely innocent, there was something oddly…
erotic about the tone. Almost like a challenge.
I guess we’d see about that.