Chapter 9 #3
He grinned, a threatening grin that made a chill run through her core. “I dunno. Might be too much for you.”
With a pinch to one of his nipples, she announced, “Anything you can dish out, I can take.”
“Oh, yeah? We’ll see about that.”
Ten minutes later when he lifted his face from between her legs, Shyanna was writhing with need, and when he thrust deep inside her, she cried out. “Can you take it, babe?” he whispered, pinching her nipples viciously.
“Yeah. I want more, baby, please?” Then she gave him her sexiest grin. “And make it last more than eight seconds, cowboy.”
“Then you’d better hold onto your hat, cowgirl, because I’m about to give you the ride of your life,” Jensen growled into her ear and tore into her like a five-year-old tearing into a present on Christmas morning.
Two hours later and more orgasms than she’d ever had in her life in one evening, Shyanna lay in Jensen’s arms and listened to his soft, even breathing. She wanted him in her life―she needed him in her life. She didn’t think she could live without him.
And she hoped she never had to find out.
“Calm down, calm down! All of you!”
“We want some answers! She can’t do this!” a tall, skinny cowboy said as he pointed at the list.
“Technically, she can,” Dale said, but Jimmy stepped in front of him.
“Look, we can’t keep her from signing up. There’s no guarantee she’ll make it into the event though, so don’t panic!” Jimmy announced.
“What do you mean?” another older cowboy asked.
“I mean just because she signed up doesn’t mean she’ll actually ride,” Jimmy said, and he turned just in time to see Dale frown.
“But if she does any good at all, she’s going to ruin the winnings for some of us! You’ve got to do something!” one of the other guys shouted.
“Our regulations state she can ride in rough stock events if she wants. And you know full well that in most of the associations, only cowboys who work both ends of the arena can go for a championship. End of discussion. Let’s all worry about our own performance and stop worrying about somebody else’s, okay?
” Dale turned to leave. “She’s one woman.
It’s not like there’s going to be a wave of women coming into the sport.
Don’t piss your pants about it.” He stepped into the little room the arena staff let them use as an office and closed the door behind him.
One of the men in the back yelled out, “But―”
Jimmy interrupted them with a quiet voice.
“I’m not going to tell you what to do. I’m not going to even suggest anything.
But she can be kept from competing, if you know what I mean.
Just be creative and, for the love of god, don’t tell us anything about it, okay?
” Jimmy turned to step back inside the office, but when he did, he caught sight of Jensen Strader standing a distance away, glaring at him.
Great. Now I’m gonna have him on my back too, he thought. Why won’t that bitch just go away?
“I really don’t understand what all the fuss is about,” Dale said as soon as Jimmy walked in and closed the door.
“Hell, she’s just getting started in rough stock.
If they don’t want her to win, they’ll just have to be on top of their game.
That would be good, seeing as how they’ve been getting sloppy lately.
Nobody wants to come to a rodeo where all the cowboys act like they don’t know what the hell they’re doing. ”
“They’re just shaken up, that’s all. They don’t want a woman in their events.”
“They’re not their events, Jim,” Dale said forcefully. “They’re the association’s events, and the bylaws of the association say women can participate in any event they please. Matter of fact, the only―”
“I know, I know,” Jimmy groused and plopped down in a chair. “The only restrictions were for men, and they couldn’t participate in barrel racing and breakaway roping. I think that’s why they’re having such a fit.”
“Those were changed so no, they’re having a fit because they’re afraid a woman is going to show them up. Like I said, they need to up their game anyway.” Dale turned away and picked up a large ledger. “I’ve got to work on payroll for this weekend. Are you going down to supervise everything?”
“I am.” Jimmy rose and started to leave, but when his hand hit the knob, he turned back to his lifelong friend. “You know, we’ve had something good here for a lot of years. Please don’t go and screw it up.”
“I’m not screwing up anything, but according to our bylaws―”
“Yeah, yeah. I know. Later.” He threw the little office door open, then slammed it as he left. When he passed by the roster of riders and animals, he found someone else glaring at him. “I know. Fuck it. Dale won’t back me on it, so that’s that.”
“Back you? Look, we’re going to have to get this little plan in gear. Zesser’s getting a little antsy and we can’t let this fall through. I’ve got an idea, but we’ll have to sit down and talk about it.”
Jimmy stood, unmoving and silent, for a good bit before he said, “Okay. But we’ll have to go to my motel room. It’s too risky here.”
“Okay. Whatever. We just need to get this show on the road, Jim. I mean it. They’re going to another association if we don’t get this done pretty soon.
But first, I’ve got competitions to cover.
We’ll get together this evening.” Max disappeared down the stairwell and Jimmy breathed a deep sigh of relief.
He wasn’t sure what Max was planning, but he was pretty sure he wasn’t going to like it. And he wasn’t sure what Max was capable of, but he had a feeling if he knew, he wouldn’t like that either.
No matter how hard he tried, he hadn’t managed to get Shyanna to sign up for the steer wrestling event.
She’d decided if she was going to take shit off the guys, she’d concentrate on the two events she wanted to do most, bull riding and bareback broncs, and the one she was already doing well, team roping.
They were headed for the arena for Jensen’s slot in steer wrestling when he heard someone call Shyanna’s name.
They both spun toward the voice, and her face broke into one huge smile.
“Oh my god! I didn’t think you’d make it! ”
Amber grabbed Shyanna and hugged her, and as soon as she turned loose, SammyJo took her place, arms wrapped around the blond.
“We had to talk Coach Potter into excusing us for the weekend, and we had to drive all day to get here, but we’re here!
” Amber told them. She reached for Jensen’s hand to shake, but when he extended it, she said, “Oh, fuck that shit!” and hugged him too.
Before he could get her to turn loose, SammyJo had attacked him from the other side, and he was pretty sure he heard Shyanna laughing.
“What’s starting now?” SammyJo asked.
“Steer wrestling. I’ve got to go. Wish me luck, babe,” he said to Shyanna before he leaned out and gave her a kiss.
“Good luck, baby,” she called after him and he chuckled as he walked away.
His hazer for the ride was Chuck Cochran, and he’d always respected Chuck.
They went to their respective sides of the chute and he glanced at the seasoned hazer, who gave him a thumbs-up and a smile.
Jensen was sure Chuck had heard all the rumors about him and Shyanna, and the cowboy appeared to not give a shit, which was a good thing.
For reasons he didn’t understand, Cobra was unusually restless, pulling against the reins and dancing in ways he hadn’t danced in years.
It was hard to control him, and Jensen was doing his best. Chuck was being patient beyond belief and when Jensen made eye contact with him, the older, more experienced cowboy pressed a palm down in a “chill out” motion.
As soon as he had Cobra backed in just right and well in hand, he nodded. Sounds of the metal gate popping open filled Jensen’s ears, and the big horse bolted. Chuck pressed the steer in Jensen’s direction and he reined Cobra straight into the steer’s path.
Faster than he could process, there was a stumble, and then a pitching sideways. The crowd screamed, and Jensen felt his right shoulder and leg grinding into the arena’s dirt surface.
He could sense a presence near him and heard Chuck’s voice say, “Strader? Strader, can you hear me?” The crowd had grown silent, too silent, and Jensen tried to get his wits about him.
He could hear another voice too, a female voice, and someone cradled his face in their hands.
It said, “Help him! Get him out from under there!” and there were footsteps all around him.
Something was wrong with his right leg, and then he was free.
There was the sensation of being dragged before someone helped him sit up.
When he took a look, his heart almost stopped.
Cobra lay there in the dirt on his side, not moving.
“Wha-a-a … what the hell happened?” he mumbled as best he could.
Air brushed across the outer side of his thigh and he looked down to see his jeans shredded, and another look told him his right arm was skinned and bloody.
A face filled his vision―a face he loved. “Jensen? Baby? How do you feel? Are your ears ringing? Is there a roaring in your head? Talk to me, babe.”
He was confused, so confused. “Shy?”
“Yeah, babe. Let’s get you seen by the paramedics.” Two men in uniforms came into his line of vision, hovering over him, but he didn’t want them to touch him. He had to get to Cobra.
“My horse,” he said, then yelled, “my horse! What’s wrong with him! Cobra?”
Shyanna’s voice stopped him. “Jensen? Jensen!” His eyes snapped up to find her face, and there were tears on it. “Jensen, he’s gone. Cobra’s gone.”
“No, he’s not,” he answered, thinking maybe she was somehow blind. “He’s right there.”
She took his face in her hands again and stared into his eyes. “Jensen, he’s dead.”
“No!” he barked back, shaking his head. “We’re doing the steer wrestling. I’ve got to get up.”