Christian
They called him Big Ralph. I’d heard the big, black bucking bull between my legs was a little unpredictable.
He was a bit of a spinner, but if I could just find a rhythm we could kill it.
I wrapped my dominant hand around the bull rope while I shifted my position up his back and raised my other hand for balance, waiting for the chute to open.
The bull shifted beneath me, his sides heaving with each breath where my legs wrapped around him.
I zeroed in on the bull, feeling every beat and movement well before the chute opened, calming my breathing while I waited.
I tucked in my chin and gave a quick nod to signal the cowboy who was manning the chutes that I was ready.
Metal clanked and creaked. The gate flew open.
Ralph lurched forward and spun in my hand.
My heart hammered in my chest, the thrill of riding the line of danger zipping through my blood stream like an electric current.
I sucked in my core, letting my hips roll with each buck.
The crowd was deafening but all I heard was the sound of my breathing echoing off the inside of my helmet.
I followed his lead, rocking with his movement. He was the athlete here and I was simply along for the ride.
And right when I thought I’d never get off, the buzzer blared, and I released, letting my legs swing over his back, catching air for just a moment before landing on the balls of my feet and bracing the ground with my hands.
Just in time to scramble toward the nearest fence as Big Ralph was cornered by the bull fighters and herded back to the chutes.
The crowd cheered and I swore I heard my dad’s whistle and my sisters’ screams as I held up my arms in victory.
I scanned the crowd for Sage but the lights were blinding.
I checked the clock and our score to see a solid eighty-three points.
It wasn’t a win, but I was happy with it.
I was ending the rodeo season in my best shape yet, accomplishing my dream to be invited to the NFR, surrounded by my family and the prettiest girl in the world. Could it get any better than this?
Hustling to the fence, I climbed over to find Kale on the other side.
“Woo!” Kale hollered. “What a ride, bro!”
We slapped each other’s hands in a hearty high five that turned into a handshake.
“That felt amazing!” I told him. “I’m ready to celebrate. How about it?”
“Hell ya!”
We waited until the end to see our final ranking. Neither one of us were winning a buckle, but we were both getting a healthy purse of winnings for our overall standing during the season.
Later, Kale and I walked down the tunnel to the locker room to change and pack up.
“You’re going to have to go out and celebrate without me. I already have plans. You know that dancer I met at the club I told you about?” He smiled, wagging his brows.
I laughed, shaking my head. “Go ahead. Don’t forget to wrap it.”
He huffed a sarcastic laugh. “You know I always do. I get my shots, too.”
I thumped him on the back. “Go paint the town red.”
“You should take my sister out,” Kale suggested as we finished cleaning up.
“I appreciate it. That’s my plan.” I smiled, following him out and heading out of the arena and into the resort area.
We turned the corner into the thoroughfare. The crowd streamed past us but my family and Sage were standing there waiting for us.
“Holy shit!” My whole body heated, my dick twitched, and I ran a hand over my mouth in an attempt to hold myself together.
Seeing Sage Pardy in a white dress and blue boots had me speechless.
Her long hair was down in big, soft waves.
My chest tightened. The thrill of bull riding was quickly forgotten with the sight of her.
The white dress made her skin look like she was sun-kissed.
She was a bronze fucking goddess and I was the worshipper ready to pay homage.
I might as well have won the world championship.
I beamed as I ran toward her, swooping her up and spinning her around.
“Put me down, you buffoon!” She pushed off my arms, squirming to get down, but my arms were wrapped around her middle.
I lowered her so her feet could touch the ground, but I didn’t let go.
I couldn’t. Not when she looked so beautiful and felt so fucking good in my arms. I’d been so gentle and patient with her this week, giving her space.
I could tell she was struggling. I didn’t know why, but I had a feeling that pretending to be engaged to someone who irritated the hell out of her was weighing on her.
Since her ex wasn’t here, I was doing my best to make it easy on her, even if we needed to keep it up for Kale and my folks.
“Look at you!” I couldn’t help pulling back enough to check her out head-to-toe. I bit my lip. “You look fucking gorgeous. A vision in white. Is this a glimpse of what I have to look forward to on our wedding day?”
Sage glanced around, noticing everyone had walked ahead of us. “You don’t need to pretend right now,” she said, her voice low.
“I’m not,” I told her with a wink.
I lowered my arms, but she still had her hands wrapped around my biceps like she wasn’t quite ready to let me go. I liked it. A lot.
“You don’t have to pretend right now either,” I teased.
She scoffed, dropping her arms, and rolled her eyes. “Good job out there, by the way. Everyone is so proud of you.”
“And you?”
She took a step away. “Of course I am. You didn’t get a horn in your ass.”
“You just didn’t want me to ruin these perfect glutes.” I rubbed my palm in an exaggerated motion over my ass like I was shining it up for her.
She whacked my arm, but her red lips tipped up in a flirtatious smile as she ducked her head to hide it. “You can thank the Wranglers, they're like a push-up bra for cowboy butts.”
I howled with laughter. “Sagey Pagey is on one tonight! I like it when you’re sassy.”
“You’re annoying,” she shot back but there was a smile in her voice.
“Come on.” I wrapped an arm around her shoulders, turning her with me to follow after my family.
“It’s our last night in Vegas, I have my winnings burning a hole in my pocket, you look like you could use a night to let loose, and we’re not going to waste that pretty little dress by going back to the hotel room.
Unless … you’d rather see it on the floor? ”
She coughed at that. “In your dreams.”
“Every night,” I confessed.
She shook her head and gestured to my family and Kale who was greeting them. “What about everyone else?”
“They’re not coming with us and Kale is meeting up with some girl he met at the club, so you can relax,” I told her, pulling her close. I couldn’t help nuzzling my nose into her hair. She smelled like peaches and flowers.
She gave me a permissive pat on the chest. “Where are we going?”
I grinned down at her, my heart doing a little leap with my feet as if I wanted to skip like a child. “I have some places in mind.”