Chapter Eighteen
Ian
Shit on a stick, Ian’s nerves were doing their best to stretch to new limits. His body was strung tighter than a bow, watching dozens of men roaming around dressed in their cowboy gear.
Ian could acknowledge in some part of his sensible brain that there was a whole lot of eye candy roaming around the paddocks where they’d come after registering for the event.
Rick had insisted that he come with him into the paddocks so he could see everything.
Selfishly, Ian didn’t want to see anything when the beasts, up close, looked bigger and meaner than the bull Rick rode at the ranch experience.
He eyed the big monster in the stall, pawing and making angry snarls at anyone approaching. Heat wafted off the beast in an unpleasant wave, and Ian thought of his mate sitting on the thing.
Oh, Lordy.
Told you we should have tied Rick to the bed and kept him occupied in other ways until he forgot this silly nonsense.
And I told you we need to be supportive. It didn’t matter that he agreed with his honey badger. Rick wants to do this, and we shouldn’t stop him. He’ll regret it.
Of all the reasons he should have spoken-reminded Rick what he’d said the first time and his reply—this was the one that had kept him quiet.
Regrets, they were hard to live with. They could be reminiscent of sitting on an uncomfortable seat for too long and not knowing which way to move to ease it.
Sitting like that with regret would cause a rift.
Ian just knew it. So this was him sucking it up and wearing his big boy pants when all he wanted was to strip those buggers off and hide—preferably in Rick’s bed.
He rocked forward at the slap to his shoulder as Charlie chuckled. “You look paler than a ghost.”
Ian kept the retort on the tip of his tongue to himself. Telling Rick’s best friend to “fuck off” wasn’t the right way to deal with his worry. Instead, he offered a polite smile. “I’m a little concerned, is all.” If there was ever an understatement that was it.
Another back slap made Ian stagger while Charlie’s deep belly laugh drew attention from those closest to them. “Rick is a pro. He’s gonna show that bull what for.”
Ian eyed the mean eyed animal and shuddered at the thought of Rick antagonizing the beast. “Please don’t say things like that.”
Rick’s masculine scent alerted Ian to his presence before an arm slipped around his waist. The press of his warm body next to Ian’s did little to help the anxiety when there was an announcement that riders and bull picks were called.
Rick nuzzled his ear and murmured, “Take a breath, my love.”
Ian then realized he had been holding his breath as it wheezed out of his chest in a gush. Rick didn’t try to reassure him and give platitudes. He couldn’t say if he was grateful for it or just wanted Rick to lie to him.
“Got the beast, I see, for your last ride,” came a gravelly voice once the announcer had stopped talking.
Rick twisted and brought Ian with him to view the cowboy in front of them.
Gray and weather-beaten were the two things that sprang to Ian’s mind.
A gray beard hung to the top of an impressive chest, along with shoulder-length gray hair.
The cowboy hat sat low over his forehead, shielding his eyes, but it didn’t conceal his speculative expression when it landed on Ian.
“George,” Rick nodded, his grip tightening on Ian. “This is my mate Ian, Ian, meet George Rogers.”
Ian offered his hand, giving a perfunctory smile, hating the guy when he made a scoffing sound, looking Ian up and down as if a second-class citizen, not taking his hand. Ian shoved it into his jeans pocket, blushing with embarrassment at the obvious slight.
“He’s big for an omega, guess you lucked out.”
The hand holding his hip stroked in a soothing manner as Rick grinned, all teeth. “Got lucky, and the Fates gifted me an alpha.”
The bragging element could not be ignored. Ian smirked at George, take that asshole.
Rick chuckled in Ian’s head.
Charlie frowned at George. “Ain’t you into alphas? I was sure you were chasing one at the last rodeo. Sure, he ran the other way from your ugly ass.” It was said with humor, but the glint in Charlie’s eyes said differently.
The announcer chose then to advise the riders that it was time to start. Ian’s nerves were back to dancing as Rick kissed his cheek and let go. Be safe, he said through their link, and Rick gave him a reassuring grin.
Gotcha. With a salute, Rick sauntered off all swagger and tight ass in jeans that should be outlawed.
Charlie hooked Ian’s elbow, and he followed as Charlie explained, “Got you the best view in the arena.”
Ian kept his protest to himself about offering it to someone who wasn’t going to be standing with their eyes closed. No, he went meekly along to the stall and climbed up onto the wooden fence to get a higher view, just in time to see Rick sling a leg onto the bull in the pen.
“What are the other cowboys for?” Ian asked seeing several men standing by a gate dressed slightly differently from everyone else. He was positive there had been none of them the last time he’d watched Rick.
“They are the guys who keep the bull occupied so the rider, when he’s bucked off, he doesn’t get trampled.”
Ian heard the jolliness but couldn’t find anything jolly about his mate needing to be protected by what looked like clowns in cowboy gear.
Do something.
Ian shut his eyes when the announcer started an excited commentary about Rick just as the gate opened, and the bull took that as a sign and charged out, bucking and stomping the dirt.
Rick was thrown forward and back with such violence that Ian cringed at the impact on bits he didn’t want damaged, when he couldn’t keep his eyes shut. In fact, he was rather fond of all of Rick.
Ian slammed his eyes shut again, white knuckling the fence and prayed despite the adrenaline rush coming through his bond with his mate.
Make it stop, his honey badger howled deafeningly.
You want me to dive in front of the bull! he asked, his eyes firing open as the crowd went wild and he watched Rick dismount the bull. His body jerked to the left just in time to avoid a horn ripping into his torso.
He didn’t breathe until Rick was behind the fence, and even then it was more of a passing wheeze as he realized it wasn’t over. They were going to have to do this twice more.
Oh, Lordy!
Ian wasn’t sure his heart would cope.
Rick came to him and grabbed him to kiss him passionately.
For a brief moment, everything faded away. Then Rick pulled back and said to Charlie, “Where did I rank?”