Chapter Ten

Getting dressed for a rodeo was a ritual that went beyond function or appearance. Every garment a competitor put on their body would instill confidence for a great performance or protect them if they crashed and burned.

While Dylan buttoned his shirt, each flick of his fingers became a ceremony used to get his head in the game. Buckling chaps around his hips added a layer of armor that would keep him from getting road rash if a bull threw him.

He tested how his body was moving today. The stiffness in his spine that he ignored daily seemed a little better today, which he was grateful for. He always wanted to do his best—but today he wanted to impress Sloane too.

She perched on the edge of the bed, watching his every move. "I can't believe you take the ranch rodeo so seriously. I thought it was just for fun."

He glanced up at her in surprise. "I told you that I'm here in the off-season. The rest of the time, I'm traveling the rodeo circuit all over the lower forty-eight. Due to the weather, I only get to participate in a couple rodeos here for fun, but I use them for practice too."

"How the hell did I end up with a second professional athlete in my life?" She shook her head, soft waves brushing her shoulders. "I guess I got lucky visiting when I did. If I'd booked my stay later, we never would have met."

His next breath felt hot and wrong. Like he'd inhaled something besides air.

Abandoning his task, he moved to the bed. Planting his hands on the mattress on each side of her, he leaned in. "It's me who got lucky."

Emotions swirled inside him. Words he couldn't share burned on his tongue.

All these years of drifting with the wind, having no real goal other than to enjoy himself faded to background noise. Being right here with Sloane felt like…he was finally home.

She cupped his face and searched his eyes, her expression tender.

At that moment, Shaw's voice projected from the doorway. "Damn, don't start without me."

Sloane issued a laugh, and Dylan straightened, stepping back. Shaw's gaze sharpened as it cut over his body and lingered on the chaps strapped to his hips. A surge of desire tugged at his core.

A soft gasp swung both of their attention to Sloane. She covered her mouth with both hands, eyes wide over the top. "I can't believe I didn't see it before."

They stilled.

"I felt it when I woke up. Now I see what's different about you two."

Dylan's heart skipped a beat. "A difference?"

Shaw's arms hung loose at his sides, but he clamped and unclamped his fingers, like Sloane's statement hit a mark with him as well.

Things between him and Shaw were different. Ever since he joined him in the shower that morning and gave him a double orgasm that still had him reeling from the aftereffects, some of the tension between them had faded.

Sexual tension.

"Sloane—" he started.

"What is going on between you? Are you…intimate? With each other?"

Dylan said nothing—it wasn't his place. Shaw had a past with her. They shared a child. Dylan wasn't going to out him to Sloane if she didn't already know.

Just when he thought he'd have to give an exaggerated monologue about it getting late and how he needed to get to the back field that served as the rodeo arena, Shaw cleared his throat in a noise like tearing paper.

"We've been together."

Her eyes rounded even more, her lips open in outrage. "Dammit, why haven't I gotten to see this?" She balled her fist and punched the mattress. The blow made no sound…and she looked cute as hell.

Dylan's jaw dropped. He let out a bark of laughter, which Shaw echoed.

"Well?" She looked between them. "When do I get to join you two?"

His gaze locked with Shaw's. Goddamn, he'd never missed a chance to ride a bull in his life, but thinking about their threesome hitting another dynamic had him ready to kick his rodeo clothes under the bed.

In two quick steps, Shaw reached Sloane and leaned over her. Dylan's chest tightened as Shaw pinched the point of her chin and angled her lips to his. "Soon," he whispered a split second before he kissed her.

Dylan watched the exchange without a hint of jealousy in his body. Actually, his heart brimmed with emotions he'd never expected to feel for one person, let alone two.

The bond that had been cracked between Sloane and Shaw now seemed to be forming anew.

When they eased apart, Shaw stepped aside, and Sloane held out her arm, coaxing Dylan forward to join the ring.

"Hot damn, I get to have a wild romp after my bull ride!" With a whoop of joy, he yanked her off her feet. He slammed his mouth over her laughing one, cutting off the sound. When her tongue moved over his, he tasted Shaw's essence, and his arousal swelled.

He slid his free arm around Shaw, bringing him in. The surprise in his lover's eyes flared like a shooting star streaking across a midnight sky before he leaned in and added his tongue to the mix.

A low moan formed in Dylan's throat. If this continued, he would miss the very first event in his life—and he was good with that.

Damn good.

Sloane tore her mouth free first. With a dazed look on her face, she stared at Dylan. "You're going to be late."

He lowered her until her feet touched the floor and dropped his arm from Shaw. "Either of you feel like placing a bet on me tonight?"

Shaw grinned, and Sloane looked incredulous. "What kind of bet?"

"I get my eight seconds on the back of that bull and both of you are at my mercy tonight."

The men traded a sly look.

"And if you don't?" Sloane asked slowly.

"Then I do anything you guys want."

Her eyes sparked brighter. "Anything?"

"Anything," he verified.

Shaw looked to Sloane and twitched his head toward Dylan. "The man's pretty confident that he'll win, isn't he?"

"I know another man just likethat—on the ice. Now, let's go watch this rodeo, though now I don't know whether to cheer on Dylan or the bull."

As they left the bungalow and strolled along the stone path to the makeshift arena, Dylan started to question if he could uphold his end of the bargain. Either way he would lose.

In the end, both of his lovers would walk away. They'd either go their separate ways, or Sloane and Shaw might fix their relationship. And when this was all over, he would still be left drifting alone on the cold wind.

* * * * *

As soon as the three of them walked through the gate, screams erupted from a group of people already seated in the stands.

Shaw's protective hand on Sloane's spine tensed, and he jerked his head toward the sound.

"What the hell?" Dylan darted away to check it out.

From this spot, Shaw peered over everyone's heads to see a group of people spilling out of the bleachers and milling around, swatting at the air.

"Bees. At least it's not bears." He took Sloane's hand and led her in the opposite direction. The stands extended along the front of the field and were already jam-packed with people.

Sloane surveyed the crowd. "Where did all these people come from? Surely they're not guests at the ranch!"

He threw her a crooked smile over his shoulder. "People come from the village to watch the rodeo. They may not all agree with what goes on here, but after the long winter, they're ready for any entertainment they can get."

As he led her to an empty space on a wooden bench, Dylan jogged back up to them.

"Bees," he confirmed. "A hive under the bleachers."

"Anybody get stung?" Sloane twisted to look at the Boot Knockers and their women who'd piled off the benches in a hurry.

"One of the guys. Nothing major." Dylan leaned in to plant a kiss on Sloane's lips. "I've gotta help with the horses for the opening ceremony. Check under the seat before you sit down."

Dylan swung around to go. Shaw didn't even think before he shot out a hand and laid it on his lover's shoulder.

Dylan turned back. Under the brim of his Stetson, his eyes burned with surprise and a glint of confusion.

"Break a leg."

"Let's hope I don't break my back." He flashed a grin and then jogged off, disappearing in the crowd of newcomers pouring into the arena.

"Bull riding is dangerous. What if he really does get hurt?" Sloane chewed on her bottom lip.

Shaw wouldn't lie to her by assuring her that it wouldn't happen. Fact was, Dylan's last ride had knocked him out when the bull tossed him up against the wall. Shaw and some of the other guys had watched it live on TV. He'd tweaked his spine in that fall, and he got regular massages as a result.

"Sit here, baby." He peered under the bench for any sign of flying things but it was all clear. He held her hand while she mounted the few steps to reach the top, the best seat in the house.

Once they were settled, he caught a whiff of kettle corn on the breeze. "You want some popcorn? They make it fresh. I remember how much you love it."

Her stare locked on his. "Maybe later. What I really want is for you to tell me why you still call me baby."

Trying to get his bearings, he settled beside her. The crowd was filled with people wearing flannel shirts against the chill in the air, but before long the sun would heat them all up and they'd strip off layers.

His mind worked over how to respond to Sloane. She deserved an answer, but it had to be a good one. She'd know if he was blowing smoke. Besides, it wasn't his style—he'd always been straight with her.

"I still think about you, Sloane. I never stopped thinking about you."

Her throat worked in a swallow that looked painful under her delicate skin. A tendril of hair fluttered across her cheek, but she didn't bother to brush it away. "I never stopped either, Shaw. It's impossible. I thought that we could just have sex—but now I realize my heart's still tangled up with you."

She dropped her head, staring at her twisting fingers in her lap. The music they played before a show that was meant to set the tone in the crowd amped up to a faster tune that would pump them up.

And here he and Sloane sat, having one of their difficult and painful conversations. Again.

Resting a hand over hers, he stilled her knotting fingers. "I can go if you want me to—but I don't think you do."

Head jerking up, she met his gaze. She shook her head. "You know I never wanted that in the first place, Shaw. I wanted us to work things through. I wanted you there helping me raise our daughter. What happened?"

He issued a low sigh. "I still don't know. We just sort of fell apart."

"We did fight a lot in the end. I can't even remember what the arguments were about anymore."

"Neither can I. After my injury and that last game where I tried to stay on the ice so the whole team didn't suffer—and it backfired and we lost anyway—I sort of lost my direction. I didn't know who I was without hockey."

"I wasn't as supportive as I should have been either. I'd just found out I was pregnant. Even though I was so happy, I was scared it would end my career. I spent too much time in my own head and didn't share any of that with you."

He nodded. "So did I, baby." He stroked his thumb across her knuckles.

Before either could say more on the topic, the music grew to a crescendo. The crowd cheered, many of them surging to their feet to clap along. The stands thundered underneath them as boots stomped to the beat.

When the cowboys participating in the rodeo walked into the arena and lined up in the center, everyone went crazy. He easily picked out Dylan on the end.

What happened between them had affected him more than he cared to admit. But damn if he didn't want to give him that pleasure again and again and again, with Sloane looking on.

With her joining in.

The dark ripple of desire moving through his body wasn't all lust either. That fucked with his head as much as feeling so close to Sloane…yet knowing he couldn't keep her.

A lone Boot Knocker on a white mare galloped into the arena. Everyone cheered louder. The rider did a lap around the cowboys and then slowed to a trot in the center to join them all, bowing their heads for a moment.

Hockey came with plenty of superstitions, one of them being that they'd lose a game or get hurt if they didn't take a second to thank their maker. The ice was just as dangerous as competitive rodeo, so he bowed his head too, praying that Dylan came out of the ride without injury.

He also hoped Dylan lost the bet he'd made with Shaw and Sloane. If Shaw had control in the bedroom, he already had a few ideas how to give Sloane the most pleasure she'd ever known.

Call him screwed up in the head, but he liked the thought of giving her orgasms even if they were through another man.

His cock stirred behind his fly. With one hand on Sloane's thigh, he settled his stare on the man he wanted more than anything to share her with.