Page 105 of Tame Our Wild

“Don’t worry. You’ve ruined me for all other women. I prefer a dust bunny over a buckle bunny now.”

I chuckle and playfully roll my eyes at him, feeling his deep laugh roll off his chest. My skin crawls in unease when I glance over at the other side of the hallway and see Jax Bowman tucked beside some other riders, his scowl blinding under the shadow cast over his face from his hat as he watches Colson and me. Quickly, I wipe my happy expression off my face and shift my attention back to Synthia as she hands off the next part of the conversation to the judges.

The next hour flies by in a blur.

The intro of all the competitors walking between the trail of fire.

The announcer’s voice booming over the speakers relaying the current standings.

The media, and Heather and Mark from Kickin’ Up Dust snagging me for pre-ride interviews.

Now, dirt, the tang of sweat, and anticipation flood the arena, the crowd rowdy and fired up as bulls are let out of the chute. My competitors hang on with every ounce of grit and determination they have, being this close to the end of the season, as these final points can make or break standings.

The exhilaration from my 89.5 first-round ride still flows in my veins. My face is still hot and covered in a sheen of sweat, my body humming in anxiousness for the man and bull who are currently getting loaded into the chute. My pulse is still racing chaotically, like my heart hasn’t gotten the hint that I’m done for tonight until the last two rounds tomorrow. But in all honesty, I’m eager to watch Colson get out there and do what he does best.

From this angle, I have a view of the chute, the top half of Colson’s body visible on the platform as the crew prepares the bull.

Colson is adjusting his glove; his features hardened in focus. My fingers tighten around the rail, my body clinging to the fence for stability.

He may be in the second-place position right behind Jax Bowman, but even I know the points he collects this weekend could determine whether he and Jax stay neck and neck for that world champion title.

This could be Colson’s second consecutive win, and the old Harlow would be scolding me if she heard me say that I want him to walk away with the buckle.

If it’s not me, I want it to be him.

And the fact that both of our parents are in the stands tonight makes this evening that much better. I knew Colson’s would be in the stands, but I was shocked when Mel arrived at my hotel room with two other people in tow. Ever since my accident, my parents have watched each event live from the comfort of their living room, but seeing them show up shocked the hell out of me. I hadn’t seen them since the holidays, and apparently, they were missing me and couldn’t watch me ride virtually any longer now that I am this close to the end.

“You need a bucket?”

The question catches me off guard, and I glance over at Dalton Carroll, standing next to me. A wispy lock of his blonde hair is secured to the sweat on his face. Like me, he is done riding for the night, but sadly, he didn’t last the eight seconds and failed to score.

“To sit?” I ask.

He shrugs, those blue eyes looking at me skeptically. “Or to throw up in. You look nervous right now.”

“Oh.” I wipe my sweaty palms on my chaps. “Yeah, I guess I am.”

Ever since I asked Brian to dance with me at the bar when I was sitting at the table with him and Dalton, I think they’ve known that something is going on between Colson and me—especially after we left the dance floor together, hand in hand, like we didn’t care who would see us.

There’s no doubt that some of our competitors are suspicious of us, some more than others. That thought was confirmed when Jax Bowman had his eyes trained on us during the earlier meeting. There was something almost threatening about the way he was looking at Colson and me.

But nothing has been said, and no questions have been asked, but as Brian leans forward on the other side of Dalton to pin me with a raised brow, it’s clear they know why I’m nervous.

Brian tries to contain his smirk, but it still bleeds through with his words. “Nervous because you want him to have a bad ride or nervous for another reason?”

Dalton laughs, bracing his elbows on the rail. “You can’t take your eyes off him.”

The lie tastes bitter on my tongue. “Yeah, because he’s my rival. I’m protecting myself and need to always know where he is so he can’t ambush me.”

“Ah, I see,” Dalton says cynically. He and Brian are sharing an amused look, like they are having a secret conversation they don’t want to clue me in on.

I furrow a brow. “What?”

“We aren’t buying your bullshit, Harlow,” Brian retorts. “You looked way too happy when Colson ambushed us on the dance floor at the bar. You ran into his arms so fast that I was left in your dust.”

I knit my arms over my chest. “That’s not true. I felt bad saying no to the guy when he asked me to dance. I didn’t want to hurt his ego.”

Brian gives me a wicked grin. “Is that why you left the bar with him, too?”