“I’m sorry, Manny,” I said, as I touched his neck.
“Manny?” Tennyson asked in shock. “I’m going to have to ask you to get your ass off my horse.”
“It’s not on your horse, it’s on the saddle and partly on you,” I pointed out.
He moved my hair out of the way and began kissing my neck. “You can put your ass on me anytime,” he murmured against my skin, causing me to melt in his arms.
I placed my arms over my head and around his, letting my hands rest on his neck. He ran his hands down my sides and across my thighs, coming back along the place where my body connected with the saddle. I inhaled sharply, and his hands tightened.
“Tenn,” I panted, pulling on his neck.
“Can I take you somewhere?” he asked, “Somewhere to love you.”
“If it’s close,” I said, praying we weren’t going to take the long, slow ride home.
He took the reins with one hand and placed his other hand on the saddle horn, locking me tightly in his hold. He gave a short whistle, and the horse took off in a sprint. I screamed and pushed back in the saddle and into Tennyson as my hands grabbed to top sides of the seat next to the horn.
“I’ve got you,” he said confidently, as he kicked the horse to go even faster.
He moved in unison with the horse, rising and falling with the natural motion of the gallop. My body moved along with his like a synchronized dance, and I began to relax and enjoy the speed. A smile broke across my face, and I wanted Tennyson more than I could express. The adrenaline was pumping, and my body was alive and excited because of the man holding me in his arms.
When he pulled back on the reins, I looked around and couldn't understand why he brought me to this barren area. It was rocky and steep, and I was so grateful when he told me we were getting off the horse.
He expertly swung his leg around and jumped to the ground as he held onto my leg. "Swing your leg around, and I'll get you from there."
I moved my leg but remained tightly against the horse as I slid awkwardly downward, scraping against the saddle. “Are you okay?” Tennyson asked.
I raised my shirt to see the red scrape and instantly worried about my costumes. “Do you think this will be gone in two weeks?” I asked him.
He bent down to look closer before leaning in to kiss my stomach. “Yeah, it’s not that bad.”
“So, where are we?” I asked.
He smiled and began pulling off his shirt. “We’re at the hot springs. Let’s go skinny dipping.”
Chapter 10
I stared at the murky water with steam causing moisture to drip from the roof of the cave. Tennyson walked in and sighed loudly as the hot water reddened his skin. I followed and held my hand out for him, to calm my fear of something swimming up to get me. He pulled me to his body and moved us over to a natural ledge in the rock. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and he stared directly at my mouth. "Do you come here often?" I asked with a soft voice.
“I did as a kid, not so much anymore.”
“Why?”
“It used to be fun to do cannonballs into the water. I find other things more fun now,” he winked.
“Oh, I see. So, coming here alone would be…”
“Pitiful,” he quickly added.
“But coming here with me would be…”
“Amazing,” he filled in.
“Then you better start amazing me, cowboy.”
He kissed me with a fierce passion that wasn’t slow or hesitant. It was as if he had been waiting for this moment and couldn’t force himself to be leisurely. I was meeting his movements with my own frantic need as we both gasped in each other’s mouths. He moved his hands to my head holding me where he needed my mouth to be as he spoke and kissed at the same time. “God, Jules, I need you so much.”
“I’m yours, Tenn, all yours.”
He pulled me to him as his head fell back and he screamed into the air some unintelligible word. What we were doing was as old as the cave, formed by years of water leaching into the ground and through the small openings of the rock. We were part of the land, natural and deep, with a need to be wild and unrestrained. I didn't wonder what this meant to our relationship, it was forming us into who we needed to be, and I gave in and let nature do her work.
When I cried out for him this time, it was actual tears. We didn't only have sex in a hot spring formed in a cave; we made love while hidden away from the world where nothing else mattered except us. My soul loved this man and all I wanted was to make him happy.
He held me tenderly in his arms and kissed the tears sliding down my face. I laid my head on his chest and sighed, “Thank you, Tenn.”
"I love you," he whispered as if he was terrified to say what he was feeling.
“I love you, too,” I said back, and he tightened his hold on me.
After a few quiet moments, he finally said, "Ah, shit!" My head snapped up to see if someone was coming toward us and he explained, “We don’t have any towels.”
“Can you send your horse for some?” I suggested in jest.
"I actually could, but if he shows up alone, people will follow him back. And I'm not letting anyone see you naked; I would have to murder them and end up in prison."
"Where you would be some guy's lover, and we know how open you are to that," I laughed.
“Fine, go ahead and walk around naked, I don’t care.”
“Come on, Tenn,” I said as I kissed his neck, “You wouldn’t be willing to take some dick for me?”
“I wouldn’t even take some dick for Man-o-war, and you know how much I love him,” he said forcefully.
“You love your horse more than me?” I asked in shock.
“Hell yeah, he does whatever I tell him to do and loves to travel with me.”
I knew he was joking, but I also knew how badly he wanted me to give up my career and join him, especially with Royal out of commission and his fear working overtime. I looked at his eyes, and I could see the same sadness in his I was sure he saw in mine.
"I'm sorry," I said, and I sincerely meant it.
He nodded and swallowed deeply before giving me a sweet smile. “How long are you staying?”
“When’s your next event?” I asked him, instead of answering.
"I don't know; I might hold out until finals and hope Royal is better by then."
I felt tears form in my eyes, and I looked away from him. "What's wrong," he asked, as he pulled my chin back around.
"You're going to ride Diablo, and you'll have to suicide wrap to do it," I said, as I watched his shocked reaction. "I'm not stupid, Tenn."
“It’s my only option,” he said softly.
"No, it's not, you can hit more events, or you can take a year off and let it go."
“If I enter more events my chance of getting hurt increases,” he said with his face lowered. I noticed how he didn’t comment on the suggestion of quitting for the year.
“If you ride Diablo and wrap, you’re going to die, or worse yet, get Royal killed.”
He sat still for several moments and finally said, “What if I can’t do it without Royal?”
"Tenn," I said softly so that he would look at me. "You're the best in the world, because of your skill, not because of your brother. He's just a bonus."
“He’s the bravest man I’ve ever known,” he whispered.
“I’m willing to bet he would say the same about you.”
Tennyson nodded and tried to blink back his tears. I kissed his forehead and said, “You’ve been listening to Royal for years. I think it’s time you do the talking and let him listen.”
Royal was always the bigger, stronger, older brother and Tennyson thought he needed him. But the truth was Tennyson got on those bulls alone. He was smarter and braver than he gave himself credit. It was time Tennyson took responsibility for his safety and let Royal heal with a clear conscience. The bond between the brothers could slowly erode over this, feeling guilty and angry for letting each other down. Or t
hey could grow stronger and see each other as a team, equally important and equally responsible.
"We better get out of here," he finally said, "I don't want to get you dehydrated, and I don't have any water with us."
I stood and headed to the entrance of the cave as a gust of wind hit my body sending me into shivers. I quickly jumped back into the hot water. "You go get towels, and I'll wait," I offered.
Tennyson laughed and pulled his jeans off a tree limb and quickly put them on. “Come here, you can use my shirt as a towel,” he said and held it up for me.
I ran to it and quickly drug it over my shaking body. He took it from my hands and did his best to dry me off. I threw on my shirt quickly and put on my underwear, but my tight jeans would not budge on my damp legs.
“What the hell, did I expand or something,” I said, as I tugged on the tight fabric.
Tenn laughed loudly and said, “Wranglers wouldn’t do that.”
“Shut up and help me,” I begged.
“Just put your boots on and ride home without the jeans, nobody will see you.”
“So, the whole go to prison for my honor was a lie?”
“You're not naked,” he pointed out and handed me my boots. I stepped into them, and he stood back to look at me before doubling over in laughter.
I walked over to a large rock and sat down. “I'm not leaving until my legs dry, and I get my jeans on.”
Tennyson whistled, and his horse came right over, making me so damn mad at how well it minded him. He grabbed the saddle horn and swung up into the saddle in one fluid motion. He held out his hand and said, "Come on."
I climbed up on the rock, and Tennyson easily pulled me onto the horse. He whistled again, and the horse took off in a gallop as I tensed and held my breath. When we got close to the house, he pulled on the reins and stopped to let me off. I quickly put my jeans on, and when I climbed back on, Tennyson climbed down.
"What are you doing?" I yelled when he tried to hand me the reins.
“I’m going to walk next to you, but you’re going to handle the reins.”
“No, I want down,” I cried.
"Jules, trust me, please. Take the reins, and I'll hold the bridle.
He showed me how to properly hold them, and he looped his little finger through the harness and told me to kick the horse lightly. I was terrified and stared at the reins like they had magical powers. Tennyson walked with his horse into the barn and stopped at a stall with the horses named painted above the door.
He smiled proudly and held out his hands to help me down. I was so relieved and let out a rush of air making him laugh. He began removing all the different appliances off the horse, and I watched with fascination. It was touching to see him brush the horse with such care and finally place him in the stall.
I stared at Tenn, dressed in only jeans, boots, and hat, thinking he was the most handsome man in the world. He winked at me as he carried the saddle to a rack. I watched his muscles flex across his back, and his abs tighten. He finally stood in front of me and chuckled. "Are you done?" he asked.
“What?”
“Are you done treating me like a side of beef?” he teased.
I grabbed the front of his jeans and pulled him to me. “I haven’t even started. Have I told you how much I love your body?”
“I would love to hear how much you love my body,” he replied, as he pulled my hips into him.
"Your body makes me believe in mythology; sculpted in the image of Zeus."
He laughed and pushed me away from him as he grabbed a shovel next to the stall. “The shit is deep in here,” he teased, as he tried to shovel up my feet.
"Come show me how to work your shower," I demanded and walked toward the house. He ran to catch up and pulled me off my feet and into his arms to carry me to his room.
My phone was blinking, and I picked it up to check the messages. They were all from Martin, and I groaned loudly. I listened to his messages, and they were all about meeting with Barton Kirk and coming up with a plan for our supposed romance.
“The showers ready,” Tenn called out, and I looked at his dripping body.
“Sorry, I was checking messages.”
I walked into the ample space with various sprays and sighed at how great it felt. Tennyson put his hands on my hips from behind me and leaned against my back, "Everything okay?"
"Yeah, it's good," I lied and knew it would come back to bite me.
“Are you feeling adventurous?” he asked shyly.
“What did you have in mind?”
He ran his hands around to the front of my body and tapped my feet apart with his. I leaned over to brace myself against the wall, and he grabbed my hips harshly. I was stunned at how aggressive he was. He bordered on rough, and it shocked me and thrilled me like crazy. His gentleman control was gone, and he was running on instinct and pure lust. I didn't recognize his movement and touch.
When he was finally leaning against the wall trying to catch his breath, I looked at him and laughed. “I’m sorry,” he said shamefully.
"Don't be, that was incredible," I said and slid down the wall of the shower to sit on the floor.
He slid down too and looked at me with a smile. "I've never gone this long without riding; I think I just needed the rush."
“Well, I give you a perfect score.”
“Can I ask you something, Jules?”
“Sure.”
“Does Martin know you’re here?”
I immediately tensed. “No.”
“What about your parents?”
“No, why?” I had no idea why he would bring up my parents. I left them in the dark about pretty much everything in my life.
“Am I someone you need to keep quiet about?” he said, with a hurt expression.
I couldn’t look at his eyes and pulled my legs up and hugged my knees. “Tenn, I have sponsors to worry about, too. There are things in place to have me reach a certain level. If I refuse, people lose money.”
He stared at me for several seconds and then said, “I’m not going to like this, am I?”
I decided to put everything out into the open and deal with the consequences. "I'm… scheduled… to have a fake romance in September," I said without looking at him.
He stood and left the shower. I closed my eyes and let my head fall against the wall. I hoped I hadn't ruined the entire evening and the family could enjoy the barbeque. I felt Royal needed it.
After a few minutes, I stood and shut off the water. Tennyson was gone, and that didn't surprise me. I took my time getting dressed and pulled my hair back into a messy bun before heading to the kitchen. Miriam was cutting up fruit and smiled when I walked into the room. "May I help with something?" I asked her.
She handed me some lemons and asked me to slice them thinly for the lemonade. I sat on a stool and focused on the task. She finally reached out and placed her hand on mine. “Do you want to talk about it?”
“About what?” I asked.
“Whatever it is that has you helping me, and Tennyson cleaning out the stalls.”
I signed loudly and said, “My career is not too accommodating for a relationship. It is all about using smoke and mirrors to create the right impression.”
She nodded in understanding and said, "Tennyson's career is not very accommodating either. I spent years wishing Merritt would come off the road. But looking back, I realized it wasn't that long. We now get to spend every moment together. I wouldn't trade it for the world."
“How did you meet?” I asked her.
“He was a roper and I was a rodeo queen,” she said, and I laughed loudly.
"I'm not laughing at you, Miriam. I'm thinking of my manager, Martin, and his obsession with the queens." She nodded, so I continued. "My parents think I'm a virgin and only watch Disney films." I shook my head at the absurdity of it all. It was her turn to laugh loudly, and it gave me the nerve to ask her about her children. "Are you okay with your kid's sex lives?"
“Only if they
are performing to the best of their abilities,” she said with a chuckle.
"No worries about Tenn," I admitted, and she winked at me. "I live in a different state, and I'm terrified to tell my parents I'm in love with a man. Tennyson lives with his parents and has no inhibitions about his sex life in their home."
"It is his home, too. Each child has their wing, and we want them to feel they are free to act as they wish."
"You are so open with each other, but Tenn can be narrow-minded, too. I have some gay friends, and he is not open to that at all."
“Jules, you are around gay people all the time. It is easier to be accepting of something familiar. Not many gay men participate in Rodeos.”
“I’m sure there is one out there somewhere,” I laughed.
Merritt walked in and smiled at the sight of me. “I heard you were here, Jules. Welcome to our home.” He walked over and kissed my cheek.
“Thank you, I had to see how Royal and Tennyson were doing,” I said slightly embarrassed.
“I just came from Royal; he is healing at a remarkable rate.”
I could not even imagine what he must have looked like before. Merritt got the steaks from the refrigerator and began cutting them into small pieces for shish kabobs. He added pineapple, cherry tomatoes, and green bell peppers. I relaxed when I saw him make one with mushrooms instead of meat. He never commented or tried to tease me.
I helped Miriam make a giant fruit salad, and when we were out of things to do, I headed off to find Tennyson. He was working in the barn cleaning out the stalls, and I sat on a barrel and watched him. He finally stopped to lean on a shovel and looked at me with narrowed eyes.
“I’m putting my foot down, Jules.”
I laughed and when I saw he wasn’t joking I crossed my arms over my chest. “You’re doing what?” I asked in anger.
“Don’t give me that, independent-I-am-woman, shit. I am not going to stand for another man pretending to love you when you are everything to me. I can’t believe you would even consider it, Jules.”
"It is how the industry works. You can't change the leads in a Broadway show without something to make it newsworthy. Anyone can sing, so you have to cause a buzz."
Jules and Bulls Page 10