Thrown: Studs in Spurs, Book 6

by Cat Johnson

  “Nothing. Just to say good ride.” Skeeter wasn’t about to tell Aaron she’d also put her number in his phone in case they’d be at the same touring pro events.

  There’d be nothing but teasing for the rest of the night from Aaron if Skeeter had told him. She hadn’t meant anything by it anyway. He knew that for certain. It was just Riley being nice and feeling sorry for him.

  Just what Skeeter wanted from the cutest female in the entire arena—pity. Not that it mattered, because Riley was also just about the most off-limits girl in the arena, thanks to Butch. Skeeter could wonder what her long reddish-brown hair would look like if she ever took that braid out and let it loose. He could catch her big green-blue gaze once in a while, but none of that mattered because that was as far as it would go. Getting caught even looking at Riley earned any rider who dared risk it a hell of a glare from Butch.

  “She damn well had better say at least that.” Aaron let out a snort. “It was her daddy’s bull who bucked you off and got you thrown off the tour.”

  Skeeter couldn’t blame the bull, or Riley’s father. That responsibility sat squarely on his own shoulders. He may not know why he was riding like crap, but it was nothing to do with the bull or Butch. Skeeter couldn’t pass the buck or lay the blame on anyone or anything other than himself.

  Best to change the subject. “So what’s up?”

  “I thought you might want to hit up a bar tonight.”

  “And do what? Drown my sorrows in booze?”

  Aaron laughed. “Yeah, I guess. And take advantage of the fact neither one of us has to ride tomorrow. We can stay out late and come home shitty, and it won’t matter if we’re hung over.”

  That was all true. They didn’t have to ride the next day. But the big difference was that Aaron didn’t have to ride tomorrow because this pro tour was going on a break, as opposed to Skeeter who didn’t have to ride because he was no longer good enough to.

  Depressed all over again, Skeeter shook his head. “Nah. Thanks anyway.”

  “Come on. It’ll be fun.”

  Skeeter wasn’t in the mood for fun. “You go. I’ll be fine in the room alone.”

  A frown knit Aaron’s dark brows. “But why go sit in the room alone? I spotted a couple of girls who were hanging out by the rails. I mentioned the bar and they said they’d be up for some partying later.”

  Skeeter had seen the two girls who’d been hanging over the rail talking to Aaron and neither one was his type. Skeeter wasn’t opposed to a woman who took pride in her body. Wasn’t opposed to enjoying that body a bit himself. But he’d rather she didn’t flash her assets to everyone in the arena by wearing clothes so skimpy they showed more than they covered.

  He wrinkled his nose. “I’m pretty tired. If you drop me at the hotel you can take the truck and go out with them.”

  “They said they have a car here, so I’m sure they can drive me over and home later.” Aaron continued to look at Skeeter, pinning him with his stare. “I really think you’d feel better if you came out. It’ll take your mind off it. And they’re both really hot.”

  He doubted he’d feel better about his career being in the toilet no matter how hot Aaron thought these girls were. “Thanks, but I really am tired.”

  Aaron let out a breath. “A’ight. I’ll see you back at the room later.”

  “Okay. Have fun.” Skeeter didn’t have to tell Aaron to have a good time. Aaron was heading out on the town to go get drunk with two girls. The results were pretty much assured.

  For once, Skeeter wasn’t even a little bit envious Aaron was going out and he wasn’t. There were many years Skeeter had been too young to get into bars. Sometimes he’d take the risk. Sneak into the bar, even drink the beer one of his friends bought for him and hope he didn’t get caught. But a couple of times when the guys went to a place where they checked IDs at the door, Skeeter would have to stay back at the hotel while everyone else went out.

  It was kind of ironic that now Skeeter was finally old enough, he had no interest in going out. Failure did that to a man, he guessed.

  He hung around for the end of the short go and watched his friends ride. He forced himself to smile out on the arena floor while he signed autographs for anyone who wanted his signature. When that was all over, he was more than relieved that soon he’d be alone and not have to pretend he was all right.

  Skeeter had to convince Aaron one more time he really didn’t want to go out, then he grabbed both his gear bag and Aaron’s and got into his truck.

  He had made lots of memories in the vehicle that they had ridden so many miles in together. He and Aaron, and more recently Garret too, now that he’d married Aaron’s sister and moved to North Carolina.

  But tonight, it was just Skeeter. Aaron would get a ride in the car with the girls. Garret was going out for a beer with Chase and then would get a ride back to the hotel with him tonight since they were sharing a room. Tomorrow, Skeeter would drop Aaron and Garret off at home in North Carolina. Then he’d head to his own home, his mom’s house where he’d grown up in Arkansas.

  He wasn’t sure he was hungry for the burger, shake and fries he’d just ordered from the drive-thru menu. Too late now.

  “Here you go.”

  He reached out of the truck window and grabbed the paper bag and cup the girl handed him. “Thanks.”

  “You’re welcome. Have a good night.” She’d barely glanced at him or his truck from her perch inside the fast food window. To her this was just another night, and Skeeter just another customer.

  “Yeah. You too.”

  Even the incredible smell of the hot, fresh burger and fries that filled the air couldn’t cheer him. Usually, he’d break right into the bag while he was driving. Dipping the hot fries into the cold chocolate shake and savoring the combination of the salty with the sweet. Tonight, he didn’t feel like it.

  The cloud darkening his mood followed Skeeter to the hotel parking lot, and then all the way upstairs to the hotel room he shared with Aaron. The room was empty, of course. He doubted Aaron would be back for hours, if at all. Skeeter might not see him again until morning. But that was a good thing, because there was something he needed to do, and he’d rather do it alone.

  Inside, Skeeter put his bag of takeout and the shake on the desk. He pulled his phone from his jeans pocket and punched the buttons to make the call. The ringing lasted for a few seconds before it stopped and he heard his mother’s voice. For once, Skeeter would have been happy if it had gone on a little longer.

  “Hey, my baby boy. How did you do tonight?”

  The television broadcast was on a time delay. She would see his downfall later anyway so he might as well prepare her for it now. The tightness in his throat made it tough to swallow before he said, “I bucked off, Mom. I’m off the tour.”

  There was a pause. She’d know what that buck off meant. She followed his stats closer than he did. “I’m so sorry, baby.”

  “I know.” He drew in a breath. Not an easy thing to do given how tight his chest felt. “I have to drop Aaron and Garret off, but then I’m heading straight home. I’ll be there by tomorrow night.”

  Given they had the break, he’d been planning on going home in a day or two anyway. Originally, he’d thought he’d hang with Aaron and Garret for a couple of days and then head home and spend a few weeks with his mom until the tour picked up again.

  Now, he had no desire to hang out with Aaron at his place in North Carolina before making the drive to Arkansas. Skeeter just wanted to be home. The sooner the better.

  “It’ll be good to have you back.” She sounded too upbeat about his coming home, but he understood why. His mother missed him. He was all she had in the world.

  In fact, he was selfish for being away so much. This was a good thing. Riding closer to home in the touring pro events would give him more time to take over the responsibilities she’d shouldered alone for too long. He could be the man of the house, the way he should be since his father was non-existent in b
oth of their lives.

  “Yeah, you’re right. It’ll be good to be home for a while.” Skeeter reached into his bag of food and pulled out a fry. It was still warm and nice and salty. Just the way he liked them.

  “Guess what I saw today while I was out in town at the store?” His mother spoke as he chewed and swallowed.

  Skeeter reached for the shake and drew a long sip through the straw to wash down the fry. Yup, miserable or not there was still nothing like a thick chocolate shake and salty french fries. “What did you see?”

  “Cooper Holbrook’s truck.”

  Hearing the name of his old bull-riding teacher brought back so many memories, Skeeter had to smile, even while he felt a renewed sadness. He’d shamed his old teacher with tonight’s performance.

  “Yeah? You talk to him?” He took the paper wrapping off his hamburger and took a big bite.

  “I didn’t see him, just the truck. Wish I had though. I bet he’s still as handsome as ever. I wouldn’t miss a chance to talk to him.”

  Skeeter nearly choked on his food. “Mom!”

  Yeah, she was single and had been since he was seven, but he didn’t need to think of his mother as a woman. A woman who was drooling over a man. The man who had been his teacher, no less.

  “What? I’m forty, not dead. Do you think he’s still single?”

  “I don’t know.” This conversation made him realize he’d lost touch with Cooper, whose presence in Skeeter’s life had helped form the man Skeeter was today. There was no excuse for that. He’d have to rectify the situation. “You know what? I think I’m going to give him a call when I get home. Or maybe I’ll just stop over his place and see how he’s doing.”

  If anyone could tell Skeeter what was the matter with his riding, it would be Cooper. Maybe he could get on some practice bulls at Cooper’s place.

  “I think that’s an excellent idea. Maybe I’ll go over with you. You know, to watch you ride.”

  “Mom!” As appalled as he was, Skeeter couldn’t help but laugh. When had his mother become such a flirt?

  He popped another fry into his mouth and took a sip of shake. Maybe his time home wouldn’t be so bad after all. The more he thought about it, the more he realized that Mustang was right. He had to get back to the basics. That was exactly what he’d do. Go right back to the beginning. Like it had been that first day with Cooper all those years ago. He’d do everything like he’d done then.

  Everything except the bucking barrel. He’d be damned if he got on the barrel again willingly.

  “So what do you want for your supper tomorrow night? Ribs? Pulled pork? Anything you want, baby. I’ll make it for you.”

  Swallowing a big bite of burger, Skeeter realized a man could only eat takeout food for so long before he really missed Mom’s home cooking. Feeling nostalgic, he said, “Spaghetti and meatballs. The skinny strands of spaghetti, not the fat ones.”

  His mother laughed. “You haven’t asked for that in years, but all right. You got it.”

  “Thanks, Mom.” Voices and giggling out in the hallway and the sound of the key in the lock told Skeeter that Aaron must be back, and that Aaron wasn’t alone. Time to end this call. “Um, I’m going to go. I’ll call you from the road tomorrow and let you know about what time I’ll be home.”

  “Okay, baby. Drive safely.”

  “I will. Love you, Mom.”

  “Love you too.”

  He disconnected just as the door opened. Aaron stumbled into the room with arms draped around the shoulders of the two girls at his sides, but a closer look told Skeeter these were new girls. “Skeeter, my friend, I couldn’t leave you in your time of need. So I decided if you wouldn’t come party with us, we’d bring the party to you.”

  “Oh, did you?” Judging by the open bottle of bourbon in Aaron’s hand, the party had begun sometime before they’d gotten to the hotel.

  “You were right. He is cute.” The little brunette on Aaron’s left side smiled at Skeeter.

  Aaron caught Skeeter’s eye. “You can thank me later, but right now, let me introduce our guests. This is Tammy and her friend Robin.”

  Robin, a redhead, nodded. “Hey.”

  No wonder Aaron was grinning. He’d been on a quest to land a redhead for years. Now he’d finally gotten himself one it was no wonder he’d brought her here to show her off. Though since these two were not the girls Skeeter had watched Aaron leave the arena with an hour or so ago, he had to wonder what had happened. How had Aaron made that swap so quickly and why?

  Tammy, the one who’d said Skeeter was cute, stepped forward. “Can I have a fry?”

  He glanced at his half-eaten dinner. “Uh, sure. Help yourself.”

  “So you two make yourselves at home while Skeets and I hit up the ice and soda machine down the hall. Then when we get back, I’ll mix us some drinks and we can get this party started.”

  “Sounds good.” The redhead sent Aaron a sizzling look.

  Skeeter’s gaze cut to Aaron, wondering what his plans were here. Two girls and two guys. There were two beds but one room.

  Once they stood in the hallway, ice bucket in hand, and the room door slammed behind them, he turned to Aaron. “What the hell?”

  “You wouldn’t come out so I figured I’d deliver.” Aaron spoke as he led the way to the ice machine a few doors down.

  “Uh, yeah. I see that. But what happened to the girls you left the arena with?”

  Aaron shrugged. “They only wanted me to introduce them to the other guys. They were all into Mustang and Slade.”

  “Mustang and Slade both have girlfriends.”

  “I know, and that’s what they told the girls. Then the guys both autographed a bar napkin for them and blew them off. But after that I wasn’t going to spend my time with those girls, so I found these two.” Aaron glanced at Skeeter before concentrating on catching the cascade of ice falling from the machine’s chute and into the bucket.

  A few pieces missed. They hit the floor and skittered across the tile toward Skeeter’s feet. He watched them as this surreal night began to sink in.

  In the years Skeeter had been riding with Aaron and the rest of the guys on this particular pro tour, there had been plenty of women hanging around—at the arenas, in the bars, even at a party they’d thrown on their floor in the hotel after the finals in Vegas. But never had this particular situation arose.

  “But if we all drink, none of us will be able to drive. How are they going to get home later?” Skeeter supposed he could look up the number of a cab in the phone book in the room.

  “They’re not going home tonight. They’ll stay in our room.” Aaron thrust the bucket at him and then turned to peruse the selection of soft drinks in the machine.

  Apparently for Aaron, one set of girls was interchangeable with another. Skeeter didn’t quite feel that way. “What are we gonna do with them?”

  Aaron took a few crumpled bills out of his wallet and tried to smooth them out with his fingers. His brow furrowed as he frowned at Skeeter. “What are we going to do with them? What kind of question is that? What’s wrong with you? Did you hit your head when you bucked off?”

  Skeeter sighed. It wasn’t worth trying to reason with Aaron. He was stubborn on a good day, forget about when he was drinking and determined. “All right. I guess you and I can share one bed and the girls can sleep in the other.”

  “Dude, no. We’re gonna each stay in our own beds. Me in mine with the redhead and you in yours with the brunette. I don’t know about you, but I’m hoping to get some tonight. If she’s into it, I sure as hell am.”

  “And what if they don’t want to get some?” As the machine sucked in the bill Aaron fed it, Skeeter’s pulse pounded. He’d planned on drowning his sorrows in chocolate shake and then going to sleep so they could hit the road early in the morning. Now it seemed he had a date with a girl he’d just met—a date for a night in his bed. He wasn’t sure how he felt about that.

  “Skeeter, think about it. Why would two gir
ls suggest we go to our hotel room if they weren’t into doing something? We were at a perfectly good bar. They could have stayed there. They asked to come back here.” Two bottles of coke in his hands, Aaron turned to Skeeter. “What’s wrong with you? Why do you look so miserable? Did you want the redhead instead?”

  “Aaron, you can’t just swap girls.”

  “We can try. I’m game for whatever they are.” His roommate lifted one shoulder. Aaron continued to watch Skeeter. “What’s the matter with you tonight?”

  “It’s just… I’ve…” Skeeter didn’t want to say it, but he was going to have to. Otherwise, in a little while Aaron was going to be getting busy in the bed just a couple of feet away while Skeeter and his girl did what? Watched television? Played cards?

  “Oh my God.” Aaron’s eyes widened. “Skeet, have you never been with a girl?”

  “That’s not… I mean I’ve…” Skeeter let out a breath. This was harder to admit out loud than he’d thought it would be. “All right, technically I haven’t done everything.”

  Aaron stood silent, his mouth hanging open before he pulled his jaw closed. “But after that event when my sister was visiting, you and that girl were in the truck for like an hour.”

  “Yeah, and we made out. That’s it.”

  The furrow in Aaron’s brow remained. “So like what? You’re waiting for marriage or something?”

  “No, of course not.”

  “Then what are you waiting on?”

  Skeeter let out a breath. “I guess I just never felt like it was the right time. Or the right girl. Hell, I don’t know. It just hasn’t happened yet. That’s all.”

  “This is a pretty freaking huge revelation here, Skeets. We’ve been traveling together, sharing rooms, together day and night for years and you never told me this?” Aaron shook his head. “Now I feel like I know nothing about you.”

  “Stop. You know me. It just never came up. And you never brought me a takeout girl before.” Skeeter tried to make a joke, but Aaron didn’t smile.

  “So what do we do? You want me to leave? Take the girls and go—hell, I don’t know—somewhere?”

  “No. Just stay. We’ll have a little party and then…see what happens.”