Corralled by Lorelei James Read Free Book Online Page B

the bull riding section.
    It was no coincidence the rodeo promoters kept the most popular event for last. In some of the bigger venues, the bull riding was interspersed between other events. The crowd went wild at the announcement of the first rider. Lainie hustled through the barricades separating the chutes and gates from the arena, flashing her Lariat pass at the guards policing the area.
    The buzzer echoed and a smattering of applause followed. The guy was bucked off with no score. Lainie climbed up the metal rungs and rested her arms on the top of the fence.
    Oh, looky there. One very hot bullfighter was bouncing from foot to foot. His nylon performance shorts brushed the backs of his muscular calves. Hank’s loose- fitting sponsorship shirt covered the tight vest. Not as thick as the vest required for bull riders, but it offered some protection against horns and hooves.

    9 CORRALLED
    Three bullfighters worked the chutes. Because they dealt with all the bulls rather than just one, bullfighters were injured more frequently than bull riders. Why any man would willingly go headto- head with a bull confounded her.
    She zeroed in on the guy on the bull behind the gate. He wore a black cowboy hat, not a protective face- mask helmet. She shook her head at the poor choice. Before too long she hoped helmets were required safety equipment for all bull riders on all circuits, the same way vests were required.
    The rider nodded his head and the gate jerked open. The bull leaped out; strings of snot flew from his nose; his hindquarters left the ground as he attempted to fling the rider into the air. The bull succeeded and bucked the rider off at 4.8 seconds.
    Again Lainie was reminded of where the spectator’s focus was: on the bull and rider. Not on the bullfighters who distracted the snorting beast so the rider could scramble away unscathed.
    Dammit. Even she hadn’t watched Hank during the bull ride—and she had a vested interest in making sure he kept his big, hot body safe. She squinted at the scoreboard across the arena floor to see what rider was up next. No one she recognized. The announcer blathered on and she focused on the far chute. Namely on Hank, ten feet off to the side of the chute, still bouncing in anticipation.
    Lainie could hang stark naked from the ceiling and Hank wouldn’t notice her; his concentration was absolute.
    The gate opened and Hank stayed out of the way— until the rider hit the dirt. Then he ran straight at the bull and danced to the right, weaving and bobbing, forcing the animal to charge him rather than the guy who was still struggling to get up.
    Then the bull abruptly switched direction and trotted back through the livestock gate. But Hank was already down by the next chute, waiting for the next rider. It was fascinating to see Hank working. She knew other bullfighters deferred to him, which was a LORELEI JAMES 9
    big deal, because Hank wasn’t that old. For the first time she wondered if Hank had aspirations of moving up. Since the EBS dealt only with bulls and not other rodeo events, getting a job as a bullfighter with that organization would be a huge boost.
    It bothered her, not knowing Hank’s future plans.
    That’s because it’s just sex between you two, remember?
    Except now, it’d be sex between the three of them.
    Lainie wasn’t exactly sure how to proceed. Did she just saunter up to them tonight and say, “Ride me hard, boys”?
    The way things looked right now, this would be a one- time-only threesome. As Hank and Kyle traveled from rodeo to rodeo during Cowboy Christmas, she’d be holed up in her apartment.
    Maybe she’d head up into the mountains, see if her buddy Mara could snag time off and hop a flight to Vegas. Or visit the beach.
    “Now up, a name we haven’t seen on the CRA circuit, but that might be familiar to those of you who follow the EBS.”
    A few boos echoed. Her attention snapped back to the chutes.
    “Kyle Gilchrist comes to us from Rawlins, Wyoming.