“I used to be good at riding bulls. There hasn’t been much else. Loving you, after I got rehired.”
“Rehired.” That made him laugh. “You weren’t really fired. More like on furlough.” He let Sky go and turned down the bed, then tossed his jeans into the hamper and dove into bed, getting comfy sitting up against the headboard. “Come on, cowboy.”
“Mmm…” Sky sat on the edge of the bed and curled toward him, one leg draped over his. “Hey, stranger.”
“Hey, Stud.” He dropped a kiss on Sky’s forehead. “So. Let me remind you that I could afford this house on my own, and you’re not costing me that much,” he teased. “But I know sitting around sucks.”
“It’s not so much about the money.” Sky snuggled right into him. “I’ve got money in a savings account. Right at three million, give or take.”
“Well, shit. Why am I working?” He grinned at Sky. He had a nice little nest egg himself. “We’ll retire at fifty and sit in the hot tub and travel. Unless you want kids like Parker keeps saying. They’re expensive.” He waggled his eyebrows.
“I like kids, but…I think you and I have a lot of good life to live first. I want to do things with you, you know?”
“We’re on the same page, then.” Right. Cross that bridge when they came to it. “Well, I can tell you there’s no shortage of dairy farms up here and ski resorts and all kinds of things if you just want to keep busy. But if you want to do something meaningful, we need to brainstorm. What things other than riding does bull riding teach you?”
“How to fall down. Uh. How to talk to sponsors. How to talk to reporters. How to do commercials. How to talk to fans.”
“PR. That’s all PR. Also, I bet you know a lot of people, that’s something you bring to the table. Those are marketable skills.”
“I do. Rodeo people everywhere. I wish there was a rodeo here that needed a face, but…”
“Yeah, we don’t get the pros up here. There are some little local events in the summer, but that’s it.” Four years ago he could have settled anywhere. Now, he’d invested in Vermont. He career was here, his boat, all his clients. He couldn’t just pick up and move anymore.
Sky nodded, eyebrows drawn down as he worked through—something. It could be anything from staying to leaving, from something amazing to giving up.
Not having been raised a cowboy, he knew he’d never completely understand everything Sky had lost the day that bull ended his career. He was sympathetic though; he could understand that feeling of having the rug pulled out from under you. That “what do I do now” thing. He’d moved around a bit, but he’d at least had a résumé and direction.
Beck pressed his fingers into Sky’s shoulder, working out what seemed like permanent knots from years of strain.
“Damn…” Sky gave it up, a soft moan sounding. “I think we should get the hot tub, babe. I think it’s a good addition to the house.”
“Me too. As a matter of fact, I have someone coming out to look at the deck and give us some options on Monday morning.” He’d give Sky anything to help it feel more like their place than his. Sky had so little around the house, so he was listening carefully. Sky said “hot tub,” and he got on the phone.
“Good deal. I think we’ll both use it quite a bit to loosen up.”
Listen to them, acting like adults.
“Loosen up? I was thinking about how cool it was going to be to fuck around in it when there’s three feet of snow on the ground. You, me, hot water steaming all around us when it’s ten degrees out. Nothing to do but keep each other warm…”
“God, yes. I’ve been looking—we could put in heated stones, a towel warmer. I can’t wait to ride you in the water.”
“We’re going to have fun on Monday, babe. We’ll make it everything we want.” And then Sky could supervise all the work and have something to do for a couple of weeks. “So…what are we going to do about Parker?”
“I don’t know. He’s a good guy, a fair-to-middlin’ bull rider. He’s cute where I’m not. His people have land in east Texas, so he could get into bulls?”
“I was talking more like now. He’s a mess. Do you want to take him out for a ride tomorrow? I can hang back. He might rather talk to you.”
“I bet he wants to go home. It’s hard seeing your crush happy with another guy.”
“Come on. How serious is this crush? I’ve been with you as long as I’ve known him.”
“Never seen him want anyone else. Seen him fuck a lot.”
Jesus.“He’s young, and I bet he doesn’t believe he can have what we have. Maybe it’s not me, maybe it’s who I am. I need to get him a goddamn date.” Who did he know who was twenty-five? Maybe thirty. Thirty was more his crowd.
“We could double date with them!” Sky was chortling now, cackling evilly.
Beck gave him a wide-eyed look. “You mean babysit?”