What She Wants (24 page)

Packer bit his shoulder, hips rolling restlessly, losing the rhythm. All he had to do was clamp down with his muscles, squeezing Packer as tight as he could.

"Chook!" Heat flooded him, filled him, Packer jerking into him.

He leaned against the wall, panting, his breath shallow and fast. "I needed that."

"Uh-huh. Tell me we're going to fix this with her."

Adrian fought not to roll his eyes, then gave in to the impulse when he realized Pack couldn't see. "I promise. We'll have her back in no time."

"Okay, Chook. I believe you."

"You'd better," Adrian said. Packer slipped away from his body and Adrian turned, grabbing Pack and kissing the man hard. "I'm a man of my word and you know it."

"I do, Chook." Packer shook his head. "She's under my skin, hmm?"

"You love her like I do. I got to admit, I'm glad."

"It's hard not to." Packer grinned. "We're good, yeah? The three of us."

"We're good, mate."

He believed it with everything in him. Now all he had to do was get Calleigh back on board.

It wouldn't take much, not really. Hell, she just needed everything to calm down.

***

Packer stared down at Pollyanna's broad, brindle-colored back and thought about just cutting and running. The bull ate cowboys for breakfast, not just tossing them to the ground, but head-butting them first. God knew he hadn't stayed on a single bull at the finals in three rounds, and now he'd pulled this monster beast.

He thought he might just upchuck.

His bull rope was on there, though, and Adrian stood right there next to him, chattering at him in that half-Aussie, half-American voice. "Come on, mate. You can do this, yeah? Flat out like a lizard drinking, that's how you need to ride."

He tried hard not to glare at the man. What he needed was his life back together. Eight weeks Calleigh had been gone, and she didn't just not answer her phone. She'd changed her number.

When she said gone, she'd meant it, and his best mate was acting like it wasn't nothing, like they'd just keep on riding and traveling and drinking piss light beer in shitty hotel bars. Packer knew better. The ache in his belly got worse every day, the whole balance thrown off. It was why he couldn't ride.

"Pay attention, Stephens!" Nate snarled at him through the fence, glaring. "I swear to god, you asshole, either ride or get out of the chute."

"Shit. Sorry. Sorry." He needed to ride. Needed to do something to make some money. He and Ades would need all their bloody resources to find Calleigh. He got settled, got his hand tight in the rope, and looked at Adrian for long moments, those blue eyes staring into his.

Then he nodded.

The bull jumped, the world spinning wildly around him for a breath before Pollyanna started bucking, throwing his big assed head down, trying to throw Packer's arse off. Packer clung to the rope, using his legs for balance, keeping his chest up and his free arm back.
Don't get pulled down. Don't get pulled down.

"You got it. Hold on, Packer, you Aussie bastard!" Nate was yelling, and so was Coke Pharris, encouraging him.

His hand tried to pop out of the rope he was leaning so hard, but he gritted his teeth, listening to Adrian scream the countdown. "Six! Seven! Eight, Pack! Unload!"

His hand uncurled, the whole rigging popping off as Pollyanna's front end went down, hard. He curled up and went flying, crashing into Fred's arms like a lover. That stocky fellow Aussie tossed him over one shoulder and ran for the fence, Pollyanna's breath hot on his ass as he went over to land in the chutes.

Coke Pharris went streaking by like a shot, grabbing a horn and tugging hard. Nate's shoes landed in front of his face, then there were hooves. The boys on the fence finally hauled his ass up out of all that dirt and metal, and he fell behind the chutes like an overturned tortoise.

The crowd was screaming, the lights and alarms going off, and Adrian's hand was there, held down to him. "Good ride, mate."

"Good on me." It was about time he did something right. Maybe the tide was turning.

"Ninety three point four, mate. Up. Wave."

Packer got up, searching for his hat to wave. He didn't find it, so he stuck his hand up in the air. Coke whistled, then his hat came flying up toward him and he caught it, popped it on. Better. He hated facing the crowd all naked-headed. His ears flapped in the wind.

The crowd stopped roaring for him, and he ducked back behind the chutes area, flipping out his phone, hoping against hope there would be a text from Calleigh, a "good ride" note.

Nothing. Damn it.

Damn it.

The excitement from the ride disappeared with a pop. How could he miss her so fucking much? He's accepted needing and loving Adrian a long time ago, and against his better judgment at that, but how had Calleigh made him care so damned much?

Fucking woman.

Fucking rules.

The cameras came at him and he shook his head, heading back to the dressing room. He didn't want to do that, damn it. Hell, right now he wasn't sure he wanted to do any damned thing.

One of them bitchy sheilas followed him all the way down the long hall, closing the dressing room doors behind her. "You look like you could use a massage, cowboy."

"Oi, you can't come back in here. Riders only."

"I'm here. Look, she's gone, you know? She's married to someone else. I'm not. I could make you feel good."

"Any idiot with a pair of hands could make me feel good. Doesn't mean I'd touch you with someone else's dick." He found his phone and dialed security.

"You asshole. You think I won't tell my daddy that you did something to me? Touched me?"

"You tell him whatever you want, you little mongrel. Daddies know when their girls are sluts."

"Coming, sir. Please stay on the line; we're recording." That was handy.

The little gal gasped, then turned a bright, deep red. "You fucker!"

"Piss off." He pushed past her, unlocking the door for Chad, who had his phone out, listening to their conversation.

He rolled his eyes and stomped back out to the chute to find Adrian, someone. Maybe he'd just punch the fucker in the nose and tell him they had to go find their woman.

"Packer! Great ride!" The bird with the camera caught him, grabbing his arm with her talons. "Talk with me a moment and tell us what you did to get that score."

He ground his teeth. "I held on."

She laughed with her mouth, but her eyes were flashing furious. "Ha ha. Cowboys. You've been in a slump; is it too late in the season to recover?"

"Well, it's the finals, yeah? Unless I can win the event title I'm pretty screwed." He wasn't in the mood to play.

"Oi, Packer! Mate! Need you to pull rope!" Adrian's voice cut through the noise.

He summoned up a creaky smile. "That's my cue. G'night."

He swung up, arching an eyebrow at his Chook's grin. "Looked like you were fixin' to blow."

"I was. All over her. That little, two-toned buckle bunny tried to molest me in the locker room." He ran a hand over Ades' butt, but no one could tell in the press of bodies and cables and fence.

"Fuck, she's a stone cold bitch. I bet she got to Calleigh."

"You think so?" Pack honestly thought Calleigh could hold her own with the chickies. It was the suits who intimidated their girl.

"Maybe. I don't know." That was the first crack he'd seen in Adrian about this, but then Chook shook it off. "I got to ride, mate."

"I know. Keep your chin down, chest up. Turbo is an honest bull, Chook. You can spur him to a ninety at least."

"I'm gonna be in the money." Focused little fuck. Had he been like that? Really? Adrian was all about the next bull.

Packer was starting to think he was all about settling down. Weird, huh? He nodded for his Chook, though. "Of course you are. Just don't let him get you back on your arm."

Adrian grunted, bouncing from side to side, light on his bootheels. Ah, cowboy calisthenics. They'd always been one of Pack's favorite things to watch, and Adrian's ass was legendary.

He got a grin -- warm and wild, ready. "Let's do this go-round, mate. Aussie Aussie Aussie!"

Packer hooted. "Oi, oi, oi."

Sliding over the rail, Adrian pushed gently down on Turbo's back, digging his hand into the rigging. Boom. Packer hopped up and crossed the rail, going to pull the tail of that rope as tight as he could.

He could hear Fred, yammering at Adrian through the gate, talking hard and fast, saying the things he'd say if was wasn't tugging so hard he couldn't breathe. Fred was a good 'un, though, and always watched out for his brothers from Oz.

Adrian's rope got set and he climbed over, nodding at Cotton, who had one hand in Adrian's vest. Cotton's freckled hand always looked so weird among all the dark tans, and it made him smile for the first time in days. Really smile.

Adrian saw him and grinned, looking for all the world like a goofy, hat-wearing monkey.

He laughed, winking, and that was when Adrian nodded, the gate swinging open.

Turbo did his job, so did Chook, and so did the bullfighters. It wasn't a stellar ride -- Turbo was only a couple years from retirement, but Troy loved the big old beast -- but it was a ride, and eighty six point six wouldn't hurt. Not the way Adrian was riding this damned finals.

Packer high-fived the man when he climbed over the fence instead of going around through the gate. "Good deal, Chook."

"You know it." Adrian was all grins. "You staying for the signatures?"

He shook his head. "I did the meet and greet before. Don't have to."

"Then let's go!" Adrian tugged his arm, heading off to the lockers.

Pack kept a sharp eye out for little birds who didn't belong back there on the way. Security was standing back there, solid and glaring, and he nodded. Fucking A. AJ was there, now, too, and Biscuit.

"We're fixin' to head to the steakhouse. Y'all wanna? It's off the main route, so the crowds shouldn't be there." AJ did his damnedest to avoid the fans when he wasn't working.

He glanced at Adrian. There was still nothing from Calleigh on his phone. No sense worrying when they couldn't find her until after. "Sure. I could murder a steak."

"Let us change and we'll be there."

They headed in, stomping off their riding boots, their sponsor's shirts. Adrian glanced at him sideways. "You better now, mate?"

"Trying to." He met Adrian's eyes. "I'm going to announce, Chook." It just came out, just like that. Huh. He'd thought it would be harder.

Adrian just put a hand on his shoulder. "Makes a difference, when you've set your mind. I could see you were calm."

"I am. I just. You know." He was older now and he was sore. And then there was their girl. His ranch. Sleeping in a bed that was his and big enough for three.

"What about your visa?" Worry shadowed those pretty eyes for a moment. Then Adrian shrugged. "We'll figure on it, yeah? We can do anything."

"We're smart dogs, and I'll talk to Ace. He'll help me make sense of it." Ace Porter had a way of making shit work.

Adrian brightened, pulling on his show boots, the work boots in a bag. "That's the ticket. It'll be right odd."

"A-yup." He got dressed. Two more nights. Two more, and then he was going to make Adrian find their sheila. Then he was going to take her to his ranch and fuck her until she couldn't walk away from them ever again.

First, though, steak. Steak and beer.

He had a ride to celebrate.

***

"Hey, Calleigh. How you doing, honey?" The floor nurse came over, patted her shoulder, and it was all Calleigh could do not to cry. Adrian had won the event. The whole final event and Packer had taken round four. That meant celebrating and laughing, playing and dancing, and she hadn't even gotten to text them.

Say congratulations.

"I'm good. Hormonal."

And fat. Five months along and she looked like she was having twins, which was still up in the air. One appointment there was one heartbeat, one two, maybe.

Twins.

Her and her tiny apartment in the middle of Arlington, looking out over Six Flags. Goodie.

"I read that your husband did well at his event."

She nodded. She hadn't been able to lie. Three of the girls in the unit were fans and keeping lies just... Well, shit, she knew it complicated things. She'd just told them the barest bones. Ades traveled, she was pregnant, he needed to ride. From there, everyone just made their own assumptions.

"Well," Sandra leaned in, whispering. "Wanna go get a Sprite down at the break room?"

"Yes. God, yes." She looked at her boss. "The ultrasound is next week."

"It'll be fine, honey. It will." Tugging her arm, Sandra pulled her away from the blinking cursor she'd been staring at.

They'd been incredibly decent to her, letting her work four tens, letting her have the patients closest to the nurses' station so she had a place if she got sick. It was a good job, a good place, and she knew she should be grateful. Not that it stopped her from bawling and wishing. She missed Adrian and Packer so bad.