31
ROWE
January 24th
Rowe,
I can’t say that I’m all that surprised you refused to see me. It’s been months and you haven’t asked me to visit. Maybe I should have just prepared myself better for that.
Believe it or not, I was the one who made the cookies. Ash tried to steal the bowl of dough, before I smacked him with a wooden spoon. You’d have gotten a kick out of the way he ran his ass out of the kitchen after.
I hope you’ve been okay. Life has been the same the last few weeks. I’ve started braiding Diesel’s mane because I know the moment you’re out, you won’t letme. He likes it, by the way. It makes him look very distinguished. And a bonus? Your dad hates it, too.
Lacey encouraged me to book a trip somewhere. Remember when I mentioned visiting Nova Scotia one day? Well, I’m going. Alone. If you tell anyone this, I’ll kill you . . . but I’m terrified. If you get this before I leave, can you wish me luck?
Bye for now,
Tilly
“You drew Flatline?”Shade asks.
The air is dusty and thick with the smell of shit as he and Ash slip past the loose security and join me and the other riders behind the chutes. I grunt in reply, focused on taping my wrist. Which horse I’m going to ride in a few minutes doesn’t matter. They’re all the same at the end of the day. Depending on the day they’re having, it could be any one of them that sends you flying for the last time.
“Could have been Widowmaker,” Ash says, adjusting the collar of his button-up.
If I had to guess, I’d say he had his outfit picked out for him. Unlike me and his sister, he’s not really the cowboy hat type. Instead of jeans and a pair of boots, he prefers joggers and sneakers. The baseball cap on his head is turned backward like always. He and Shade are the most similar, even if the tattoo artist seems to detest any other colour of clothing besides black.
Shade leans against the metal railing of an empty bull pen and chuffs a laugh. “Yeah, guess so.”
“I don’t remember inviting you all back here.”
At my sharply cut words, Ash stares harder at me, his curiosity blinding. “You can thank my sister for that.”
“And isn’t that just thecutest, Rowe? You’ve got Tilly playing the role of proud girlfriend, making sure all of your best friends are here to support you. Did you have to resort to blackmail to get her to come today, or has she gone all goo-goo-ga-ga for you again?”
I tuck my tape beneath my arm and slide my glove on. “Why don’t you ask her that?”
“Because he’s scared if she heard him talking like that, she’d kick his ass,” Ash answers for him, kicking his shin. “Tilly and goo-goo-ga-ga don’t go well together.”
Shade’s smug-ass smirk is annoying. “And still, nobody has mentioned the whole girlfriend part of my statement.”
Using that term to refer to Tilly feels incredibly adolescent. That’s not what she is. Neither of us even knows exactly what we are to each other, but I think we’d agree on that much.
For now, she’s the woman who rallied all of the people who matter in our lives to come see me ride today and who’s slept in my bed for the last two nights. I’m going to add another to the tally after this, and fuck if I’m not getting my cock inside of her the moment she’s beneath me again.
We’ve been skirting around it for days, and her teasing on the ride up this morning was almost too much. She aware of every move she makes in those tiny shorts and the shirt of mine she’s stolen and cropped high on her waist. There’s too much of her bare skin for me to look at and touch. I’m going out of my goddamn mind here, and she’s loving every minute of it.
That’s why she spent a good portion of our drive with one hand in my pants and the other in hers. I expected it to beenough for her when I blew all over her fingers, but then she crawled over the middle seat and took me into her mouth, and?—
There’s a sharp digging sensation in my side. I blink and see Shade’s elbow jabbing at me. With a scowl, I shove him away and start taping my other wrist.
“Not my girlfriend,” I say tightly.
Ash makes a non-committal noise in his throat. “I’d hope not. If she were, I’d expect a heads-up.”
“That’s all? You’re not going to threaten him away from her? That’s the whole point of being a brother. I’ve been waiting years to watch this fight,” Shade grouses.
“Coming from a guy with no siblings.” Ash speaks to Shade but keeps his eyes on me. I look away from my wrist, meeting that stare. “You’re not dating my sister, are you?”
