"Definitely a good man," I promised. "And this is our deal, Tanner. Who any of us fucks isn't important. That we talk about it, put each other first, and make the trusting part work? That's what I like."
He pulled open the flap on his jeans and started tucking in his shirt. "Ok, so J.D. and Ty we agree on," he said, clearly getting me back on the topic. "Jake?"
I shrugged. "I honestly never noticed him before Tulsa. I didn't watch his rides or really know anything about him."
"And now he's your new bestie," Tanner reminded me. "Ok, what about Jackson?"
"He's like eighteen!" I shot back. "A kid!"
"Nineteen, but fair," Tanner relented. "Who else?"
"Renato," I said. "Taken as fuck, but still pretty."
"True that," he agreed. "Kaleb's too scrawny. Jaxon - the American one - looks like he's been kicked in the head a few times."
"God, that's the perfect description," I agreed around a giggle. "Wes isn't bad."
"No, I wouldn't kick Wes out of my bed," he agreed. "Dado?"
I shrugged again. "Kinda plain. Um, Gustavo, though..."
"Who is twenty," Tanner teased.
"Hey, that year makes a big difference!" But I waved him off. "He looks older. Granted, two years younger than me doesn't seem as weird as three."
"I can see that." And he started doing up his belt. "Ok, Cody. How do I look?"
"Boots and coat," I told him. "I mean, I think you're hot, but I think you're hot in a Red Bull jersey too."
Which got me another one of those sweet and sexy little smiles Tanner did so well. "You didn't even notice me until you thought I was gay."
"Nope," I said. "I noticed you the moment you looked under my hat, saw I was a woman - and didn't see anything wrong with that. Then you were sweet as you helped me off the dirt?" I waggled a finger in the area of his body. "Yep, that made me notice all of this."
"Really?"
I nodded. "Truth. I can also say it seems I'm more attracted to personality than pecs and high cheekbones - or whatever's supposed to be attractive."
"I think that's a girl thing," Tanner admitted. "For me, hot is hot. I could hate someone and still consider fucking them."
"And you are bigger, stronger, and less slut-shamed than I am. Trust me, a lifetime of hearing nothing but horror stories does make a difference. Cole kinda drove that point home."
"Shit, yeah. I forgot about that," he mumbled. "I guess it's no different than me being nervous about dating women because of my ex and how that blew up with my parents."
"Pretty much," I agreed.
Tanner headed to his bag, digging in it for something else. "So, I guess this means J.D. and I are safe, huh?"
"Yeah," I breathed. "And that still surprises me. Not about you! I mean J.D. I expected the worst from him, but he justkept... Helping? Being so completely open I couldn't find the catch? I don't even know."
"Raw," Tanner offered. "J.D. is completely raw. There's no fancy finish or polished edges. With him, what you see is what you get. Ty? He's a complete player. He knows how to look good, act impressive, and do everything right."
"What about Jake?" I asked. "I mean, I barely know the guy, but I'm hanging out with him tonight, and you are the one who seems to have all the inside info."
"He's a shadow," Tanner told me. "Jake is always in the vicinity of being everything you'd expect, until he isn't. He never apologizes for it. He doesn't try to make excuses either. He's just the person who is easy to overlook - right up until you realize he's doing his best to be invisib-" He stopped hard. "Fuck, because of his dad."
"Not following," I said.
"His father," Tanner explained, "was one of the biggest record-setters of his generation. Kinda like the very first J.D. of the PBR. Now, J.D. has blown all records out of the water, but Donald Merrill's the president of this whole thing because he was the best for so long. Hemadethe PBR, Cody. And if he wants his bastard love-child to stay a secret, he probably doesn't need Jake breaking his records too."
