“Not bad at all. Good thing it was less than me, huh?” He grinned back, knowing Joa would laugh at that.
“Sim, sim.” That laugh rang out, bright and happy. “Still in the short-go.”
“Yes. There will be three of us, yeah?” He thought the new man, Raul, was going to do well.
Joa nodded, smiling for one of the fans, posing for a picture.
The urge to stick his tongue out caught him, and Balta made a face, sending the girl into a fit of giggles. “Come on, Joa. We need to go get ready.”
“Sim.” Joa nodded, jogged out to start warming up again.
Balta licked his lips. He could watch that all night. There were other things he could do, though. Good thing he had a vivid imagination.
He packedhis chaps and ropes, whistling under his breath. He’d placed third in the short go and sixth overall, so he was in the money.
Joa grinned, happy enough that the fact that he couldn’t go home to the ranch for the week was okay. His little place made him smile, made all the traveling and stress worth it. And when he was on the road, he had the others with him, keeping him company. Balta was good at that. Balta, who was standing there talking to the reporter girl who was afraid of most of the Brazilians.
He skirted around them, headed for the truck. They were in Tulsa, heading for Topeka, then Omaha, then home to Texas, so he was driving.
“Joa!” Balta came running after him. Well, hobbling, the foot he’d injured in an earlier round obviously still hurting.
“Your foot.” He stopped, smiled into dark eyes.
“Sim. It’s fine. Just sore.” Balta hadn’t ridden his championship round bull, but he didn’t seem unhappy. “How about dinner?”
“Sim. You want to ride with me? I got my truck.” He offered to take Balta’s gear, knowing that sore meant hurting.
“I’d love that.” That broad smile everyone one adored flashed, just for him. He could tell, because it reached Balta’s eyes.
He shouldered Balta’s duffel easily, pointing the way out with his chin. Balta patted his ass, laughing out loud with that pure joy of life. Bless him, Balta always made things enjoyable.
“How are you getting to Topeka,amigo?”
“I don’t know, huh? I was going to ride with Sammy Bass, but he got his head busted tonight.”
Sam Bass was always landing wrong.
“He needs to learn to stop landing on his head.” Joa didn’t have to think even a second before making his offer. Balta was…Balta. “You want to ride with me? I’m driving.”
“Pois nao!” With that bounce and grin, he could honestly believe Balta meant the ‘with pleasure’ part.
He blushed, unaccountably pleased. All of them looked up to Balta, to have the man as a traveling partner was…an honor.
“So, what do you want to eat, Joa? I think maybe a steak.” Sometimes Balta’s choices reminded him that Balta always had some ready cash. The man had won more money than most of them ever saw.
“A steak is good.” They had decent beef here, good service, and their English was clear enough that they were treated well. “Do you know a place?”
“I do!” They got in the truck, Balta groaning a bit. “How are you, Joa? Not too bruised, huh?”
“Nao. I’m good.” He patted his ribs. “Someone caught me.”
“Yeah? He must be very smart.” Balta patted his thigh. The man was touchy tonight, fingers on him at every chance.
“He is. Very. And abuonbullfighter,sim?” Joa’s cock was aching, hard and swollen.
“Nate?Sim. He’s a good man.” Easing his legs around, Balta sighed happily. “Better.”
“Which way?” He thumped himself hard, telling himself to not watch, not have such sinful, dirty thoughts about the man beside him.
