Page 97 of Reckless Skye

TJ sighed. ‘What do you want?’

‘Nothing. I was just looking for this girl I saw earlier. Event photographer.’ He whistled low. ‘Redhead. Curves that would tempt Jesus himself in far less than forty days.’

‘Haven’t seen her.’

Matthew nodded. But he didn’t leave. He parked next to TJ, lifted one booted foot to the bottom rung of the arena, and watched Skye ride.

Hating the silence, but also genuinely curious, TJ asked, ‘Which bronc did you draw?’

‘Devil’s Advocate.’

TJ knew the horse: an athletic Draft-Quarter Horse cross with impressive strength and a penchant for extreme twists. ‘Good horse,’ he commented.

‘So, how you doing, man?’ Matthew didn’t look at him when he asked the casual question.

To most people, it was a simple query, one shoved into small talk when you didn’t really care but had to make conversation. For TJ, it was a complex and painful topic. In the end, he just replied, ‘Better than dead.’

‘Heard you’re working pickup tonight?’

‘Nope. Skye’s riding my horse, so I pulled out. Is that why you’re wasting your time here?’ TJ’s frustration slipped into his tone. ‘Afraid I’ll let the bronc finish you off?’

‘Nah.’ Matthew grinned. ‘You don’t have the spine for cruelty.’

A surprised laugh left TJ’s lips before he could bite it back. But he added a casual, ‘Dickhead,’ for good measure.

‘Anyway, just thought I’d check in, pay my respects.’ Matthew didn’t look at him when he quietly added, ‘You know, I was real glad you came back from Scottsdale, TJ. That was a bitch to watch.’

‘Yup.’

Matthew tapped the piped arena fence once and stepped back. ‘I’ll just be off then.’

‘Good luck this weekend,’ TJ drawled without looking back.

‘Thanks. Same to your girl.’

TJ didn’t bother correcting him, and as Matthew walked away, undoubtedly in pursuit of his redhead, TJ refocused on Skye.

She was at a standstill, gently bending Kai’s neck to either side.

She might not be his girl anymore, but he’d always be stuck on her.

He stayed close as she warmed up, and although he watched her, he also kept one eye peeled for anyone that seemed out of place.

Nothing unusual caught his attention, and although a few staff and helpers watched the girls warming up in the arena, none of them seemed particularly fixated on Skye.

When the first drag was called, numbers one through five began moving their horses out of the warm-up arena and towards the coliseum. The moment Skye and Kai stepped out, TJ moved beside them towards the holding area.

Skye looked down at him, her big blue eyes full of nerves. ‘I might actually be sick,’ she whispered as the girls in front of her filtered into the performance arena.

TJ caught Kai’s reins. He crooked one finger at Skye, encouraging her to lean down. ‘Best tip for avoiding performance anxiety?’

She nodded, listening intently.

TJ was damn tempted to kiss her. She was right there, her face so close to his. He almost – almost – risked her wrath just for one quick taste of her. It would give her that burst of anger she needed to distract her from her nerves. But instead, he flicked her ear at the last moment.

Skye reared back. Her hand rose to her ear – not, he knew, out of pain, but shock. ‘What the fuck, TJ?’

‘Distraction,’ he said, and with one last wink, stepped back.