Bullheaded

getting your rocks off. You’ll say anything to stick it in me, won’t you?”
    Shocked, Cody took a hasty step toward Johnny and curled his hands into fists, digging his nails into his palms. “I thought you liked having sex with me.”
    “It’s amazing you can still get it up at your age, I’ll give you that.” Johnny dropped from the bar and glared at Cody. “You’re amazing in so many ways.”
    Cody glared back, his face suffused with color and beads of sweat forming on his forehead. “Listen, I’m trying to make a future for us. I pay for everything when we’re on the road because you’re just—”
    “Just a bullfighter? Besides, I pay my share!”
    “You don’t even know how much the rooms cost,” Cody spat. It suddenly dawned on him. “This is about Bobby Blue, isn’t it? You’re jealous.”
    “Don’t make me laugh.” Johnny crossed his arms contemptuously.
    “Because he’s a rider and you’re only a bullfighter! And he’s going to be a good rider! People will know his name. And you’re only ever going to be a bullfighter! Part of the scenery.” Cody made another mistake and laughed to lighten the mood. “Aw, come on. You gotta stop taking things so serious.”
    “Yeah, and you’re an old bull rider. Maybe your claim to fame will be that you trained Bobby Blue, because sure as shooting one day he’ll beat your ass. And if he ever found out you’re gay—or did he find out?”
    “You think I—I’m interested in nailing—you’re crazy, crazy jealous!”
    “I saw you looking at his ass.”
    “I’m committed, not dead!” Cody shouted. He grabbed Johnny by the shoulders and shook him. “You’re being a jerk, dammit!”
    “ I’m a jerk? What the hell are you when you tell me what to do all the fucking time!”
    Cody smashed their mouths together, feeling the sharpness of his own teeth dig into his flesh and knowing he’d probably have a fat lip, but somehow he had to prove to Johnny—he drew back when he felt Johnny start to shake and stared at him.
    “What’s so funny?”
    “Why is it when I’m so fucking pissed at you I still can’t keep my hands off you anyway?” Johnny was tearing the buttons of Cody’s shirt open with one hand and rubbing the front of his jeans with the other. “You are so fucking annoying! But you fill out a pair of jeans nice.”
    “And you aren’t fucking annoying? You’re so damned—”
    “Shut up!” Johnny snarled. “My turn to fuck you.”
    “I can’t keep my hands off you either.” Cody stuck his hand down the front of Johnny’s jeans and rubbed the hard bulge he felt. “Is this angry sex or makeup sex?”
    “You want to stop and figure it out? Who cares?”
    Johnny shoved him down onto the mattress, and Cody decided it really didn’t matter as long as they were together. When he had his legs wrapped around Johnny’s waist with Johnny’s cock buried inside him, his anger melted away as they pounded away at each other.
    Afterward, as they lay with their legs tangled together and their arms around each other, Cody said, “I love this.”
    “What part of this? Fucking? Teaching those noobs?”
    “Being able to just be together, hold you. Not having to rush off. Not being so tired after working we fall asleep right away.” Cody cursed his own inability to put how he felt into words. It was near impossible for him to say he loved the quiet moments of intimacy after the rush of having sex. Despite all his past experience, he’d never had someone he cared about so much before. Never been in love. “Good thing I’ve got strong thighs from riding.”
    Johnny snuggled closer. “It is great.”
    That made Cody chuckle. Not like Johnny was a great poet either. But they knew what they knew.
    “First time I saw you, I said, ‘Gotta get me some of that,’” Cody said. Goddammit, he sucked trying to talk about love stuff.
    Sleepily but with an edge in his voice, Johnny said, “Like a lost puppy. Put it in a bag and take it home with you. Feed it up so the bones don’t stick out.”
    That made Cody think. He’d never thought of Johnny as a charity case, and it startled him to hear Johnny thought that. “Please stay for the summer. I could really use your help.”
    “You’ve got RJ and Travis,” Johnny murmured.
    “Don’t decide ’til after the boys leave, okay?”
    Johnny didn’t answer and Cody lifted his head to look at him. His boyfriend was asleep. His hair splayed out like his body in total relaxation,