Extreme Bull

money to follow along just because I want to watch you win it. I’ll be heading back to Idaho tomorrow. I’ll catch your victory on TV.”
    “Fuck.” Clay unbuttoned Jeff’s jeans and drew them down his legs, waiting for him to step out of them. “Socks?”
    “Off please.” Jeff held up one foot at a time.
    Clay helped him sit on the bed again in his boxers.
    “Better keep those on unless you want me to ravish you in your wounded state.”
    “Idaho is not wounded, and ravish? Fancy ten dollar word for a cowboy.”
    “I got A’s in English.” Clay undressed and got into bed, noticing how they were becoming more comfortable with the understanding that they would sleep in the same bed.
    When he was on his back, he drew Jeff closer.
    “I can’t do much.”
    “We don’t have to do anything but sleep. I just want to hold you.”
    Jeff struggled with his feelings; usually he was the one to do the holding, but he admitted to himself it might be nice, just this once. “Okay. I’m beat.” Extreme Bull | Catt Ford
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    Snuggling together, Clay positioned Jeff’s injured arm carefully across his chest, wondering what was happening to him. He’d never felt such a surge of protective emotion for another person, and here it had to be a man who didn’t want to be protected. He looked down at Jeff’s lashes, fanned silky and dark against his lean cheeks, thinking he was asleep, judging by the slow draw of each breath. “I never expected anything like this to happen to me,” he whispered.
    Jeff’s body started to shake with laughter. “Neither did I,” he said without opening his eyes, but his mouth curved into a smile.
    “Did you ever think you might be queer?”
    “Well, I never went around checking out men’s butts before—”
    “Whose butt are you checking out?” Clay asked in outrage.
    “Yours mainly.”
    “That’s okay then.”
    “What’s it like for you?”
    “It’s like being with myself but better, because it’s not me.” Clay struggled to express his feelings, not sure he was getting it quite right.
    Jeff opened his eyes. “I feel like you know me.” Extreme Bull | Catt Ford
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    “That’s part of it,” Clay agreed. “You know what my life is like; we want the same things—”
    “Not all the same things,” Jeff said. “I want to beat your ass in the ring, but this….” He moved his cast in frustration.
    “Hey, no fair nailing me with that thing because you’re pissed,” Clay said.
    “I thought I could do it this year.”
    “Maybe next year’ll be your year,” Clay said, trying to console him.
    “I guess this year it’s all you.”
    “I’m not the only one out there riding. And who knows? I could fall off and break my neck like Jamie did.”
    “Or Terrence could win.” Jeff solemnly rapped Clay’s forehead. “Knock on wood.”
    “You superstitious?”
    “Aren’t all cowboys?”
    “So are we, like, boyfriends?”
    Jeff pushed himself up to stare at Clay. “I guess. I’d like to be.”
    “Good. Me too.”

    Extreme Bull | Catt Ford
    144

    Jeff laid his head back down on Clay’s shoulder. “So how do you see this playing out?”
    “I don’t know. I guess we see how it goes.” Jeff didn’t know what to say. Tonight they would be together, and in the morning, he would be heading for home.
    He couldn’t afford to stay on the road with no hope of winning a purse along the way if he couldn’t ride.
    The tour would go on as usual, and Clay would be far away, busy with the competition. There would be women available and even men, a convenient way for Clay to get his rocks off. Even if Clay thought about him, he would be a thousand miles away.
    So it was over.

    JEFF woke up to the smell of coffee. Clay sat on the side of the bed, holding a paper cup under his nose, smiling down at him.
    “Wake up, sleeping beauty.”
    Jeff grunted when he moved his injured hand, remembering why he was in Clay’s trailer. “Thanks.” He sat up and reached for the cup with his good hand.

    Extreme Bull | Catt Ford
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    They sat next to each other, sipping the hot coffee, not touching, not speaking. Jeff didn’t know what to say. Clay would have to get on the road by ten to make it to the next stop. He didn’t want a lot of soppy goodbyes, but he’d never been in a situation like this before.
    Clay stood up expectantly. “Want to grab a bite?”
    “No.” Jeff set his cup down and stood up, hating the fact that he needed Clay’s help to get dressed.