In under five seconds, I caught no fewer than three emotions filter through Garth’s eye. Surprise, to excitement, to a different kind of excitement when Josie’s chest pressed into his back.
“I’m more of a learn-through-doing type of girl than by watching,” Josie said with a smile so evil the devil could have been taking his own notes.
“One rider only!” the guy standing by the controls and wearing a shirt that read A-Z Rentals shouted.
Josie didn’t have a chance to pout before Garth glanced at the guy. “I’ll pay you an extra hundred to ‘overlook’ that rule this once.”
The guy’s lips clamped together and stayed that way, his hand moving to the control panel.
Josie stuck her head over Garth’s shoulder. “I thought we were saving for a honeymoon?”
“Baby, this right here is a honeymoon.” He shifted on the bull, although it had less to do with adjusting himself into the sweet spot and more about adjusting up on Josie. When she leaned closer and whispered something in his ear, his brows disappeared into his hat. “Now this is the way God intended man to ride bull. With a sexy-ass woman straddling him from behind mouthing filthy things into his ear.”
I rolled my eyes at the two of them doing their thing, but really, it was pretty damn amazing. Garth and Josie’s love story was almost as unconventional and unlikely as Jesse’s and mine.
“Hang on, Josie!” someone hollered at her as the bull started to move.
“Josie’s an old pro at this,” Garth hollered back, clamping one hand over Josie’s hands around his chest, the other holding onto the bull. “She’s had plenty of experience riding beasts of an imposing, well-hung, might I add, nature.”
I didn’t miss Garth scanning the room before letting that comment fly. Those two might have been engaged, but I didn’t doubt Mr. Gibson wouldn’t hesitate to rip Garth apart, appendage by appendage, if he heard Garth mention his daughter’s experience riding well-endowed animals.
“Well-hung’s a matter of perspective, Black!” Someone chortled in the crowd as Garth and Josie moved a bit faster on the bull.
Garth found whoever it was in the crowd and lifted a dark brow. “I don’t know. Your girl’s ‘perspective’ on that matter didn’t leave any room for disappointment.”
A chorus of “ooooohs” circled the pit as the bull spun and moved in an almost lazy loll.
“Come on, I ain’t no grandma whose had both hips and a knee replaced. Stop insulting me and give me a ride here,” Garth called to the guy at the controls, who was fighting a smile at Garth Black riding a mechanical bull in granny mode. His wasn’t the only smile floating around the pit. “Make it hard, for Christ’s sakes.”
That was when Josie’s hand slid down his chest, lingered just above his belt buckle, and wound down his thigh. It was a little too inner thigh for this public of a setting in my opinion, but Josie had never let someone else’s opinion get in the way of what she wanted or didn’t want. She had Garth’s attention from about the belt buckle point, and when she angled her head closer toward his, Garth’s whole face changed from being in control of a situation to having none in a different one. That man was so hopeless when it came to her that she could have only been using him to harvest his internal organs and he wouldn’t have cared.
When she moved closer, her eyes dropping to his mouth, he followed the cue, and tipping his hat back just enough, Garth lowered his mouth to Josie’s. There they were, making out up on top of a mechanical bull in front of a barn full of family and friends. It was what I loved about them. They made fairy tales a reality in a very public way, where Jesse and I preferred to keep our own tale more private.
The bull took a very sudden and sharp jolt, which was promptly followed by the newly engaged couple flying off the back of it before thumping into the mats. The crowd around the bull erupted in shouts and claps, but not even that could break Jesse from his stupor. I was glad. Peaceful moments were so rare for him, I’d started to wonder if he was capable of recreating them. After firing a glare at the guy chuckling at the controls, Garth pulled Josie up and headed toward us.
“Nice ride there, Black. Plenty of noteworthy material I can apply in ‘How Not to Ride a Bull.’” I waved at Josie, who was covering her mouth as though she’d just noticed we were here.
Garth tried to fire a scowl at me as he adjusted his hat, but his eyes gave him away. He was happy. So much so, I doubted if anything could strip him of it.
“I’m so glad you guys were able to make it.” The moment Josie crawled off of the mats, her hands dropped to my stomach, spaced around Jesse, who was snapping out of his temporary hypnosis. Josie had always been a hugger, but after I’d started to show, she became one of those pregnant-stomach touchers too. It was like a baby inside a belly was a magnet she couldn’t resist the pull of. “What a nightmare with all of the waiting you guys had today. Didn’t those doctors know you guys had a party to get to tonight?”
Jesse lifted his head from my stomach, more because Josie’s hands were invading his space than him looking like he wanted to. “Sorry we’re late.” He sounded tired, his voice thick like when he woke up in the morning. “But happy we’re here now.” He managed a smile for Josie before holding his hand out to shake Garth’s.
“See? I told you they’d make it. You can relax now and enjoy the rest of the night.” Josie glanced at Garth before getting back to staring at my stomach as she massaged little circles into it.