Pick Up Man

Chapter 1 

Jack lived for the Anaheim events—seriously. He got to see the kids, but then they all went to Disneyland. There was a ton of affordable food, decent hotels, and…Hudson. 

For years, he’d had his own personal hot little bastard in Anaheim. Hours in bed, making the bedsprings scream. Pizza delivery twenty-four-seven. Four nights of bliss with one of the ones he never once got tired of. 

He’d spent more time with Hudson in bed than out, and it was easy to picture the man with a lock of blond hair plastered across a wide forehead, and half-lidded blue eyes staring up from the pillows. That was the first image that came to mind, but Hudson knew how to wear a pair of jeans, too, the arms of a polo stretching around muscled biceps. 

Not bad for a geek. 

Hudson couldn’t ride a horse or throw a loop, and Jack was fairly sure he didn’t know what a piggin’ string was, but the fine motherfucker did make his eyes cross. 

He had driven down in a convoy with Mackey, Sid, and Tommy—and they had been having a ball on the pretty drive along the coast from Portland. He’d expected to hear from Hudson by now; he’d even texted twice, which was once more than he usually would for any other booty call, but nothing. Not even those little dots. 

Shit, he hoped Hudson was okay. It wasn’t like the man not to return his texts, but if Jack didn’t hear something soon, well, he’d just call. 

It was the decent thing to do, after all. What if Hudson had been in an accident or something? 

“So we won’t be seeing you at dinner, I hear.” Sid winked at him as Mackey was checking in. 

“Oi.” Tommy laughed. “Only place you’ll see Jack this weekend is on the dirt. He always has plans in Anaheim.” 

“Plans?” Sid asked, and Mackey nodded. 

“Plans plans. Pervy dirty many-condom plans.” 

“Wait.” Sid gave him a confused look. “How is that different than every other weekend?” 

That got a laugh from Mackey and Tommy, and he was about to say something snarky himself when his phone vibrated in his hand. 

[Plane was delayed and traffic in LA sucks.] 

Oh, hell yeah. That was the best possible answer. [Got a room at the Hilton Anaheim. 322. CUSoon] 

[Sounds good.] 

Tommy peered over his shoulder. “Is lover boy standing you up?” 

“He is not, thank you. Nosy.” He couldn’t help his grin, though, not for love or money. “His flight was late.” 

“He flies in for you?” Sid asked, and his grin just got wider. 

“I’m that good.” 

“Every year, so fucking smug. It’s disgusting.” Mackey clapped him on the shoulder. “Speaking of disgusting, see you on the dirt. I’m taking Sid upstairs for a nap before showtime.” 

Tommy sighed. “Sounds like my cue to find the twins. We should have made them drive with us.” 

“You should just get your own hotel room, man.” 

“Oi, the twins would cause a disaster. Can you imagine? They’d be bouncing off the walls like a ‘roo.” 

“Quick before he changes his mind.” Mackey laughed and steered Sid toward the elevator. “Later, y’all!” 

“Mother needs a day off.” Tommy winked at him. Grainger and Hayden—the twins on the bull-fighting team—stumbled into the hotel lobby looking wide-eyed and lost. “Oi! Boys!” Tommy waved. “Off to babysit, mate. Later.” 

“See ya.” Jack waved and headed for the bar, getting a beer while he waited for Hudson. He loved watching the fine son of a bitch walk into a room. 

Or out of a room. 

And it wasn’t long before Hudson showed, wearing jeans, a checkered button-down that tugged at his shoulders, and that unforgettable wide smile. Hudson gave him a lazy wave and headed his way, long legs and tight hips weaving around the dining tables. 

“Can you get me two Bud Lights, please, honey?” he asked the bartender, eyes on that taut belly. 

“Well, Jack Boers. Fancy seeing you here.” Hudson stuck a hand out and pulled him into a bro-hug when he took it, the familiar light cologne filling his nostrils. “And at the bar no less.” 

“I ordered you a Bud. Good to see you, darlin’.” Oh, maybe they could take their beers up to their rooms. He could order room services. 

“Thank you. I need a beer after that flight.” Hudson settled on a stool. “You’re looking healthy. Everything good?” 

“Doing great. You know how it is. I got my dream job.” He rode for three events a weekend whenever he wanted, his horses were happy and healthy, and he had both his thumbs. 

“I do know how that is, since I got mine too.” 

“Two Buds. Are you running a tab?” The bartender set out cocktail napkins, then set the glasses on top. 

“Just the one for me, thanks.” Hudson put a twenty on the bar. 

“So, you looking forward to the weekend? Feels like forever since I got to hang out with your happy ass.” Jack wrote his room number on his receipt. “Want to find a seat?” 

“Well, it’s been about a year, like always. A long one.” Hudson stood, and his sharp blue eyes scanned the room. “There’s a table over there that’ll work.” 

“You been okay? You don’t text like you used to.” And he hated to bother Hudson if he was… doing whatever he did now. Hudson was way quicker to change than he was. Way. 

“Yeah. Sorry, I… I’ve been busy. I got an incredible offer on my company, and I sold it. Now I work for them.” Hudson did some kind of work with medical technology that he didn’t completely follow, but he knew the company had been important. “But it’s good. I’m consulting now, so I have way more time than I used to, you know?” 

“So you sold the place so they could hire you?” Jack guessed the taxes on that were good? He didn’t know. “Time is good.” 

He could give Hudson something to do for a few hours. 

“Sort of? I sold it for over three times what I put into it and now I don’t run it anymore. I just work there. It was a good deal.” Hudson leaned back in his chair. He might only see Hudson once a year, but he could tell there was something off, something in Hudson’s eyes. “I’m turning my talents to my favorite sport.” 

“Yeah?” Surely that was rodeo, right? It needed to be rodeo. Rodeo rocked. 

Just ask him, he’d tell you. 

“Yep. I’m working on a glove. I’ve been working with a couple of riders off circuit, but we’re trying to find some pros to try it out. I’ve got a prototype with me. I’ll show you.” 

“No shit? Go you, man! I’d love to see it.” He was all over that. “What does it do? Protect the hand or keep them in the rope?” 

Hudson smiled and seemed to like the questions. “It’s safety gear, so protection mostly, but the riders seem to like the grip too.” Hudson shrugged. “We’ll see. It’s just nice to have the time to focus on things I enjoy.” 

“I hear that. I been staying with Mackey and his new guy for a bit. It’s nice to be able to just get out and ride.” He could outrun the world on the back of Ghost or Princess, either one. 

“He bought a place in Colorado, right? He has a guy? That’s amazing, good for him.” Hudson sipped his Bud, then studied the glass. Hudson hadn’t ever talked about wanting someone steady, and Jack knew the guy wouldn’t be here if he had someone else. 

Neither one of them were cheaters. 

Jack didn’t promise anyone monogamy. He knew how that worked out. 

“Sid’s okay. Smart like you. I like him for Mackey.” 

Hudson chuckled. “You don’t like smart people for yourself.” 

He frowned over because he surrounded himself with smart guys. He loved fucking the hot, smart ones because they had imaginations. 

“Just curious.” Hudson finished his beer. “I can’t believe how long we’ve been doing this.” 

“Long time, and every year it gets better.” He loved the California air, yessir he did. 

“You think so? Must be all the practice you get in between.” Hudson gave him a wink. 

“You got to use it, so they say.” He wasn’t getting it every weekend these days, but he wasn’t a fucking monk. 

Hudson watched him, then pushed his chair back from the table. “You wanna show me what you got?” 

“You know it.” He stood and offered Hudson his best smile. Thank goodness Hudson seemed more… normal. “I got us a nice room.” 

“Mhm. Okay. I’ve got a room down the hall too. I just dropped my suitcase in it.” 

Weird. “You don’t want to stay with me? You know you’re welcome as the flowers in May.” 

Hudson gave him a smile, but it seemed… complicated. “Oh, I know, cowboy. Thank you. But I’m here on business too this time, so it just seemed… I just got my own space.” 

That sorta made sense, he guessed. He wasn’t much for business. “Well, you want to cancel your room, I got you a key made. First, though, I want to get you somewhere I can kiss the fire out of you.” 

Hudson’s blush was answer enough. “Let’s go to yours.”