Free Used (Unlovable, #1) (Unlovable Series) by Lynetta Halat Page B

the metal bar in front of them. Fortunately, Ransom is able to jerk his head back in time. Bulls may be known for their brute force, but they’re no dummies. After a few more minutes of preparation, Ransom nods with a quiet, but powerful, “Go,” and his bull blows out of the chute.
    When the beast spins, Ransom hangs on. When he cuts left, Ransom hangs on. When he kicks his back legs up and is perpendicular to the ground, Ransom hangs on. But he doesn’t just hang on. His form is perfect. His arm stays powerfully straight and extended at a ninety-degree angle. His frame never slouches. His face never shows fear.
    The buzzer sounds, and he dismounts, landing on his feet with his hat slightly askew on his head. He jogs to the fence and climbs up as everyone greets him with awe-infused congratulations.
    I shake my head as I try to clear myself of my own John Ransom-induced haze. All the girls standing around me erupt into claps and squeals of delight. They immediately start in on praise of his … uh, finer aspects. Just when I get used to hearing all the different ways to describe how tight his butt is, how strong he is, how commanding he is, one comment jars me from watching Greer take the arena. My eyes widen.
    Maggie must’ve heard the harsh remark too because she asks the girl to repeat herself. I turn around to determine if it was a slip or if she was, in fact, bragging and realize it’s Becky, the bitch who has a hard time keeping her mouth shut. She flips her long brown hair over her bony-ass shoulder, and I can tell she’s getting a kick out of being the center of attention. “I said,” she begins again. “If you think he’s perfection here, you should see him in the bedroom. And no worries—chances are you all will since he’s never with the same girl twice.”
    “Ransom wouldn’t want you talking like that,” one of the other girls scolds.
    “Yeah, in fact, he pretty much demands that you don’t talk like that,” another says.
    Oh my God! He has rules for his whoring around. Well, so do I, I guess, but I only whore around with one person. Great! And I now feel like a hypocrite but can’t help myself. I mean, I know I brag about being a slut, but only when I’m provoked, and I don’t drag other people through the mud with me.
    I catch Becky’s knowing eye. It’s like she’s daring me to comment, and I can’t help but say, “Pretty hypocritical of you to stand out here and talk about whoring around with Ransom after what you said to me last night, don’t you think?”
    She just laughs and glances around at Ransom’s other conquests. “If you were ever with Ransom, you’d know it wasn’t whoring around. Oh, but wait, Ransom will never be with you because you really are a whore. He does have standards.”
    I give a short laugh and run my eyes up and down her skinny frame. “Clearly they’re not very high if he’s willing to settle for a prepubescent-looking girl who puts out for a known manwhore. And, trust me, if Ransom was ever with me, once would never be enough. I’ve proven that a time a two.”
    “You little bitch,” she seethes.
    “Don’t be confused, Becky. I’m the biggest bitch you’ll ever meet. So you’d best steer clear.” I laugh and look around at the girls who’ve circled around us like we’re about to put on a show. “And, just for the record, I’m immune to backstabbing, jealous harpies like you. So you’re wasting your time trying to put me in my place. It’s not gonna happen.”
    The other girls laugh at the righteous indignation radiating from her pores. I’m sure they all heard how she confronted me last night, and how it had backfired. And now she made it clear that she was the one with issues. No one here knew for sure about my past. I really wish I knew who’d told her, but I won’t give her the satisfaction of my curiosity. I raise my eyebrows as I wait for her comeback.
    I’m sorely disappointed. “Everyone believes those stories about you,