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“You need something, Boss?”I asked.

“Not really, I just like fucking with Kian.He wanted to know why I needed you when I could just ask him, so I told him because it made a fuck of a lot more sense to ask a starting quarterback for help with my throw, than to ask a third string benchwarmer.”

I snorted a laugh.

“You are so full of shit, Max,” I replied, shaking my head.

I could tell the boss man was nervous, and it humbled me to see him care so much about this whole thing.

From a rich playboy whose days formerly consisted of fuck knows what, Max was now the Alpha of a mixed up Crew of Shifters.He was mated to a former human.And he was the majority owner of a farm/ranch/dairy, whose monthly rodeo competitions were good for the brand, even when we lost.

It was a motley assortment of tomfuckery if ever there was one.I wouldn’t have blamed him for skipping town if he had in the beginning, but he didn’t.Max stuck it out.

He proved himself as the Alpha, as a man, and as a mate to Penelope.My Wolf held him in high esteem, and I knew I’d made the right decision to come here.

Even more so now that I was mated and getting married.Jezebel already wore my bite mark and my ring, but I couldn’t wait to see her wear my name.

When I came to Dry Creek, to the Motley Crewd Ranch, I was a broken Wolf.

But not me.Not anymore.Not ever again.

“How are we looking?”Max asked, dipping his chin at the horse we were both watching.

I dropped my hands against the top rail on the fence where one nasty looking brute was snorting aggressively.

“Well, if you hold and keep your head like I taught you, you’ll be fine.Remember, half the battle is mental, Boss,” I said.

Max had already been through all the physical training, mental preparation, and equipment readiness check that bareback bronc riding demanded.

Even Shifters had to work out and plan meticulously when competing in human events so as not to reveal the supernatural secret.There was a fine line, and we could not afford to cross it.

Targeting core muscles was essential for maintaining balance on top of a wildly bucking horse.I remembered those days well, even though I’d moved on to bull riding.

It was quite the feat, getting the bull to settle once he smelled my fur.Demon was a predator.The bulls sensed that.They knew death was on their backs and they fought like hell to rid themselves of me.

I admired them, and even when I lost, I won.Every ride was another lesson in what to do and not to do.Every second I spent riding, I was learning.

“I’ve already gone over every scenario I could think of.I’m aiming for second today,” Max said, and I nodded.

It wasn’t conceit.Max had the physical strength of his Devil, but he also inherited magic and sometimes it was more challenging to rein that all in than it was to stay on the horse’s back.

I admired his tenacity.My own rides had been more or less average since the move to New Jersey, as I did not want to garner any unwanted notoriety or attention.

But each time I closed my eyes, I could feel the rush of adrenaline surging through my veins, igniting a fire within me.It was both exhilarating and terrifying.I was eager to get back in the ring.To show off in front of Jezebel.

My mate.

“Good.You remember to twist with the bronc, and you’ll be good, Boss.”

“Yeah.Got it,” he replied easily.

We stood in companionable silence for another moment, then I blurted out the question that had been on my mind all week.

“Um, I was wondering, well, you know I asked Jezebel to marry me,” I said.

“Yeah?Hot damn!Congrats,” Max replied, a knowing look on his face since the Jersey Devil was recently engaged himself.

“Yeah, um, I wanted to ask?—”