Page 14 of Buck This (Battle of the Bulls #6)

“Yeah. I felt pretty stupid. I was in love with my life, and with Caleb, and I was a good stepmom. I cared. I felt honored to be in Aiden’s life, but Caleb talked to his ex way too much.

He said it was about Aiden, but they talked every day.

She would never let up. Never stopped hunting him, and Caleb didn’t set any boundaries, so on they went until they decided I was the one who had to go.

And I look back, and I had allowed so much that wasn’t okay.

His ex would plan these family outings, and I wasn’t allowed to go.

They said it was for Aiden’s sake, to give him normalcy, but it would be pumpkin patches, and seeing Santa, and Christmas celebrations with her family, and I would just be at home alone, wondering why the hell the man I was devoted to would allow me to be put beneath everyone else.

And the worst part about my truth…the very worst part…

he left me.” Stupid tears burning her stupid eyes.

“I should’ve left from the jump, but I don’t make good decisions about love. People like me should never fall.”

“Why is he messaging you now?” he asked in a gruff tone.

She huffed a breath and shook her head. “They lasted about two weeks from what I heard. He’s dated several girls since then, but they both stuck to the rule.

I’m not allowed to see Aiden ever again.

It confuses him and makes him sad, so they need him to forget I existed.

” She still had her back to him. It’s the only way she got through all of those admissions—if she didn’t look at Buck.

“That’s so fuckin’ messed up, Torrey.”

“Yeah,” she said, turning to find him sitting on the pew again, his jeans unfastened, but still on. “And that’s why I will never get married again, and why I don’t want to joke about being a wife. The certificate doesn’t mean anything. It’s just a piece of paper. You can still be thrown away.”

“Geez,” he murmured, hanging his head. He had his eyes tightly closed and looked like he was in pain.

He sat up straighter and gestured to the scar down his ribs.

“Car accident. I went through the window.” He leaned his head back and stared down his nose at her, his Adam’s apple prominent in his muscular throat.

His eyes looked empty right now. “I hit the guard rail when I was ejected, and then I Changed into the bull, and I stayed like that for a while.” He gestured to his head. “That’s what happened to the horn too.”

“Oh my gosh,” she whispered. It hadn’t been frostbite, or fighting. He’d been horrifically injured. “How long ago did that happen?”

“Two years.” He shook his head. “That’s all I can say. You now have more than I’ve ever given anyone.”

And she understood. He was sharing something painful, as she had shared the painful reality of the end of her marriage. She didn’t want to say another word about what she had been through either.

“This is boring,” he pointed out. “Want to make out?”

She bit her bottom lip to camouflage her smile. He was lightening their conversation to give them both an out. “In a church?”

“It ain’t a church no more. All I smell is arena dirt and bird shit. No one has been here in a long time.” He smacked the seat of the pew and a plume of dust launched into the air. “Besides,” he said. “I’m already going to hell. Might as well go there thoroughly.”

“I think you like kissing me,” she said as she approached him.

“I do,” he said in a deep, rumbling voice as he slid his hands to her hips and gripped her firmly. He dragged her onto his lap.

Torrey slid his hat off and set it onto the pew, upside down as she’d seen him do. “What do you like about it, cowboy?”

He reached up and pushed her curls to the back, settled her hair behind her shoulders, then ran his fingertips down her bare arms.

“I like that when I’m touching you, my head goes quiet. That’s what I’m here for. I won’t joke about wife stuff anymore. I’m here for the silence.”

A damaged part of her understood his words with such clarity. A smile tugged at her lips. “I like that part too,” she whispered, dragging her soft touch down the length of his scar.

He grabbed her wrist and shook his head, then pulled her hand to the back of his neck slowly. That scar, and all the memories associated with it were off-limits. He said so without words.

Good. He would understand leaving her demons alone too.

Damage recognized damage.

He pulled her in and pressed a kiss to her lips, rolling his hips as he did.

A soft moan escaped her throat as she felt his erection against her, so close, and too far away all at once.

“I like those Wranglers you’re wearin’,” he murmured against her lips. He unfastened the button and unzipped them. “I’ll like them even better in the dirt.”

And this moment…oh, this moment. She’d been raw and vulnerable talking about the end of her old life, but his touch silenced her mind too. It was addictive. She wanted more, and more, and more.

The reckless urge to distance herself from that painful conversation had her pushing her shorts down her thighs, panties and all. Carefully, her eyes locked on him to gauge his reaction, she dropped her shorts on the seat beside him. “Your move.”

He sat there relaxed with hunger sparking in his bright green eyes as she peeled her tank top over her head, and stood there, bare before him.

“Would you like me to make all the feelings go away?” he asked her.

She cocked her head and pursed her lips for a moment before she murmured, “Yeah. I do.”

He dragged his gaze down her body, and back up, then leaned forward and slid his hand to her waist, drew her to him. He pushed his jeans down his hips, and for a moment, she was intimidated. He was huge, and stone hard. “I’ll be easy on you,” he promised.

And she believed him. She trusted him. They both held way too much hurt from their pasts to hurt each other in this moment.

She settled over his cock, and he held it at the base while she slid onto him slowly.

Halfway down him, he threw his head back and uttered a helpless curse, and that was enough.

Time slowed as she gripped his shoulder, lowering onto him, taking all of his girth, his head thrown back, his Adam’s apple stark against his muscular throat, his abs flexed. God, she loved this power.

She took all of him and tensed her legs, pushing up by inches, then lowered back down slowly.

Buck slid his hands to her back and pulled her against his chest smoothly, rocking his hips, pushing into her to match her pace, and oh it felt good.

There was no adjusting to his size or feeling shocked at being filled after so long without.

He just felt good, sliding up and down inside of her, hitting her at just the right spot.

The way his body felt against her was so addictive. He was all muscle and hard as a statue, but his skin was soft and warm against hers.

The rest of the world fell away until it was just her and Buck and this dusty bench creaking beneath them.

It was his breath hitching as she dragged him closer to release, it was her heart pounding against her chest. It was wanting all of him.

It was the way his hands explored and massaged her body.

It was the obvious enjoyment he took from coveting her curves. She’d never felt like this before.

His arms went tight around her as he leaned up and held her tight, pushing into her deep, deep, deep.

She cried out and threw her head back, and his hand went gently to her throat as she moved her body against his.

This man was the sexiest creature that ever existed.

Every sound he made, every word he whispered to her, ever time his body tensed, every buck into her…

never in her life would she forget the way he made her body feel.

Never in her life would she forget how quiet the world got when he held her like this.

She held onto him so tightly as the pressure built up in her middle. She was…she was… “Buck! Please!”

Her stomach dipped as he laid her down on the bench in a blur and rammed into her harder.

The bench creaked and they slammed to the ground as the legs splintered under the force of Buck thrusting into her.

The air left her lungs for a second but Buck had her.

He was cradling the back of her head, his other arm locked on the bench right beside her.

He dipped down and kissed her hard as he rammed into her over and over, swallowing up all her cries of ecstasy.

Her release washed through her like a hurricane, and he slammed into her again deep, releasing streams of warmth into her middle. Over and over, he emptied into her as her orgasm crashed through her. She never wanted it to end. She said it aloud. “I don’t want it to stop.”

He slowed, dragging every pulse of pleasure from her.

And then he said something that shocked her to her bones.

He leaned down against her ear and murmured it so clearly. “I’ll never hurt you.”

And then Buck pushed off of her, eased out of her, and sauntered to the center of the ancient arena, turned, and said it again. “I won’t hurt you.”

And she believed him. There was a raw honesty etched into every facet of his face as he held her locked there in his glowing green gaze.

And then Buck was no more.

A deafening smattering of pops echoed through the cavernous arena and the bull ripped out of him, and the man who could quiet her mind was just…gone.

Torrey’s heart pounded harder as she rolled to her side and watched the enormous beast approach her slowly.

He was so much bigger than she had realized.

He was dark chocolate brown, with white on his chest, and that crooked, sawed-down horn on his left side.

The scar translated to his animal form. It was long and jagged down his ribs, and the fur had never grown back there.

“You won’t hurt me,” she whispered, sitting up. She pulled her clothes over her chest protectively. “You won’t. You said you won’t.” Her talking aloud was more for her sake than his. Up close he was huge and utterly intimidating.

Buck This Storme came to a stop in front of her. He stood tall and proud, ears erect as he blew out a big breath. Slowly, Torrey reached forward and held her palm out, just inches from his face. Her hand shook, and she tried to steady it.

He took another step and pressed his massive head against her hand, and just…existed here with her, connected by the touch of her hand.

And then with a snort, he startled and trotted away. She yelped and then laughed as she felt silly. She watched him trot around the edge of the arena, looking for something.

Heart hammering against her sternum, she scrambled for her purse and pulled out her phone.

She opened the text thread with Quickdraw Slow Burn and messaged him simply, He’s ready . Send.

Buck This Storme was going to do it tonight.

He was going to have a good buck.

She just felt it in her heart that now was his time.