Page 28 of Destry

His fingers tightened on my hips. “You don’t have to keep thanking me.”

I shook my head. “I do.”

“Savvy—”

“You know how you want something your whole life but don’t think it’s possible? And even if you know deep down it’s supposed to be, you just don’t believe it’ll happen?”

He tensed beneath me and after a moment, he nodded. “Yeah.”

I held his gaze and my chest tightened even more. “That’s what this is for me. I’ve always wanted this.” I laughed and rolled my eyes. “And the crazy thing is there’s no deep story about why. I grew up here. I’ve been around stuff like this all my life but when I was a kid, my father worked on one of the ranches and I tagged along. One of the ladies out there was practicing barrels and I was so damn fascinated. It was almost pretty.”

He barked a laugh. “That shit isn’t pretty, Rebel. His lids lowered. “It’s sexy when you do it though.”

I shrugged and grinned. “I’m a girl. It was pretty to me. The way she handled her horse and moved around the barrels was, I don’t know…”

“Pretty…” He sounded amused as hell and I nodded.

“I wanted that.” I sighed. “I know it might not seem like a big deal but I really appreciate all this.”

His fingers brushed over my back. “It made you happy so it’s damn sure a big deal.”

I leaned in and kissed him soft, nothing like the teasing, frustrating kisses from before. This was different.

Destry’s fingers flexed against me but he didn’t rush or try to take control like usual. He just let me lead and show him what I meant. When I finally pulled back, he didn’t say anything for a second. He only looked at me. Really looked at me.

I traced my fingers over the collar of his shirt. “What about you?”

His brows edged in. “What about me?”

I tilted my head, searching his face. “You’ve done everything. Won the titles. Built a name for yourself. What do you want that you don’t think you’ll ever get?”

Destry kept his hands lightly against my hips. He didn’t try to dodge the question with a smug remark.

“Something that lasts. Everything I have right now that isn’t attached to this ranch or my parents, the bull riding and rodeo life, it’s temporary. The wins and the crowds won’t last forever. That shit is cool but I want something that does.”

The way he said it, the raw, honest vulnerability sank into me.

I swallowed hard. “You ever think you’ll find it?”

His eyes locked on mine again. “Maybe. Just depends on if I find the right thing to hold onto.”

My heart went crazy in my chest and my mind was all over the place which probably accounted for the next thing that left my mouth.

“It’s late…”

“Yeah, it is.”

“I should probably go…”

“Probably…”

“Or I could stay…” He didn’t say anything, just stared at me, and when I started to second guess myself and pull away, his hand moved to the back of my neck and he kissed me.

I guessed that was a yes…

Destry lived in a ranch house on the back side of his parents’ place. It was nice, simple, and fit him perfectly. After my ride, I needed another shower, so he guided me to the one in hisbedroom where he pointed out everything I needed. Towel, washcloth, and his body wash.

I stripped out of my clothes, not feeling anxious about what I was doing, but the weight of who I was doing it with felt overwhelming. Destry Callahan wasn’t just any guy. Being with him was going to be a lot more complicated than any of the other men from my past because he was already proving that he wasn’t typical. I also wasn’t going to fool myself into thinking this was deeper than just sex.

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