Page 93 of Reckless

I still. Then scratch mychin.

My silence is the only answer he needs, and his trademark smirk spreads on his face. I hate when he’s right. I’ve been a mess of nerves, and while informing Tori’s parents that I’ve fucked their daughter is not exactly the reprieve I was looking for, it has rewired myheadspace.

Now that I’m home, though, now that I’ve had some time to mull it over, there are a million things I wish I’d told Mr. and Mrs. Duran. Like how much I adore their daughter. That she’s one of the most capable people I’ve ever met. That they raised a brilliant, passionate woman who’s an amazing example for mykids.

Did I say any of that? No. I stumbled through a terrible description of sex, one that only confused Mila, and then hightailed it out of there.What the fuck is wrong withme?

I groan, dropping my head into myhands.

Never again. Tori deservesbetter.

The front door opens and shuts with a soft click. Tori drops her bag in the front hall, traipses across the living room, and plunks herself on mylap.

Before I can begin to figure out how to apologize for this morning, she beats me to it after planting a soft kiss on mylips.

“I’m so sorry you got ambushed. I didn’t realize Kat was meeting up with our parents.” She shudders. “I’d never drag you into something like that onpurpose.”

Having her in my arms immediately puts me at ease. “Nothing to apologize for, honey. I’m sorry I didn’t handle itbetter.”

She nibbles on her bottom lip. “I feel bad. You guys have a lot going on this week. You don’t need morestress.”

Logan, who’s still on the floor, groans. “Shit. Guess I need to wear a suit on Friday,right?”

My suit is ready to go. In fact, every morning when I see it hanging in my closet, it gives me a little heartburn, knowing why I need it ready. “That’s probably a good idea. We can’t show up looking likebums.”

“Speaking of.” Tori tugs on my t-shirt. “I’ve been thinking about yoursituation.”

I lift aneyebrow.

“Why you don’t compete anymore in those cutting horsecompetitions.”

All of my muscles tense, and I lean back, trying to put some space between me and Tori even though she’s sitting on my lap. Not sure why this puts me on edge, but itdoes.

She must sense my anxiety because she pats my chest. “I get that there’s a cashflow problem. That the competitions are expensive. But the purses are fairly substantial, and a few years of doing the cutting circuit could get you out of debt withAllison.”

All shit I’ve debated and analyzed this summer, except I don’t see how we can make ithappen.

“What’s the biggest expense if you wanted to compete?” she asks. “The guy who provides thecattle?”

I scoot out from under her and stand up. This whole discussion makes my skin itch. “Yeah. That eats up a bulk of ourbudget.”

“And you pay himoutright?”

Nodding, I wonder where she’s headed withthis.

“This morning my parents were talking about this farming collective they’d heard about from one of their friends.” Tori turns to Logan to explain her parents used to be migrant farmers. “The families all share in the cost and profits, you know, pooling their resources. It got me thinking that maybe you could ask the guy who provides the cattle to do it for a reduced rate for a cut of the profit. That way you’re offsetting the cost. And maybe, if you can get him on board, I wonder if Allison would be open to getting paid that way too. So rather than taking an immediate payout on the ranch, she could view that money as an investment with different terms, say a payout within five years or whatever you guysdecide.”

Logan and I look at each other, and that glimmer in his eyes makes me want to put on thebrakes.

With a sigh, I yank off my baseball cap and scrub my hand through my hair. “I’d say this plan has potential, but there’s one colossal variable.” Leaning back against the fireplace mantel, I restrain myself from listing all the ways this could gowrong.

Tori gets up and wanders over to me, beaming that luminescent smile, the one that makes me consider jumping off high dives like this one. “Yeah.” She nods, stopping right between my legs. “It assumes you win. That you go to Fort Worth and kick ass.” Her eyes cut to Logan. “Can Ethan do this? Can he go and be the best right out of the gate? Or is he just there to make his Wranglers lookgood?”

I chuckle and reach for her. I can’t help it. Kinda want to spank her for all that sass. Except she’d likeit.

I wait for my brother to say something sarcastic, but his attention drills into me. “Ethan’s the best. I’d bet on him to win. Our daddy always said he was a natural. That he had cutting in his blood like one of the horses. Now, he’d have to qualify with enough points in earlier competitions and we’re already midway through the season, but if anyone could do it, hecould.”

Aww,bro.

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