Page 21 of Buck This
“I’m having a local printer work through the night to put together some designs for you and print some T-shirts for tomorrow.”
“Ain’t nobody gonna buy those T-shirts. That’s a waste of your money.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Tessa, could you pick them up from the printer in the morning?”
“My name is Torrey, and what is happening right now? Do you want me to run errands for you? I don’t know anything about rodeos.”
“This isn’t a rodeo. This is the Battle of the Bulls. Do you realize how many people are watching this live on their tv’sright now? This is the equivalent bull rider and bull shifter nationals. It’s man versus shifter, and the winner not only gets a stupid amount of money, but they also get bragging rights. They can get sponsorships and life-changing money here. Enormous opportunities can happen here. Buck will be training with me in the morning. I need you to pick up the T-shirts and bring them here to the merchandise table. They will give you paperwork to fill out, just do the best you can. After that, I need you to meet us for lunch. What’s your phone number.”
“One eight hundred none of your freaking business—”
“Four zero six,” Raven recited.
The betrayal was real as Raven recited her phone number she’d given to her half an hour ago to Quickdraw.
The audacity. Buck looked amused at whatever he saw on her face, and her phone dinged. Twice. One was an unknown number that gave her an address and a simple caption of Printer. And the other was from Reece.
Where are you, ho? Someone left the seat behind us. You can sit with me now.
“Oh, can I?” she muttered.
I have a seat but thank you for thinking of me at the end of the night, she typed out sarcastically. Send.
Buck was openly reading her text, and she yanked her phone away. “Rude. This is an A and B conversation.”
“What does that—”
“So, C your way out of it.”
He laughed. “I haven’t heard that since about fourth grade. Your friend sure ditches you a lot.”
The crowd was cheering loud around them because a rider was making it to eight seconds.
Raven snatched her phone and held it up for a selfie. “Smile you cretins.”
Torrey didn’t even have time to make sure her boobs were still in her sundress before Raven was poking around in her phone.
“Has everyone lost their minds?” she asked, grabbing her phone back.
“You’re welcome,” Raven said with a smirk on her lips.
Welcome for what? She looked at the open text thread to Reece and poked the picture Raven had just sent her. In it, she looked surprised, but actually half decent thanks to her dark brunette hair cascading down her shoulders. Raven was cheesing, and beside her, Buck had put his baseball cap backwards and had his chin tilted up, a cocky-boy smirk on his face. Behind him, Quickdraw’s herd had crowded in to make it in the picture. Dead of Winter was smiling, while the rest of them looked serious.
The dots appeared to show Reece was typing, but then stopped, then started again. Stopped. Then started.
Are you serious right now? You’re sitting with Buck This Storme? How could you do that to me?
Aaand, Torrey was good and done with everyone’s nonsense tonight, most of all Reece’s.
You couldn’t even be bothered to save me a seat tonight. You don’t get to complain about where I found one. I’ll get my own ride to the hotel.Send.
I was going to say that. You should absolutely find your own way there, and you aren’t staying in my room tonight. I’m way too pissed to deal with your bullshit tonight. I can’t believe you. He bucked off Cobalt, nearly snapped his leg in half, and you, my best friend, are betraying me. Section four! On the rail!
Torrey looked at the numbers posted above the towering bleachers and found four. Reece had climbed to the top rail and had both middle fingers aimed at her.
Wow.
Beside her, Buck dragged her upward and pulled her in close, cupped the back of her neck and kissed her. It was a quick one. Fast and rough, and when he released her, Torrey was so in shock, she pitched forward against his chest just in time to see his middle finger go up at Reece and Cobalt Blue, who had appeared like an apparition next to his wife on the rail. He was yelling something in Buck’s direction she couldn’t understand.
