Page 27 of Buck This
“You didn’t have to do that,” Torrey said. “You didn’t have to pay for my food.”
“Of course I did. You’re here as a favor to me.” He shoved his worn wallet into his back pocket and tipped his hat at the server before he gestured for Torrey to go in front of him.
The restaurant was huge and had a sprawling garden and outdoor dining area outside, but when she got a little turned around and lost her sense of direction, Buck guided her in the right direction with the soft touch of his fingertips right on the arch of her back. She went completely pliable under his touch, and God, he loved her body’s response to him.
Outside, Quickdraw was waiting with Tuff and Luna near his truck. “You have a couple of hours to pick up the T-shirts from the printer and deliver them, then get ready for tonight at your trailer before I need you to head to the address I gave you. You’ll Change into your bull there.”
“What do you need from me?” Torrey asked.
“To stick right with him. Take care of the merchandise and then go with him to his trailer. Don’t let anyone mess with his head. You’ll be there for his Change as well.”
“Ha. No thanks. I like survival.”
“You’ll be fine,” Quickdraw clipped out. “Probably. Shoot me a text when he’s Changed. We’re going to give him space until he’s the bull. I’ll have the trailer backed up to the building and I can get him loaded with my guys.” Quickdraw climbed into his truck, and Tuff Enough offered his hand for a shake again. “Tonight will be fun.”
Buck This snorted. “For who? Not me. Probably not for your dad either.”
“I know he’s a grizzly son of a gun, but my mom is due to fly in soon. He’ll probably be nicer when she’s here.”
Torrey was standing off to the side talking to Luna, and her face was all lit up and animated. God she was pretty.
“Did you hear what I said?” Tuff Enough asked.
“Oh, yeah. Your mom’s flying in.”
“No, after that.”
Honestly, he hadn’t been paying attention.
Tuff Enough twisted around to look at the ladies, then offered Buck a smirk. “They’ll do that to you.”
He didn’t understand what Tuff meant, but before he could ask, the werewolf was moving to open Luna’s door. “Don’t suck tonight,” Tuff advised as he walked around to the other side of the truck to load up.
“It’s all I know how to do,” Buck joked.
“You ready?” Torrey asked as she waved them off.
“Hold up. Have you ever been here before?”
“To this specific place you mean? Or playing house with a hot shifter I’m never going to see again in a couple of days?”
“Playing house?” he asked.
She shrugged. “We’re comfortable with each other. Really comfortable. You’ve kissed me multiple times, and you are smooth and decisive about it. You grabbed my butt in front of your fans. I’ve been on the jumbotron with you, and you didn’t even freak out. You kissed me last night in front of the crowd before you shotgunned that beer and you held my hand under the table in the restaurant while Quickdraw was telling us a hundred things we need to remember for tonight.”
“I’m not playing house.”
“You don’t feel like this is too much too fast?” she asked softly. “Because for me, I’ve never gotten comfortable with touch this fast. Not with anyone. Not even with my ex-husband.”
He didn’t like that word combination coming from her lips, but he couldn’t figure out why it bothered him so much that she’d mentioned her ex. Clearly it was in her past, and he had no right to get all bent out of shape for decisions she made before she even knew he existed. He thought about the playing house comment. Maybe she was right. He hadn’t been much on affection with anyone. Not ever.
Playing house. Huh. “It doesn’t feel dangerous when I know you’re going back to your life in a couple days.” He shrugged. “It’s easy to just be, you know? You won’t hurt me. You can’t. You won’t be around to do the hurting.”
“I think I’m the one who is supposed to be saying that.”
“Well, I guess we feel the same then.”
Her smile had faded to nothing. “I suppose we do.”
