Page 20 of Buck This
“That’s not going to block the fucking video.”
“Then it’s up to you to ignore them. Come on. Switch me.”
He inhaled deeply and the look on his face was full of anger, but also something more. Helplessness? There was a pleading for understanding there in the depths of the bright green hue.
“I’ll stick around until tomorrow on two conditions.”
“Name them,” he gritted out.
“One, you explain to me why.”
He cast another glance at the box beside them and then gave them his back, draped his arm over her chair, and glared at the arena where another bull was bucking. “Quickdraw said he will coach me through the next two days of this competition, but he wants you around in case you can manage me or something. I don’t really understand it.”
She let off a single, sarcastic laugh. “Me? Manage you? You kissed me and then you tried to kill me.”
“I said I don’t know why,” he gritted out. “I answered your question as best I could. Name the other condition.”
“You switch me sides and make the rest of my night here fun, and not stressful, and then maybe I will stay until tomorrow afternoon. I have a hotel room for tonight.”
“Tomorrow afternoon won’t work. Quickdraw wants you here the whole time.”
“The whole time—”
“Woman, I will share half the purse with you if you stay and I win this thing.”
Well, that shut her up.
She blinked at him hard and then dragged her attention to the arena, where they were trying to coax the bull through the gate to leave. “How much is it for first place?”
“A million dollars—”
“A million dollars!” she yelled. “In money?”
“Shhh.” He cast another dirty look to the box beside them. There were two camera phones up now. It really was annoying. “It’s not like I’m going to win. I got a penalty tonight that dinged my score, and I have to pull nearly perfect rides the next two nights to catch up.”
“I guess it’s easy to offer me half a million dollars if you don’t actually think you’ll win,” she muttered. “Doesn’t sound like a great deal to me. Plus, I have work.”
“On Sunday? You work at a bank. Nice try.”
“Well…I have to get home to my feral cats.”
“You have automatic feeders for them.”
Her mouth fell open. “How do you know that, stalker?”
“I guessed.”
“Well…” She crossed her arms over her chest defensively. “My awesome friend who keeps ditching me is staying the entire time. I guess I could get a hotel for another night if they have rooms available.”
“They won’t,” came a deep voice behind them. Quickdraw Slow Burn was leading his friends into the box. “Hotels around here are sold out completely. You can stay in Buck’s trailer with him.”
“Um, no thanks.”
“You’ll be fine,” he rumbled as he took a seat on the other side of Buck This. “Do you mind?” he asked loudly to the adjacent box, and the six people in there all turned right to the arena and put their stupid phones down. Quickdraw was blocking their entire view of Buck This.
Quickdraw rested his elbows on his knees. “I just put in an order for merch.”
“I don’t even know what that means,” Buck said.
