Page 22 of Buck This
The crowd was in a roar, but there were no bulls bucking right now. The arena was quiet with no real action happening. And that’s when she noticed the jumbotron on the left-hand side. She and Buck This were on it.
“Here you go man,” Dead of Winter said smoothly as he slapped a canned beer into Buck This’s hand. “Make the most of it.”
Like they had telepathic bad boy communication skills, Buck this didn’t even hesitate as he released Torrey, sank a canine into the side of the can, popped the top and shot-gunned that beer for the crowd to witness on the jumbotron.
The audience went wild, and there was Torrey, failing to hide her smile because this was awesome. Reece was going to be so pissed.
Buck This leaned in again, like he was going to kiss her, but he slowed it down. She wiped beer off his chin with her hand, laughing so hard her stomach muscles hurt, then cupped his cheeks and let him kiss her again. This one was gentler, and they both smiled their way through it. It was a three second hold and then he turned to the crowd, stood on the rail of their box, and waved up his hand, encouraging them to make some noise.
The commentators were narrating the whole thing, and when the camera pulled off them to pay attention to the bucking bulls again, Quickdraw was typing away on his phone.
“What are you up to over there, Boss Man?” Dead asked.
“I’m changing the logo on the T-shirts,” he muttered.
“Are you in?” Buck This asked as they sat back down.
Torrey couldn’t help the big grin on her face, even if she tried. “I don’t know,” she drawled out, teasing.
“It’ll be a mess, but it could be fun.”
She dragged it out another ten seconds, pretending to think about it.
“Come on, Tammy,” Quickdraw muttered. “Just say yes. I’m making your itinerary now.”
Her itinerary? Ha. She’d never heard a man utter that word.
“My name is still Torrey,” she enlightened him.
“Yeah, I don’t care. What’s your email?”
She sighed and arched her eyebrows at Buck This. “Fine. You can’t be falling in love with me though. I don’t date cowboys. Or shifters.”
“Or psychopaths,” Dead of Winter helped her out.
“Or those,” she agreed.
“Then I guess we’re both safe. Teammates for two days. No more, no less.”
“Then you should probably quit kissing me.”
“Hey, teammates sometimes kiss other teammates,” Buck This said. He twisted around and smacked his lips as he leaned toward Dead of Winter, who backed as far as he could into his chair and told him, “I will punch you square in the dick. I am not your teammate, this is all Quickdraw. I’m just here for the laughs when this blows up in his dumb face.”
“Yeah well, I’ll laugh with you,” Buck mumbled as he settled back into his chair. “I’ll be comin’ in dead-last this competition. Everyone knows it but Quickdraw.”
The Quickdraw in question had a phone up to his ear and was watching Buck This. “That was the most alive I think anyone on the circuit has ever seen you. You do have the ability to drag the attention of the crowd.”
Buck this shrugged. “Anyone can shotgun a beer on camera. It’s not anything special.”
Quickdraw nodded and stood, then made his way out of the box. “Hey,” he said to someone on the phone. “Did you get my notes?”
Buck This watched him until Quickdraw disappeared down the ramp, then turned a frown to Torrey.
“What’s that look for?” she asked.
“I just have a bad feeling. I grew up watching him buck, and now he’s putting attention on me. I don’t deserve it. There are two dozen other bulls that buck better, more consistent, and more controlled than me.”
“So?”
