Breaking the Bad Boy (10 page)

Chapter Three

Joss breathed in to shriek. “You don’t want to bring everyone running, Duchess, now that you got me where you want me,” he said and she was stunned into silence. “You say ‘fuck’ a lot, Duchess, what’s on your mind?” She could hear his smile.

“Buck? What are you doing here?” His large hands were moving slowly down her back, cupping her ass and pulling her close.

“Mmm, just trying to get comfortable, Duchess. What is that you are wearing? It’s as silky as sin. It’s almost as smooth as your skin. I like it. Take it off.”

“Let me go, Buck, I just sliced my foot open on something,” she said and pulled back putting her hands on his bare chest. Her voice had an edge to it and even though he hated to, he helped her up and turned on the lamp. Her hair was everywhere and he wanted to bury himself in her and never come back. He breathed deeply and he could just smell her over the tang of vodka.

God, he was beautiful, sitting there in nothing but his boxer briefs and his smile. She tore her eyes away from him and brought her foot up to look at it. Three puncture marks in a line on her arch, right where Jake had touched her earlier that day.

“My spur,” Buck said, and she looked at the floor and sure enough it was the same pattern. “You are going to need a Tetanus shot, God knows what kind of crap is on them.”

“Um, horse crap?”

“I expect. Can I trust you to get one tomorrow?”

“You don’t wear spurs,” she said.

“I just put them on for the round up, but you’re right, I don’t usually,” he said. “They make it hard to sneak up behind you.” He grinned like a little boy and it disarmed her. “Can I trust you to get a Tetanus shot, Duchess, or do I drive you down to the hospital right now?”

“I’ll get one, don’t be a bully,” she said and his eyes softened.

“Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.” He took her hand and she stood, then he bent and lifted her into his arms like she weighed nothing and took her back to the bathroom. She squeaked and thrashed, but he shushed her.

“Please don’t wake them up and get them curious.” He sounded serious and sincere and she stopped struggling and put her arms around his neck. His skin was warm and smooth, and completely hairless.

“Why are you sleeping on the couch?” She asked as they entered the guest bathroom. He put her down on the edge of the tub, went under the sink and came out with the first aid kit.

“There was some discussion earlier that led me to believe your virtue might have been compromised this night,” he said and she laughed.
He slept on that horribly uncomfortable couch to keep anyone from getting past him to me, what’s he playing at?

“I wasn’t aware that anyone regarded me as virtuous,” she said. “Once you get found buck naked in the barn with the local bad boy, your reputation’s shot.”

Buck choked out a laugh. “So that’s what happened. You’re really something, Duchess, a rare treat. Hold tight to something,” he looked around. “Me, you can hold tight to me,” he opened his arms.

“Just do it, long shanks,” she said.

“This is going to sting.” He held her foot over the tub and poured alcohol into the holes in the bottom of it. She bit her lip with the pain. “So, if you’re so easy what the hell am I doing wrong?”

Joss released her teeth from her lower lip and laughed. “Leaving your spurs lying around for one thing,” they both laughed. “I didn’t say I was easy, that’s the thing. No one here knows me, they just think they do. Big Jake thinks I’m a wild child, and Brent thinks I’m having sex with… everyone here…” she stopped just before she said “You.” Why on earth was she saying this to him? “I just have a tendency to make unwise choices.”

“Oh goody,” Buck said. Their eyes met. “I know you’re not easy, as gorgeous as you are, you’d have a line out the door. Of course they’d have to get past me first. That little speech you gave Big Jake sounded pretty well rehearsed, Duchess, you don’t let anybody in; do you? I’m only hopeful because you haven’t given that little speech to me yet.”

“I’m sorry Buck; I don’t want to complicate or compromise…” he stopped her mouth with a finger and a shushing sound, and they both smiled. Why was it so easy with him now, when it wasn’t before?

“Now, my Duchess, don’t break my heart while I’m administering first aid, it’s unkind,” she laughed softly. “You think I haven’t got a heart,” he wagged his finger at her.

“Oh, you have a heart, Buck, it just prefers animals,” they smiled at each other.

“I thought that was a sheep rancher joke,” he said and she laughed out loud.

“That’s not quite what I meant,” she said still smiling.

“You know, you’d be safe from those guys if you spent the night with me, then I wouldn’t have to sleep on the couch, which is shockingly uncomfortable.”

“But then I wouldn’t be safe from you,” she said.

“Look, Duchess,” he helped her off the edge of the tub, turned her head and pulled her hair behind her smooth shoulders feeling her shiver again. Standing behind her he showed her the reflection of herself in the mirror. Her hair was tousled and framing her face and her sage green silk slip complimented her creamy skin, which was shown in abundance. She could clearly see her left nipple where her slip got wet from the frozen vodka. She let her lower lip go from in between her teeth and it was swollen from her biting it.

Buck was staring longingly at a mole low on her breast that he would love to have his mouth on. His eyes lifted and met hers in the mirror.

“You think you’re safe from me now?” His voice was hoarse with longing, that shiver nearly did him in. She looked at him.

“I don’t think you’d force me, if that’s what you mean,” she said.

“Do you really think I would have to force you, Duchess?” His voice was enticing. He moved suddenly and got a few Advil out of the first aid kit. “Take these and go to bed before I piss Brent off.”

“Thank you for fixing me up. Good luck tomorrow with the cattle,” she said. He stood very close to her, his golden chest nearly touching hers, she thought he was going to kiss her, but he stepped away. She reached for his arm and he stopped and looked down at her creamy long fingered hand on his ocher arm.

“Buck, you don’t have to sleep on the couch,” she said and he met her eyes and smiled at her, giving her goose bumps. He came to her and put his arms around her, pulling her against his chest.

“My Duchess,” he whispered bending toward her mouth.

“I’ll just lock my door,” she said, her eyes dancing with merriment. He didn’t let her go, instead he squinted his eyes at her.

“I might just use a battering ram to get to you,” he liked holding her, she was warm and soft. “Your rental company called today while you were out,” he said.
Why is he bringing this up in the bathroom while he is holding me like this
?

“Are they going to charge me for the tires?” She asked pulling back fractionally, but not making much of an effort to have him let her go.

“No, there were caltrops in your tires,” he said.

“Is that what they’re called?”

“You knew?”

“I had three flats at once, I was a little curious about it. What are they?”

“A weapon of war. It’s made when two pieces of metal, like nails, are twisted together to make a four pointed piece of metal that always has a stable base with one point sticking up. The Romans tossed them into the road to slow down the horses, elephants and foot soldiers. Brutal but effective.”
 
Knowing what they were called would make them easier to find on Google.

“I pulled one out; I have it in my room. Was it intended for me, do you think?” She asked him. He looked at her, wondering how much he should tell her. She cocked her head at him. “Tell me.”
Damn she was sharp
.

“Hard to say, Duchess. I’d like to reiterate locking the door when I’m not here.”

“But why?”

“To keep the bad guys out, Duchess,” he grinned.

“Not why lock the door, why toss caltrops in the road?”

“I think you should think about that, you clever girl, I’m just the hired help. And the toe ring, very sexy,” he said, kissed her forehead, let her go and walked back to the couch. She looked at her toe
and sighed.

She went back to her room, her vodka and crossword puzzle forgotten, and didn’t sleep a wink.

***

Buck couldn’t believe it when she came down the hall and opened the freezer and stood there, her long lovely body backlit in that skimpy slip. He heard her making crazy person noises and could have sworn she said something about a bad boy, and he got warm thinking she might have been talking about him.

A houseful of horny ranchers and she displays herself like she’s untouchable. What was she thinking?
Maybe it was my going away gift, but that didn’t make sense, she didn’t know I was here
. His little Duchess was going to get herself in trouble. Just because she shouldn’t
have
to worry about bad guys didn’t mean she shouldn’t worry about bad guys. He tried to make himself comfortable with very little luck. It was a long night.

***

For the next three mornings Joss took Butterscotch out of her stall and went for a run with her. Joss preferred swimming to running, but running was an excellent alternative. Joss ran and Butterscotch followed close behind. They went further and further every morning, both of them getting stronger, with the sound of the hula hoop in their ears. On the third morning Butterscotch was waiting for Joss, and kicked at her stall door in anticipation. It made Joss happy on a deep level. She didn’t even bother with a lead rope, Butterscotch followed right behind and the horse was as happy as Joss was.

Through all the exercise Joss considered Buck’s words about the weapon of war cast into her path. It wouldn’t have been a secret that she would come to the ranch when Brent had a heart attack, anyone could have easily discovered when she would appear. She left messages on the phone. Her only question was why? Brent was confusing her with talk about drugs, someone was after the Frenchman’s gold, she was sure of it. Why now? Fernando said Brent was acting squirrely, had he finally found the gold? It would explain the healthy bank balance.

Butterscotch suddenly became very interested in something ahead of them and she put her ears forward and snorted. Joss immediately thought wildlife; the wolves would make her a little edgy. Horses were prey, and they knew it. They kept a pretty good eye out for anything irregular within about a mile radius. This often led their humans to think they were not clever, but they often saw dangers humans didn’t, so Joss paid attention. She looked where Butterscotch looked. Sure enough, Joss saw some movement about 25 yards away. Joss took the hula hoop off the horse and listened. Butterscotch’s ears went back to listen behind her and Joss turned around. There was a man in the road about 15 yards behind her; she could see him standing near a copse of trees, and something, or someone in front of her.

This was certainly supporting the argument that the caltrops were, in fact, put in place for her. Buck had timed his arrival brilliantly, but this time she had to depend on herself, and her horse.