Breaking the Bad Boy (27 page)

There were hundreds of tiny stitches; the plastic surgeon did a fine job. Some bled, but most came out easily, and when he was completely done he put the Neosporin on her, maybe for the last time.

“I love you, Buck,” she said with her back to him. He went perfectly still.

“No you don’t, Duchess,” he said after a minute. “You just think you do because we’re in this outrageous situation together and your belly is full of steak and Snickers. You know that song,
Lovers in a Dangerous Time
, that’s us, Joss, everything is amplified because we’re under fire. You’ll get over it. Over me.”

“No, I won’t. And you won’t admit it yet, but you love me, too.” He exhaled loudly through his nose.

“It’s the great sex, Duchess, you just…” she turned to face him and touched her finger to his lips.

“Please don’t. I don’t ‘think’ I love you because you give me powerful orgasms, give me a little credit. And don’t pretend to devalue it. You don’t have to respond to my statement, I just want you to know it. I don’t know what’s going to happen tomorrow, but I suspect when it’s over, you’ll leave me,” she said. “You’ll do it for some imagined noble reason, but you’ll be wrong. I love you, and you love me.”

“Joss,” he whispered. It was a wounded sound.

“I’ll wait for you to figure this out. Just don’t take too long, because it will hurt to breathe without you.” She stood and let her towel drop to the floor and led him back to the bedroom. They made love slowly and languidly, savoring every second of their limited time together.

Buck hadn’t shed a tear since his mother died when he was thirteen and he was taken to live with his white grandfather in
Boston
. His life was drastically altered, from almost complete freedom in the great outdoors to boarding schools and east coast establishment and finally being recruited by the Feds. But he cried in Joss’s arms that night, knowing he would never hold her again.

When she was asleep he got up and splashed cold water on his face and went outside with the phone he took off the dead biker and made the call. She stirred when he got back into bed and he couldn’t help himself, he woke her up completely with kisses and they joined again and then they both slept.

Sometime before dawn she woke to hushed angry voices in the next room. Quietly she wrapped the sheet around herself and walked to the door to listen.

“I won’t take her,
Davis
, that’s final,” Buck said.

“You will, Duke, and that’s final. I’m not making this shit up, these are direct orders,”
Davis
said.

“What are they going to do, fire me? She stays. I can’t believe they’re willing to put a civilian in danger like that?” Buck said. “This is all
him
, isn’t it?”

“She’s not in danger, Duke, she’s got you. You’re a fucking hero. Anyway, you’ll be safer with her there, and maybe she does know where the gold is,”
Davis
said.

“I don’t give a fuck about the gold, and you can tell him that. She stays here,” Buck hissed pointing to the tile floor.

“I’ll go,” Joss said from the door. Buck jerked his head away from
Davis
and looked at her. When did she get so stealthy?

He was standing in the kitchen wearing only his jeans and boots looking gorgeous talking to a man sitting at the table who was dressed like a cowboy, but looked very uncomfortable in his garb. Buck looked gloriously furious and Joss had to lick her lips.

Davis
’s eyes went wide when he saw Joss come into the room wrapped in the sheet and he stood up.

“Miss Erickson,” he said.

“Mr. Davis,” she replied and he smiled at her.

“Your pictures don’t do you justice,” he said.

“You leave her alone,” Buck said to him and turned to Joss. “You go back to bed.” She walked past him and poured herself a cup of coffee and sat down at the table.

“Nope.” She said and
Davis
raised an eyebrow at Buck and tried to hide a grin.

“Give me the gun and I’ll get out of your hair,”
Davis
said. Buck reached behind him and pulled his gun out and handed it to him.
Davis
handed him a gun and an extra clip. “It was nice to meet you, Miss Erickson,” he tipped his hat at her and stepped outside.

Buck looked at her. She was going to kill him; he only hoped he wasn’t going to get her killed first. He handed her the box of doughnuts that was on top of the fridge.

“Here, Duchess, eat up, we’ll probably die before the cholesterol becomes a problem, anyway,” she smiled at him.

“Thanks, Glum,” she said and pulled a glazed doughnut out of the box and sank her teeth into it. He knelt in front of her and she touched his face. The bruises were yellowing, but still there.

“It’s not wise for you to come, Joss,” he pleaded with his eyes. “I have half a mind to truss you up to the bed to keep you here.” He took her hand in his and looked down at it. “But with your luck the next lunatic would drive by and find you, and I’d have to chase you down again.” He kissed her hand. “You have to agree to do everything I say. They just want the gold; it’s not worth your life.”

“If they think they need me to find it, don’t you think they’d want to keep me alive?”

“They will try to use you to make Brent talk, Duchess, and the idea of it makes me physically ill. Brent’s been buying the land to find it, who knows, maybe he has already. You have to admit, he’s doing pretty well for a rancher.” She shook her head.

“I don’t care about the gold. Buck, I need you to tell me something, anything about you. Who are you, John Buckingham?” He grimaced and looked at her for a long while then dropped his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair and he closed his eyes. “I know so little about you.”

“You know me better than anyone else. Promise me you will do as I say, Joss,” he said.

“I will, I promise.” He took a deep breath.

“I was raised by my two grandfathers after my mother died, one in
Boston
, and one in
Arizona
. I got kicked out of the finest prep schools in the country until I found a teacher who changed my life, and I started to focus on what mattered. In
Arizona
I learned who I was, but in
Boston
I was taught who I wasn’t. I went along merrily thinking I had a pretty good idea who I was until I found you miles from anywhere looking like you owned the place.”

“I do own the place,” she said and he raised his head and smiled at her.

“I guess you do,” he said.

“It’s time to tell me what the lady in the restaurant said to you.” He exhaled through his hawk nose and looked up at her, his hazel eyes shadowed with pain.

“Suddenly it’s not so amusing. The woman in the restaurant said that with your shapely hips you would bear me fine, long legged sons. She was out of fortune cookies or something.”

“I would like very much to bear you fine, long legged sons, Buck.”

“I have seen…” he stopped.

“What? What have you seen?” She asked.

“I’ve seen our baby in my dreams, Joss,” he touched her cheek when a solitary tear rolled down it. “I was hoping for a girl.” Joss laughed.

“Girls are a lot of trouble, just ask Brent,” she said and he laughed, too.

He stood up and brought her with him. “Get showered and ready, Duchess, it’s nearly time.” She bit her lip and nodded at him. It wasn’t enough; they hadn’t had enough time together. “Be brave,” he whispered to her. Joss turned and walked to the shower, and Buck collapsed in the chair she just vacated.

Twenty minutes later she came out and Buck was tucking in his shirt. Looking up he smiled at her. “Ready to go catch some bad guys?”

“Yes, whither thou goest I will go… aught but death part thee and me,” she said, and thought it should be strange to be quoting the Bible to her lover. He smiled at her sadly.

“You are not going to die today. Remember, Joss, do as I say and follow my lead,” he pulled her to him and kissed her properly. They went out to the bike and climbed on.

“Tell me two things, Buck,” she said.

He nodded. “Okay.”

“Tell me you have back up,” she said.

“I have back up, Duchess,” he smiled.

“And please God, tell me it’s not me,” she said and he laughed.

“I’m wired, baby, they’ll know when we need them,” he smiled at her.

“Oh God, since when?” He laughed.

“Since you got out of the shower, don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me,” he said.

“You’re the one with the secret,” she said and he kicked the starter with a roar.

“Hold me, Duchess; one more time.” She did.

The ride to the ranch was shockingly brief. The dogs, including Pablo greeted them and Brent came as far as the porch and went back inside for his gun.

Buck pulled right up to the porch as Brent came back out leveling his gun at Buck. “Leave my daughter and go and I’ll let you live, you son of a bitch,” he said.

“Put the gun down, Brent, and I’ll tell you how he saved my life again and brought me home. But if you hurt him I will never see you again,” Joss said. “Is Cassidy here?” Brent put the gun down looking confused. A few days ago Buck left and Joss disappeared, he assumed the two things were connected.

“Cassidy? No, she went back to
Jackson
a few days ago, why?”

“She didn’t go to
Jackson
, she’ll be here soon; we saw one of Lanier’s men near the gate.” Buck said as he helped Joss off the bike with his hand on her low back.

“Who the hell is Lanier? Talk me into not shooting Buck, Joss, he’s being awfully familiar with you,” Joss walked up the steps and took his gun out of his hand.

“Don’t be an ass, Brent. Look at him. He has been beaten and shot and hunted since I was hit on the head and forcibly taken from here in the dead of night by Cassidy’s men. They tied me up and came this close to raping me,” she held two fingers about a centimeter apart.

“Christ!” Brent squeaked.

“And that was just an hour into it; I haven’t got the energy to tell you the rest right now. Suffice it to say, I would be raped and dead in a ditch somewhere several times over if he hadn’t gotten to me in time. Give the man your hand, Brent, because I will never love another,” she said and Brent straightened his spine and shook Buck’s hand.

“Thank you, son,” he said. “So Belle was right.” Joss touched Brent’s chest.

“Thank you, Dad,” she said and went inside, leaving them on the porch. They looked at each other uncomfortably and then followed Joss inside. She stood in the kitchen drinking coffee.

“How can you drink this swill?” She said.

“Ah, there’s my Duchess, back in the lap of luxury, demanding her French Roast,” Buck said and she smiled at him.

“French Roast and a hairbrush,” she walked back to her room and Buck stood by the window watching the road for dust.

“Is Belle here?”

“She’s at the store in town, she just left half an hour ago,” Brent said.

“Good, call her and tell her you need a few extra things, and keep her away from the house for as long as you can,” Buck said and Brent went white, but called her. Joss came out of her bedroom looking like herself again in low jeans that were now loose on her backside, and a white t-shirt that was cut to be flattering on her. Buck could see the black bra underneath and felt a quick pang of desire that he tried to stifle.