Page 63 of Bucked Hard
She remains silent and I can’t wait any longer.
My hand grips the door handle and jerks the key from the ignition. I’m boots on the ground as I bolt to her door, opening it and grabbing her hand.
She starts to protest but I put my other hand to her mouth.
“Shhhh. Come inside. I promise you can say anything you ever want to say to me. Nothing will be off limits, but right now, I’m not sure words are what we need.”
I guide her down out of the truck, my fingers entwining with hers. She parts her lips as my other hand drops away, her tongue darting out to wet them. The way they shine, I can’t help but lean over to taste her.
Heat immediately ignites in my core at the brush of our lips. Every time I touch her it feels like the first time, and I wonder if that feeling will ever go away.
The way I love her scares me but it won’t stop me.
But that’s not the only thing that scares me.
It’s the conversation I had with Roger. Leander’s out.
God is testing me. Testing us. And I don’t know how to tell her.
But I’m going to have to deal with that another day, because right now it needs to be all about us. I have things to say to her.
Things to do to her and I’m not going to let Leander in here tonight.
Tomorrow I’ll tell her. I don’t see it making much of a difference. He’s a monster, and I’m sure he’s stupid enough to fill a tanker, but he’s not so stupid that he’d break the conditions of his parole. And one of those conditions is staying far away from her.
And even if it isn’t, I will make sure he does.
A thousand thoughts are screaming through my head as I lead her toward the door of the cabin. The sliver of the moon is the only light besides a dim glow from the window of Enrique’s cabin.
Rachel looks back over her shoulder, the lights in the kitchen of the farm house burning bright in the dark.
“I’ll go tell her you’re okay.” I know what she’s thinking and I don’t want Jessie worrying. We stop in front of the cabin door and I press my hands to her warm cheeks. The salt from her tears has dried and I lean down to kiss it away, listening to the crickets and the rustle of the tree leaves above the cabin. “I told you I have a surprise for you, so go on inside, I’ll be right back.” I set my lips on her forehead.
“Okay.” The smallest hint of her dimple dots her right cheek and my heart beats triple time.
My hand is on the doorknob, opening for her to step inside.
I jump off the porch and hit the grass at a dead run toward the farm house. I’m halfway across the field between the two houses when I hear it.
A scream of my name that drains the blood from my face. The sound of fear in her voice rockets through me like a thousand fists hitting me at once.
I stop dead and I lose balance, forcing me onto my knees, one hand in the dirt as I struggle to turn back around.
“Rachel!” I scream as my feet dig for traction in the wet grass.
The door on the cabin is open and the sound of furniture crashing around and muffled screams has me ready to rend bone from flesh.
My muscles are on fire as my fingers turn to fists and my boots catch in the dirt and propel me forward.
Each step feels like it takes an eternity, the sounds of struggle and Rachel’s cries hit me as I slam through the front door.
My eyes scan the small interior, but there’s nothing; the cabin is silent but the back door is open and that’s where I’m headed.
I leap, not touching the steps, landing on my feet I freeze in place, listening.
The clouds have thickened, covering the moon and leaving no stars. Out over the cornfield, off in the distance, lightning flashes bright and a moment later the rumble of thunder echoes over the farm.
“Rachel!”
