Page 148 of Bucked Hard

A smile tugs at his lips. "Was it?"

"You know it was." I prop myself up on his chest. "I've been waiting for you to notice me since I was—"

"Don't." He places a finger over my lips. "Don't remind me how long I've been fighting this. Makes me feel like a damn fool for wasting time."

I nip at his finger. "You were being honorable."

"I was being a coward." He rolls, pinning me beneath him in one smooth motion that leaves me breathless. "Afraid of ruining the best thing in my life."

"And now?" I wrap my arms around his neck, reveling in the weight of him.

"Now I'm wondering how I'm going to face your father without punching the sky and shouting that I've claimed his daughter." The smile that spreads across his face is pure mischief, a side of Buck I've rarely seen.

I laugh, the sound bubbling up from a place of pure joy. "He's going to kill you."

"Worth it." Buck drops a kiss on my nose. "Every broken bone, every black eye—worth it to have you here."

His hand slides down my side, tracing curves with a possessiveness that makes me shiver. "You know this isn't just physical, right? This isn't just me scratching an itch."

The vulnerability in his voice makes my heart clench. "I know."

"I've got plans for you, Callie girl." His eyes hold mine, dead serious now. "Plans that involve making breakfast together every morning. Plans that involve you working beside me on the ranch. Plans that include a white dress someday soon, if you'll have me."

My breath catches. "Are you proposing, Buckshot McCrae?"

He chuckles, the sound vibrating through both our bodies. "Not yet. When I do, you'll know it. I'll have a ring that's worthy of you, and I'll do it right." He kisses me, slow and deep. "But I want you to know where I stand. This isn't casual for me."

"Good." I trace the lines of his face, memorizing every plane and angle. "Because I've been planning our future since I was old enough to know what I wanted. And it's always been you."

Something in that moment makes me think of Missy, of the way she used to tease me about not having a boyfriend, or even letting a boy close enough to think he might have a shot. And that’s because they never did. Not with Buck around. How could a boy ever compare?

Missy.

She’s trouble. I always knew it. I guess I felt I needed someone like that in my life to give me the courage to finally take this step. But, turns out I didn’t, and I don’t think I need her in my life anymore. I don’t need someone who always needs to be the center of attention, because that’s what I am.

I’m the center of Buck’s world.

He rolls onto his back, taking me with him so I'm sprawled across his chest. He gazes into my eyes for a long time before he speaks. "Tell me about these plans of yours."

"Well, I figured I'd move into this big empty house of yours. Fill it with noise and laughter." I press a kiss to his jaw. "Maybe some little feet running around?"

His arms tighten around me. "Working on that already. A bunch of little ones with your eyes and my stubborn streak? God help us all."

"You'd be an amazing father." The words slip out before I can stop them.

Instead of tensing up as I feared, he smiles—a soft, tender smile I've never seen before. "And you'd be a beautiful mother. Someday."

"For now?" I ask.

"For now, I just want to enjoy having you all to myself." His hand slides into my hair, tilting my face up for another kiss. "You're my last ride, baby girl. My only ride. Now put my dick in that teasing little cunt of yours and show me how you ride your Papa."

Chapter9

Buck

Ihear the truck before I see it—the familiar rumble of Jim's pickup coming up my driveway. Callie tenses in my arms where we sit on the porch swing, her coffee mug pausing halfway to her lips.

"He's early," she whispers.

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