Page 17 of Bucked Hard

“Fuck.” I yell as I stomp the brakes, sending Roger and I lurching forward.

“Jesus! What the fuck, what’s wrong?” Roger was nodding off. Now he’s looking over at me but my hand is already on the door handle. “Where the fuck are you going?”

I caught the glint of rhinestones spelling out ‘Crutches’ on the front of her black tank top walking on the side of the road. I’m out of the truck and running at her.

Fuck, what the fuck is she doing walking alone in the middle of the damn night?

I’m pissed as hell and even surprise myself at the level of anger that’s rising up inside me. The idea that she’s alone on the side of a country road in the middle of the night. That’s fucking dangerous.

As my eyes adjust to the night, I see the moon shine off her hair and the slip of her blue skirt catches the breeze. But she sees me first and I realize I must be scaring the shit out of her because she stops dead and looks like a jack rabbit ready to fly.

“Hey, it’s okay.” I slow my pace to a jog, hands raised high above my shoulders. Walking isn’t going to get me to her fast enough and I don’t want her out here alone for another second.

The Rover crunches the dirt next to me with Roger in the driver’s seat now inching it forward.

“Hey, what the hell man?” He yells out the open passenger window craning his neck to see what I’m running after.

But all my focus is on her. I don’t respond to Roger. I see the whites of her wide eyes and she’s fucking terrified. That’s only sensible, but she needs to know we are not about to scoop her up and take her out to a field somewhere and defile her.

“You shouldn’t be out here. Why are you walking?”

“Go away. I’m fine,” she snaps back and her arms cross over her incredible tits.

“Honestly, I’m not here to hurt you. I just want to know if you need help.”

“No, I’m fine.” Her face twists up as she says it.

“Look, I give you my solemn word, I am not a murderer, rapist or even a shoplifter. I pay my taxes and I floss. I just saw you walking and that’s dangerous as fuck this time of night.”

Roger leans toward the open passenger window. “Look, darlin’, he’s right. You need a ride somewhere?”

I want to tell him to shut up. I realize he’s just trying to help, but something burns inside of me and I don’t want anyone else trying to take care of her.

“No, really, I’m fine.” She hesitates, her hot chocolate eyes darting from the Rover to me, then back. She’s still got that look like a skittish field mouse.

I raise my hands higher and wider in surrender, hoping the gesture will help calm her.

“Look, it’s miles to anywhere, you are walking back toward town. Your car died, right?” My skin turns hot, a momentary flash in my mind that some fucking prick might have left her out here like this makes me want to hurt someone.

She hesitates, so I cease my forward motion and lower my hands, stuffing them into my pockets. I take the opportunity to adjust the growing wood behind my zipper so she doesn’t get the wrong idea, but keep my eyes keen on her every movement and breath.

Her chest rises and falls as she considers me, wondering whether to trust me. Finally, after what feels like hours, she blinks and nods, huffs out a breath and looks at me with something other than fear.

“My truck died.” She turns her face back down the road, tossing those silky waves that I want to grip in my fists over her shoulder. “It’s just down there. I’ve only been walking like two minutes.”

I squint into the darkness and sure enough, I see the outline of a pickup pulled so far off the side of the road its wheels are damn near dangling in the ditch.

“Let’s go see. What did it do before it died?” I step toward her and she hesitates for a moment before answering.

“It’s been acting weird. It goes along fine, then it sort of sputters, acts like it’s going to die, but then it keeps going. This is the first time it’s just completely died on me though.”

“Ummm, dude, what’s the deal?” Roger hollers out the window of the Rover. I’m so close to her now that I can see the movement of her throat when she swallows, and the reflection of the moon in her eyes.

“I’m going to check her truck. Just hold on.”

I consider just telling him to leave now, because honestly, I have zero intention of getting back in his truck tonight, but I don’t want to scare her any more than she already is, so I play along.

I add over my shoulder to Roger. “Just pull down off the road and shine your lights toward the front of her truck. I’m going to take a look.” I tip my head at her with a grin. “Like I said, I’m not a murderer or anything, just a guy who’s going to look at your truck.”

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