Page 74 of Saddle Storm

A sharp slap lands across my jaw. Not hard enough to knock my head back, but enough to leave a ringing in my ears. The sting heats along my cheek. Tuck shifts behind me, abandoning me to give her more room to attack if she needs to.

I lift a hand to my temple like I might be losing my mind. “Okay. Walk me through that. Starting with the kiss.”

“You are a world class jerk. A coward.” She flips an arm out to Tucker. “And there’s like a thousand things wrong with what you did here.”

“Calm down, I’ll fix it.” Even if I know this has nothing to do with saddling my old horse.

A growl escapes her throat and she kisses me again. This time I catch her waist and hold her, kissing her back but when she starts fighting me, I let her go, grabbing hold of just her wrists. “Storm, look at me.”

She shakes her head and her voice cracks. “I’m so angry.”

“Why?”

She stills and looks into my eyes. “I went to see my dad. I told him about you. Asked him about that night.”

I release my grip, lowering my gaze. “Storm, I’m sorry.”

“Why did you do it? You were the black sheep, you don’t follow the herd, you make your own rules. Why would you choose to let me go?”

“We were kids, Storm. Yes, when it came to me—I took every risk, threw away the rule book, but with you, I wasn’t taking any chances. I was too afraid that my screw-ups would only take you along for the ride and you had so much more going for you.”

She shakes her head, glancing past the open doors. “Yeah. Guess it wasn’t meant to be.”

“Maybe not then.” Risking injury to another limb, I reach for her, lifting her face to mine. “But no one’s going to keep me from you now.”

Tear-filled eyes search mine like she’s considering our obstacles. Like she needs them. She blinks them away expertly, in a way that makes me wonder how long she’s been doing that.

“You can be angry at me, Storm, but don’t be angry at him. He was protecting you.”

“And I suppose you think it’s your job to protect me now?”

There’s a bite in her tone and I’m picking up on something else she’s pissed about.

“It’s not my job, but it’s what I’m going to do—with or without your permission, Bee.”

She scoffs, stepping back. “Is that why you settled Dad’s bill at the care facility?”

My jaw works. “So much for anonymous,” I mutter.

“They didn’t have to tell me for me to know it was you, Silas,” she snaps.

I fold my arms, watching her, since there’s nothing she can do about it now and I’m not sorry. “How about you pay me back with a riding lesson?”

She purses her lips. “Just one? Or fifty thousand?”

I grin. “Better start with one. I’m accident prone.”

She folds her arms, shifting away from me stubbornly. “Hasn’t your pretty face suffered enough today?”

I rub my jaw. “It’s not suffering if you’re on the other side of it.”

She smirks, moving around me to the horse. “All right. But he can’t be saddled.”

“Why not?”

“Because we can’t fit. It’ll have to be bareback. With me behind you. It’s risky, but better than both of us over a saddle. And not for too long. It’s a lot of stress on the horse. Once you’re steady, got a good grip on the reins, I’ll hop off.”

Why is this turning me on?