I wiggled off the bed, stalked over to the door, unlocked, and opened it. He took a step forward so he was standing on the threshold.
“Can you look at me?”
“I’m pissed at you, Buck.”
“I know, and I owe you an apology.”
“I’m listening,” I repeated.
He cupped my cheek and looked deep into my eyes. “I’m sorry, Stella. I shouldn’t have questioned you. I have no right.”
I took a step back and moved his hand away from my face. “That’s not why I’m mad at you.”
Buck took another step forward. “I know it isn’t. I’m sorry that I doubted you’d tell me anything but the truth. That’s on me, not you. Will you accept my apology?”
“Yes.” I drummed my fingers on my arm, a nervous habit I abhorred. “This is why I don’t get involved with people, Buck. Not that we’re involved or even…anything. But regardless, I don’t have time for bullshit. More, I don’t have the patience for it.”
Before I realized what he was doing and could move away, Buck had his arm around my waist and my body pulled close to his. “I’d say we’re something, Stella. Last night was something.”
“Last night was phone sex, Buck. That doesn’t count as anything.”
Like earlier, his hand slid down from the small of my back to the hem of his t-shirt I still wore. The difference now was, I wasn’t naked underneath it.
“Tell me what I would’ve found under my shirt earlier if we hadn’t been interrupted.”
“You’ll never know.”
“No?” He moved his fingers inside the top of my leggings.
“Knock, knock. Buck? Where are you? I know you’re here. Irish said he just talked to you.”
“I’ll be right out, Flynn.” He rested his forehead against mine. “I’m sorry we keep getting interrupted.”
“Didn’t you lock the door?”
“I did, but she knows the trick to open it.”
“You need a better lock.”
“One I plan to install later today.”
“Go. Talk to her.”
“Save my place,” he said, brushing my lips with a chaste kiss.
I smiled. God, he was such a flirt. Hadn’t I learned to be immune to men like him? Men like Cope? And why the hell were they the only type I was attracted to? Why couldn’t Jinx do it for me the way Buck did?
Jinx was a man in a powerful position, close to twenty years older than me, handsome, smart, even charming sometimes. But I’d always had the upper hand in that relationship, and thus, more often than not, he bugged the crap out of me.
Was I only attracted to men I thought were out of my reach? It kind of seemed that way. I wondered what would happen if I ever caught one of them. Would I end up feeling the same way I did about Jinx? Didn’t I only want what I was sure I couldn’t have?
I stepped over to the bedroom door and opened it a crack.
“Come on, Buck, it’ll be fun.”
“I don’t know, Flynn. I’m not sure I want to take the risk of leaving the ranch.”
“Have you ever been on the Flying R? With as famous as Ben Rice is, I’d be willing to bet their security system is as elaborate as the one being installed here.”