life can be great. I just have to be real rather than hide in my head.
Bronco has a few men ready to help me bring in the boxes of clothes and toys. As soon as I pull into the garage, they start unloading. Desi says hello to each of them and shows off her dog. Then Sidonie appears, and the girls disappear into the house. Bronco doesn’t acknowledge the men. He just kisses me so deeply that my knees buckle a little.
“Don’t leave town for a while,” he whispers against my ear. “I don’t think my heart can survive it.”
I lean into his embrace after he takes Carina. We walk into the kitchen, where Summer lingers. Bronco hands her the baby before the girl can flee.
“She might need her diaper changed.”
Summer stares horrified at her baby sister while Bronco keeps a straight face. I shouldn’t spoil his fun. Except her expression is killing me, and I laugh.
“Carina doesn’t need anything. You can put her down if you want.”
“Like on the floor?” Summer asks, challenging me.
“If you think that’s the best spot, go ahead.”
Summer looks at the baby staring back with eyes as dark as hers. I know the older girl is full of hot air. I pulled the same attitude when my mom wanted me to watch out for Max. Being a teenager means acting like a dick, but it doesn’t actually mean being one. Summer won’t ditch her little sister on the floor. Instead, she walks to the living room and sits down with the baby.
When I hear her whispering to Carina, I smile at Bronco. “I think she’s talking shit about us.”
Bronco chuckles. “Wouldn’t be my daughter if she didn’t want to rebel a little.”
“Were you a wild teenager?”
He gives me a devious grin. Knowing he took over this town at nineteen, I have no doubt he’s got plenty of stories to share. Bronco keeps his secrets close, though. That makes sense. He isn’t accustomed to trusting new people. Everyone in his life already knows his secrets. He’ll learn to open up with me. Just like I’ll learn to stop hiding behind smiles and fake happy responses.
Sidonie runs into the room and wraps her arms around me. I’m startled by her affection and ask what’s wrong.
“I just missed you,” she says, smiling up at me.
Desi runs into the room, hesitates at the sight of me hugging another girl, and then joins us once I wave her over.
“What’s Zathura think of Uno?”
“They smelled each other a lot, and then Uno walked away.”
“Playing hard to get,” I say, and Desi laughs.
Sidonie looks at her father, and they have a silent conversation. He finally waves off her intense staring and tells her to chill.
“Go tell the guys where to put shit.”
Sidonie takes Desi’s hand. “We’ll be managers.”
The girls run out of the kitchen while I frown. “Should I help them?”
“No, Sidonie is used to being a princess. Let her flex her muscles,” he says, wrapping me in his arms and walking me toward his bedroom. “Summer, you’re in charge.”
“Gross.”
“We’re just going to talk about our feelings,” he says and then adds before shutting the door, “And fuck a little. I’ll make it quick.”
While she makes gagging noises, Bronco kisses me and doesn’t stop until we’ve both come hard. I wonder if maybe I traumatized our girls with my moans.
“Fucking is natural,” he says as we get dressed. “My girls know they weren’t dropped off by storks.”
“Kenny’s mom told Desi that sex was sinful. The woman used to take money for sex when he was growing up, yet she accused my mom of being a whore. Ugh, I didn’t shed a tear when she died.”
Bronco gives me that hard-edged look he gets sometimes. I suspect he doesn’t like me talking about Kenny. Every time I mention Desi’s father, Bronco’s expression gets meaner. I probably ought to be intimidated, but I saw how River and Shane were with their women. Though Goliath is more difficult to read, they all want to pretend their women came without any male history. I also saw Taylor slug one of the Reapers for making a comment about Kelsi and blowjobs. I guess it’s natural to view past lovers as a nuisance at the least and enemies at the worst.
“What’s the plan for tonight?” I ask.
“It’ll just be us six if that’s okay.”
Smiling, I stroke his cheek. “There’s something so comfortable about us all together.”
Bronco’s earlier edge fades, and he wraps me back in his arms. That’s where