Dead of Winter (Battle of the Bulls #2) - T. S. Joyce Page 0,24

we can give you space in an arena to let your animal out. Safely.”

“I…I don’t know. I’ve never done anything like this.”

“Then it’s the perfect time to do it. Live a little. I won’t let anything happen to you. I’ll buy your flight back home when you have to go back to work. Come see my life. Spend time with bull shifters and learn about yourself this week, too. I’ll get you a front row seat at the rodeo, right near the chutes. And then I’ll let you work my signing table in Lubbock.”

She giggled. “Putting me to work.”

“Nah,” he told her softly, “I liked tonight. You’re a good teammate. You smiled a lot. It was fun to watch you with the fans. That was the first time it’s ever been fun for me, and it was because you were there. I’m not ready to say goodbye yet.”

With a shaky sigh, Raven told him, “I can message my boss, but she’s probably asleep by now. And if she says no, I’ll have to leave early in the morning so I can get to work on time.”

“If she says no, I’ll take you to work. Make sure you get there okay. But do me a favor and at least try? This long drive will be way more fun with you riding shotgun and giving me hand jobs.”

She laughed because he was tickling her again. When he stopped, she went limp and plopped onto the couch beside him. “Fine, I’ll try. She’ll probably say no because it’s short notice, but at least I can say I tried to have an adventure with you.”

With Dead of Winter. The third-ranked bull in the world! And he wanted to spend more time with her? Her? The misfit, human-raised, shy-as-hell cow shifter? And he was looking at her like she was gorgeous? Like he was the lucky one? She’d obviously fallen into some portal and ended up in an alternate dimension or something.

She pulled her phone out of her purse and yelped at the number of missed calls and text messages from Annabelle and her parents that popped up on the screen. She texted, I’m okay! Had a great night and still hanging out at the rodeo! into a group text with her parents and Annabelle to keep it all simple. Then she messaged her boss about taking a week off, knowing it was much too short-a notice to actually work. But here with Dead, it was kind of fun to hope, to imagine how a week traveling across America with him would be.

The second she dropped her phone back into her purse, Dead picked her up and tossed her over his shoulder. And then that brute of a man smacked her right on the ass hard enough to sting, but in a good way. He took her straight up the three stairs to the bedroom and settled her onto his bed.

“You changed your mind about a one-night stand?” she guessed.

“Nope. I’m gonna respect the shit out of you.”

When Raven pouted out her lower lip, he laughed and poked her lip back in with his fingertip. “No puppy-dog eyes. I’m a sucker for those.”

Raven sat with her legs crossed and straightened her spine, made her eyes really big and blinked slowly. She was pretty good at puppy-dog eyes.

“Mmmmm,” he ground out, his arms on either side of her hips. He rocked forward and kissed her.

Tempting him, she scratched her nails gently up his bare stomach, and he emitted a low rumbling sound that drew chills up her forearms. Holy hell, he was so sexy.

She ran her hands through his messy hair, smoothing it out of his eyes so she could see him better.

His expression went all serious. “I’m supposed to cut my hair and trim my beard.”

“Why?”

“It’s in the contract. I guess to look more clean-cut.”

Raven canted her head and smoothed his hair back. “I can see your eyes better this way.”

A slight smile lifted his lips and then fell. “You would like it?”

Silly Dead. “I would like the way you look any way.”

“I can hear the truth in your voice.”

“Cow shifters never lie,” she said, trying to control a laugh.

“Bullshit. All them bull shifters in that rodeo tonight are liars.”

She giggled and laid back on his bed. “I said cow shifters, not bulls. You boys are terrible.”

“Agreed.” He pulled the covers up and tucked her in like a burrito.

“Wait, will you sleep in the camper? Instead of out in the corral?” she asked as he