Quickdraw Slow Burn (Battle of the Bulls #3) - T. S. Joyce Page 0,34

circuit are now earning. That circuit can’t maintain with the financial constraints your circuit is putting on them. So…”

“They’re gonna fuckin’ kill you!” Wes crowed in the background. He cleared his throat. “Not that that’s a good thing, but my brother is smart. I told people he’s smart. He figured out all this shit with a creepy video and some dumb numbers off a camera, so now nobody’s allowed to make fun of him for being dumb except for me. Because I’m his brother, and it’s my right.”

Mind racing, Quickdraw cracked his knuckles and shook his head. Beside him, Annabelle looked rattled, so he pulled her against his side and kissed the top of her head. The tension in her body faded away, and that right there made him feel more powerful than bucking off any cowboy.

It wasn’t fair on her. She’d been pulled into a fight that wasn’t her own. She was supposed to have come here to have a relaxing time, have fun, and see what this life was all about.

But then…

Maybe this was a good introduction. There was always something coming at him. That’s the way it was when you were successful. You were surrounded by two categories of people—those who cheered on your success and those who prayed for your downfall. And Annabelle was getting a front row seat for those who were not only praying, but paying, for their downfall.

He’d known exactly what Hunter was getting at. That website was a contact site for those who needed an assassination. And Trusted, run by Trevor Watkins, was an assassin site.

“Maybe you should go back home until this is all over,” he murmured to Annabelle, massaging her lower back.

“You want me to leave?”

“No. I want you here with me so I can look up in those stands after I buck and see you and know everything is good. But I don’t want you hurt. God, I don’t want you hurt, Annabelle.”

“Awwwww!” Dead cried.

“Shut up!” Quickdraw and Two Shots said at the same time.

“I’m not leaving.” Annabelle’s tone was full of steel and fire. “If you want me in the stands after your big buck, I’m going to be there.”

Shocked, he jerked his attention to her and asked, “Are you sure?”

Annabelle jammed her finger at the door. “Those people trying to hurt your circuit aren’t important. They aren’t the meat of your story, Quickdraw. They’re just noise. You…” she murmured, pressing her finger against his chest. “You’re the story.”

She didn’t understand.

Annabelle didn’t see it.

Now? His story was bigger with her by his side.

Chapter Ten

Quickdraw gave a two-fingered wave to Cheyenne as she stepped out of his RV, and when he shut the door, exhaled an explosive sigh that tapered into a low rumbling sound she’d never heard him make before.

When he turned to Annabelle, his eyes had darkened to the color of the night sky. He looked even bigger here, even more dangerous, but not to her. Never to her. The wolf inside of her wasn’t afraid of Quickdraw. She felt safe with him.

“I’m not good at this,” he murmured low.

She sank onto the couch and patted the cushion next to her. He came to sit beside her, but tension wafted from him in waves and made it hard to draw a breath. Annabelle could fix it. She knew she could. “What aren’t you good at?” she asked as she ran a gentle scratch down the length of his spine.

Quickdraw inhaled, his nostrils flaring slightly, and then rolled his eyes closed. “I’m not good at not fixing this. I’m not good at having you threatened and letting Arrow have time to plan. I’m not good at waiting.”

In one smooth motion, he swept her into his arms and pulled her into his lap, then rested his forehead against her cheek. “Say yes.”

“To what?”

“My proposition.”

“Friends with benefits who will never be more?”

“Call it whatever you want.”

“Tether myself to you and your fear of commitment?”

“See, that’s the thing about fear, Annabelle. Fears grow or they change.” He lifted his chin higher. “And sometimes fears disappear completely.”

She slipped her arms around his shoulders and hugged him tight, rested her chin on his muscular shoulder. “I was with a man who dangled that temptation in front of me for years. And after a while, I accepted I would never be important enough to him. I want to be important.”

“You will be queen.”

“You know what I mean. I would want to be important to you.”

“You would want a title, you mean?”

She nodded.

“What titles?” he