Page 37 of Buck

“I fell,” she said as if that was news to him, a dazed, faraway look in her gaze. Sliding her arms around his back, she hugged him hard, and Buck closed his eyes and hugged her back.

“I know, darlin’. Are you hurt?” Dirty and disheveled, she was still lovely.

“I don’t think so.” She tightened her hold and pressed her face against his neck as her chest expanded. “You fought off a puma,” she whispered, so softly that he could barely hear her. She took another deep breath, then tightened her hold even more. “So brave.”

Buck turned his face into the silky tangle of her hair, his arm firm around her torso, the wrench of emotion so profound that he felt as if something huge had opened up inside him.

It took a couple of moments for him to ease his fierce hold, the fullness in his chest almost more than he could handle. Drawing an uneven breath, he caught her by the back of the head and pressed a kiss against the soft curve of her neck. Mari clutched him, trembling still. Softening his hold just a little, he gave her a brief hug to comfort her.

“Are we done with the excitement part of this date?” He pushed her tangled hair off her face, picking debris out of the dark strands. “And, not to sound at all repetitious, but your sister showed up…again.”

She released a shaky laugh and gave him a light squeeze. “What can I say? Shoes are important.”

They stared at each other, the intimacy in her eyes drawing him in, the closeness he felt to her scrambling his brain. He wanted to open himself up and shine a light into the deep, dark well. But would she look away in disappointment? Find him lacking? Too weak?

He heard a whole hell of a lot of noise behind him as Professor, Joker, Gator, Blitz, Zorro, and Bear came sliding down the hill. “What the hell happened? Carmen was frantically shouting about a cat attack,” Joker asked. Still closed down, still angry, and Buck wondered if he was seeing himself in his LT.

“A puma,” D-Day said. “In the chaos, Mari lost her balance and fell.” D-day gestured toward the leaf pile with his rifle. “Found a body, too.”

“She’s been a busy woman.” He surveyed the area, then focused on Mari. Without even glancing at him, Joker said, “Zorro.” Their medic settled next to Buck who had to reluctantly release Mari so Zorro could examine her. She needed to be moved out of this heat and back to the house. “Blitz, notify Kat, so she can get the locals and FBI involved. We’re going to need a forensic team.”

“Hey there, Mari,” Zorro said. “Don’t you know you’re too old to go somersaulting down molehills?” His tone was chastising. He cupped her chin and shined a light in her eyes, then tucking the instrument into his bag, he lifted her upper arm and looked more closely at the gash there. He grabbed some stuff out of his bag. He gave her an injection and expertly put two stitches in her arm.

“I think you’re making molehills out of mountains,” she said wryly. She closed her eyes. “How about cartwheels? Am I too old for those?” she said, that sparkle in her eyes coming back. It was so much better than that flat, dull look. She reached out for Buck, and he clasped her hand, intertwining their fingers. She seemed to relax.

Zorro chuckled, and she grinned. “How about hopscotch? I bet you play a mean hopscotch,” he said, checking both wrists, her torso front and back, then each leg with professional detachment.

She laughed softly. “I challenge you to a match.”

“I think it’s wiser to decline,” Zorro said softly.

“His ego couldn’t handle getting beaten by a girl,” Buck said.

Zorro barked out a laugh, then looked at Buck. “She’s all right. No broken bones that I can see, but we’ll keep an eye on her.” He then shifted to his knees and homed in on Buck’s scratch. “Cat left you a love tap, huh?”

“Tagged him while he was flying over Buck’s head,” D-Day said with admiration. “Never seen anything like it. Using the leverage of the cat’s charge to get enough momentum to flip him right into the pond.” D-Day chuckled. “He looked bedraggled and bested when he slunk away.”

“He doesn’t just handle hundreds of pounds of horseflesh," Professor said, offering his knuckles to Buck who tapped them with a wry look. “He wrangles cats, too.”

“Lion tamer, western style,” Gator said.

“Yeehaw,” Blitz shouted as Zorro stitched up his wound.

They heard the sound of voices, and Kat, the DEA, and several local uniforms came down the slope, followed by two guys with a body bag, and the ME.

“Let’s get her up and?—”

“I’ve got her,” Buck said, rising and gathering her into his arms. He turned toward the incline, shielding her view of the men, who were removing the leaves and putting the body into the bag. His stitches forced him to move slowly. He dug his heels into the hillside and moved up the slope step by step, his thighs bunching and flexing along with his back. He held her close to him like precious cargo.

Getting her out of here was the one thing he could do for her, and his intention was to not let her out of his sight. He looked down at her and she looked so achingly fragile and defenseless that he wanted to keep her in the security of his arms and never let her go. “It’s okay, babe. We’re almost to the top of the hill.”

A small, grateful smile touched her lips. “Are you all right?” she asked. That was also something quite new. Whenever he went through anything violent in nature, especially combat, he was ready for it, prepared for the risk, destruction, conflict. He’d shaken off the puma attack. That was natural, a predator protecting his territory, or looking for a meal. What he couldn’t shake off was her concern for him. It hit him right in the heart, and he could only think how amazing it would be to have someone…Mari…asking him that on a regular basis.

But this mission was a barrier between them. Once again, how could he really open up to her when he was hiding so much inside, including the real reason he was here? Still so fucking torn about what to do or say to her, he just smiled. “Of course, darlin’, I fight pumas all the time.” She deserved to know the truth—the whole truth. “I was more afraid for you,” he admitted in a rush. Her face softened, and she cupped his cheek as he labored up the rest of the incline, balancing her against his chest.

“I’m safe now thanks to you. I’ll be all right.”

“You better be,” he growled, “I’m not done having fun with you.”

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