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Bindi took hold of Mack’s injured hand and stroked her fingers over the tips of his, which poked out from beneath the bandages. “What about riding bulls for a living? I know that was your dream, and while Whip tried to maim you so badly that you could never ride again, the surgeon seems to think there’s hope you could regain full strength in your hand. Don’t you want to give it one more try?”
“Yeah, nah.” Bindi nearly laughed at Mack’s use of the Aussie vernacular. “There’s one little detail that Whip overlooked when he shot me, and I don’t think anyone has realized yet.”
“What’s that?” Bindi asked.
Mack held his uninjured hand in the air and wiggled his fingers. “I’m left-handed. I don’t need my right hand to ride bulls.”
Bindi stared at Mack, digesting this newest piece of information. “You mean…?”
“Yep, once my ankle heals, and my headaches subside, I could get back on the circuit, if I wanted to.”
“Oh.” She tried not to let her confusion show. “Are you absolutely sure?” When Mack had first arrived, riding bulls was all he thought about. All he lived for. Could he have changed so much in such a short time?
Mack placed a finger under her chin and lifted her face until he could look into her eyes. “But I don’t want to,” he said softly. “I mean it, I want to stay here with you. As long as you’ll have me,” he whispered.
“Have you? Of course, I’ll have you. I love you, Mack.”
“You do? Oh, thank God. I thought… I was prepared to put everything on the line for you, because I knew we had an undeniable connection. And I know my feelings for you are the most intense I’ve ever had for a woman. But I wasn’t one-hundred-percent sure you felt the same way.”
“I’ve always had strong emotions when it comes to you. I admit, when you first arrived, I was a little mixed up about my feelings for you.” She gave him a wry smile, still playing with the fingers of his bandaged hand, then looked away, trying to find a way to explain how she felt.
“Love and hate are both powerful emotions in their own rights,” he said, capturing her hand in his other one and bringing it to his lips.
“Yes, they are. But I never hated you,” she clarified. “You just annoyed the hell out of me. Rattled my cage, infuriated me, brought out the worst in me. And the best.” At this, she raised her gaze and met his.
“I tend to have that effect on people.” He lifted a cheeky eyebrow, and she stared into his familiar amber eyes. “But I’m incredibly glad you’ve decided you love me, because I’d hate to have to take back all my resolutions and my offer to stay. I’d hate to have to go back to the US with my tail between my legs. I was really looking forward to my first Aussie Christmas here at Stormcloud.”
“You won’t have to do any of that,” she laughed.
“Oh, good. And besides, there’s always the Aussie circuit, if I want to keep my skills up,” he added with a twinkle in his eye.
“Only if you promise you’ll wear a helmet.” She lifted her chin and looked him directly in the eye. Some things were non-negotiable.
“Awww. Do I have to?” He sounded like a petulant little boy. At least he did, until his gaze dropped from her face to her naked breasts, and it turned decidedly naughty.
“Okay, on one condition. That I get to play with these as my consolation prize.” He took her nipple in his mouth and sucked, and she gasped at the unexpected pleasure of it.
She never dreamed she could feel this happy. So fulfilled and serene, yet on fire at the same time.
“Bindi, you’re the best thing that ever happened to me. I’m going to make you so happy, you’ll think you’ve died and gone to heaven.”
“I already do,” she smiled, and took his mouth as her trophy.
