Page 79 of Ridin' True
I felt the evidence of my man as it spilled out of me for the first time, and I got another shiver. He was mine. I was his. And this was us.
It still felt too good to be true, but it was a little more real with each passing day.
Jed cleaned me up, and I got dressed before we headed inside to get ready for bed. After I washed my face, brushed my teeth, and put my hair up, I made sure to tidy around my half of the sink. Jed wasn’t a clean freak, but he wasn’t a slob, either. I may have been the woman in his bed, but I was also a guest in his home, and I aimed to be a good one.
When I was finished in the bathroom, I changed into one of Jed’s tees—as I’d done the previous couple of nights, having forgotten my own sleep clothes. I then listened for him and heard as he did his nightly routine of securing his home. I loved how he did that—the man of the house. It made me feel safe, and that felt like love.
I crawled between the sheets, folding my legs under me as I sat up and waited for him. I didn’t have to wait long, and I admired my mammoth as he entered the room, wearing only his boxer briefs.
Rough around the edges with a hard, tatted exterior—just as Tess had described.
He was the kind of man who’d never existed in my orbit before, and now I wasn’t sure my world would spin without him.
“You good?” he asked, shutting the door.
“Yes. I wanted to tell you something.”
“Alright.”
He still stood by the door, so I extended my hands toward him, signaling I wanted him close. He came to bed, sitting on the edge beside me. His right arm closest to me, I caught sight of his Wild Stallions ink and traced my fingertips over it.
“Darlin’?”
“I’ve come to a decision,” I said, bringing my eyes to meet his. “I want the job. I’ll tell Roy in the morning, and I’ll hand in my notice when I get to the office.”
“What made you change your mind?”
I reached for the side of his face, grazing my thumb over his cheek. “You. The ol’ ladies.” I shrugged, letting my hand fall as I explained, “I got scared. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still worried about Fred and that whole mess, but I know what’s happening to me doesn’t really have anything to do with the job.
“I understand now that by accepting the offer, I’ll get the chance to be part of something—part of the Wild Stallions family. And I want that. That sense of, I don’t know, loyalty and trust, no matter the circumstances.”
“Lex, this lasts between us, you’ll have that even without the job.”
“I know. But it’s more than that. I’m an associate at the firm. Sure, Jacob trusts me, and I’m one of the few who has the luxury of an office, but I’m still just an associate taking on cases the partners don’t want. I’m better than that. I want more. I won’t let Fred scare me away from the opportunity of a lifetime.”
Jed studied me for a moment, something in his eyes I couldn’t interpret.
When he didn’t say anything, I asked, “What? Why are you looking at me like that?”
“Don’t think I’ve ever been more proud to call a woman mine. You’re unstoppable, darlin’.”
My insides did that thing, and I was floating.
His pride made me want to cry.
It feltthatgood.
A little embarrassed by my sudden onslaught of emotions, I reached for his face and drew him to me for a kiss. It was the perfect distraction, and it wasn’t long before we both got lost in it. So lost, in fact, we couldn’t find our way out.
We celebrated my decision together, in the best possible way.
I fell asleep naked—my day ending as happily as it began.
Ifeltatpeace.
There was a sense of liberation that came with handing in my resignation. While it had been delayed a few days, which put us at less than two weeks before the end of the month, I still intended for my last day to be at the end of June. With Fourth of July soon after, I’d start with the Stallions the Monday following the holiday.
Since I had hardly more than a week to finish things up and hand things off, I knew it would be a busy few days, but it would be worth it. I was looking forward to a change of pace and scenery. I texted Winnie, Jenna, and Tess right after I delivered the letter to Jacob, and I was rewarded with congratulations and encouragement. It was nice to have friends that were excited. Though, their messages reminded me I hadn’t spoken a word of this change to my family.
