Page 56 of Outlaw Ridge: Jesse
She didn’t hesitate, walking down the steps toward them with that same steady determination Jesse admired—and maybe loved more than he cared to admit.
All right, there was no maybe, and he wanted to admit it. He had a whole lot of feelings for Lauren, and one of those was love. Now, he just had to get rid of Reardon, take her on that date and maybe he could tell her how he felt.
Reardon cleared his throat, his gaze shifting between them before settling on Lauren. “I owe you an apology,” he said, his voice rougher than usual, like the words themselves were hard to push out. “It was wrong of me to seal Reggie’s juvenile record. I honestly didn’t think it would turn out to be the huge mistake it was.”
Jesse crossed his arms, his jaw still tight, but he stayed quiet, letting Lauren take the lead.
Reardon shifted his weight, clearly uncomfortable. “And… I’m sorry for taking the kill shot. That right should have been yours.”
Lauren didn’t flinch. She stepped closer, her face calm, her voice steady. “No one had the right,” she said on a sigh. “But you did what you had to do to protect Elsie. Even if it was a risky shot, it worked.”
Reardon nodded, his shoulders relaxing just a little, as if her words lifted a small part of the weight he’d been carrying.Without saying anything else, he turned and walked back to his truck, the engine roaring to life as he drove away.
Jesse exhaled, finally letting the tension ease from his chest as Reardon’s truck disappeared down the road. He turned his gaze to Lauren, and for a moment, the rest of the world fell away.
A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth, but it faded quickly, replaced by something softer, something deeper.
Something hotter.
She was standing there in the fading light, her figure silhouetted against the last streaks of sunset. She was wearing a dress—simple, but it hit him like a punch to the chest. The way the fabric hugged her curves, the way the breeze teased a loose strand of her hair—she looked breathtaking.
Damn.
He’d seen her in the fight for her life mode, staring down danger. But this? This was different. This was Lauren without the armor, without the weight of the past bearing down on her. And somehow, it hit harder than any gunfight they’d been through.
“You look…” he started, his voice catching slightly, rougher than he intended. He cleared his throat, trying again. “You look amazing.”
Lauren’s lips curved into a small smile, her eyes softening as she stepped closer. “Is that your smooth line for the night?”
Jesse chuckled, shaking his head. “No. That’s just the truth.”
For a moment, they just stood there, the distance between them charged with something warm and real. The chaos of the last week felt distant, like it belonged to someone else’s story.
This wastheirsnow.
“Well,” Lauren said, her voice light, breaking the tension just enough, “are we going to stand here all night, or are you taking me on this date?”
Jesse grinned, reaching for her hand, his fingers curling around hers like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Yeah,” he murmured, his heart steady for the first time in weeks. “Let’s get out of here.”
Lauren smiled, that spark in her eyes lighting him up from the inside out. “I just need to lock up and grab my purse,” she said, giving his hand a gentle squeeze before turning toward the house.
Jesse followed her up the steps, the heat from her touch lingering like a brand on his skin. They stepped inside, but Lauren didn’t pick up her purse that was right there on the foyer table. And she didn’t lock up either.
However, she did shut the door.
In the same motion, she reached for him. Jesse did some reaching for her, too. Their mouths met in a hot, desperate kiss, all the tension, all the times of near-misses and what-ifs crashing into that one perfect moment. His hands slid to her waist, pulling her closer, her body fitting against his like it was made to be there.
When they finally broke apart, Jesse didn’t have a whole lot of breath, and his dick had announced it would like for the date to take a little detour.
To the bed.
“Damn,” he muttered. “Might be hard for me to walk after that.”
Lauren laughed, her fingers trailing down his chest and lower. She brushed her hand against the front of his jeans. “Well,” she whispered, her breath warm against his skin, “maybe we should do a little more kissing… and then we can go on that date.”
Jesse didn’t need to be asked twice.
His heart was suddenly racing full speed ahead as they stumbled through the hall, the heat of Lauren’s kiss still burningon his lips. His hands were on her waist, her fingers gripping the front of his shirt, pulling him closer like she couldn’t stand the space between them. Their breaths were ragged, mingling in the quiet of her house.
