Page 31 of Shep
“Give me the money back,” I told her.
“What?” Her pretty eyes widened as stopped and stared at me.
“The six hundred dollars. If you still have it, give it to me. Then I won’t have paid you for sex.”
“What are you saying?”
“That you’re mine, cherry. Ever since I saw you, I’ve been crazy for you. I fucked you not because I paid you, but because I had to make you come. I had to satisfy you as my woman. To know the only person who’s ever gonna give you pleasure and take care of you is me. Good stuff. Bad stuff.” I patted my chest. “Me.”
“It still happened,” she reminded. “Even if I give you the money, it still happened. Rocky knows what we did. It could get out. Use it against us.”
I thought of that idea, but quickly tossed it aside. Even though Rocky could do some damage since Colt was sheriff–he’d love to see my brother arrest me–it wasn’t going to happen.
I shook my head.
“It’s a stalemate. Rocky won’t want to stop the parties. As you’re well aware, he makes a shit ton of money, and gets laid in the process. He outs me, I out him. His parties are over. We’d all be ruined together.”
“So if you mess with him, he’ll mess with you, sothat ensures no one messes with each other,” she clarified.
I nodded. “Exactly. This is our secret, Cherry. How we met. You can give me back the money to clear your conscience or just move on. Either way, you’re mine. And Rocky? He won’t touch you. I promise. I take care of what’s mine.
She started to cry then, tears streaming down her cheeks.
Reaching out, I grabbed her hand and tugged her back onto my lap. This time, I pulled her down so she straddled my hips. We were face to face and I could hold her to me as she cried.
And cried.
I patted her back, said soothing things and just held her. I could only imagine how afraid she’d been. How alone. How much she’d had to hold onto to take care of herself. With the auction only adding to it all, fuck.
Only when she started to wipe her cheeks on my flannel shirt did I know she was done. I cupped her face, lifted it so her eyes met mine.
“What do you think about being my girl?” I asked.
“I work for you?”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Colt said Pops would bethrilled to take the credit for bringing us together. I think he’s right.”
That brought a smile to her full, kissable lips.
“I’m not firing you, cherry. Hell, as a business owner, I’d be dumb to get rid of my best worker.”
“Yeah?”
“Plus, I want to see you every single day.”
I couldn’t help but grin. “Plus, I’ve been thinking about all the ways I want to fuck you in the shop, and you should feel confident to know that you’re theonlymechanic I’ve imagined that with.”
Now she outright grinned. “You’ve thought of me… like that?”
I swiped my thumb over her cheek. “I’ve thought of nothing else since Saturday night.”
The way she dropped her eyes from mine and flushed had my dick stirring. “Have you been thinking naughty things, cherry?”
I leaned in and kissed her, because, well, because I couldn’t wait a fucking second longer.
She was just as eager as me, kissing me right fucking back.
“That’s my girl.”
