Page 31 of Ridin' True

It waseverything.

All the words I couldn’t say, I sighed into his mouth. All the feelings I didn’t have the capacity to process, I poured into our kiss. My lips moved with a desperation I’d never experienced before.

And he took it—all of it.

His kiss was wet and deep and so, so,sogood.

I held on and gave him all I had to give, completely uncaring that we were making-out in the hallway outside my door. I needed this as much as I wanted to give it, and so I took as much as I gave until I felt faint. I had no idea if it was the aftermath of being kidnapped, the fact that I hadn’t eaten since lunch, or justJed Barkerwho made me lightheaded. Perhaps it was all of the above. Whatever the case, if I didn’t take a breath, I was bound to pass out.

When I broke our kiss, we were both panting, still clinging to one another.

For a moment, we simply stared at each other.

No longer distracted by our kiss, I tried not to be consumed by the feeling of my body pressed against his.

He was as solid as he looked, but warm and secure.

There was stillsomuch to say, but my adrenaline was fading. Fast.

I didn’t want to get it wrong. Whatever came next—I didn’t want to screw it up.

My heart pounding and my lips swollen, I whispered, “Thank you.”

I didn’t wait for him to respond but let him go and turned toward my door. He released me, and I felt his eyes on me as I rummaged through my purse for my keys. Once I found them, I let myself inside my unit then spun to catch one last glimpse of him.

He was still precisely where I left him.

“Tomorrow?” I murmured, hopeful he understood what I meant.

He flashed me a crooked smile, dipped his chin, and muttered, “Tomorrow, gorgeous.”

He understood.

I nodded, closed my door softly, and slid the deadbolt home.

Thenextmorning,Iwas out the door by seven thirty.

After a shower and a peanut butter and honey sandwich the night before, I crashed faster and harder than I thought possible. I slept a dreamless sleep. I woke with a start before my alarm clock sounded, and all that happened twelve hours earlier came rushing to the forefront of my mind.

The hood.

The trunk.

The cronies.

The Stallions.

The money.

The Harley.

The kiss.

That kiss.

I laid in bed replaying every second of that kiss over and over until my alarm clock finally sounded. The thought of seeing Jed again in a matter of hours was what got me out of bed.

I had an ugly bruise from where I’d been punched in the stomach, and the tender spot was what helped me choose an outfit.