Page 36 of Ridin' True

I frowned, not sure how to interpret that answer. It added rather than subtracted from my question count, but I’d have to circle back on that one.

“Okay. And he told you how to find me?”

Jed dipped his chin in affirmation. “We showed up at his place and he and his buddy were arguin’. My guess is it was about Borrero. Didn’t ask a lot of questions, just enough to find out what I needed to know. I left to get the cash, my brothers got your location out of him, and you were there for the rest.”

I sat up straighter, drawing in a deep breath before I decided now was as good a time as any to rip the band-aid.

“About the cash…”

“What about it, darlin’?”

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this, and—”

“Didn’t get dragged,” he interrupted.

I paused, taken aback by how unbothered he seemed.

“Okay, but it wasn’t your problem to—”

“Gorgeous,” he interrupted again, his massive frame leaning toward me as he rested his left arm on the table.

I glanced down at it and noticed the stars and stripes inked in black and gray across the length of his inner forearm, his patriotism on full display.

He continued speaking, recapturing my attention.

“Borrero is not a complete idiot. He saw me at your office. He knew if he took you, and I found out about it, we’d come for you. If I had to guess, he didn’t think we’d find you so fast. As far as I understand it, another ten minutes, you wouldn’t have been there. Where he took you next, if we followed, we would have earned ourselves a whole lot more trouble.”

I didn’t know what all of that meant. Before I could ask any follow-up questions, our server came back with our drinks. She asked if we were ready to order our dinner. Jed politely indicated we were in no rush, and she should come back.

When we were left alone, I didn’t get the chance to speak before Jed said, “Lex, did what I did so I could sit across from you now, and I’d do it again.”

He called meLex, and my insides did that thing.

I barely recovered before he continued, “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to raise a glass to your kickass performance this mornin’.”

A surprised laugh bubbled out of me as he lifted his beer.

“It was you who made my job easy. You’re a good dad, Jed.”

“Darlin’, raise your glass—it was a great fuckin’ mornin’.”

I couldn’t contain my smile as I did what I was told, tapping the rim of my glass against his. We both took a sip, and then he reached for his menu.

“She’ll be back soon enough. Guess we better figure out what we want.”

For a moment, I admired him, his attention aimed someplace other than me. He brushed aside any mention of the cash, like it was nothing. But it was the opposite of nothing. Much as I wanted to clear the air, I also wanted to follow his lead and be in the moment with him.

I was going to have to figure out another way to broach the topic.

He’d done what he did so he could sit across from me now, and that was unbelievably sweet. If I could further express mythank youby simply enjoying our night, that’s what I intended to do. It wasn’t enough, but it was something.

“Lex,” he muttered, peeking at me from beneath his thick lashes. “You want me, you got me, darlin’—but I intend to feed you, and that requires you to pick an entrée.”

I bit my lip and wondered if I might actually be blushing as I immediately reached for my menu and shifted my gaze.

He chuckled softly, and my insides jumped in delight.

If I was still experiencing him from the wrong side of a smoke screen, I hoped it never dissipated.