Page 44 of Ridin' True

I jerked my head up with a frown. “Cute? Did you not hear a single thing I just said?”

“Caught it all, Lex. Now, hear me—I like you, too. A whole lot. Enough I’m over here wonderin’ if a trip to Walmart to buy a little girl a piggy bank constitutes as a second date,” he began with a crooked smile. “You’re right about the sex. It was great, but that’s not the only reason I’m not runnin’ for the door. Don’t need breakfast to want more of you, darlin’. But I would be lyin’ if I said I wasn’t lookin’ forward to havin’ more sex and tryin’ your food.”

I shook my head in disbelief. “But what about the part—”

“Families are messy,” he interrupted. “Fact of life. In my experience, you wait on shit to get sorted before you start livin’, you’ll always be waitin’. Shit you got goin’ on, doesn’t make me want you any less.”

Still certain this was too good to be true, I pressed, “Okay, but, myparticularmessy life has me indebted to you by ten thousand dollars.”

“Consider it a bonus for a job well done,” he shot back with a shrug.

“Jed!” I gasped, gaping at him. “I can’t—”

“You ridin’ with me to Walmart or what?”

I took a step back, appalled. “Are you serious? We’re really not going to talk about the money?”

He took a step toward me, grabbed hold of my jaw and brought his face close. Real close.

“Darlin’, we just did.”

Then he kissed me.

As his hand found its way from around my chin into my own bedhead hair, I was finally convinced we reallyweren’tgoing to talk about the money.

He didn’t care.

He just wanted me.

I pressed up onto my tiptoes, wrapped my arms around his broad shoulders, and opened my mouth in invitation. I didn’t want to fight him. I was going to find a way to pay him back—but in that moment, I merely wanted to enjoy the man who didn’t care.

He just wantedme.

And I really,reallywanted him.

Maybe he was Prince Charming, after all.

We made-out in my kitchen for a good ten minutes.

It was Jed who broke our kiss and reminded me it was Saturday, we slept until nearly ten, and the banks closed at noon.

It was me who pointed out that a joint shower would likely slow us down rather than speed us up.

I insisted he go first, and he was in and out in five minutes. I put my hair up in a messy bun and managed to shower then make myself presentable in twenty.

At the very least, I liked to throw on a coat of mascara before going out in public.

To be on the safe side, Jed took me to the bank first. Hopeful Alejo wouldn’t steal from his niece again, I took out two hundred dollars. Twenty of it in quarters, eighty in ones and fives, and the rest in twenties. I wasn’t sure if it would all fit into one piggy bank. If it didn’t, I’d simply buy another one.

We went to Walmart next. We found a couple of options to suit my needs, but after a little consideration, I decided to forego the piggy and opt for the cute cartoon-looking highland cow. It was bigger and would definitely fit two hundred dollars.

My mission accomplished, Jed then treated me to lunch, making our outing an official date.

While we were in the middle of lunch, he got a text. My meeting with Bull was scheduled. At seven, I’d sit down with the Stallions’ president in the office at the garage. I wasn’t entirely sure how to prepare for a meeting about a job I didn’t fully understand, but I planned to try that afternoon.

When Jed walked me to my door after lunch, he propped his shoulder against the wall as I freed my lock, and I got the impression he wasn’t going to come inside.

“Is this goodbye?”