Page 11 of Sexting The Tattooed Outlaw (Curvy Boss Babes of Wild Bronco #3)

KAY

One thing is certain. I’m just as in love with Sam as I ever was. And now that I’ve had him inside of me, felt his rough hands on my body, I don’t know how I’ll ever recover from losing him again.

I’ve had ten long years to heal and move on. He’s back in town for two days and he’s already undoing all of that hard work.

Maybe I was never really over him.

Maybe I just got good at lying to myself, distracting myself with my business and dating other men…burying old memories of Sam beneath a mountain of new memories.

But now he’s here. Impossible to ignore.

I run out of things to do at work, and with two baristas and a shift manager scheduled for today, there’s no real need for me. So I drive back to the house, hoping Sam’s either gone or busy working in the barn or the back pasture so that I can sneak in unnoticed.

When I pull into the drive, I’m met with a sight from the past.

I gasp, slowing to a stop in the driveway beside it. It’s shiny red paint gleams beneath the afternoon sun. The tires look brand new, jet black and wet-looking. The glass is clear, just the slightest layer of orange dust on it from the driveway.

I get out of the car, speechless, and walk around the vintage Ford Bronco in the driveway. I’m inspecting the grill, silver and polished to a shine, when Sam’s voice sounds from behind me.

“What do you think?”

I whirl around.

“It’s…exactly like the old one,” I say.

Sam looks at me cautiously before taking a few steps, closing the distance between us. He reaches a hand out, cupping my cheek.

“It is the old one, Kay.”

My eyes widen. I turn, staring at the beast of a truck in front of me.

“That’s not possible,” I say. “It was totaled. Beyond repair. Dad had it hauled off to a junkyard and said it got compacted into a little cube.”

There’s pain in my voice as I recount this. Though Dad acted stoic about it all, I knew losing that truck, the one that had belonged to his father, crushed him. I’d never seen my dad so heartbroken before. From the loss of the truck and from the loss of Sam, the closest thing to a son he ever had.

“It was taken to the junkyard, that’s true. I had them set it aside and store it,” Sam says. “I wasn’t sure why at first, but it didn’t take long for me to realize. It’s because I needed to make this right. Along with everything else. I’ve been working on it for years.”

“All this time?”

“At first only a little. Whatever I could afford to do. I did most of the work myself but you know, some of this had to be welded, painted, handled by a professional. I wanted it to be absolutely perfect.”

“It is,” I murmur, walking around the side. “Almost too perfect. I don’t remember it looking so new.”

“It’ll age,” Sam says. “As the miles are put on it.”

I look at Sam.

“My dad’s too weak now. He can’t drive this,” I tell him sadly.

“I know,” he says, pulling a small key from his pocket. “But you can.”

I stare at the key he’s dangling between us. It feels like more than just a key to a truck. And when I accept it, taking it in my hand, I can tell Sam sees it that way too.

“Come on,” he says, nodding to the door. “Start it up. Let’s go somewhere.”

“Where?”

“Wishing Lake,” he replies.

I blush.

Wishing Lake is the hookup spot for high school students. It’s where I always wanted Sam to take me, but he never did.

How does he know this was something I wanted?

I hesitate and Sam comes closer, pressing me against the door of the Bronco.

“I’ve stroked myself every night to the thought of you, Kay Beaumont. Do you really think I haven’t thought about taking you to Wishing Lake before?”

“You could have taken me there a million times if you’d wanted to,” I murmur. “Why now? Why not before?”

“You mean back in high school?” he frowns. “Because I wasn’t…”

He drifts off, shaking his head.

“You weren’t what?” I press.

“I didn’t feel like I was…worthy,” he finishes, shaking his head.

“I wasn’t worthy. I was working on it. I wanted to be worthy of you, Kay.

But I knew I wasn’t good enough for you then.

Truth be told, I’m still not. But I’ve decided I’m done waiting.

I want to be your man now. And I’ll keep working to be the one you deserve. ”

“You’ve always been worthy,” I tell him. “Worthy was never even a question in my mind or anyone else’s, Sam. We loved you like family. I loved you like…like I wanted a lifetime with you.”

Sam holds me tight, kissing me passionately on the lips.

“I want a lifetime with you, Kay,” he says. “Starting right now.”

“How do I know it’s forever?” I ask him, blurting the words out that have been bothering me since he returned.

“See this?” he gestures to the tattoo on the back of his neck.

“This is forever. I’m here now, and I won’t leave until you want me gone.

Maybe not even then. You’re stuck with me, Kay Beaumont.

I love you, you’re my woman, and I’m going to spend the rest of my damn life giving you anything and everything you want. ”

And then, before I can protest any further, he wraps me up in his arms and kisses me again. This time, he doesn’t pull away. Neither do I.