Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 63469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 317(@200wpm)___ 254(@250wpm)___ 212(@300wpm)
“Because if I don’t, I might mess up the start of something really great.”
And because he was Everett and understood about almost missing out on the love of your life—it had taken Stef talking some sense into him to get him to change so Regina would see him—he turned around to the jeers of everyone else in the cab of the truck.
“You forget something?” Zach called over to me as I walked back past where all the men and guests were sitting down to a late lunch. I hadn’t been hungry, and since Everett wanted to get back to his family, the rest of us—me, Pierce, and Tom—had skipped the meal to leave for the Red. But now we were back, and I raced over to Mac, who hadn’t moved from where he was when I left him not ten minutes prior.
He was still standing there, glowering, arms crossed, brows furrowed, a study in irritation with maybe even some anger thrown in for good measure.
Darting over, big smile on my face, I stopped directly in front of him and slipped my hand around the back of his neck, massaging gently. “Hi,” I greeted him, as though I wasn’t insane and wasn’t right back after barely being gone.
I had no idea his glower could get any darker. “What’re you doing?”
I slid my right hand over his hip. “Remember when I was leaving and told you that if you wanted something different from what you said last night, you certainly could?”
“I seem to recall that,” he said, his tone as frosty as his gaze.
“And that even if you did want me, maybe you didn’t want everyone knowing your business, so we could keep things to ourselves?”
“Yep,” he clipped the word.
“Well, I realized in the truck that I didn’t tell you what I wanted, and what I want is most definitely you.”
He grunted, but I saw a glimmer of warmth start to infuse those quicksilver eyes of his.
“I also realized that you could’ve taken my concern for you, about keeping things private, to mean that I didn’t want anyone to know about us.”
The slight curl to his bottom lip let me know I was seeing some thaw now.
“So I came back to tell you, Maclain Gentry”—I eased his head down as I lifted for his mouth—“that I want everyone to fuckin’ know about us, and more importantly, I want us to be together.”
The kiss I gave him was filled with longing and hope. And I was sure it left no doubt in anyone’s mind that Mac was very much with me. Taking a step back from him, I was very pleased when he followed, not wanting to sever the contact.
After a moment, his eyes fluttered open. “So, do you think you’ll always be all up in your head like this?”
I nodded. “It’s going to take time to change that part.”
“Okay.”
“Okay?”
“Yeah. I ain’t about to change my mind,” Mac informed me. “You’re good and stuck with me now.”
This was already going so well. Following my gut, which I’d only ever trusted with the restaurant, turned out to be something I should do more often. “I don’t feel stuck. I feel lucky.”
“That’s good,” Mac whispered, running his knuckles up my throat, under my jaw, before taking hold of my chin. “I feel the same.”
“I want everyone to know we’re startin’ something here,” I told him, smiling up into eyes that were no longer sad but heated pools of molten silver.
He sighed deeply, pulling the brim of his hat back down low. “Me too, and as you know already, I’m a bit too possessive for most people.”
“I’m not most people.”
“No, you ain’t, not at all.”
“You’ll miss me, right?”
“You have no idea.”
I was smug as I walked away, and when I waved from the truck, he was waiting to wave back. It was nice. A man who could show he was invested… Very nice.
When we were on our way again, I was surprised no one had any comments about me kissing Mac, but they seemed barely able to keep their eyes open. We were all wrung out, and fifteen minutes later, only I remained awake, riding shotgun next to Everett. He didn’t talk to me, simply concentrated on the road, watching for state troopers and scaring me into ordering him to slow the fuck down. I didn’t want him to splatter me, the others, or our horses all over the highway.
“Don’t kill my horse,” I warned him.
He only grunted.
“You shouldn’t have come,” I groused.
“It was me or Stef,” he said, clipping his words. “And have you ever seen Stef drive a truck and trailer?” He raised his eyebrows, and I chuckled. “Terrifying just don’t do that situation justice.”
“No, I bet not.”
“And Rand woulda been madder than a peeled rattler if I let that happen.”
Possibly. “Well, if you could slow down just a bit, I’d appreciate it.”