Page 71 of Unleashed
I set her down on her feet carefully. My hands linger on her hip for that second too long.
She studies me for a moment. “I’m proud of you, Acey. You’re exactly the man I always hoped you’d become.”
I chuckle. “Harper, you have no idea what I get up to.”
She rolls her eyes. “We don’t need to talk about your side hustles. I mean bull riding. The ranch. Just you. Whatever else, it don’t matter.”
I nod, sucking in a sharp inhale. “Everything you’ve been investigating about me is probably true. You know that, right?”
She nods. “All of it?”
Fuck it. I can’t lie to her. I can’t sugarcoat this shit. If I get her back, it has to be because she accepts me for the man I am now.
“Worse probably. I killed Beau. He kidnapped Lola and Wyatt, and I slit his throat and let him bleed out. Are you still proud of me? Am I still the man you hoped I’d become?”
Her mouth falls open. I say it because I want to see how she reacts. Could she actually love me for what I am, or is even thinking I could chase her until she comes back to me a fantasy?
Her gaze doesn’t falter.
“Ace, the less I know, the better. I always knew you guys were into something bad. As long as you’re safe, I don’t care. But I’m not here for a story about you or your family. I’m here about the Greeks. And to bury any involvement you have again. That’s why I took this job. I’ve seen enough to know what you guys are doing, and I’m blocking that out. I killed the first story; I intendto do it again. But you are not a bad guy, Ace Sterling. You’re actually the best one I’ve ever met.”
I wish I were enough for her to stay. I don’t have anything to say. So I nod.
We lead our horses back into their stalls.
I rest on a post, watching her kiss Penny on the head. The way she’s sparked back to life here. She’s free here. Not coiled and on edge.
Sterling Ranch was always meant to be her home, beside me.
I cross my arms over my chest as she turns to face me.
“Is Hunter back?” she asks.
I shake my head. She swallows, staying where she is.
“Well, what shall we do now?” Her voice comes out a whisper.
A smirk twitches on my lip. Fuck, being alone with her here, with all the memories of what we used to get up to together. I fucked her against that stall. I fucked her against the wall.
“Do you want to know what I really want to do? Or do you want a serious answer, Harper?”
She bites her lip, and my cock springs to life. I know how to get her on my page…
“Are you happy in LA?” I ask.
She tilts her head. “Happy enough. Are you happy, Ace?”
I don’t believe her for one second. I can see it in her eyes.
“Happy as I can be.”
The air around us changes, crackling. I take one stride forward. I just need to know.
“So you don’t love your fiancé like you loved me, Harper?”
She blinks, looking up at me.
“No.”
