Page 148 of Westin

“It’s kept me safe,” I admit, trying not to blush. I wonder how much she knows about Westin and me.

The kettle whistles, and Keira pours two cups of chamomile. I accept one and sink down at the table.

“Westin is a good person,” Keira says. “He’s always helped me when I needed it, and he saved Sovereign over and over again. If he’s decided he’s in your corner…well, too bad for anyone who does you wrong.”

“Sort of like a guard dog,” I say, meaning for it to be a joke.

Keira shrugs, taking leftover cake from the fridge and unwrapping the wax paper. She cuts a slice for me and sets it on the table.

“You don’t question the morality of a guard dog,” she says. “You just let it do what it does.”

That drives past all my anxiety and hits me deep inside. Keira and I don’t talk much after that; we have our tea and cake. Then, Sovereign appears and takes her back to the ranch house. Westin stays in the office for a while longer, and I go upstairs and get ready for bed.

I’m in the bathroom, rubbing cream into my face, when he walks in and starts stripping.

“Everything okay?” I ask lightly.

He kisses the top of my head. “Everything’s good, darling.”

Tonight is a free use night; they come every Tuesday and Thursday now that I’m on the pill. I put the little silver anklet on and curl up in the bed. He’s in the bathroom for a while, the shower running. My lids flutter, soothed by the rush of water.

What Keira said hits home.

He promised to save my farm. He’s already saved me. I don’t care anymore to question his methods. He’s going to do what he does best regardless of what I want.

My eyes slip closed.

It’s late in the morning when I wake, feeling rested for the first time in a while. I turn, and the little anklet is laying on the bedside table. My heart skips a beat, my face flushing. I slide my fingers down to my pussy and part myself, dipping the tip of one inside me.

He was there last night.

I clench, and his cum leaks down my thigh and stains the bed. My muscles are so relaxed, I know he made me finish in my sleep. I wonder what it was like for him, if I’m quiet when it happens.

I stretch.

Every day, little by little, he’s building me back up. I never thought I could trust a man enough to let him have my body while I sleep.

As I’m braiding my hair after my shower, my ring catches the light, and I can’t wipe the smile off my face for the rest of the morning.

Keira and I convince Jensen to take us into town. He shows up to drop off some wire, and we hitch a ride with him to South Platte to get some shopping done for the wedding.

I’m glad we decided to have a big wedding. I don’t like the idea of all that attention, but I love the excitement. I’ve never had anything that feels so untainted. Everyone is happy for us, wanting to help. It’s so pure after the last few years of misery.

In South Platte, I pick out white satin fabric. That night, back at the gatehouse, Keira and Maddie measure me and start making a pattern for my wedding dress. Part of me feels like this can’t be real. I’ll pinch myself and wake up, curled up in that little room off Thomas Garrison’s kitchen again.

After Keira leaves, Westin returns. He was up at the ranch house, banned from our kitchen while Keira and I worked on my dress. My stomach flips as he steps through the door and sets his hat aside.

His eyes are sober.

“Come here, darling,” he says.

I go to him, standing on my tiptoes so he can kiss me. His hand rests in my hair, his thumb on my cheek.

“What’s wrong?” I ask.

He shakes his head once. “Nothing.”

He’s holding something back, but I don’t push him yet. Instead, we eat dinner, and he asks about wedding preparations.

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