Page 57 of Choose You

When she finally breaks the kiss, we’re breathing heavily again. “Damn woman, you’re killing me.”

She laughs, securing even more ownership of my heart. “No, just trying to steal a day alone with you.”

“I’d love nothing more.” I kiss her again before hopping out of bed. “Let me go check on this horse, then I’ll make us something for breakfast.”

I tug on my jeans then sit on the edge of the bed to pull on my socks. She sits up on her knees and leans against my back. “I can make breakfast.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind cooking if you want to wait.”

“I can cook, Matt.” She kisses the back of my neck, sending another shiver through me. “I still remember your favorites.”

I pull her around so she’s sitting on my lap. “All right. This shouldn’t take me more than twenty minutes.”

“Perfect. That’s plenty of time for me to pull something together.” She slips off my lap and grabs one of my button-down shirts thrown over the chair. My dick gets hard again just watching her put it on. She looks so damn sexy with the way my shirt hangs just past her ass, showing off her long shapely legs.

“You better hurry up and get before I pull you back down on this bed and we never leave this room.”

She chuckles and hops out of my reach. With a slight shimmy, she shakes her ass at me. “What’s the matter there, cowboy? Seesomething you want?”

I growl and jump off the bed to grab her, but she runs out of the room squealing. By the time I reach the door, she’s halfway down the stairs, laughing the whole way. “Go ahead and run. I’ll catch you soon enough.”

I lean against the door frame, unable to hide my smile. God, I missed this with her. I hope like hell it’s a sign of more good things to come. Now that she’s back in my life, I can’t lose her again.

This might have beenthe longest twenty minutes of my life. I’m starving, both for sustenance and more of Jessica. I’m ready to devour whatever she made us for breakfast then take her back to bed.

I finish up with the wounded horse that arrived two days ago. She’s a lively mare, not fully broken. She’d gotten herself tangled in some barbed wire fencing and then took a tumble down a rocky hillside before the owners were able to get her free. She’s damn lucky she didn’t break anything. Just lots of deep cuts, bruises, and a nasty sprain that already seems better.

I update the file and leave a note for Naomi that she can be released today and that I’d be taking the rest of the day off. That’s something I haven’t done in a really long time. Even if I don’t have patients, there’s always stuff to do around here, but one day off won’t hurt. Plus, I need this time with Jessica.

I head into the mud room just off the back porch and kick off my boots. Jessica’s voice filters through the door, and I stiffen at the sound. She doesn’t sound happy.

“That makes no sense. Our second quarter numbers are solid, and this quarter is looking even better. Why do they care where I am?”

Her voice rises higher and higher with each word she speaks. Whoever she’s talking to is not making her happy. I hate hearing her upset like this, and I want to rush in there and hold her close. But this sounds too important to distract her with my own selfish needs.

“Well, they don’t get to make that decision. There’s nothing inthe company bylaws or articles of incorporation that dictates where I have to live. It’s my company for fuck’s sake.”

I cringed at her last words. She finally made the decision to stay, and now that’s being threatened by someone in her company. The idea of her leaving, even temporarily, makes my stomach turn.

I step into the kitchen and lean against the wall opposite where she’s standing. She’s next to the stove with her back to me. Her back is ramrod straight and even underneath my too big shirt, I can see the tension in her shoulders.

“Since when does the board call emergency meetings? They’re stepping out of line.” I can hear someone responding to her through the phone, but their voice is too muffled to make out the words. “Fuck, this is such bullshit.”

She tosses her hands in the air and spins around. Her eyes meet mine. Her anger wanes and is replaced with panic. She clearly wasn’t expecting to see me standing here listening to her conversation. I can’t tell if her shift in emotions is because I’m listening or the result of whatever the person on the line is saying. She lets out a long sigh, and her shoulders sag. “Fine. But this is happening on my terms, not theirs. You understand?”

She nods a few times before she continues, “Okay, I’ll be there. Send me the itinerary when you have it … You, too … Bye.”

Her eyes are still trained on mine. Neither of us speaks for a few seconds until the silence finally becomes too much for me. “When do you leave?”

She drops her head, breaking eye contact.

“Today,” she whispers.

I huff out a deep breath, push off the wall, and walk toward her. “Why today?”

“My board called an emergency meeting for 8:00 am Monday to remove me from my position. I have to be there, and I need time to prepare.”

When I reach her, I place a finger under her chin and lift her face so she’s looking at me. “Can they even do that?”

---