Page 44 of The Wrangler

Keely’s laughter was breathless, her fingers threading through his hair as she whispered, “God help me, I love you.”

Jesse kissed her again, slower this time, but no less consuming.

She was his, and nothing was ever going to change that.

15

KEELY

Keely had spent the last few weeks proving that Jesse was as stubborn a man as ever lived, and he was a lousy patient.

He healed fast—too fast, really. The doctors had said he needed time, but Jesse being Jesse, he’d spent the better part of the recovery process grumbling about being trapped at her house. He was bored. He wanted action. He wanted to move.

To step foot in The Iron Spur again. Keely had been patient. She’d let him get away with his grumpy bullshit while he was recovering, but now? His excuses were gone, and her waiting was over.

Which was how she found herself standing in front of him, hands on her hips, trying her best to glare him into doing what she wanted.

Jesse just crossed his arms, watching her from the couch with that infuriating, too-calm expression. “I said no.”

Keely huffed. “You’re being ridiculous.”

“No, darlin’,” he said, his voice deep and sure. “I’m being smart.”

She narrowed her eyes. “Explain that logic to me.”

Jesse dragged his hand over his jaw. “I don’t need to go to the damn club to prove anything to you.”

“It’s not about proving anything,” she argued. “It’s about us enjoying what we do together.” She stepped closer, planting a knee on the couch beside him. “Jesse, you and I both know this is part of us. It’s what we want. What we are.”

His eyes darkened. She saw the way his jaw flexed, the way his fingers twitched like he wanted to do something to her. She had him.

Keely trailed a hand down from his chest, her voice softening. “Come with me.”

Jesse grabbed her wrist before she could go any lower, his grip firm but not punishing. “You don’t fight fair, baby.”

Keely grinned. “Never have.”

Jesse stared at her for a long moment, then let out a rough breath. “Fine.”

Victory surged through her, but before she could celebrate, Jesse yanked her down, flipping her onto her back in one swift move. Keely gasped, blinking up at him as he pinned her wrists above her head.

Jesse’s voice was all grit and promise. “But when we go, I want every damn person in that club to know who you belong to.”

Her whole body lit up.

“Yes, Sir,” she breathed.

Jesse grinned, slow and wicked. “Good girl.”

The Iron Spur was packed with people.

The energy in the air crackled, a mixture of excitement, curiosity, and intense anticipation. Keely had always loved thefeeling of walking into the club. But tonight? Tonight was different.

Because tonight, she wasn’t just one of the subs who came to play; she was Jesse’s sub and his collared sub at that. He’d wasted no time finding an exquisite collar to place around her neck, which he’d done at home with her brother and the rest of the team in attendance.

Keely had never been nervous a day in her life. At least, that’s what she’d told herself. She’d faced down killers, walked into the lion’s den with nothing but the team at her back, and somehow had stayed alive. But this? This moment, in the quiet sanctuary of her home, surrounded by the people who had become family—this had her heart pounding in a way nothing else ever had.

The living room was warm, intimate, the soft glow of candlelight flickering across the walls. Jesse stood before her, a little less steady than usual, but his eyes locked on hers with an intensity that stole her breath. The others—Hawke, Dawson, Gavin, Roxie and Reed—stood just beyond them, silent witnesses to the moment that would change everything.

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