Page 41 of Stay for Me

“Fucking hell, where is this thing?” I muttered to myself, thankful for the shade of my hat as the sun beat down on me. This had been one of the hottest summers I’d endured since coming to Hallow Ranch, and unfortunately, it was only going to get hotter. I looked to my right, slowly scanning the green grass for an either alive or deceased calf, but something else caught my eye.

Something shiny, cherry red, and not fucking good.

My jaw tightened, the sun gleaming off the windshield, the driver’s side door wide open.

That was Diana’s new fucking Mercedes.

What the fuck was she going out here?

I looked back to the main house, then back to the car, noticing she wasn’t anywhere in sight as the hair on the back of my neck shot up, fear pooling in my gut.

Something was wrong.

“Dammit,” I bit off, snapping the reins and kicking my feet.

Within seconds, Midnight was flying across the field, her hooves pounding against the grass as the wind whipped around me. I shouted, snapping the reins again as we got closer.

I looked all around for the woman, not seeing her, and the fear in my gut grew, threatening to take over all rational thoughts. I began to see nothing but red.

Where the hell was she?

“Diana!” I shouted once I was a few yards away, slowing Midnight down.

In the next second, I was off the horse, my eyes scanning the area as I reached for my pistol. The driver’s seat was empty—as was the back seat. I pulled out my gun, raising it, my body on alert as something dark within my soul woke. It had been a long time since I’d killed a man.

I usually left that to Kings, but now, I was ready to start back old habits.

“Son of a bitch!”

My head snapped up at the sound of her sweet voice, and, without a second thought, I left Midnight where she was, trusting that she wouldn’t run off.

“Diana!” I clipped, rounding the front of her car, stopping short at the scene in front of me. Slowly, I lowered my gun, unable to take my eyes off her, my chest aching suddenly.

She was crouched down, barefoot on the gravel, in front of her tire, trying to loosen the nuggets. Her eyes were red-rimmed, trails of her mascara running down her cheeks as she struggled with the wrench, her knuckles snow white. My eyes narrowed, spotting her earbuds in, and my jaw tightened to the point of pain.

No wonder she couldn’t fucking hear me shouting for her.

I moved then, taking slow steps and shoving my gun in the back of my jeans. When I was about a foot away, she noticed my presence, jumping back and screaming. The sound echoed across the field, and Midnight, who had taken this time to graze, popped her head up.

“Mr. Mags,” Diana breathed, pulling out her earbuds, her chest heaving underneath her pretty yellow blouse.

Fuck, more yellow. More light.

“Just Mags,” I damn near growled, closing the distance and holding out my hand. I needed her off the fucking ground before I lost my shit.

She eyed it. “What can I do for you?”

“You can get the fuck up, Diana. That’s what you can do.”

She flinched at my harsh tone, blinking away some of her tears. Regret coated my tongue, reminding me of the reason why I stayed silent most of the time.

“I have to get this tire changed,” she said, her chin raised.

"Women like you don’t change tires,” I said, and before she could give me sass, I added, “Women like you also don’t need to be fucking barefoot in the gravel.”

I didn’t wait for her to respond, and in a flash, my hands were under her arms, lifting her up. The image of her being on the ground with tears in her eyes would be in my mind for the rest of my life. That wasn’t how I wanted to picture her, and it pissed me off that this image would never go away.

“Mr. Mags!” she yelped, her hands going to my shoulders, her fingers grabbing the fabric of my shirt. A deep grunt left me as I shifted, lifting her up bridal style, my arm curled under her legs, the feeling of her bare skin against mine burning me like a brand. I looked down to find the top of her head—not her eyes. I ignored the sting of that as I turned around, walked to the hood, gently placing her on it.

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