Page 105 of Ace of Spades
“I’m okay,” I whisper.
“I’m so sorry.”
“Don’t be,” I tell him. “You have nothing to be sorry for. You got here in time, I’m fine—promise.”
“Don’t ever run off on me like that,” he says, the tremble in his voice betraying his brave face.
“Were you scared, Langford?” I ask, trying to lighten up the mood with a playful smirk. The hard lines in Weston’s face don’t budge.
“Terrified.”
I reach up to brush a few damp hairs from his forehead, my expression softening as I feel the fear emanating from him.
“I’m okay, Weston,” I repeat, my eyes boring into his. “Really.”
“Anybody lose a horse?”
Beau and Mike ride out from the treeline, cutting our moment short as I’m flooded with relief at the sight of my mare. Beau jogs over to us, reaching down from his saddle to throw me Casino’s reins.
“She ran right up to us—figured a riderless horse wasn’t exactly a good sign. Then we heard a gunshot, what the hell even happened here?”
“Caught the fuckers that started the fire,” Weston tells him.
“Super. Fire’s out, by the way—you know, in case anybody was wondering or anything.”
Debbie runs up to the three of us, phone in hand and a wide grin on her face as she extends it to us, Chance’s voice sounding over the speakerphone.
“Heard you guys got in a shootout! The one time there’s a real-life standoff and I’m at the damn hospital.”
I chuckle, glad to hear that he’s okay.
“Don’t worry, bud, we’ll make sure you’re invited to the next one,” Beau tells him.
“Hey Chance?” Weston asks, grabbing the phone from Debbie. “You doing okay?”
“Yeah, man, just needed a few stitches but I’ll live!”
“Great. Now get back here so I can kill you.”
“Oh, uh—the nurse just came in, I should probably—”
The line goes dead, Weston pinching his nose as he shakes his head.
“Come on,” I tell him, reaching out to rub his arm. “Give them a break.”
“Did you know about them?”
“No, but I’ve had my suspicions. You really haven’t seen the way they look at each other?”
“No, she’s my little sister. I refuse to even think about her having feelings for a man.”
The two of us are left alone, a comfortable silence passing over us as Weston brings his attention back to me, his lips meeting mine in a lingering kiss before he pulls back, his eyes studying me intently—as if he was drinking in the sight of me.
“So,” I start, biting the inside of my lip. “You love me?”
A cheeky grin tugs at his lips.
“Now where did you hear that?”
