Page 98 of Ace of Spades
“Everything,” Weston admits. “Don’t get me wrong, the girl is damn stubborn. She’s got a little bit of an attitude, and she puts way too much salt on her food. She’s a bit of a hot mess at times, and she has this annoying tendency to bring stray animals home.”
I can’t help but laugh as he continues.
“She has a hard time trusting anybody but herself, and she has a tendency to run away when she feels like things are too good to be true. But she’s smart—like, crazy smart. She loves hard, and she’s fiercely loyal. She puts others before herself, even to her own detriment. She’s free-spirited, but in a way that should never be tamed—just respected. She’s strong-willed, and yet soft whenshe wants to be. She’s got this drive, this passion that shines like a light. She doesn’t realize how beautiful she is, and she constantly refuses to accept the love that she deserves—because deep down, she doesn’t think that she deserves it. She’s… I mean, she’s everything. And she doesn’t even see it.”
My heart catches in my throat, our eyes meeting. Weston’s gaze is fierce and unapologetic, showing me just how much he means every word.
“Aw, well isn’t that the cutest!” Hannah chimes in, cutting straight through our moment without even realizing it.
“Hey, bud—I think I spot a fence that needs fixing. You think you’re up for it?” Weston tells Drew, trotting ahead to inspect the worn-down material.
“Heck yeah!” the kid squeals, the cowboy hat bobbing over his eyes as his horse follows Lark.
I watch as Weston helps him off the horse, showing him what needs to be fixed and demonstrating how it needs to be done. Drew’s eyes shine bright, his shoulders pulled back as he imitates Weston’s every move, the duo making my heart melt just a few feet away.
Hannah’s horse trots over to mine, the old bay mare taking place at my side as Drew’s grandma leans over.
“He’s a keeper.”
Don’t I know it.
Chapter 27
HAILEY
“There is no way you’re already horny again,” I exhale, tingles racing down my spine as Weston’s lips kiss their way up my back, gently nipping at the spot between my neck and shoulder as his scruff tickles me.
“Baby, I’m always horny when I’m around you,” he tells me between kisses.
The air around us is filled with the sounds of the crickets chirping, the frogs croaking nearby in the creek as the warm evening breeze rustles the leaves.
We had left the others at the lodge, still playing card games—Dakota and Mike getting way too competitive—as Weston had surprised me with a picnic down at thehidden creek as a personal celebration of officially reaching ten bookings over the last month.
I flip over on the blanket, my bare back brushing across the soft material as I peer up into Weston’s eyes, the forest green in them vivid in the moonlight.
“Two rounds, Weston—we’ve already gone two rounds.”
“Yeah, and we’re not leaving here until you’ve come on my dick a third,” he tells me, a mischievous grin on his face.
I giggle, my hand lifting to run over his bare chest as I admire all of the tattoos decorating it. My palm stops on the spade adorning his left pectoral, directly above his heart.
“I got it the day after the spring dance,” he tells me, noticing my attention on the piece.
“The Ace of Spades,” I mutter.
He smiles.
“Yeah. Did I ever tell you the full story?”
“You told me that your grandpa gave it to you, and that he used to ride with it in his hat for good luck,” I recite.
“Well, it turns out there’s actually more to it,” he tells me. “I didn’t even know about it until the night of my birthday party, after you gave it back to me.”
I sit up, resting on my elbows as I listen attentively.
“My mom found the card when she was telling me goodnight before leaving. She told me the whole story—about how my grandma had given her dad the card. I guess it was her lucky card, the one that always left her with the winning hand whenever they played. When he started riding broncs, she gifted it to him, intending to keep him lucky. She told him that he needed it more than her.”
I stay silent, letting him continue as he runs his fingers back and forth along my bare thigh.
