Page 55 of Rival
Chapter Twenty-Five
Edith
“You okay up there?”
I dig my teeth into my cheek to keep from moaning in pain. Riding a horse the day after my father laid into me wasn’t my best idea. My skin is tender and bruised, although luckily, it’s hidden under my clothes, but the slight bouncing as we slowly trot around the barn is almost unbearable. I ache.
Aside from that, I also hadn’t considered that losing my virginity less than forty-eight hours ago would make sitting in a saddleincrediblyuncomfortable. I can feel Jaxon eyeing me curiously, and I decide I just have to give in.
“I’m sorry, Jaxon. I think my body is just telling me no today. I feel awful because we’ve only just started.”
Jaxon tugs on Noir’s reins and halts him. Letting them fall to the ground so his hands are free, he immediately reaches up, pulls me down, and sets me on my feet. I haven’t even been riding for fifteen minutes, but my legs are already shaking and as soon as my feet hit the ground, my knees buckle.
“Jesus, Edith.” He grips me around my waist until I’m more stable, and I feel like an idiot. “Maybe this wasn’t the best idea.I’m sure you’re…” He trails off to run his eyes down my body, then looks away quickly. Clearing his throat, he steps back and drops his hands away. “I can see how it might not be the right time. Why don’t I give you a ride home?”
Even though I’m disappointed with our time being cut short, I agree anyway. I help him get Noir back into his stall, then we walk silently out to his truck. On our way, I see a ball with a rope and point at it. “What’s that?”
He looks over and smiles. “That’s a toy for the horses. It’s something silly, but they fucking love it. One of my mom’s mares will walk around with the rope in her mouth and spin it around forever. Kind of like a cat with a ball.”
I cock my head, considering it, then ask, “Where would I buy something like that? At my job, there’s a horse that seems kind of serious, but I think it’d be fun to see if I could get him to play a bit.”
Jaxon jogs over to the wall and pulls it down, then hands the toy over. “We’ve got a few of them. Take this and see if he likes it. If not, just bring it back to me.”
“Really? Are you sure? I could give you money or something for it.” I don’t know what a toy like this would cost, but I refuse to leave him short.
Waving me off, he takes my hand and guides me the rest of the way to the truck. “Don’t even worry about it. So, where am I taking you?”
Once I’ve crawled into the truck and settled in my seat, I ask, “Do you think you could just drop me at the store in town? I need to grab a few things.”
“Do you want me to just wait and take you home when you’re done? Carrying bags will be a pain in the ass,” he says, pulling out of the drive.
Waving him off, I do my best to sound nonchalant about it. I just can’t risk it. “It’s only a few things. I enjoy the walk.”
He huffs in disagreement but doesn’t argue. He also says nothing else, and I feel as if I’ve upset him somehow. I open and close my mouth a few times, but nothing feels right to say, so I sink into my seat and contemplate the situation.
“You’re thinking hard over there. What’s on your mind?”
I blink up at him and blurt out a question I didn’t even know I wanted to ask. “Why did you go quiet for a week? I know you said you had a personal thing, but maybe I can listen the way you did for me today.”
“You know, I think you’re about the sweetest person I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”
My heart picks up, and I feel flattered. No one’s ever said something like that before, and I’m glad that of all people, it’s him who said it first. “I don’t know about all that. I’m sure you’ve met a ton of nice people.”
“Less than you’d expect,” he mutters, but I catch it anyway. “I can tell you what happened, but it’s not a happy topic.”
Sitting up straight, I turn in my seat to give him my full attention. “Life isn’t always happy. I’d like to listen, though, if you’ll share.”
Jaxon side-eyes me for a long moment, maybe trying to see how serious I am, but he’ll only get support from this side of the truck. Nodding once, he sighs loudly.
“It’s going to sound dramatic, but it fucked up my head.”
I lean toward him to gain his attention. “I don’t care if you sound dramatic. Just tell me what you’re comfortable with. I might not have any advice, but I’ll listen and understand.”
“So fuckin’ sweet,” he mumbles again, then reaches out and cups my cheek briefly before settling his hand back on the wheel. “Long story short, I ran into the man responsible for my sister’s death last week.”
My throat squeezes tightly, and I force out, “What’s the short story long? What, umm, can I askhowyour sister passed?”
He blinks slowly, as if he’s in an immense amount of pain, and his shoulders drop in resignation. “Short story long, not how you say that, by the way,” he teases. “Is that my sister was interested in a boy and snuck out of the house to go to a party with him. She was only fifteen, a bit wild at heart, but we didn’t know she’d started drinking that young. When they arrived, everyone was drinking and partying it up, which she participated in. The guy who picked her up was only looking for a hookup, so when she didn’t give him what he wanted, he told her to leave. She wasmilesfrom home, way out in the country on the other side of town.”
