Page 35 of Loving Lex

I paused and studied his face. “Really?”

He cracked the faintest of smiles. “Sure, man. Happy to.” He leaned in. “I also thoroughly enjoy taking down shady motherfuckers, so there is that.”

I belted out a laugh. “That’s awesome. Thanks, man.”

“No problem.” He shot his lady a look. “So, I think me and the wife are going to head out and enjoy the rest of our night. Let’s touch base soon.”

“Of course. You go have fun. I’ll call you in a day or so and we can meet up again.”

He tucked Grace under his arm, shot me a salute, and they strolled away.

Shay was waiting for me by the employee door, wearing one of my old flannel button-ups over her work clothes. It swallowed her, but it was adorable as hell.

I wrapped an arm around her and kissed her temple. “Hey,Queen.”

She glanced up at me as we started walking. “Was that alright? It sort of popped out, so I went with it.”

I pushed open the door. “More than alright.” I waited a beat. “I kinda liked it.”

I felt her smile. “You did?”

“Hell, yeah. Especially the part about protecting your king.” Our eyes met as we neared the side of my truck, and I tugged her close by the open flaps of my shirt. “That had to be, hands down, the sexiest, sweetest thing I’ve ever heard. It kinda makes me want to take you back to my place, get you naked, and show you just how sweet and sexy I think it is.”

Her hands crept up around my neck and ran through my hair. “Yeah?”

“Oh, yeah. Most fucking definitely.”

Those big green eyes of hers studied my face. “And... the stuff about your brother?”

“What about it?”

“I just thought maybe... well, I figured you might need some time to yourself or something.”

I traced her jaw with my thumb. “Shay. Baby. That’s been an ongoing shitshow. You’ve been the only light in my life in the middle of it. So, no, I don’t want or need any time to myself. I want you.” I cupped her hip and drew her closer. “All of you. All the time. That’s not going to change.”

“But tonight—”

“The information you gave me tonight was helpful, but it’s only one tiny piece of this ongoing, frustrating puzzle. Lucky has even agreed to stay and help me try to figure it out.”

“He has?”

“He has.” I nuzzled behind her ear. “So, while I appreciate your concern, I don’t need it. You just being here is enough. I don’t have very many people I can trust.”

She drew back. “And you trustme?”

“Of course.”

She studied my eyes, not seeming convinced.

“What?” I demanded.

“How can you trust me?” she said, her voice low. “We haven’t known each other that long.”

Something in my gut tightened. She was right. Still, I’d always trusted my instincts. “No, we haven’t,” I agreed as I leaned into the door of the truck, keeping her in my arms. “But time isn’t as important as character.” I ran my fingers through her hair and cupped her jaw. “And you’ve proven that not only are you strong and hardworking, but when it’s just you and me?” I stared hard into her eyes. “Even when it was hard, you opened yourself up to me. Body and soul. I don’t take that kind of thing lightly, Shay.”

She blinked away like she didn’t know how to respond, so I continued.

“And tonight, you came straight to me when you heard something about my brother. That’s loyalty. I trust that.”

---