Page 22 of Wrangling Wade

"Oh. Okay."

She settles against my chest, one arm around my shoulder, her body relaxed, and I love everything about that. Little bylittle, she's learning to trust me. She's letting herself surrender to what's between us.

I'm not surprised when I see my truck in the parking lot, since I gave her the keys before they arrested me, but I can't help but chuckle at the way she parked across two spaces like she was afraid she'd scratch it.

"How far up did you move the seat?" I ask, glancing down at her.

"All the way." Her brows furrow. "I still couldn't see over the stupid dashboard."

"Poor baby." I nuzzle her throat. "I'll make it up to you."

Her breath hitches, her hand spasming against my shoulder. I barely bite back a groan, hurrying my steps. Somehow, I manage to juggle her and open the door at the same time before depositing her in the passenger seat.

Once she's buckled in, I cup her face, tilting it back until her eyes lock with mine. "Thank you," I murmur, brushing my lips across hers.

"For what?"

"For being you."

Her entire face goes soft.

"I'm not finished," I warn when she opens her mouth to say something. She immediately snaps it closed, nodding. "What happened today had nothing to do with you, and you didn't have to bail me out, Harlow. Your money is your money. You don't spend it on me, not a dime, okay?"

"But…"

I gently press a finger to her lips. "Not a dime, baby."

She hesitates for a long moment, holding my gaze, and then she nods reluctantly. "Okay," she whispers against my finger.

"I'm paying you back every penny first thing tomorrow."

"You don't have to—"

"Yes, I do. You've spent most of your life taking care of your mom. Now, it's your turn to be taken care of. I plan to be the man who does that. I've been saving for half my life, waiting for you. I've got you, baby."

"I can take care of myself," she whispers.

"Yeah, you can. You've been doing that. But just because you can do it doesn't mean you have to do it," I remind her. "You're allowed to put it down for a while and let someone else share the load. That's what you're going to do now."

Her gaze flits across my face, somber. "You're kind of bossy."

"And you're kind of perfect, so I guess it works out, doesn't it?"

She smiles even though I know she doesn't mean to do it, her eyes crinkling at the corners. "You're shameless, too."

"For you? Always." I press a hard kiss to her lips and then back off, closing her door.

When I climb in beside her, she's quiet, thoughtful. She doesn't say anything, but I feel her mind running a million miles a minute.

"Wade?"

"Yeah, baby?"

"You hit him at the bar because he insulted me then, too, didn't he?"

I hesitate and then sigh, not willing to lie to her. "Yeah."

She nods thoughtfully. "Okay."