He offered an indulgent grin. “Sounds good, babe. Long as you don’t go too short.”
“She’s in good hands,” I assured him.
“We’re trying to convince Grace to talk to Joanie, to see if maybe Grace could help bring the salon into the twenty-first century,” Ava told Ruston with a grin.
“I like it,” Ruston agreed, and I could barely suppress a smile. The man made no qualms about his efforts to keep me here.
“We’re out,” Tank announced, reaching for Dallas’s hand and helping her up.
“I’ll text you in the morning, chica.” She waved to me. “See you, ladies,” she added to the girls.
“You about ready?” Ruston asked me.
“Sure,” I agreed as he rose and took my hand, helping me up as I said my goodbyes to the girls.
“I’m headed out,” Ruston announced to Ryland and Cason as we passed them at the bar. “We still on to look at Hank’s tomorrow?”
Cason nodded. “Three o’ clock. I’ll meet you there.”
“What’s Hank’s?” I asked as we reached his bike and he helped me with my helmet.
“A mechanic’s shop I’m eyeing for a potential purchase,” he shared. “We need our own shop to fix bikes, having the extra real estate wouldn’t hurt and it might be profitable for us if I can convince an old buddy of mine to run it.”
I gripped his jacket, stepping in close. “Thank you for telling me,” I murmured, tipping up to kiss him.
He chuckled, seeming perplexed by my gratitude. “Not anything earth shattering, but you’re welcome.”
“Maybe not the details, but the fact that you heard me the other morning, you know it’s important to me, and you’re making an effort to share. Thank you.”
He gripped my hips, pulling me that much closer. “I’d do anything for you, Grace. Anything.”
“I believe you,” I whispered as he took my hand, squeezing it once and guiding me toward his Harley. I slid in behind him on the bike, a delightful shudder running through me.
No matter how many times I’d been on the back of a bike in my life, riding with Ruston was a completely different experience. Wrapping my arms around his middle, feeling his muscles flex as he controlled the machine, his scent all around me, with the motor purring between my legs made for an exhilarating experience. And one that never failed to turn me on.
“Ready?” He turned to grin at me, no doubt reading my thoughts. At my nod, we rocketed out of the compound, headed for home.
The wind whipped over my face, the change in season evident in the slight bite in the air as I took in our surroundings.
When we pulled through the gate, I got my first glimpse of the house at night, lit up and welcoming, complete with our own little wolf pack that came barreling down the driveway.
It felt natural pulling up the driveway in a way that surprised me after only a few days.
“Hi, babies,” I cooed to the dogs when they came out to greet us, eager rather than aggressive now that they knew my scent.
Ruston joined me in giving them rubdowns as I offered the treats I’d started to give them as an evening routine.
I wanted them to bond with me even if I couldn’t snuggle with them the way we had our dogs growing up.
“What are you thinking about?” Ruston asked gently as he turned his attention from the dogs to me. There never seemed to be some part of him that wasn’t aware of me.
“Our dogs growing up,” I replied with a smile. “We always had mastiffs. Chief was our first, my dad got him to look out for my mom before they were married. I spent half my childhood fighting for space in my bed with him,” I laughed. “God I was heartbroken when that dog died. But no one was more devastated than my mom.”
Ruston wrapped an arm around my shoulders, kissing my head. “Sounds like a good dog.”
“The best,” I agreed. “Did you have dogs growing up?”
He shook his head. “We moved so much, my folks always thought it would be too hard. Come on, babe, I don’t want you to catch a chill,” he coaxed, holding a hand out to me.
