Page 79 of Riding Dirty

“Two-Pump, Hippie, and Blast, can you hang back so we can work on this shit?” I ask.

They all grumble, no doubt understanding that’s exactly what needs to be done. Dare grins, standing and slipping out of the room without another word, effectively leaving us to our own devices.

I wonder what it must be like to not have to actually handle this kind of shit. Sure, he’s shoveled other shit that I don’t have to deal with, but fuck, it might be nice to not have this fucking shit on my plate day in and day out… especially today.

“So we’re going to Vegas?” Two-Pump asks as he lifts his hands and rubs them together.

My lips twitch into a smirk. “Not only are we going to Vegas, but I know those assholes are going to have us meet at their strip club.”

“Not mad about that at fucking all,” Hippie grumbles.

I bet he’s not. Normally, I wouldn’t be either, but I’ve got Elodie here, and I’d rather be in her bed than watching a bunch of women shake their asses on stage. Only one woman I want to see shake her ass, and that’s my woman. A sentence I never thought I would ever think in my entire forty-six years of life. But it’s true.

Taking my cell out of my pocket, I find my contact’s name. I hate that I have his name and number. It’s just part of the job, having assholes’ numbers in my phone. I touch the call button, and the phone rings twice before a heavy Russian-accented voice picks up.

Here we fucking go.

CHAPTER

SIXTY

ELODIE

Beyond exhausted. That’s what I would call myself. I didn’t expect it to happen, but after I changed my clothes and headed to the first job, I felt full of energy. Then, three o’clock came around, and so did the crash.

No amount of coffee will get me moving or get me through this. I could chew on coffee beans at this point, and I’m pretty sure I could still sleep standing up.

I’m exhausted.

“Do you think they’re going to get all of this figured out?” Alex asks as he wraps up the vacuum cleaner cord.

I know what he’s talking about, and I’ve been thinking about it all day long. I don’t know what the fuck is going to happen. What I do know is that I’m all in with whatever it is, completely and totally in, because I’ve fallen in love with this man. There’s no denying it.

I love Coast Riley.

And it’s probably the dumbest thing I’ve ever done in my life.

But I’m willing to get completely crushed like a bug by the heel of his thick boots if this doesn’t work out. The way I feel right now, I know it’s going to be worth any heartache that comes my way.

Missing out on this would probably hurt a hell of a lot more.

I hope that I remember this moment, this emotion, in the future. And I hope like hell that I agree with my current feelings on the matter. I think it would be a lot worse to live with the unknown in life than to live with the pain of what could happen.

Because even if it doesn’t work out and he ruins me, I’ll have moments like this. Moments of excitement and ecstasy. It will be worth it. I know it. I can feel it deep in my bones. This is going to be worth the ride.

“I hope so,” I whisper, answering his question.

There is a long moment of silence where we just watch one another, and then Alex smirks, shaking his head and breaking our connection as he turns to grab a dusting rag and the polish.

“I hope they do,” he states.

Even though I know he’s not in love with me and Coast being together, I can tell he’s letting it go, at least for now. I’m sure he’ll voice his opinions all over again. Like the second Coast hurts my feelings or does anything to make me cry, he’s going to say I told you so.

I’m just going to go ahead and expect it at this point. There’s nothing else for me to do about it. I’ve made the conscious decision to go all in with Coast, and I’m going to make this work. I want to make it work. There is something about him, about the way he makes me feel, that tells me we’re supposed to be together.

Alex and I don’t say much else. As we finish up, it’s clear that he’s dragging ass, too. Clearly, we are not meant to be out the way we have been. We are both missing our beauty sleep.

Once the house is finished, I grab my envelope from the counter that contains my check and lock up. We head down the walkway toward the car on the curb.