Ride Me Right

Chapter 17

"I'm going to play along."

꧁࿈༻༺☠༻༺࿈꧂

Harley Finley

The nights were becoming increasingly colder. Had I been home, I'd be expecting snow soon. But in the south, I knew it would never come. Something, for some reason, I was beginning to miss. Colten still wore his signature plain white tee shirt but I couldn't help but want my puffy jacket that sat hours away in my closet.

"What are you thinking?" Colt asked, seeing my mind racing as we sat in Hudson's pick up truck. The darkness soaking us into its own world as the night world quieted everything but my thoughts.

"You got in my head earlier about the stuff I should be worrying about." The grumble came off harsher than meant to, making me sigh, "I'll have to break my lease and pack my shit or work and pay for an apartment I'll never use again. Finding work in this little town seems impossible. I'm just wondering if I'm making the right choices in life or just not thinking straight."

"I'm surprised you actually think shit through." He laughed with a smile to kill for. His brown eyes trained out the windshield, waiting for god knows what.

"How do you think I made it this far in life? It wasn't luck. I got good at cooking because after my mom died no one took care of me. Elijah was trying to go to college and I was stuck at home with a parent that treated me like shit. Of course on the outside it looks like I rebelled. But I enjoyed my life with no regrets. I've come to terms with who I was and am as a person. It doesn't matter what anyone says to me of what I am or what I've done. I've said worse to myself. I don't need to have a complete plan to be successful in life. Just as long as I'm happy, I could give a fuck less." I sucked in a breath to catch a glimpse of Colten staring at me. His lips tightly closed in a thin line.

I wondered if maybe I was too much for him. Maybe this was just a fling and we'd be the best of friends once Chloe had the twins and I had to decide my next move. My heart almost hurt at the thought. It shielded itself almost immediately in a chest twisting curl.

"There's Ian." Colten quickly changed the subject. Just as fast as he opened the driver side door and jumped to his feet.

Without hesitation, I followed his speedy stride. My heart raced with anticipation trailing Colten who seemed to have an agenda in each stretched out step.

We were barely a few feet from Ian before he realized Colten was grabbing the bar door and holding it shut with an open hand.

Seeing the two size each other up turned this fall night into a heatwave. Colten stood tall, bulky and muscular even in his loose fitted clothing. Tattoos scattered up and down his arms making me reminisce to the night he allowed me to remember each and every one and their place on his body. The blackened rose, my favorite, was no longer stuffed in his pocket like usual. Instead it was showcasing the power he held. A smile snaked to his cheek line with a playful glint in his brown eyes. I had no doubt Colten could take him on if he wanted.