“Babe, you’re not listed on the rental.” He smirks.
“Since when are you a rule follower, Owen Riggins?” I ask, my hands braced on my hips.
He throws his head back and laughs. “Ask my brothers, I am the rule follower, trust me. Now, this is just a car. I have insurance, so if you wreck it, I don’t care. What I do care about is you being safe. The car can be replaced. Do you think you’re going to feel unsafe driving? I can call one of my brothers.” He’s already reaching into his pocket for his phone before I can reply.
“No. I don’t feel unsafe, but I’ll be a nervous wreck the entire drive. I’ve never even sat in a car this nice before.”
“Layla…” He slides his phone back into his pocket and reaches for me. I go willingly because, in a short amount of time, I’ve learned that there is nothing better than being in his arms. “Life is about to change for you. You’re going to be making good money, enough to stand on your own. You’re going to be able to afford new shoes, and a new car if that’s what you want. Get used to this. This is your new normal.”
“It’s scary,” I admit. “I want that, but it feels like it’s a fantasy and not my life. I’ve never had financial security. I don’t even know what that looks like.”
“I’m right there to guide you. I’m not going anywhere.”
“Sure, until you get tired of my freak-outs.” I rest my head against his chest. “I’m sorry, this is just all new to me, and I’m having a hard time understanding how I got so lucky.”
“Hey.” He tilts my chin up with his index finger. “I’m the lucky one. Don’t ever forget that.” His lips press to my forehead, and I can feel my body relax into him. It’s as if I have zero control over the way I react to him, to his touch, or to his kisses.
“Fine,” I concede. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you,” I say, holding my hand out for the keys.
“It’s going to be fine. After, we can grab some lunch.”
“We just had breakfast,” I remind him. His eyes heat at the mention of breakfast. We did nothing more than steal a few kisses, yet it was intimate, and I loved every minute of it. If you had told me a year ago I’d enjoy spending time with a man who was bossy and liked to feed me, I would have told you that you’d lost your damn mind. Now, today, it’s not so bad. Not when it’s Owen.
“I’m a growing boy,” he says, rubbing his stomach and grinning.
There is nothing boy-ish about the man. “Uh-huh, let’s go,” I say, taking the offered keys from his hands, and climbing behind the wheel of his extremely expensive car.
“See that wasn’t so bad, was it?” Owen asks as we pull out of the lot of the car rental place.
“No, it wasn’t bad, but I white-knuckled it all the way here.” That’s not an exaggeration. My grip was so tight on the wheel my knuckles literally turned white.
He reaches over and takes my hand in his, bringing it to his lips. He takes his time placing a feather-soft kiss on each knuckle. “Thank you,” he says softly, not taking his eyes off of the road, and effectively melting me into a pile of longing.
“Now where to?” I ask him.
“I thought we could stop by Royce and Sawyer’s place to get the keys to the apartment.”
“Oh, okay,” I say, suddenly worried about meeting his family.
“What’s that about?”
“I just didn’t realize I’d be meeting them today. I’m a mess.” I motion at my body that’s covered in worn cutoff jean shorts and a tank top. The only new item I’m wearing that’s not a hand-me-down or purchased at a second-hand store are the flip-flops on my feet. They’re one of the pairs Owen bought me the day we went shopping.
“You’re perfect,” he assures me.
Biting down on my bottom lip, I try to push back the anxiety that’s threatening to take over. I’m meeting his brother and his brother’s fiancée. Am I just the new girl at Riggins Enterprises? Am I more? I don’t really know, and that causes my anxiety to spike. I know it’s crazy; he’s told me that this is more for him, but there is this constant worry that the other shoe is going to drop. It’s like Owen Riggins fell right out of the sky, and my life with him in it is better than I ever could have imagined. I’m scared I’m going to lose that.
“Lay, baby, what’s going on? Tell me what you’re thinking?” His soothing voice washes over me.
“Who are you going to tell them that I am? I mean, I don’t really know what we are, and I’m not sure if it’s just between us or if it’s more. I just… I don’t know, Owen. I’m not good at these kinds of situations. This is all new to me.” He surprises me when he signals and pulls the car over to the side of the road. I watch as he puts the car in Park and turns to face me, or as best as he can with his seat belt still intact.
“What this is between us is just that. It’s us. That means it’s just you and me. There is no other woman in my life and no other man in yours. However, that doesn’t mean that we’re hiding what we are to one another.”
“What are we? This is all crazy, Owen.”
“We’re dating. Seeing where things go.”
“But I work for you.”
“There are no rules against that. Trust me, Royce and Sawyer went through this, and he tried to use that as an excuse to push her away. I’m learning from my big brother’s mistakes. I don’t give a fuck who you work for, and I’m not letting you go.”
“So we tell them that we’re dating? Are they going to give you a hard time? We’ve only known each other a small amount of time.”
“No. Royce met Sawyer on a plane, and he knew then that she was it for him, but he fought it. I’m not fighting it. There are no rules or timelines we have to follow. We just have to do what’s best for us. What’s best for me, is you.” He leans in and presses his lips to mine. Just a soft, quick peck, but it does wonders at calming my nerves.
“Okay.”
“Just like that?” He grins.
“Yeah, I have no examples to go on here. My life wasn’t filled with dates or watching a healthy relationship. I’m learning as I go, and I trust you, Owen.”
“Good.” He gives me another kiss before turning in his seat and pulling back out on the road.
“Wow. Do all of you own huge houses?” I ask as we pull into Royce’s driveway.
He laughs. “Just me, Royce, and Grant. Conrad and Marshall, who are the youngest, still live in apartments. They actually live in the same building. It makes it nice when I have to pick their asses up after a night of drinking and drive them home. I only have to make one stop.”
“That’s nice of you.”
“They’re my brothers.”
He says it so simply, like there is no other option for him. I wish I knew what that felt like. I’ve never felt that kind of connection with anyone.
Ronnie and Linda are the closest I’ve come to having someone to depend on, and even then, I fought it. I didn’t want to get used to having them for the fear they might not stick around. That fear is there when it comes to Owen as well, but he doesn’t let me hide behind it. We talk about it, and he assures me he’s not going anywhere.