“But I want–”
“Go to sleep, honey," I said firmly, knowing that was exactly what she wanted. If she kept asking I might not have the strength to not roll her over and fuck us both into blissful oblivion. “Take what you need from me.”
“I’ll tell you what I need,” she grumped at me prettily.
Her breaths deepened and with the amount of orgasms her body took from me, she dropped into sleep within scant minutes. Eve curled around me, her warmth and scent the sweetness I stole a few hours’ sleep rest with my arms wrapped around the woman I loved.
Chapter 6
Archer
My first mistake was that I didn’t fuck Eve the night before because I knew she’d regret it today. My second was leaving her before she woke.
Fast cooling coffee didn’t sear my throat half as much as I required it too as my little hellion in caramel calf boots that I'd bought her the season before sauntered down the steps of the big house and straight across the yard past me without a single flicker of recognition. I watched Eve’s ass sway in those damned tight jeans I wanted to peel from her body and cursed inwardly.
Shoulda gone all the way, cowboy.
But the fact that I was a Texas Ranger on Montana soil sliced through me as she strode right up to Joe Brunel and flipped her hair over her shoulder, chatting animatedly about whatever project she’d woken with on her mind.
A project that clearly wasn’t me.
A throat cleared at my side. I didn’t need to look up to know Jude studied me like I was a misbehaving buck he wanted to understand better.
“I spent time with her last night, alright?” I groused finally when his pensive silence grew too thick.
A subtle cough raised my irritation levels beyond my capacity. “Not good enough, apparently. Didn’t I tell you she needed a damn good loving, Archer?”
I let out a frustrated noise. “I wanted to take it slow with her, alright? Something’s happened since I was last here and… Fuck it.” I blew out a breath and faced him, turning my back on the sight of Eve flirting with another man. I knew she did it just to shit me—hell, I hoped that was the case. “She told me about the baby, Jude. It's broken something inside of her.”
He watched me and nodded, turning back to his work. “Which one?”
My world plummeted.
The fact he didn’t look at me when he said it should have been my first clue. I grabbed his shirt and yanked him back to me. “What the fuck do you mean,which one?” I kept my voice low, though blood pounded at my ear drums. I barely made out his answer, sound catching up halfway in.
“...I told you Will Kirk saved her life last season, when we saw him in White Cap, right?”
I nodded as he peeled my fingers from their death grip on his shirt. “Yeah, you mentioned.” My voice came out hoarse, but Jude remained steady and quiet.
“He carried her out of the forest when it lit up. We had a huge fire here a few weeks back. Up in the eastern corner, on the way up to Walker Roan’s, right before the storm that put it all out. We found the source…” Jude shook his head. “Anyway, Will walked out Eve in his arms, carried her through the smoke and mother fucking flames like a wraith. He nearly died, picked his ass right up again, went back in with Gage and one other for the woman he loves, and dragged her out too. He’s covered in scars head to toe from it. Not quite the pretty boy he used to be.” Juderan out of air and sound from the longest speech I’d ever heard from him.
Every word was worth it, but he still hadn’t said what I needed to hear.
“And Eve?”
Jude’s mouth set in a tight line. “Trav and I took her back to the house, called the doc, but we couldn’t—” He exhaled a slow breath. “It’s why Trav stays away. He can’t bear to look at the sister he couldn’t help.”
I stared him straight in the face. “And you?”
He met my eyes without flinching. “I’ll be here to pay my penance for not being able to save the baby she lost twice over. I’m sorry, Archer.”
Fuck.
I closed my eyes as my heart shattered. For her. For both of us. Again.
Jesus, she’d already been through this and to lose what she wanted, what I thought she wanted a second time, under those circumstances…
And I still hadn’t been here.
