I stood there, heart pounding, the echo of his words clawing at me. He knew about East.
Inside, the cottage felt smaller than ever, the air pressing close. I locked the door, double-checked the windows, then leaned back against the wall, breath shaking out of me in pieces.
There were messages on my phone from Redhawkthat their system had detected a suspicious person, and I had five minutes to mark myself as safe. I was down to only thirty seconds when I pressed the green notification. I knew I’d have Wade to deal with. No way had they not called him, but I needed a minute. Or five.
38
Easton
By the time I got back to the cottage, the light was starting to thin out into the late afternoon, but Lila was still on shift, and I could get some stuff done before I had to pick her up. Kipp and I had gotten solid work done on the interior of the two cabins that we’d been working on. I hadn’t wanted to flake on him now that I was home. I also stopped by the kitchen remodel I’d started.
The remodel wasn’t my only job in the surrounding area that I had going on at the moment, so I’d hired two extra people to start, but I might need more. Our docket was filling up fast, and I’d need them both, especially since Lila’s cottage had superseded my time.
Kipp’s cabins were coming together faster than expected, and he’d been in a good mood, talking about opening them for spring rentals. I should’ve been in thesame mood. But all day, my mind kept drifting back to the same topic.
Things had been good with Lila, but I knew I was holding back, and I was desperate not to mess this up before we could steer it in the right direction. She was the best thing I’d ever had a chance to get close to, and for the first time, I saw a glimpse of a life with someone. Maybe it was something I could have. A family of my own, and Lord, I wanted it. Somehow, I just needed to unlock that final piece and trust that she’d catch me.
The driveway of the cottage came into view, and I slowed, unease prickling low in my gut before I even came to a stop. There were tire tracks, which meant someone had been here.
The front door was locked when I tried it. I knocked once. “Lila?” A beat. Then the soft scrape of movement inside. The door cracked open just enough for her face to appear. Her eyes were too wide, and her color was off. All washed out—fear, sharp and fresh. “Hey,” I said carefully. “You okay?”
She didn’t answer, just stepped back to let me in. The smell of sawdust hit like always. I waited until she turned away before closing the door. “What happened?” Obviously, something was wrong.
“Nothing.” The word came out thin, brittle.
Well, even I knew that was bullshit. She’d been fine earlier, sending me flirty little texts. We’d had a stellar morning with an epic start. I’d woken her up with my face between her thighs, and then I fucked her with my hand on her throat until we both went off like rockets. I was eagerto finish this cottage so we could have access to a real bed with real privacy, where I could tuck myself into her little body for days, and I could hear her scream.
“Lila. What the hell is going on? What happened?”
She stopped near the island I’d already framed, her hands gripping the edge as if she needed it to stay standing. “Derek was here.”
For a second, I thought I’d misheard her. “What?”
“He came by. Said he wanted to check on me. Then he started talking about the fire, about old family names, about people watching.” She swallowed hard. “He knew things, Easton. Things he shouldn’t. And the way he said them—it wasn’t a warning. It was a threat.”
My hand curled into a fist before I realized it. The next breath came through my teeth. “You should’ve called me.” The harsh and accusatory words made me want to call them back immediately. It wasn’t the right thing to say, and I knew it immediately. “I’ll kill that fucker myself and bury his body where Wade won’t ever find it.”
Her eyes narrowed, and anger flushed her cheeks. “I didn’t have time, and why should I call you anyway?” she snapped.
“You had time afterwards.” It was the thought that Derek was here that really ticked me off. The pissant had actually been alone with her, and she didn’t call me to help. “And what do you mean,whyshould you call me?”
Rage and humiliation burned in my gut. Did she think that I didn’t care? I was trying to show her with everything I did that I would be there for her no matter what, and she was asking mewhy. I seethed.
“I didn’t want to drag you into it.” She gave a weary little shrug, but it just made me see red.
The words hit me straight in the solar plexus. “Drag me into it?” I repeated, stepping closer. “Lila, someone tried to burn your damn house down. You don’t get to play this off like it’s nothing. You don’t get to tell me you’re fine and then deal with it alone.”
Her head snapped up, eyes flashing. “What am I supposed to do, East? You can’t fix everything with a hammer and a glare. I can’t keep leaning on you for every disaster. I’m not even sure what this is.” She gestured between the two of us.
Fuck. My hand tore through my hair, pulling at my scalp, the pain grounding me. “I’m not asking to fix everything.”
“Then what are you asking?”
“To trust me,” I pleaded.
That made her falter. Then something shuttered closed behind her eyes. “You don’t get it. The last time I trusted anyone, it was a mess.” She stopped for half a beat. “It cost me almost everything. I won’t do that again.”
“Lila, I’m not him,” I said, quieter now, though my pulse was still pounding at the implication that she wouldn’t do ‘that’ again. Was that what she was saying? She wouldn’t trust me? “I’m not Derek,” I added helplessly.
