“May as well be.”
“Oh, come on. Did some gorgeous vixen trample all over your ego?”
“Hardly. I was engaged once, too. Life happened and—” I pause, tentative about whether to share more. I brush a loose wave behind Everly’s ear. “I wasn’t in love, though.”
“Sounds like you have a story there.”
“A story for another time.”
“I’m in your debt, Grey. Twice now.”
“You don’t owe me anything,” I say softly.
With us seated on the sofa and my arms wrapped around her, she nestles in. It’s pure comfort. Everly takes my hands in hers and studies the callouses and lines. “You sure I can’t do anything to help you? You have big hands.”
“They’re full.”
“I can try to lighten your load, but they don’t look full.”
“Trust me. They are.”
Through long, feathery lashes, she looks up at me. I take flight in her sunny green eyes.
She says, “I do trust you.”
I crash land and say, “That’s probably not a good idea.” The guilt about my ex and Sonny takes swipes at me. But I’m too tired to fight back at the moment. Too comfortable. Too lost with this woman in my arms.
We both must doze off because the grandfather clock from downstairs in the manor strikes midnight.
I don’t sleep much as my mind winds around what I overheard and witnessed, the threats Todd spewed, and Everly’s response.
I’m on alert and watchful, even though Everly is with me here and not alone in her suite. Protecting her reminds me of how my brother always looked after me when we were growing up.
I arrived late to my girth and strength. I’d been relatively scrawny through middle school and the first couple of years of high school. Then I had a huge growth spurt, shocking my brother when he came home on leave.
Bran wasn’t afraid of hard work and taught me everything he learned in boot camp—when most guys on leave would be lounging around and relaxing, he was exercising and studying. Bran’s influence served me well afterward when all I could do to keep going was to continue lifting, running, and working out. It’s the only thing that keeps me sane.
The sense of protectiveness for Everly collides with a new, unfamiliar desire to see her lips lift into a smile and for her to be able to take a deep breath and feel calm. I want to do whatever I can to lift this burden, to see her happy.
But how can I do that if I’m as grumpy and grouchy as a guy can get?
20
EVERLY
Twisting to the side, I snuggle with my pillow, dreaming of an enormous ice cream fountain, with a waterfall and surrounded by waffle rafts. A hill of cookie dough turns into a roasting marshmallow, but I don’t care that I’m going to get all sticky from it. I’m just so comfortable in this fluffy nest of sweetness.
Strange though, the marshmallow lifts and lowers rhythmically, slowly, as if it inhales and exhales. I didn’t know they could breathe.
I somehow surface into consciousness and open my eyes.
The scent of fresh split wood and the northern forests fills my nose and my fingers grip the sheet. Jersey cotton sheets? The curtains on one window are open. The other one blocks the faint brush of gray morning light.
Grey!I fell asleep in his arms. I’m clutching his T-shirt. It’s the next day. Panic seizes me, but if I move, I might wake the sleeping giant. The beast. The Hulk.
When I think about how he Hulked out on Todd, I have to admit I feel a tiny bit of satisfaction. Okay, a whole busload ofkids sticking their tongues out and saying,Nanny, nanny, poo, pooat my ex.
The fact that he came here and said things that suggested he’s been watching me and wants me back for purely corporate ladder-climbing purposes knots my stomach. I’ll admit that I feel vulnerable. It’s not like Todd is going to suck my blood—he didn’t say that, but I certainly feel like it’s something he could do. Nor does he actually have a sticky web to wrap me in and leave me in his lair for later. Rather, he lacks scruples, is power-crazed, and probably could use treatment for narcissism. As always, I pray for him...and for me to know what to do. How to handle this situation, which is a lot less pleasant than the kissituation.
