She looked happy.
Razor could hardly tear his gaze away from her. When he finally did, he found Knox watching him intently. His shrewd eyes had seen it all, including the longing Razor couldn’t have hidden from him if he tried.
Knox exhaled a long, slow breath and slowly shook his head.
He didn’t have to say a word. Razor could read his brother’s look plainly enough.
If Razor wanted to deny he was falling in love with Willow, he’d only be lying to himself.
He was already long gone.
CHAPTER 20
Willow was glad to have something to keep her busy as she helped Leni and her sister make breakfast. It was all she could do to hold her silly schoolgirl smile in check whenever her eyes met Razor’s penetrating gaze in the small kitchen.
Even though he was seated on the other side of the room with Knox, she felt his presence like a constant caress of her senses. He stirred something deep inside her that had been building even before the night of amazing lovemaking they’d shared. She felt him in the core of her being, in her bones. In her blood.
The idea that he had only been a part of her life for a handful of days and nights seemed impossible to her as she stood at the counter chopping vegetables and listening to Riley’s excited chatter as he vied for both hers and Razor’s attention.
It felt so normal, so wonderfully mundane, even though the circumstances that brought her to this place were anything but normal or mundane. It was all too easy to imagine that she and Razor somehow belonged in this place, not as two relative strangers on the run from dangerous men, but as a couple who might one day be making a life together as a family too.
Willow’s heart squeezed at the idea.
It had been so long since she’d allowed herself to indulge in the fantasy of having some semblance of family. Growing up orphaned after a horrific tragedy and then being separated from her twin at such a young age had forced Willow to become independent as a means of survival. She held her emotions inside, the only safe place she knew.
And other than Laurel, she didn’t let herself get attached to anyone.
At least, not until Razor stormed into her life.
She glanced over her shoulder at him, where he was patiently listening to Riley excitedly recite his recent high scores on a computer game he liked to play.
“Impressive,” Razor remarked with a nod. “I’ve played that game a few times myself. It’s a good one.”
“What’re your high scores?”
Razor pretended to think about it for a moment. “You know, I don’t recall exactly. Probably not as good as yours.”
“Yeah,” Riley agreed with a child’s utter certainty. “Prolly not. I’m really good at it.”
Razor chuckled at the boy’s boast, exchanging a knowing look with Knox and Leni. When his eyes swung to Willow, his mouth curved in a slow, intimate smile that sent a warm vibration through her veins.
Riley tugged his shirt sleeve. “Razor, let’s go play it now. I have it on my laptop.”
“How about another time, all right?” Razor’s deep voice was grave beneath his gentleness with the boy. “Willow and I have something we need to do on the computer first.”
Willow felt her smile catch at the reminder. The morning had started off so nicely, she wasn’t ready to think about the circumstances that had brought them to Parrish Falls. As determined as she was to find out what was on Laurel’s flash drive, part of her was terrified too. What could be so important to make Laurel go to the lengths she did to protect the drive from being recovered by anyone but Willow? Or what if they had come all this way and were unable to access the device at all?
She didn’t know what to hope for. She was only glad she had Razor there along with her.
“What about after?” Riley prompted his new best friend. “Can we play a game then?”
“Riley.” Shannon pivoted away from the stove with an apologetic look. “The game will wait however long it has to wait. You’ve got things you need to do first too, starting with eating some breakfast. Go on and wash your hands now.”
The admonishment earned a groan from Riley, but he did as his mother asked. Meanwhile, Knox and Razor made room at the table for everyone else as Willow volunteered to set out the plates and utensils. With the table set and breakfast served family style for all but the two Breed males, Willow took the empty chair next to Razor.
As hungry as she had been when she woke up, the specter of her sister’s murder and dread over the potential reasons for it reduced her appetite to almost nothing.
She nibbled on the delicious omelet and barely finished the bacon, washing it down with a little bit of coffee and a sip of water. Razor’s hand came to rest on her thigh under the table, his touch warm and comforting as they made smalltalk with the others and waited for the opportunity to slip away to begin working on the flash drive.
