They both froze, and it was all he could do not to yank the damn thing out of his pocket and throw it across the room. Instead, he dropped his hands back to his sides and removed himself from Shadow’s personal space.
Instantly recognizing the ringtone, he let her know, “It’s your father.”
“Of course, it is,” Shadow sighed, not bothering to hide her disappointment.
“I have to take it.”
“I know.” The smile she gave didn’t come close to reaching her eyes. “It’s okay. While you talk to him, I’m going to head upstairs and take a shower. When I come back down, I’ll make us some food.” She went for her bag, which was still on the dining room table, but as she started for the stairs, she stopped and turned back around. “There is food here, right?”
Despite his own feelings about the untimely interruption, Slade felt his lips twitch with the urge to smile. “Your father assured me the kitchen is fully stocked.”
She held his stare a beat longer before giving a quick nod and turning away. Slade reached into his front pocket and pulled out his phone, watching from behind as she climbed the thick, log stairs.
“Garrison,” he answered the call in his usual, gruff manner.
“I take it you two are getting settled in okay?”
Owens’ ironically timed question had Slade studying the space around him as a moment of paranoia began to set in.
“We are,” he answered the other man’s question, quickly clearing his throat to avoid any semblance of nerves. “Shadow just headed upstairs for a quick shower, then we’re going to have a bite to eat before calling it a night. I was about to do a perimeter sweep when you called.”
Okay, so that last part was only partially true. Hehadbeen thinking about how he needed to check the security of the cabin’s exterior, as well as the immediate area that surrounded it.
But then she’d looked up at him with those big, blue eyes and brought her mouth to his, and then…
And then, we almost kissed.
Technically, theyhadkissed, but only just barely because his damn phone had chosen that exact moment to start ringing. Now, Shadow was upstairs and stripping down naked while he was stuck down here, talking to her dad.
Probably a good thing, otherwise, who knows how far things would have gone?
A lot farther than a chaste, closed-lip kiss, that was for damn sure. Andthatwas a complication he didn’t fucking need.
“Good to hear it,” Owens’ deep voice filled the phone’s speaker once more. “I wasn’t sure how well my daughter would handle being locked away with you in the woods.”
Despite his most recent thoughts, Slade found his muscles tensing defensively in response to the other man’s comment. “Meaning?”
“At ease, Digger.” His boss’s British accent was more prominent than usual. “That wasn’t intended as an insult, but rather a warning of sorts. Shadow’s not the kind of woman who likes to be caged, as I’m sure you’ll soon discover.”
“Don’t worry, sir,” Slade assured the other man. “I’ll make sure she’s well-protected.”
“Of that, I have no doubt. Truth be told, I’m just as worried about howyou’llfare once this is all over and done with.”
Me?
He frowned. “Why me?”
But rather than answer his question, Owens instead said, “Stay safe, Digger. I’ll touch base with you again in the morning. If you need anything before then, you know how to reach me.”
“Copy that.”
A second later, the phone went silent, letting him know his boss had just ended the call.
Slade blew out a breath and shoved his phone back into his pocket as the sound of running water turned his attention to the top of the stairs. Doing his best to ignore the fact that she was up there right now, wet and naked, he headed that way to let her know he’d be outside.
His booted feet hit the bottom step, and he didn’t slow his pace until he’d reached the top. He followed the sound of the water, turning right, and continuing to the room at the end of the hall.
Since the bedroom door had been left half-open, he called out her name and waited. When there wasn’t an answer, Slade took a quick peek, just in case she hadn’t gone into the shower just yet.
