Page 87 of Sparrow

Istumble down the stairs the next morning to find Mars standing in the kitchen fully dressed and holding a cup of coffee out to me.

“Why the fuck do you look so cheerful?” I ask, not yet awake.

He leans toward me, brushes his lips over the shell of my ear, and murmurs, “Because I didn’t sleep in the garage without a roof over my head. Drink your coffee. Get dressed. I’m claiming you for the day.”

I want to be embarrassed that he knows I slept in the garage, in the arms of one Orion, but I can’t manage it.

Maybe because I know he’s not judging me. Maybe because I know he’s given me his blessing.

And maybe because I know he knows that I can’t possibly choose between the two men who have claimed my heart.

“Claiming me, is it?” I ask, biting my lip. “That sounds... dangerous.”

He kisses me softly, his lips warm and pliant and delicious as his hands wrap around my waist and pull me toward him. “Me, dangerous?” he finally asks. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Liar,” I mutter. “Be careful, or I’ll start calling you romantic.”

Now he gasps in shock and mock offense, looking like I just handed him the most serious insult I have in my arsenal. “Do it and I’ll tell you how much I hate you.”

I just shrug. “And you’ll still be lying. Because we both know you don’t hate me. You love me too much for that.”

He doesn’t answer.

But I grin as he walks out, because I know damn well that I’m right.

And he knows it, too.

We tear up the mountain with me perched behind Mars on his Harley, and I lean into the turn, molding my body to his and reveling in the feeling of moving in tandem with him. I can’t help but remember that first night, when he told me that if I got scared, I should keep it to myself, and I leaned purely on instinct, too terrified to do anything else.

Now we move together like we were born to it, like we’ve been doing it for years, and it’s impossible to believe that a week ago, I thought of him as nothing more than the step-uncle I saw on occasion at family holidays, and nothing more.

Today, he’s one of the two most important men in my life. And he’s so much more than just some guy related to my stepmother.

So much more than the man my father told me repeatedly to stay away from.

I smile and turn my cheek against his broad back, taking in the solid, heavy warmth of him and the sense of safety he always carries. I didn’t know it that night when he rescued me, but I never had to be frightened with me.

Once he decided to take me under his wing, he would have done anything to keep me safe.

And after the week we’ve had, I’m starting to think he’s realized that I’ll do the same for him.

We ride through the forest, which is dressed up or spring, the flowers on the ground offset by the jewel-tone greens of the pines and spruces. The sun is shining but not hot, and the sky is covered with fluffy clouds that make me think of fairy tales and wishes cast on angel numbers.

I’m nearly flying with happiness, and the feel of the bike underneath me, the rumble of the engine on my thighs and Mars pressed against the space between my legs, just makes it all more solid. We’re heading for my bridge and I can’t wait to see it during the day. The view is amazing at night, but during the day...

Well, I suspect it’ll be just as breathtaking as everything else on the mountain.

“I can’t help but notice we’re out during the day,” I shout when he starts to slow. “Does that mean you’re not trying to hide me in the darkness anymore?”

To my surprise, he pulls over beside a meadow instead of going all the way to the bridge. “Don’t think I can keep you in a secret anymore, little one. Not when the whole town has fallen in love with you. They’d never forgive me if I tried to keep you to myself.”

I grin, but don’t answer. The truth is, I’m in love with the town, too... but I’m more in love with Mars and Orion, and I’d gladly let them keep me to themselves.

A small voice whispers that it’s the first time I’ve admitted that to myself, in the view of my whole conscious mind, and I touch on it gently, feeling it like something that might bite. Because love hasn’t been safe for me before, and I’m still not sure I’m capable of it.

I’m not sure I deserve it.

But the thought doesn’t bite me. It doesn’t hurt, it doesn’t scare me. And so I try it on again.