“Bye, Mama,” Penn said, giving her mom one last squeeze. She looked hesitantly between her mom, Jude and Junior, and me. She was a perceptive child, so I wasn’t surprised she was reading the room. If I could shield her from all of this, I would. But this was the best I could do right now, and if it meant keeping her away from her mother until she got the help she needed and dumped Junior’s ass, I had to do it.
“Reed, please.” Elise was crying now.
“Get your girl,” Jude said to Junior again. “You’re about to get more attention than you want.” Jude nodded at the two police officers who were meandering our way. They hadn’t noticed yet, but they were about to.
Junior backed away, gripping Elise by the arm and pulling her to her feet. “Let’s go, baby.”
She released Penn when she stood and I swooped her up, holding her tight, as if she could be ripped from me at any moment. My heart was pounding. Blood rushed in my ears like a siren, warning me of the threats to my daughter.
“Reed, please.” Elise was still pleading through her inebriated tears.
“I’ll have my lawyer contact you,” I said simply, taking hurried strides away from them and wishing there was a whole continent between Elise, Junior, and me.
I was exhaustedafter only having had two hours of sleep in the last thirty-six hours, and that was compounded by the surge of adrenaline caused by the encounter with Elise and Junior. Now that Penn and I were back on Thornbrush––now that we werehome––I felt that we were safe.
I’ve never felt like I had a home before. Not like this anyway. My parents moved around a lot because my dad could never keep a steady job. I was the only child of two adults who had no business being parents—too busy and self-absorbed—who half the time didn’t even seem as though they liked each other … or me, for that matter. We didn’t do love. I’m not sure I really knew what it meant to love or be loved until Penn was born. My love for my daughter was all-consuming. I would do anything to keep her safe and protected, to ensure she grew up healthy, happy, and loved.
My mind drifted back to Lina. I picked up my phone at my bedside, opened the photo app, and pulled up the picture I took of Lina curled up beside Penn in her bed this morning. They both looked so peaceful. My heart skipped a beat. A similar, all-consuming feeling sat in my chest—a desire to keep Lina safe and protected … a drive to treat her as though my world revolved around her. I wanted to be the reason she was happy. I wanted to make her feel loved and cherished.
A lump formed in my throat, and I couldn’t seem to swallow it down. If I hadn’t already let it cross my mind, it was now. I couldn’t escape it. I was falling in love with Lina Larsen.
I sucked in a deep breath through my nose, hoping to steady my emotions and relieve the tightness in my chest.
A key jiggled in the front door, followed by it creaking open. I held my breath, silently setting down my phone. As quietly and slowly as possible, I threw the covers off and started to head to the dresser to pull out my revolver.
“Reed?” came a soft whisper from the hallway.
I turned to the door but halted because Lina was already there.
Even in the dark, she was a goddamn smokeshow. Her lips were parted, panting, as if she’d run here. Her fingers wrapped around the doorframe like she was holding herself back. Her hair lay in loose waves around her shoulders. My pulse sped up as my gaze traveled down her body. She was wearing that fucking fringed jacket she’d worn the one day she decided to cool off in the stock tank.
“Dammit, sweetheart. What are you wearing?”
She leaned into the doorway, her hands still gripping the frame. The jacket parted, revealing a bare strip of skin between her breasts, clear down to those fucking black lace panties. Did she really just run across the ranch in nothing but her underwear?My wild girl.
“Just a jacket.” Her voice was smoky and sultry.
“I can fucking see that.” The air was trapped in my lungs.
She dropped her hands, stepping toward me until her breasts were brushing my bare chest.
“You told me if I needed to come, I should come to you.”
“Are you drunk?” I asked, trying to sniff liquor on her breath, but all I could smell was her sweet, floral scent like she’d showered before coming here.
She shook her head. “Why would I need to drink when you give me a better buzz?”
“Is that right?”
She ran her hands down my pecs, over the ridges of muscles, sending shivers across my skin despite the flood of heat rushing to my dick. Her fingertips hooked into the waistband of my sweats. Lina barely had to tug to bring me flush against her.
“That’s right, cowboy.” She bit her plush, bottom lip. It was utterly distracting, and I was jealous of those teeth digging into her mouth. I wanted to fucking suck on it, too. Her eyes jumped between mine as if she were thinking, considering her next words.
“Lina?” I asked, concerned at the switch in her demeanor.
“How many days has it been?”
My brows raised at her question, “What do you mean?”
