AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Judge’s chest tightened. He wanted to pull her into his arms and take away her worries. But he was certain she wouldn’t appreciate him holding her. Not yet. “Do they teach you to philosophize in TCW?”
She snorted. “No. And if you tell anyone any of what I just said, I’ll have Goliath publicly flog you for lying.”
He stepped up behind her, close enough to touch her but holding back. “I don’t believe you’d do that. I get the feeling that under that bad-ass act you portray, you’re all soft and squishy underneath.”
She frowned up at him. “You know nothing about me.”
“I know you’re in top physical condition,” he said with a laugh. “And you’re light on your feet. Not everyone can run through the woods without twisting an ankle or falling down a steep slope. You move like a gazelle.”
“Ha,” PJ snorted. “Far from it. Gazelles don’t run in combat boots.”
“You make combat boots look sexy,” he said, taking a step closer.
Her eyes widened, and she edged away, her foot slipping over a rocky ledge. She teetered and tipped backward, her hands flailing in the air.
Judge’s heart leaped into his throat as PJ lost her footing. Lunging forward, he caught her arms and hauled her against his chest. He wrapped his arms around her and held her for a long moment, willing his heartbeat to slow.
“Shh,” he said. “I’ve got you.”
At first stiff, her body slowly melted into his until he couldn’t be sure where her body ended and his began. She fit against him as if she’d been made specifically for him.
“Why are you here?” he whispered.
In a second, she stiffened and pulled away.
“For the same reason you are. To make a difference.”
“Did Wiley recruit you?”
She snorted. “Does it matter? I’m here to train you. That’s all you need to know.” When she turned away, he gripped her arm.
“It matters.” He met and held her gaze. “Did you come to TCW of your own free will?”
“Let go of my arm,” she said, her tone low and hard.
He dropped his hand to his side. “I ask because I care.”
“It doesn’t matter how I came to TCW. I’m here to make a difference.”
“Is that the party line? Part of indoctrination?”
“You’ll know soon enough,” she said. “Indoctrination is tomorrow.”
A ladybug chose that moment to land on her cheek.
Without thinking, Judge reached out to brush it away.
PJ flinched, pulling back. “Don’t.”
“I wasn’t going to hurt you. I’d never hurt you.” He touched her cheek, allowing the ladybug to move to his finger. He lifted it away and presented it to PJ. “You had a hitchhiker.”
The insect spread its wings and flew off.
Judge looked up, meeting PJ’s gaze.
His empty finger moved to her chin, tipping it upward. “You’re as wild and beautiful as the forests and mountains around us.”
“I’m sweaty and need a shower,” she whispered. When her gaze shifted from his eyes to his mouth, resistance was futile.
