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“Bullshit!” Creed snarled. “You sent us away because it was easier. That’s the type of shit your uncle would pull.”
I looked down. Did he really believe that? And was he right?
“Creed!” Colt snapped.
Maybe I should have argued—fought to explain, but I just…I had nothing left in me to give. There was still so much to do, and my energy was in the negative. All I could do for them and for me was finish making sure we were secure and safe. When that was done, I’d fight for Creed to forgive me. Without saying another word, I slid between Knox and Keelan and headed for the house.
“What the fuck are you doing?” I heard Colt snap behind me. “Do you really believe she would have done what she did if she had any other choice? Why the fuck are you so quick to pass judgment without hearing her side?”
“Why didn’t she have a choice?” Knox asked as I opened the door to the cabin.
“Because the sheriff told her he’d kill me if she didn’t come alone,” Colt said.
I didn’t hear anymore once I walked inside. The wood floor creaked under my wedges as I moved through the open living space that consisted of a kitchen to the left and a small living room facing a large stone fireplace on the right. There wasn’t a dining space. Just four stools that surrounded the kitchen island. A lot of the furniture was basic, a little dated, and had come with the place when Logan had bought it for me. And when I said “bought it for me,” I meant that he’d been in charge of buying it with my family’s money. Not the life-insurance money. The money I didn’t like to acknowledge existed.
When Logan had insisted on buying another safe house and asked if he could use my family’s money to do so, I hadn’t wanted any part in it. I had told him he could spend all the money he wanted for all I cared. He had just rolled his eyes at me and found and bought this place. We had spent a whole three days here before I’d started my life in Arizona. I’d hoped I would never have to come here. Which was why I hadn’t bothered to add any personal touches to the place. I had, however, brought and left a good chunk of my winter clothes from Alaska.
Apart from its somewhat dated furniture, it was a nice cabin. Along the far wall of the living room were two doors. One led to a bedroom and the other led to a bathroom. Farther down the far wall, past the living room, was a small hall with two more doors leading to two more bedrooms.
I headed for the hall and entered the door all the way at the end. It was the owner’s suite—my room. It just had a queen bed with gray and tan plaid bedding, a nightstand with a lamp on top, a dresser, and a trunk at the end of the bed. There was another large stone fireplace that took up the far corner of the room. A few feet in and to the left was the en suite. I headed there.
The bathroom was small. Right when you walked in, there was the sink. Next to it was the toilet and next to that was the shower. I opened up the mirror cabinet above the sink, finding a brand-new toothbrush and toothpaste. All I’d been able to do since I’d thrown up was rinse my mouth out with water at a gas station. I got to work brushing my teeth.
After I was done, I splashed water on my face in an attempt to wake myself up. I would’ve preferred a shower. I could still smell chlorine on my skin. Sadly, there weren’t many daylight hours left to waste.
I went back into my room, took off my wedges, and went to the dresser. I pulled out a pair of jeans, a thick cream sweater, and thick socks. Pretty much everything I would need was already here for me, apart from food. There wasn’t anything for the guys. I was sure they hadn’t packed winter clothes in their backpacks.
I placed the clothes I’d pulled out of the dresser on the bed. Just as I removed my shirt, Knox appeared in the doorway. His eyes dropped to my green, black, and yellow Loki bra. He didn’t say anything and neither did I as he watched me unbutton my shorts. His eyes followed my hands as I pushed the shorts past my hips and down my thighs until I let them drop to the floor around my feet.
There was heat in his stare. That heat warmed up my cold skin, but it wasn’t enough to warm me anywhere else. There was too much going on—too much that had happened. Time felt like it was moving too quickly, and I was racing against it.
As I reached for my jeans, I felt Knox move into the room. Jeans in hand, I faced him.
He came close enough to touch. “You’re not all right.” The way he said that almost felt like a question.
I debated my response, debated lying. The last thing I wanted was for him to worry. Having already lied to him many times in the past twenty-four hours, I decided against it. “No. I’m not.”
His hand cupped the back of my head. “What do you need?”
“To keep moving.”
His fingers snaked through my messy hair and began massaging the base of my skull. “That’s avoiding.”
I knew that, and I knew if I did it long enough, avoiding would become the easier choice. My eyes closed on their own and my head leaned back into his hand. “It’s necessary.”
“Why?” Knox’s voice sounded deeper.
I opened my eyes, finding Knox leaning over me, his mouth hovering inches above mine. A few days ago, I would have closed the distance between us.
I brought my hand up and cupped his cheek. “Because it’s not safe yet.”
Knox pulled back a little, his eyes searching mine. “We’re as safe as we can be.”
“Give me until tomorrow, please?” I pleaded in a low voice. It was what I had requested of Colt even though he hadn’t completely listened. Tomorrow was my finish line, what I had to get to. Until that time, I’d get everything done we needed to be safe, secure, and prepared here.
I didn’t know what Knox read in my eyes, but he relented with a small nod before leaning down, bringing his mouth to mine.
His kiss was gentle at first, as if he intended it to be short. That quickly changed. He moved closer, his other hand sliding over my skin to my lower back. The way his lips caressed mine went from gentle to demanding. I should resist, yet it would be so easy to give in. Who wouldn’t want to feel something good when the world was falling apart?
