Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 76203 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 381(@200wpm)___ 305(@250wpm)___ 254(@300wpm)
Toys were arranged.
Books were read.
Then, finally, her eyes were closed and her breathing was slow and deep.
I crept out of the room and back downstairs, finding the Shady Valley crew in the kitchen, having cups of coffee.
“Where’s Runa?”
“By the fire,” Dylan, Colter’s woman, explained.
I looked out, seeing her wrapped up in a blanket, staring at the flames.
She needed me.
But first, I needed to know that everything went to plan.
“How was the house?”
“Luckily, down a dead-end road, so there was no one around to see us,” Colter explained. “There were no cameras and I scrolled his call log to find that he called the local diner a lot for dinner. So I called there and hung up.”
“I sense there’s something you’re not telling me.”
“He had an obsession room,” Dylan explained. “Lots of pictures of Runa and Denali. I went ahead and took those with us.”
“I appreciate that. Anything else?”
“A lot of expensive electronics and jewelry,” Colter said. “We took the jewelry, because, fuck him. But left the electronics. We could go back for them, if you want. Up to you.”
“I’ll think on that. I think so long as nothing points to Runa as a person of interest, it should be fine. There are no signs of a struggle at his home. If anyone even misses him, he will just get filed as a missing person. I can’t imagine this small-town police force would dedicate too many hours working on something like that.”
They all nodded at that.
“You got yourself a family since the last time I saw you,” Raff said, giving me a smile.
“I hear congratulations are in order for you, too. Finally got Lula to give you a chance.”
“How could she not? I’m a catch.”
“We’re going to go settle into one of the ten extra bedrooms this place has to offer,” Colter declared. “We can regroup in the morning. Go take care of Runa. She’s going through it.”
With that, they made their way out of the kitchen, and I walked back outside, immediately hearing the far-off howl of coyote pups.
“Hey, baby,” I said, dropping down in the Adirondack chair beside her and reaching for her hand.
“Is Denny asleep?” Those were the first words she’d voluntarily said in hours.
“Out like a light. Talk to me. It’s been a rough day.”
“I don’t know what to say. I’m a little… numb.”
“That’s not unusual. You almost died today.”
“All I could think about was Denny. And you. I knew I had to win that fight to get back to you.”
“Denali is a powerful motivator.”
She glanced over. “And you. I didn’t want to die without telling you…”
“Telling me what?” I prompted when she trailed off.
Her gaze flicked up to my face, and the look there was so intense it made that stitch start in my chest again.
“That I think I love you.”
“Yeah?” I asked, squeezing her hand. “That’s good. Because I know I love you.”
Her hand squeezed mine back.
“What now then?” she asked, glancing all around the ranch, then back at me.
“Anything you want.”
“We,” she clarified. “Whatever we want.”
“And what do we want tonight?”
“For you to hold me.”
“That,” I said, reaching to pull her until she curled up on my lap, “I can do.”
She snuggled into me as the wind kicked, making the campfire scent surround us.
The bad guy was gone.
Our daughter was safe and peacefully sleeping upstairs.
And I had the woman I loved in my arms.
I couldn’t want for anything else.
Runa - 3 days
I was in a bit of a daze for the first two days after the confrontation with Sonny. It was like being on autopilot. I was aware of doing things: getting showered, dressed, interacting with the people in the house, spending time with Denali, but it was like it was happening outside of me.
I guess it made sense, given the trauma of that situation.
But it was a relief to wake up on the third day, aware of feeling undeniably in my body. Hunger gnawed at my stomach as I slid out of bed and went into the bathroom to brush my teeth. I felt the water cascading all over my skin when I stepped into the shower.
As I moved back into the bedroom to grab my last set of clean clothes, I turned to look at York. He was still in bed, an arm over his head on the pillows, shirtless, the blankets pulled off to my side of the bed, so there was nothing to hide the way his hardness strained against his shorts.
I didn’t stop to think.
I moved to the foot of the bed, climbing on between his legs and running my hands up his calves.
The barely-there touch had him stirring, but it wasn’t until I leaned forward and pressed a kiss to his hipbone that he came fully awake, a low groan escaping him.
His hand slapped down on the back of my neck as I moved across his waistband for a moment before pulling the material down to free him.