3 3
BR A E D Y N
I STOOD in the doorway watching Owen’s chest rise and fall, his face completely slack in truly deep sleep. My lips twitched. My boy always ended up at an angle across the bed. It didn’t matter that he had plenty of room to stretch out in a straight line; he always sprawled.
The blond lock of hair curling across his forehead fluttered with one of his deep exhales. He was safe. And he’d asked remarkably few questions for a kid who always had a million. I’d ended up telling him that someone had played a mean joke and scared me but that everything was okay now.
It wasn’t altogetheruntrue. Someone was playing with me. It was just far more twisted than I’d ever let my son know. I stared at him for just a moment longer. God, I wanted to preserve this—the innocence Owen carried with him now. But I knew it wouldn’t last forever. Because the world was a balance of sweet and suck, and nothing would change that.
Closing my eyes, I shut the door, hoping my boy would hold on to the sweet. As I stepped deeper into the hallway, I heard the shower running. Everything in me stilled. Dex, in my shower.
Images flooded my brain that I had no business seeing, even in my imagination. I forced myself into the primary bedroom and shut the door behind me. “Your best friend is
still missing, and there’s a monster out there leaving sick trophies behind. Maybe don’t think about your hot, unhinged neighbor in your shower…naked.”
I scrubbed a hand over my face and hurried toward the dresser. I needed a task. Focusing on getting ready for bed seemed like the best option, one where I didn’t have to hear the fall of the water against a tub or flesh.
“Think about something else. Anything else.” I recited every French command I’d taught Yeti as I brushed my teeth and washed my face. I started all over again as I pulled on my coziest pajamas.
Even though it was getting into the eighties during the day, the mountain air turned cold every night. I loved it. I’d sleep with my window cracked and let that brisk air sweep through.
I stilled. I couldn’t do that anymore. Not now. Instead of that scaring me, it pissed me the hell off that someone would steal my simple pleasures on top of everything else.
Then I spotted the skylight. It was something that looked like it had been added to the cabin later. Maybe in the eighties. And there was a crank to open it.
I climbed up onto the chest at the end of my bed and stretched up onto my tiptoes. I could just reach. Gripping it as best I could, I tried to turn it. Nothing.
A grunt escaped my lips as I threw more of my weight into it. The chest shifted slightly beneath me, and I let out a startled sound.
A second later, my door flew open, and a shirtless Dex was striding inside, fury lighting the gold in those hazel eyes.
The fury quickly turned to confusion, but my arms were already windmilling, my balance knocked clean out from under me.
Dex moved in a flash, making it to me just as I tumbled. I hit his chest with anoomph, the air knocked straight from my lungs.
“What the hell were you thinking?” he barked.
“Shhh, you’ll wake Owen. And what the hell were you doing barging into my room without knocking?”
“I heard sounds of a struggle.”
I glared up at him, annoyed with everything. His helpfulness; his warm, hard body pressed against mine; the fact that he made mewant for the first time in almost a decade. “I groaned. That’s hardly a struggle. What if I’d been indulging in some self-care?”
Those hazel eyes lost all darkness and lit with sparks and swirls. “Hellion, you do that when we’re under the same roof, and we’re gonna have problems.”
My jaw went slack. “You aren’t serious.”
“Deadly,” Dex growled. He set me on my feet, his hands fisting and unfisting, making the ink across his chest ripple.
His phoenix tattoo was stunning, intricate and delicate but powerful, too. Ash floated all around the creature as it took flight, its wings stretching out and reaching to the tips of Dex’s shoulders.
And then I realized there was text woven through it.
Names on feathers. Kol. Wylder. Orion. Maverick. All of them. Dex and his brothers, rising out of the ashes.
“Braedyn,” Dex rasped. “I can’t. I shouldn’t have kissed you last night. Shouldn’t have let myself go there.”
Stinging hurt swept through me at the thought that last night’s stolen moments were a mistake. Not that I hadn’t experienced some flickers of doubt myself, it was just that…I didn’t want those moments to be a mistake.
My gaze lifted to Dex’s face, but his expression stopped me dead because there was pure torture there.
“I’m trying with everything I have not to go there,” he croaked.
“Why?” The question was out of my mouth before I could consider the wisdom of it.
“It’s not because I don’t want to, Hellion. If I let my baser half have its way, I’d pin you to that mattress and not let you up for days.”
My mouth went dry, and I pressed my thighs together as my skin started to tingle.
“Fuck,” Dex muttered. “Don’t do that. I can’t take much more.”
“Sorry?” A war of confusion swept through me.
“I’m looking out for you. My head is a fucked-up place.
And you don’t need that in your life. Not in that way. I’ll be your friend. Owen’s friend. I’ll have your back. But that’s all I can give.”
Why did that hurt so badly? Why did it hurt when I knew he was right? The last thing I needed was the risk another relationship brought. Yet I couldn’t handle him closing that door. “Don’t you think I should decide what’s best for me?
You might have your demons, but they’ve made you beautiful, just like you said mine have done to me.”
“Don’t.” The word was part plea, part demand.
“I’m not going to beg. I’m worth a hell of a lot more than that. But I’m not going to say that I don’t think you’re making a mistake.”
Pain streaked across Dex’s expression. “Don’t look at me like that. It’s what’s best. For both of us.”
I lifted my chin, a little fight, a bit of risk winding its way back. “That’s what you say.”
Dex’s dark eyes flashed. “Hellion, you don’t want the darkness that lives in me anywhere near you.”
And with that, he strode from the room.
Leaving me standing there, heart breaking for the man who thought he was bad simply for where he came from.
There was no greater lie than that.
I TIPTOED out of my room and toward the kitchen, the early rays of sun just peeking over the forest and coming in through the back windows lighting my way. I’d been up for
hours, sleep barely finding me last night. My body and mind were at war. My body only wanted one thing: for Dex’s resolve to snap like a twig. All my mind could think about and see was the image of his face, ravaged by guilt over something he wasn’t.
It hadn’t been a restful night, to say the least. Thankfully, my coffee machine was fairly quiet. I’d make two cups and down them on the back deck until everyone was awake. But the moment I hit the kitchen, a voice cut through the dark.
“Come get your fucking dog,” Dex grumbled. At least, it sounded like him, but his voice was muffled.
I crossed into the living room and flipped on a lamp. It was just enough light to see that Yeti had found a new bed.
And that bed was Dex.
She was stretched out on top of him, her head burrowed next to his, and her fur practically suffocating him.
A sound of strangled amusement burst out of me.
“It’s not funny.”
My lips twitched. “She likes you.”
Even beneath the pile of fur, I could see Dex’s scowl.
“How much does she weigh? Two fifty?”
“I’ll have you know she’s only one hundred and forty-two pounds.”
Dex grunted. “Light as a feather. Now, will you get her off
me?”
Yeti let out a contented sigh.
“She seems like she’s having a great time.”
A growl left Dex’s lips. Yeti seemed to enjoy the sound because she lifted her head and licked Dex’s cheek.
“Seriously?” he snarled.
I couldn’t hold in my laughter this time. “I think she’s in love.”
“I think it’s a stalker situation,” Dex shot back.
I laughed as I hauled a disappointed Yeti off Dex. “Come on, girl. Gotta know when he’s just not that into you.” And boy, did I feel that after last night.
Yeti only sent a longing look in Dex’s direction.
“She scares me,” Dex muttered as he rose, running a hand through artfully rumpled hair and reaching for those damn glasses. I had to get out of here.
“She should scare you,” I muttered as I led Yeti to the backyard.
By the time I got back inside, Owen was up, battering Dex with endless questions, which Dex was barely managing one- word answers to.
I grinned at him. “Not a morning person?”
“Stop smiling,” he grumbled, shoving a mug of coffee at me. “There’s nothing to smile about.”
My grin only widened. “I don’t know. I kind of like
watching your feathers get ruffled.”
“You’re a sadist,” Dex clipped.
I leaned back against the counter. “Probably.”
He just glared back at me through glasses askew in a rumpled T-shirt that readMy other computer is your
computer.
God, I liked messing with him too much.
And for that reason alone, I turned to the fridge. “You know, I got you those life-threatening energy drinks you love so much the other day. You don’t have to lower yourself to drinking coffee with the rest of us.”
Surprise lit in Dex’s dark-hazel eyes as I straightened and handed him one of the slim cans. “You got me Lightning.”
The reverence he said that with almost made me laugh.
“You sound like I just got you the Hope Diamond or tickets to the World Series.”
His fingers brushed mine as he took the can, making a shiver skate over my skin in a dangerous way. “Might as well have gotten me a Jeter rookie card,” he mumbled as he cracked open the can and took a swig.
I couldn’t watch as he drank. Not those lips hugging the can or the way the corded muscles of his neck worked as he swallowed.
Nope. Nope. Nope.
Instead, I moved straight to the stove and started breakfast as Owen chattered at Dex. As the caffeine started to take effect, Dex became more responsive. By the time I set a scramble, toast, and fruit on the table, they were deep in a discussion about computers, which I only understood every fifth word of.
But there was something about the normalcy of it. The kind I’d never really had. Because even when we had Nova, she was out the door at the crack of dawn for morning yoga classes. This was new. And I liked it too much.
“All right,” I said, rising to clear plates. “Get your backpack, O. We gotta get rolling.”
“Aw, man,” he muttered. “I wanna hang with Dex today.”
Dex grinned as he stood, stilling my motion. “I am the coolest option, obviously. But we can hang tonight. I’m working on building a new computer. You can help.”
Owen’s eyes went wide. “Seriously?”
“Seriously.”
Owen let out a wild banshee cry and raced to his room.
Dex took the plates from me, his fingers brushing mine.
My gaze lifted, colliding with his before his dropped to my mouth. “You cook. I clean.”
I cleared my throat. “Seems fair enough.” I crossed to the junk drawer and pulled out the extra key to my cabin, anything for some distance. Anything to not smell that cedar- and-sandalwood scent. “In case you need to get in here while I’m gone.”
Dex’s mouth thinned, but he took it. “You want me to follow you to camp and work? Or drop you both off?”
God, that was nice. Too nice. I shook my head. “I’m good.”
The hard line of Dex’s mouth didn’t shift. “Text me when you get there and when you head home.”
I tried not to shift uncomfortably. “I’ll be home right after work. Owen has a playdate after camp.”
“Good.” The single word sounded more like a grunt, and I rolled my eyes.
“See you later, Buttercup,” I called as I grabbed my bag and ushered Owen out of the house.
THE FIRST LUNCH-GOERS at the hostess stand were a welcome sight because I’d already scrubbed every table, organized all the condiment bottles, and refilled every salt and pepper shaker. There was nothing left for me to do, which meant my mind was spinning.
I moved to head for the hostess stand, but Cora swooped in and guided the couple to their table. My face fell.
A chuckle sounded to my right. “Why do you look like someone just stole your puppy?” Wylder asked.
I sent a scowl in his direction. “I like to stay busy. Is that a crime?”
Fiona patted my shoulder as she passed behind me.
“Yeah, Wylder, you’d think you’d appreciate someone here to work.” She sent a pointed look at Aidan, who was leaning against the bar, scrolling on his phone.
“Hey,” Aidan said, affronted. “I got no customers.”
Wylder’s gaze narrowed on him. “Then hit the stockroom.
That’s been on your task list for two weeks.”
Aidan flicked Fiona a scathing look. “There will be payback.”
The woman with gray sprinkled liberally through her dark hair cackled. “You don’t scare me, pipsqueak.”
“I gotta work on my mad-dog look,” Aidan grumbled as he headed for the stockroom.
Two familiar faces appeared at the hostess stand, and I started in that direction. “I got ’em.”
Aster’s hair hung in loose waves that framed her face, and she wore jeans and an antique belt buckle paired with a
blouse covered in pale-blue flowers. Holly had her blond hair swept back into a high bun, a few wisps falling free.
Holly didn’t wait, just crossed into my space and pulled me into a hug. “Are you okay? I wanted to come over last night, but Cora said the Archers had you covered. You know you can come stay with me anytime.”
It wasn’t the first offer I’d gotten. Cora had suggested that Owen and I stay in her small apartment over the coffee shop, telling me she could stay with Travis in his cabin outside of town. The fact that she was willing to take me in despite her lack of space said everything about who she was and the community I found myself a part of.
“You’re always welcome at mine, too. We’ve got a few guesthouses on the ranch also,” Aster said. She was trying to keep her expression easy, but I saw the concern bleeding through.
“Thank you. Both of you. That means more than you could know. But I’m good. Dex said he’d stay at my place until all of this was over.”
Both women were silent for a moment, and then Aster let out a little squeal. The sound was a burst of happiness after a trying few weeks. “You know crises can bring people
together.”
My cheeks heated. “It’s not like that.”
“Mm-hmm,” Cora said with a smirk as she walked up to our group. “I bet it’s not like that at all. Because a man just loves to sleep on a lumpy couch away from his nice, comfortable bed.”
Aster’s pale-blue eyes twinkled. “Who said he’s sleeping on the couch?”
“He is!” I squeaked. “He’s just being nice.”
“Nice is a good start,” Cora suggested.
“Just be careful,” Holly warned, looking truly concerned.
Annoyance flashed through me. “Dex is an incredible man who’s turned his life upside down to make me feel safe. But you can rest assured, he only sees me as a friend.”
Holly’s lips pursed, but she didn’t say anything.
Aster frowned. “What do you mean?”
I couldn’t help but stiffen. “He just won’t go there. I don’t think with anyone.”
Sympathy washed over Aster’s face. “He’s carrying a hell of a weight.”
“Dr. Carrington, reporting for duty,” Cora quipped.
Aster sent her a quelling look. “We could all do with a little therapy in our lives. It helps us dig into who and why we are. Helps us figure out how to live better, healthier, happier.”
Cora held up her arms in an X. “No, thank you. Stay out of my head, please.”
I chuckled. “I’m pretty sure she’s a shrink, not a mind reader.”
“Thank God,” Cora mumbled. “Because you do not want to know about the dream I had about Chris Hemsworth the other night.”
Aster choked on a laugh. “Don’t tell Travis.”
Cora looked thoughtful for a moment. “I wonder if I could order him a Thor costume on the internet.”
“Who’s wearing a Thor costume?” Maverick’s voice cut in. “You know, I have impeccable biceps.”
Aster instantly stiffened, her face transforming into a hard mask. “I think you’re confusing biceps for your inflated ego.”
“Ouch, Ice Queen. You’re feeling extra spicy today, aren’t you?” Mav shot back.
“You’re acting extra moronic today, so what do you expect, Satan?”
Maverick moved, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me in front of him. “Protect me from the mean lady, Little Badass.”
I swore I saw a flicker of pain as Aster zeroed in on Maverick’s arm around me. But she quickly covered it, squaring her shoulders. “Running scared, just like always.”
I ducked out of Maverick’s hold, giving him a little shove.
“Do you need something, or are you just trying to start trouble?”
“Hey, I’m the innocent party here. Just stopping by to see my brother on the way to the base.”
I pointed toward the bar. “Wylder’s in that direction, if you haven’t noticed.”
Mav let out a huff. “I can see when I’m not wanted.” He dipped his head. “Cora. Holly. Ice Queen.”
Cora stifled a giggle, but Aster just flipped him off as Holly shook her head.
That only made Maverick grin as he headed for the bar.
The moment he was out of earshot, I turned to Aster.
“What the hell is the deal with you two?”
Cora let out a low whistle.
But Aster just shook her head. “It’s a long story.”
I bet. “I’ve got time.”
Her lips thinned. “Let’s just say there are some things you can’t forgive.”
But there wasn’t just anger in Aster’s pale-blue eyes.
There was soul-deep pain. And that left me with one question.
What the hell had happened between those two?
