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He blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the faint strip of light at the draped window. Reality brooded in the breaking day, a foreboding specter promising challenges in the day to come.
But right now, in the sanctuary of the dimly lit room, Jo was snug in the cradle of his arms. He brushed his lips across the crown of her head, his silent pledge to protect her, absorbing her warmth, too aware of the dangers the day ahead might bring. After last night, he wanted nothing more than to lie here and lose himself in pleasuring her.
He wanted her in his life for more than a few short days. She saw something in him he’d failed to see—history need not dictate his future, and the shadow of his father’s legacy needn’t define him entirely.
She stirred, mumbling softly. The shift in position sent a twinge of pain through his injured shoulder. Since his teens, climbing had been his anchor, the only refuge he’d believed protected him from his heritage. Yet Jo’s presence made him question whether his fate was tied to only one path. Perhaps it wasn’t set in stone the way he’d always thought?
Jo yawned and stretched beside him.
“Morning, sleepyhead.” Swiping loose hair from her forehead, his thoughts immediately switched to the breathy sounds she’d made as her orgasm had milked his cock.
Jo blinked, her cheeks pink from sleep, but also more. She was thinking about last night, too. “Morning.”
He kissed the chilly tip of her nose. “We need to get up. We’ve got a long day ahead of us.”
* * *
Their kit repacked, they walked back to the main house hand in hand, frost crunching under their boots, their breath foggy puffs. He loved the feel of her hand in his. He’d never been one for displays of affection and he’d always considered hand-holding as trivial or cliche. But her petite hand in his sent an unfamiliar surge of warmth through him. He could get used to this.
Wyatt and his parents were busy in the cozy kitchen, the atmosphere welcoming with the rich scent of freshly brewed coffee.
“Morning.” Wyatt looked up from organizing a spill of hiking gear taking up half of the enormous kitchen table. Sophie clucked at his back, moving between stove and table with plates and cutlery.
A night’s sleep didn’t appear to have softened Wyatt at all. He looked just as grumpy as before, but his gaze dropped to Griff’s possessive hold on Jo and an accidental smile ticked the corner of his mouth. “Coffee’s in the pot.”
“Good morning, you two.” Sophie bustled over and kissed them both on the cheek. “I hope you slept well?”
“Um… yes.” Griff cleared his throat. “Thank you. Very well.”
Jo squeezed his hand. “Thank you so much. We were very comfortable.”
“Please.” Sophie gestured to the plates of food on the table. “Sit and eat. You’re going to need your strength for the hike today. Before Ty eats it all.”
“I heard that.” Ty patted his wife’s bottom as he passed her with an armful of rope.
Sophie laughed and batted at him as he kissed her nape. “Don’t shoot the messenger for telling the truth.”
Ravenous, Griff took his seat, hoping the plate of creamy scrambled eggs and crispy bacon would quiet the thoughts racing through his mind. Watching Ty and Sophie, their ease and enduring love for one another, he couldn’t help but feel an unexpected yearning for a similar future with Jo, one starkly different from the toxicity of his parent’s tumultuous relationship.
He’d allowed the pain of the past to prevent people from getting too close, using the pain as a barrier between him and the world. But maybe it didn’t have to be that way.
He looked around at Jo. She wasn’t eating, just pushing her eggs around her plate. He reached under the table and gave her knee a squeeze. His touch made her start and there were fine lines of tension at the corner of her eyes.
Seeing the vulnerability in her gaze, her worry about what the day might bring; it hit him hard in the chest. Fuck. He was in deeper than he’d ever believed possible. Falling for this smart, beautiful woman. All the way. He was in over his head and he hadn’t even realized.
“It’s going to be fine.” He firmed his grip on her knee. “We retrieve the information from the cabin and it’s all going to end.”
She nibbled on her lower lip. “It all seems so close now. I almost never dared believe I’d get this far. What if something goes wrong now?”
Sophie reached across the table and clasped Jo’s fingers in hers. “Honey. You’re in excellent hands. We’re doing this together. These bastards will not win. Besides.” She leaned back in her seat and winked at her husband. “What chance do they stand with all the bad-assery we have on board?”
* * *
"The path we'd normally take is blocked with snow, so we'll have to go around and take the long way," Ty explained, as they set off in the brilliant morning sun, with Wyatt leading the way.
Sophie linked one arm through her husband’s. “That’s okay. The alternative route might take longer, but it’s scenic.”
Ty gave her a side hug. “That’s my wife, always seeing the silver lining.”
