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Hawk shakes his head, and his voice is strained as he says, “He’s not that humble. The man believes he’s the messiah. He won’t back down. He’s convinced himself that he is the vessel for which others gain help. I can’t let you go back down that mountain alone.”
“You were never going to let me go once we got up here, were you?” I cross my arms in front of my chest, relishing in another of the lies he’s told me. I should’ve known better.
“None of that matters now.” His eyes are on mine, heavy and hot. His hand rests on my shoulder with strength. I’m not sure why it’s sexual. It shouldn’t be. I hate him! He lied to me, over and over. He dragged me out here. He physically stopped me from leaving. But still, when he touches me, I light on fire and my entire body screams for more. “What matters is… I need your help,” he continues, brushing his thumb under my chin, “and I promise I won’t let anything happen to you.”
Part of me wants to believe him. The other part knows I’m full of shit and probably needs some major therapy. Either way, the detective in me has a feeling, I’m staying put. Meanwhile, the aching between my legs says, I just might like it.
Chapter Four
Hawk
I can’t blame her for being afraid. I didn’t go about this the best way possible. I could’ve been upfront from the beginning, but if it had gotten out that I were coming after Jeramiah, the people of Rugged Mountain would have gone on their own witch hunt. I’ve scoped out the area enough times to know how the people are here. They’re steadfast and take charge. They’re a community above all else. They protect their own, and their land, at all costs.
“Thanks for the food.” Violet leans against the back wall of the cabin near the fireplace. Her legs are stretched out and I can see a new exhaustion on her that hadn’t been there earlier. I’m probably evil for loving it. But there’s something sweet about the way her head keeps dipping onto her shoulder with a half-eaten granola bar still in her hand.
“I brought you a sleeping bag. I can roll it out for you. We’ll sleep for a few hours, but I’d like to move in the dark if at all possible. We have the advantage then.”
Her breath hitches and she pulls out her sleeping bag. “You know this terrain isn’t easy to navigate. And in case you didn’t notice, I’m in shape for novice hikes, not full-blown scaling the side of the mountain type jobs.”
Her blue and gray sleeping bag splays out on the hard floor, and she looks up at me, with slightly parted lips, that wake-up parts of me I didn’t know existed. “Are you really a cop?”
“True and blue,” I say. “Are you really a hiking guide?”
She sighs. “I think today might be my last day.”
I laugh, and lay back on my own sleeping bag, staring toward Violet in the flickering light of the fireplace. She’s beautiful and strong. She’s gathered her sleeping bag up to her neck, and she’s staring at me, her eyes drooping with exhaustion as she glares, as though she’s afraid to take them off of me.
“You really are safe with me,” I say, reaching my arm out for her.
She flinches back at first, then calms, but the violence in her eyes is still there and I know it’s a promise, not a threat. The truth of it is, I don’t blame her.
I pull my hand away, not wanting to make her uncomfortable, but my palms ache to touch her again. Fuck. What the hell is wrong with me. She’s young, and I’ve kidnapped her. None of this is romantic, but it doesn’t change how I’m feeling, what my body is saying, what I need.
“Wait,” her voice is small and muffled, so much so that I’m not sure what she’s said. “Wait,” she says again. “It doesn’t make sense, but that felt comforting.” She rolls her eyes. “In aBeauty and the Beast… fall in love with your captor type of way.”
I can’t help but laugh. “We’re falling in love now?Wow!That escalated quickly.”
She sighs and turns away from me. “I didn’t mean it like that. I’m just… I’m scared. And for some reason, it felt good to have you next to me. Even if you are a liar.”
The liar part stings. “I didn’t mean to lie to you.” I wrap my arm around her and pull her close. “Most of the things we talked about weren’t a lie.”
“Please tell me that thing about your niece was the truth.”
“Every word. She’s okay now, but it’s been a hard road back for her. She trusted someone, and he let her down.” The irony of the statement hits me like a ton of bricks. Am I just as bad?
“So you really do love mountain berry pie?” She hides a grin. “And your mom sang youTwinkle Twinkle Little Starbackwards when you were growing up?”
I can’t help but grin at the details she’s remembered. Maybe I’m not the piece of shit I’m thinking I am. Maybe she does have room in her heart for me.
“All true. Just like… whatever is happening here. I… it’s real. For me, anyway. I want to hold you.” My voice cracks when I speak because I’m not used to talking so emotionally. I’m afraid of how she’ll respond, and I’m afraid of how my body will react. This wasn’t part of the plan. I never intended to want her so desperately. And I should’ve known when we were talking online that seeing her in person would only make those feelings grow stronger. The way she’s sitting under that sleeping bag now, with her head all tucked low, and her tits heaving beneath, it’s inevitable. I have to have her.
“Do you want to fall in love, Violet?”
She balks at my question. “Not with you!” Her words say one thing, but her body says another. There’s a pulse in her eyes and they widen gently.
“I think you’re lying,” I say, slowly inching closer.
She clears her throat, and her breaths are quick and shallow. “You’re the liar, not me.”
