Chapter 8
Chapter Eight
Penny
T his room obviously gets a significant female guest roster.
Most of the books on the shelf are smutty romances.
There's also an impressive collection of magazines full of photos of pretty places and houses that were remodeled with far bigger budgets than I'll ever have.
Gardening books, adult coloring books filled with intricate designs and a box of colored pencils with enough colors to keep me busy for days.
If I wasn't already busy pacing the center of the long, narrow room, managing to grow increasingly freaked out.
It's been almost three hours since the door locked me on this side and Calvin on the other.
I found a computer system in addition to the phone, but it seems you need some sort of code to connect to the outside world, so I could watch some pre-loaded videos or play games. Neither of which worked any better than the smoldering scenes of the lumberjack romance book I picked up.
Which just reminded me that Calvin owns a timber company. Does that technically make him a lumberjack?
When we get back to Moonshine Ridge, I will definitely have to make him chop some wood for me with an ax. I bet he's good at it. Even if he isn't-- I'll enjoy watching him do it.
I think about Cal. I think about all the things we talked about-- all too briefly-- about how it felt to be touched by someone other than my late husband, about how it felt when he said he loved me, about the warm, optimistic excitement stirring inside me for the first time since I was informed of Tyler's death.
I'll move to Moonshine Ridge, into Cal's beautiful home, and I'll show that kitchen of his what it was meant for.
Then I think about the fact that we made love without protection.
I'm not worried about health issues, but we didn't discuss the other possible complications. Cal's sixteen years older than me-- if he'd wanted a family, wouldn't he have found someone to start that with long since now?
Now, doing math and remembering dates keeps me distracted from the reason he's not here having this conversation with me.
I certainly haven't bothered staying on birth control for the last few years.
The second hand makes another slow tour of the clock face, and my thoughts go from worrying that Calvin might not want to start a family at his age to worrying I could end up raising a child alone.
My fear and uncertainties finally get the better of me and I collapse on one of the twin size beds lining the wall,
Pent up tears start to fall just when I hear a sound at the back of the room. A sound coming from the other side of the bookcase that quickly reveals itself to be hiding another door.
A man in black combat gear appears, looking more like he's here to kill me than save me; which is what Harlan Frost is quick to assure me he's doing when he finds me staring at him in tear-stained terror.
"Still no Murdock?"
The man turns back to the darkness he stepped out of and motions to someone still out of sight. Beyond the bookcase slash doorway, I hear boots landing in quick, heavy steps on a ladder or stairway.
Harlan frowns as the footsteps recede.
"Need to pad those fucking stairs," he grumbles to himself like he's forgotten about me.
He pushes the black, knit beanie off his head, revealing close-cropped hair that's more white than gray and a handsome face that doesn't look like it's seen a smile in twenty years.
"House is cleared, let's get you out of this hole."
Opening the door is a simple task of pressing a button that says "unlock," but Harlan punches a series of numbers into a keypad as well.
"Updating the system so it'll stop sending alerts of an active incident," he explains without looking at me.
Back upstairs, I find two more men, also dressed like ninjas, but more laid back than Harlan.
"Cap," a younger man introduces himself with a wave from where he's casually leaning against the counter with a rifle over slung across his chest.
"Leo." The man standing in the doorway holds his weapon casually as he watches the night outside like he's waiting for it to confess.
"Got em," Leo says, still watching the darkness but lifting himself off the doorframe to stand.
"Good?" Harlan presses a finger to one ear like he's listening to something, then nods.
"What the hell are you doing here?"
Calvin's familiar voice breaks through the low conversations between the other men, but he doesn't wait for answers from any of them.
He's only looking at me as he pushes past Leo and Harlan to take me in his arms.
Calvin
C atcalls and whistles sound around the room, and one voice telling us to "get a room." I'll not-so-politely remind these assholes that I have one when I'm doing kissing my girl.
When Penny's ready to let me speak, I tell Frost's men what I think about our uninvited guests and get a chorus of various insults and jeers for my effort.
"Have fun out there?" Harlan asks the man who met up with me as I was making my way back to the cabin.
"Nah, nothing left for me," the man who introduced himself to me in the woods as "Virgo" answers, sounding more than a little disappointed.
Harlan raises an eyebrow at me and I hold up three fingers. In turn he points toward my hand and motions his men toward the door.
I know they're being sent out to clean up after me. Not that I can't clean up my own messes, but I admit, having Harlan's crew here means the difference between leave no trace , and leave em guessing .
Penny doesn't let go of me, and I don't want her to. I might be clinging to her just as much; I'd had much different plans for when I got back to her, that's for damn certain.
"What the hell are you doing here, anyway?" I finally get around to asking my old friend.
"Activating the lock on the panic room door sends an alert to our security crew." Harlan rummages through the fridge and pulls out a beer.
"Perimeter secure?" He asks me pointedly, before popping the top on the can after I nod in the affirmative.
"Thought you were in Montana?"
"Helo."
Frost shrugs, leaning on the counter and knocking back the beer.
"Where'd you score a chopper?"
No matter how much I want to hear about my buddy's obvious budget increase, I really want the asshole out of here.
"Never mind, tell me later."
Harlan looked like he was about to launch into a story I don't have patience to hear at the moment. My arm tightens around Penny, who's quick to nestle closer into me as I pull her against my chest without thinking.
"Thought you were on assignment?"
My old buddy speaks nonchalantly enough, but I notice both the covert glance at the woman in my arms and the tick of his jaw that's about the closest thing to a smile I've ever seen cross the man's face.
Penny stifles a snicker when she feels my arms tighten, like she heard the threatening glare I just shot over her head.
Harlan nods slowly, empties the beer, and drops the can in the sink, before moving toward the door.
"We'll be around town for a few days," he says as he crosses the threshold. "Make the trip in."
The door closes behind him and I'm quick to lock it from the inside. Although, knowing Frost, he's got four other ways inside in addition to picking the lock.
"Ohmygod...Cal?"
Turning around quick at the panicked sound of Penny's voice, I immediately see the problem.
"I'm fine," I assure her. "It's not mine...come on. We'll get it all cleaned up."
Taking her hand, I steer her into the back bathroom-- the one with the big shower stall-- and quickly get to work stripping us both down while the water warms.
Penny's face is pale and I don't like the way her body shakes lightly as I deposit her bloody clothes in a heap along with my own.
I forgot about that. I was too shocked to find Harlan's man joining me on the scene-- almost went for him too, till he identified himself-- and too damn relieved to see Pen out of the secure room and safe with Harlan and the other guys he brought with him.
It slipped my mind that she might feel squeamish about wearing the blood of the guy who'd been planning to kill her.
"Better?" I ask, once she's had a few minutes under the hot spray.
Penny nods, offering a brave smile.
She's fucking gorgeous, with the water gliding over those wicked curves of hers, and need to have her again rides me hard.
"Good, because I can't stop thinking about you. On your knees. With my dick in your mouth."