Chapter 10
CHAPTER TEN
LOCH
Hours later, I sit in my truck, waiting outside the hospital where they took the woman.
Earlier, I grabbed some dry sweats from my backpack and changed out of my dripping clothes.
Night falls, and Alena’s still in there with the woman.
I watched police enter. Looks like the Feds did too. Our boss. The fire chief. The whole fucking town is here, but I wait until the wee hours, and most have left, before Alena steps out of the sliding glass doors of the Emergency Room.
From my lowered car window, I whistle as I do for Mutt, and she turns, a tired smile lifting her cheeks as she trudges my way.
Climbing into my truck, we don’t say a word. Somehow, we just get each other. I hand her the third cherry cola Slurpee I bought for her down the block. The others melted while I waited.
She swipes away a tear. “Thank you.” She sighs before sucking on her red straw and resting her head on my shoulder.
It feels so fucking right.
As we wind up our mountain, she worries, “I won’t be able to sleep. I’m too worried about Sasha.”
“That’s her name?”
“Yeah. It’s all she’d say. Nothing else.
I don’t think she can speak English, or she didn’t want us to know where she’s from.
” She pauses. “When they tried to examine her, like a woman’s exam, she freaked out, and I don’t blame her.
I told them to leave her the fuck alone until she’s ready.
She’s been through enough. Don’t think I made any friends with the Feds. ”
“Why’d they call the Feds?” I slow, approaching our cabins.
“They think she was trafficked. Apparently, there’ve been busts up here before. Assholes using RVs to move victims. But I could tell. We’re not talking country cartels. Sasha’s not from around here. No sun kisses.”
“Sun kisses?”
“Freckles.” I glance over, and Alena’s pointing at the cute ones sprinkled across her nose. “It’s what my mom called them. Sasha was so pale. Like she’s been in captivity for years, or she’s not from the South.”
I clench my jaw so tight I could break my molars. Fucking Carter. I’m going to send Jace to find him. To beat him for intel before I drown his ass in a river.
“So, they took her to a safe house,” Alena continues, “to an undisclosed location, but I made the agent in charge promise to keep me in the loop. I swear I’ll visit Sasha as soon as they let me.
” She rubs the bare spot on her wrist. “I gave her my bracelet. I think she understood it means I’m coming back for her; she’s not alone. ”
Alena’s bracelet. She’s worn it for as long as I’ve watched her. It’s a thin gold rope she wears on her left wrist.
“That was your mom’s bracelet, wasn’t it?”
She glances up at me. “How’d you know?”
Because this is why I’ve been in love with you for years—you have a hero’s heart.
I swallow. “I’d do the same. I’ll never abandon someone.” She blinks, her eyes looking too tired to cry. “And it’s also why we’re having a sleepover with popcorn and a romcom. You can’t sleep, so neither will I.”
She pulls away, finally grinning. “A sleepover?”
“Yes, a sleepover. And don’t try anything frisky, young lady. I’m a delicate virgin who won’t put out until you make me an honest man.”
She laughs, and it’s my North Star. It’s what I seek.
“Come on.” I open the door. “I’ve got the perfect movie and a bag of Poppycock. You know, popcorn with nuts.”
“Nuts? Yeah, you got ’em.”
She tries joking, but she’s too exhausted. She lets me take her hand, leading her inside my cabin.
Mutt barks, excited about our first lady guest, as I point her toward the bathroom. “You can take a shower, then check the little closet. I have clean sweats in there that’ll fit you like a sexy potato sack.”
“Hey, Waring?” She turns to me.
“Yeah, Allen?”
Wrapping her hands around my waist, she pulls me near, resting her head on my chest. “Thank you. Thanks for knowing I could save her today, and thanks for saving me tonight.”
This is the feeling.
On all the pages. In all the movies. In fables and folklore. This is love. It’s the most beautiful, crushing pressure in my chest that finds my lips kissing her hair. “I believe you could save me too, Babygirl.”
I feel her softly gasp, stirring against me, and my warm body, rising with heat. I still feel tethered to her; don’t think I’ll ever stop.
“Is it just me,” she mutters against my chest, “or is there something special between us?”
She won’t look at me. She’s shy, but that was a brave question, and I won’t leave her alone in the feeling. “There’s everything between us, Alena.” Secrets. Family. Threats. Love. “And together, we’ll figure out what it is. We’ll go slow. Okay?”
“Okay.” She pulls away, cheeks flushed. “I’ll be out in a minute.”
Fluffing my pillows, I give the boxes under my bed, hiding my gear, an extra kick.
Mutt paces the room, excited for our date.
“Settle down,” I whisper to him. “Don’t freak out your future mom. Okay? Chill.”
He cocks his head, and I point to his doggy bed by the electric fireplace. It glows under the flatscreen. In the kitchen, I quickly pour a bowl of my favorite snack, along with grabbing two cans of ginger ale.
The shower stops running, and I face a dilemma. Shirt or no shirt? Date or Dom? Kind or kinky?
Fuck it, I split the difference between my two sides. Tossing my sweatshirt on the floor, I leave my sweatpants on.
By the time Alena emerges from my bathroom, looking way too fucking sexy in my matching gray sweats with her gorgeous hair, slick and wet, I’m thankful I’m already lying propped up on my bed.
Otherwise, with the way she’s admiring my body, her eyes combing down to my stirring bulge, I’d tie her to the bed and spread her legs.
Instead, I pat the spot beside me, and she crawls to me. It’s natural, normal, and rushing blood to my dick so fast, I pull the faux fur blanket at the foot of my bed over us. Then I grab the remote. “One rule for this sleepover,” I proclaim. To her. To me.
She nestles against my body. “No frisky business.”
“Two rules for this sleepover,” I correct. “Don’t touch Boner or the remote.”
She huffs a giggle. “Boner?”
“Don’t act like you haven’t met him.”
“We’re not well acquainted”—she drapes her leg over mine—“yet,” making me bite my bottom lip. “And you can keep the remote if I can have an answer.”
“Shoot.” I’m a fucking idiot.
“How did you know I’m a good swimmer?”
Told you.
So I tell her another truth, not the one that’ll ruin us one day.
“My mom raised her sons to believe in women. You know what you can do, and I trust you to do it. Hell, if you ask me, y’all should run the world. Men have kinda fucked it up.”
“Men haven’t done that bad. I mean, you made these…” She taps the remote in my hand. “Part of your arsenal of phallic things you can point and shoot, and I’m not complaining.”
I laugh, gently guiding her head to my chest. “Yeah, and some guy made this romcom classic for us too.”
Clicking, I find the platform streaming my favorite movie. In two minutes, Alena pops up, turning to me. “The Wedding Singer? You like this movie?”
“I fucking love this movie. I watch it every Sunday night.” She blinks. She does that a lot. “What? You hate it?”
“No. It was my mom’s favorite movie. We watched it all the time. She always said I needed to find my Robbie Hart one day.”
I sigh, shaking my head. “Sorry, Julia Gulia, but I can’t sing or play the ukulele for shit.”
No, I can’t breathe.
I can’t stop feeling like the universe, like even the spirit of Alena’s mom, wants me to have the one person I’m not supposed to love.
It leaves us silent as she settles back into me, and I caress her damp hair, spilling over my naked chest.
If she can feel my heart pounding for her, she doesn’t say. If she can see how I’m waging an inner war against my dick, who wants to rise in rebellion, she doesn’t notice.
She just munches on popcorn with me, and whenever she finds a candied nut, she offers it to my lips.
My woman.
Finally.
Mutt whimpers, wanting to join us, but I cut him a no cock-blocking glare. So, he whines, resting his chin on his paws.
By the time Julia realizes she’s in love with Robbie, Alena’s asleep in my arms. I hold her, watching until the end, until Robbie sings his romantic song for Julia.
I read somewhere that the actors said they’re “cinematic soulmates.” It’s why they do so many movies together.
And now, I finally know the feeling.
I’m holding my soulmate.
“Mama?”
I didn’t turn off the lamp. I couldn’t. I didn’t want to wake Alena, but the light makes me wince, opening my eyes to her cries.
“Mama? Where are you?”
Glancing down my body. Alena’s gone. I jolt and turn, spotting her across my tiny cabin, talking to the nighttime windows.
“Mama? Come home.” She’s crying with her eyes wide open. “Please. Turn around.” She touches the glass as if she sees her mom on the other side. She stares blankly, silently waiting, watching. “Mama?”
Fuck. Alena’s sleepwalking.
She’s searching for her mom in her dreams. It makes my racing heart break for her. I don’t know where I heard the advice to never wake a sleepwalker, but I heed it.
Slowly, I get up, approaching her. “Let’s go back to bed.” Softly, I touch her.
“But where is she?” She spins around, staring at me, but not seeing me. She brushes by, heading toward my cabin door. “I need to find her.”
Fuck. Alena’s killing me.
Her mother died over sixteen years ago, and the little girl in her heart still needs her to come home.
God, how many times does she do this? This could be dangerous as fuck. Does Nash know?
“Come on.” I caress her arms, pulling her away from the door. “Let’s go back to bed.” She doesn’t fight me. “Here we go.” Gently, I guide her to lie down.
“But…” She moves to get back up. She’s still crying. “I need my mom.”
No, Babygirl, I need to never leave you knowing you do this.
I crawl in beside her. Using my strength, I carefully make her lie down with me, pulling the covers over us. Wrapping my leg and arm over her, I make my body her safe prison. I hold her so she can’t get up and hurt herself.
“Come on, Babygirl.” I pull her against me, whispering, “Stay with me, and we’ll find her together. I promise.” Alena turns into my body, burrowing her face into my chest as I kiss her hair. “Shhh, I got you.”
Her cries soften, her tears on my skin, seeping into my soul, before she mumbles dreamily, “I need to tell her I found my Robbie.”
My eyes slam shut. My heart explodes.
Am I an arrogant, deceptive, lying asshole, knowing she’s talking about me? Am I an evil, twisted soul for making her fall for me, like I fell for her years ago, knowing I’m only going to break her heart?
Or am I her soulmate, who’s so goddamn in love with her, we’ll make it through anything? I was born to love her, and I will.
“Yeah, you did. You found him,” I murmur into her strands. “He’s right here.”
He’s both.