Chapter 7
SEVEN
WYATT
I wake with a jolt, heart pounding hard against my ribs like I’ve been yanked out of a bad dream.
For a split second my body’s tense, ready to fight, muscles coiled and mind already scanning for threats.
Then I feel her. Junie is curled against my side, warm and soft, her head resting on my chest and one leg thrown over mine.
Her breathing’s slow and even, deep in sleep.
The realization hits me like a wave. She’s here.
In my bed. In my arms. Last night was real.
I never meant for any of it to happen. I never meant to kiss her.
I never meant to touch her like that. But once I started, I couldn’t stop.
The feel of her under my hands, the way she moaned my name, the way she came apart for me —it’s burned into my memory now.
I’ve wanted her since the moment I carried her back here through the snow, but I told myself I would wait.
She’s hurt. She’s scared. She’s running from something dark.
I should’ve been stronger. I should’ve kept my hands to myself.
But when she asked me to hold her, when she looked at me with those bright brown eyes and told me she felt safer with me close, something inside me snapped.
I kissed her. I touched her. I made her come on my fingers while she whispered my name like a prayer.
And I don’t regret a single second of it.
I only regret that I didn’t tell her how much I want her.
How much I need her. How much she already means to me.
I lie still for a long moment, just feeling her against me.
Her body’s warm and trusting, pressed close like she belongs here.
Her hair smells like my shampoo. Her hand rests on my stomach, fingers loosely curled.
I want to pull her closer. I want to roll her under me and kiss her awake.
I want to slide inside her and show her exactly how much she belongs to me.
The attraction is bold and intense, a constant heat low in my gut that I have to control every time she looks at me.
She’s under my skin. In my head. In my blood.
I’m already falling. Hard. Fast. In a way I didn’t think I was capable of anymore.
But I control it. I breathe steady and careful not to wake her yet. She needs the rest. Her body is still healing. I will give her that. I’ll give her whatever she needs.
I ease out of bed as quietly as I can, pulling on a shirt and jeans.
The cabin is cool in the early morning light.
I add a log to the fire and head to the kitchen.
I make her a cup of huckleberry tea, the kind Harper taught me to brew with fresh berries and a touch of honey.
I set the mug on the nightstand and start making breakfast. Pancakes with more huckleberries.
I remember she liked them yesterday. I mix the batter and heat the pan, the smell of cooking food filling the cabin.
Junie stirs behind me. I hear her moving carefully, the bed creaking as she sits up.
She appears in the doorway a moment later, wearing my flannel shirt again.
It hangs loose on her, the hem brushing her thighs.
Her hair is messy from sleep, and I’m picturing forever with her.
What would it be like to wake up to her everyday?
“Morning,” I say, keeping my voice low. “Sleep good?”
She smiles. “I liked having you hold me… and, uh… everything else.”
I nod toward the table. “Sit. Breakfast is almost ready. I made you huckleberry tea. Harper says it’s good for healing.”
She limps over and lowers herself into a chair, careful with her injured leg. I bring her the mug. She takes a sip and her eyes light up.
“This is delicious,” she says, smiling wider. “There’s just something about huckleberries I love so much.”
I shrug, but I feel a quiet satisfaction at her reaction. “They’re sweeter than blueberries.”
I slide the golden stack of pancakes onto a plate, adding a generous pat of butter that melts slowly into the warm surface before drizzling maple syrup over the top in a careful spiral.
The berries peek out from the fluffy batter, still plump and juicy from the heat.
I set the plate in front of her with a fork and a clean napkin, watching as her eyes widen at the sight.
She takes her first bite and lets out a soft, involuntary sound of pure pleasure.
It’s low and breathy, almost a moan, and it hits me like a punch to the gut.
My cock twitches hard in my jeans. The way her lips part around the fork.
The little hum she makes as the flavors hit her tongue.
The way her cheeks flush with delight. I want to hear that sound again.
I want to be the one who pulls it from her over and over.
I want her spread out on this table, my head between her thighs, licking her until she makes that exact noise while she comes on my tongue.
I want her under me, around me, saying my name like that while I take her apart slowly and thoroughly.
Fuck. She does something to me I can’t understand.
I make my own plate, piling it higher with pancakes, and sit across from her at the small table.
We eat while we chat about nothing and everything.
She tells me about how her brother took care of her after her parents died.
I tell her about how my parents also died when I was really young and I was raised by my aunt.
We touch on lighter subjects like how she and Caleb used to go huckleberry picking when they were kids in the Montana mountains.
When we’re done, I help her into a warm sweater and her boots.
My hands linger a little longer than necessary on her waist as I steady her.
She doesn’t pull away. Instead she looks up at me with those curious eyes, a faint blush coloring her cheeks.
The air between us feels charged again. Heavy. Full of everything we’re not saying.
There’s a knock at the door. I open it to find Piper and Boyd standing on the porch. Piper looks determined. Boyd stands protectively beside her.
“Come in,” I say, stepping aside.
They enter the cabin with the familiar ease of people who belong here.
Piper steps in first, her hand lightly resting on Boyd’s arm as he holds the door for her.
The cold mountain air follows them inside for a moment before the warmth of the fire pushes it back out.
Piper’s eyes find Junie immediately, warm and kind, but there’s a seriousness in her expression that tells me she has important news.
“Good morning,” I say. “Would you two like some tea? I just made a fresh pot of huckleberry. It’s still hot.”
Piper smiles gratefully and nods. “That would be wonderful, thank you, Wyatt. It’s freezing out there this morning.”
Boyd gives a short nod of appreciation as I pour two more mugs.
He takes one for Piper and hands it to her before accepting his own.
They both settle at the table across from us, the steam rising gently from their cups.
Junie watches them with quiet curiosity, her hands wrapped around her own mug like it’s an anchor.
Piper takes a careful sip, then sets the mug down and looks straight at Junie.
Her voice is gentle but direct. “I overheard you mention Viktor Lane yesterday. He’s…
uh, my father. The one I helped put away not too long ago.
He was an evil man. There’s a man by the name of Thomas Tremblay who has always helped my father in the past. He came out of the whole mess unscathed and we could never pin anything on him.
If your brother was working for Viktor, then maybe he’s now working with Tremblay.
He has a house here in Montana not too far away. ”
Piper reaches into her pocket and pulls out a folded piece of paper. She slides it across the table toward Junie with a steady hand. “This is the address. We think it’s worth checking out. Boyd and I talked about it last night. It might be a long shot, but it’s something.”
Junie takes the paper, her fingers trembling just slightly as she unfolds it. She stares at the address for a long moment, then looks up at Piper, her eyes wide with a mix of gratitude and uncertainty. She glances at me, searching for reassurance, before turning back to Piper.
“Thank you,” Junie says, her voice soft but sincere. “I don’t know what to say. This means more than you know. I’ve been searching for any lead on Caleb for so long.”
Piper reaches across the table and gives Junie’s hand a gentle squeeze.
Her smile is warm and understanding. “You don’t have to say anything.
We help our own here. That’s what Haven 7 is for.
If there’s even a chance your brother is connected to Tremblay, we want to help you find out. You’re not alone in this anymore.”
Boyd nods in agreement, his arm resting protectively along the back of Piper’s chair. “We’ll keep digging on our end too. Anything you need, just say the word.”
The four of us sit together for a few more minutes, the conversation shifting to lighter things.
Piper asks Junie how her leg is feeling, telling her the story of how she broke her leg and how Boyd took care of her while it healed.
Junie tells her it’s much better today and thanks her again for the clothes and toiletries the women brought over.
Boyd and I talk quietly about the new security measures at the gate.
The tea mugs are emptied and refilled. The moment feels almost normal, like four friends catching up instead of four people bound together by danger and survival.
When Piper and Boyd finally stand to leave, Piper gives Junie one last encouraging smile. “Come by the lodge anytime. The women would love to see you again. We’re all here for you.”
After the door closes behind them, the cabin falls quiet once more.
Junie and I finish the last of our breakfast in comfortable silence.
She’s thinking hard. I can see it in the way her brow furrows slightly and her fingers trace the edge of her mug.
She takes her time chewing the final bite of pancake, her eyes distant.
When she finally looks up at me, there’s a new determination in her gaze.
“I want to check it out,” she says, her voice steady. “The address. Today. If there’s any chance my brother is there, I need to know. I can’t just sit here waiting.”
I nod without hesitation. “We’ll go together. But we’re careful. No risks. We scout from a distance first. We do not go in blind.”
She smiles, small but grateful, and reaches across the table to squeeze my hand. “Together.”
We decide right then to check it out after breakfast. I help her get ready, making sure she is warm enough with an extra layer under her sweater and her boots laced securely.
I grab my rifle, a few extra magazines, and a small pack with water and emergency supplies.
Junie watches me prepare with quiet focus, her expression a mix of nerves and resolve.
As we step outside into the crisp mountain air, I stay close to her side, ready to support her if her leg tires. The path ahead feels heavier now, but with Junie beside me, I’m ready for whatever we find.