Chapter 13
Raven woke slowly, the warmth beneath her cheek seeping into her skin. Not the warmth of sheets or a pillow. This was different. This was smooth and solid and rose and lowered in a steady rhythm.
His smell was the next to hit her. That familiar earthy scent.
Oh no…she’d fallen asleep on Connor.
Her eyes shot open. Light shone between the curtains, the TV still on but the documentary no longer playing.
Damn that documentary. It worked too well in helping her sleep.
But it wasn’t just the documentary. It was Connor. His warmth and strength and the safety he emitted.
Had she snored? Dribbled? Made any noises in her sleep that she should be embarrassed about?
Slowly, she tilted her head up to see the underside of his jaw. The hollow of his throat. She could just see his features.
God, he was beautiful, even when he slept. And somehow, he lost all his hard edges. The armor just vanished and he almost looked…soft.
Well, kind of. There was actually very little that was soft about this man.
Her mind flicked back to the previous night, and heat immediately rose up her neck.
She’d slept on him. And there’d been no nightmares. No wakings at all. It had just felt easy. Right.
She swallowed, that tug toward him making her chest ache. Because she did want him. But there was this big black cloud between them that was her past. And she hated that.
A small voice whispered in her head that maybe she could trust him with everything that had happened in North Dakota. Maybe he and his team could help her and no one would get hurt.
But what if she was wrong? The last time she’d trusted someone…
Blood flashed in her mind. Sampson’s blood.
She closed her eyes, taking a second to regulate her breathing. To keep the panic at bay.
“Hey.”
Her eyes flashed open. “Hi.”
The crease between his brows deepened, and he lifted his hand and swiped a lock of hair from her cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Of course.” The two words came out fast. She was also kind of breathless.
At his silence, she wondered if he’d push.
“How did you sleep?”
Relief skittered through her belly. “Good. I’m sorry.”
“For falling asleep?”
“On you.”
One side of his mouth lifted. “I fell asleep too. We were obviously tired.”
And had found comfort in each other.
She pushed up, immediately missing the warmth of his chest against her cheek. “Did I snore?”
This time, he offered a full, devastating smile as he sat up. “Do you think I’d tell you if you did?”
Dammit, did that mean yes?
Obviously he didn’t snore, because she hadn’t woken at all. “You know what’s annoying?”
“How ridiculously attractive I am?”
She chuckled, because yes, that was annoying. “I can’t find a single flaw in you.”
“I have plenty.”
“Name one.”
“I put laundry in the machine, then forget about it.”
“Who doesn’t?”
“I end up rewashing the same load about four times.”
“Again, very common.”
“Okay. I’m constantly on Joel’s ass about how much he snacks, even though it’s none of my damn business. And, probably my most annoying trait…I change the thermostat without telling anyone because I figure it’s better to ask for forgiveness than permission.”
She shook her head. “Deal breakers. All of them. In fact, now I’m not sure we should ever watch documentaries together again. Especially after that thermostat confession.”
“I’m not sure you have the willpower to make that call.”
She laughed.
He shifted to the edge of the couch. “In all seriousness, I really enjoyed last night.”
Sleeping with her? Well, not sleeping in that way…just sleeping. “I did too.”
“Do you have work?”
“Yeah, but I don’t start until…” She looked up at the clock on the wall. “It’s eight thirty?”
“Yeah. We slept late.”
“Yeah, we slept late.” She jumped up. “I have to go.”
“Will anyone realize if you’re late?”
“Lottie will realize. That woman’s a pain in my ass, and if she suddenly mysteriously went missing from this town, I would not be sad.”
He rose too, and when his gaze lowered to her mouth, her throat almost closed.
She stumbled back. “I should…I mean…I need to shower.”
Then she moved, almost ran upstairs, sure she heard subtle laughter behind her.
She showered in the hall bathroom and made the water cold. It did nothing, absolutely nothing, to cool her off.
The second she was dressed, she raced downstairs to see Connor at the door. He held a napkin with a piece of peanut butter toast and a to-go cup. Oh, and he was shirtless. The icing on the cake.
She cleared her throat. “One night on the couch together and you’re making me coffee and breakfast to go?”
“Imagine what comes after two nights.”
She chuckled and unlocked her car, a bit of the ease fading as her conversation with Rob about the tracking device played over in her mind.
Connor popped the cup and toast into the car before rising. “I need you to do something for me.”
“That sounds ominous.”
“If Nathaniel comes by, you call me. I can be there in five minutes.”
She swallowed hard at the memory of him shoving her. The flash of pain in her skull when her head had collided with the building. The rage in his eyes. “I’ll be more prepared next time. I wasn’t expecting him to push me. I—”
“Raven.” He stepped closer, curving an arm around her waist. “I need you to tell me you’ll call me.”
“I’ll call you.”
“Good.”
Her phone rang, and any lightheartedness or ease from that morning drained right out of her at the sight of the name on the screen.
“Xander,” Connor read quietly, before looking at her. “Why the hell is your ex calling you?”
“I don’t know.” She locked her screen.
“Does he call often?”
“No.” At least that wasn’t a lie. Why was he calling now though? “I should go.”
There was no smile on Connor’s face as he nodded.
She slid behind the wheel. It wasn’t until she was driving that she hit Xander’s name on her phone.
He answered immediately. “Hey, Rave.”
“You put a tracking device on my car?”
He laughed like it was a joke. “You found that, huh?”
“Why?”
“I want to know where you are, sweetheart.”
“Don’t call me that. And you know where I am. I told you I was coming here. That was never a secret.”
“I know. But you can lie.”
This time she laughed. The sound was almost manic. “I can lie? There was one liar in our relationship and it sure as hell wasn’t me. Why are you even calling?”
“To check in. To make sure you’re upholding your end of the deal.”
“I haven’t told anyone anything. You know I won’t.”
“I like to think you won’t, but you can never be too sure.”
“You made sure. And the only thing I asked for in return for my silence, the one thing, was for you to leave me the hell alone. So don’t call me again. Don’t even think about me.” She hung up and slammed her fist against the wheel.
Minutes ago, her heart had been racing for Connor, and Xander hadn’t even been a thought. Now? He’d dragged her back down again. With one single call.
She needed it to end. But it was starting to feel like he was a nightmare she’d never wake up from.
Connor pulled into the dirt parking lot beside the old firehouse. He’d woken in such a good fucking mood…then that call had come through on Raven’s phone, and the smile had been wiped clean off his face.
He wanted details. He wanted her to want to share with him. They had a connection and it was more than physical. Did she feel it too?
He climbed from his truck and crossed to the building.
Inside, Ethan turned from his computer. “Hey. Everything okay?”
Connor dropped into the seat beside his friend and ran his hands through his hair. “No. Raven and I fell asleep together last night.”
Ethan’s brows rose. “Did you…”
“No.”
“Huh.”
“Huh? That’s it?”
Ethan leaned back in his seat. “Shouldn’t you be in a good mood? You like her and this is progress. You look like you’re ready to murder someone.”
“She got a call from her ex this morning.”
“Does he call often?”
“She said no. I have no idea what’s going on with them, just that he emptied her bank account and she hates talking about him.”
“Sounds like a piece of shit.”
“I just want the story. I want to know her past. How she got here. Why she separated from the guy. Hell, why she was about to marry a man who would do something like that to her.”
Ethan was silent for a second. “I mean…I can see what I can find. We went to the same high school, so I have enough details to do some digging.”
A part of Connor wanted to say yes. That would be the easy way out of this. Ethan was good at finding information. Hell, he’d worked as a PI for a year.
But he wanted to hear it from Raven. He wanted her to trust him enough to share everything. And, if she found out he went behind her back, she might see it as an invasion of privacy. Which would make him an asshole, especially after his speech about trust last night.
He shook his head. “No. It’s okay. I’ll wait.”
“I’m here if you change your mind.”
“Thanks. How’s Maggie?”
A genuine smile curved Ethan’s lips. “She’s perfect, man. Don’t know how I got so lucky.”
Over a decade ago, Ethan had lost Maggie, but since getting her back, he was a new man.
“Good. You deserve to be happy.” Connor was just rising when the SAR phone rang.
“Search and Rescue, this is Ethan. Go ahead.” There was a pause before he spoke again. “Can you send your location or describe where you are?” Another pause. “Thanks. I’ll send a guy out.”
“Someone need help?”
Ethan set the phone down. “Yeah, he was following the GPS map on his phone, but the trail isn’t there anymore and he can’t find his way out.”
“I’ll go.”
“You sure? Ryan and Zac are already out there. I can—”
“No. I need something to keep me busy.”
“Okay.” Ethan hit something on his phone. “I just sent you the area.”
“Thanks.” He moved down the hall and put his stuff into a locker before grabbing a pack. It held most of the essentials. First aid. Sat phone. Flashlight. GPS.
The second he stepped into the forest, he breathed in a lungful of air. He could already hear the river, and damn, he needed that right now.
He moved through the mountains at a steady jog. The guy wasn’t far, so it wouldn’t take long to get to him.
A lot of people made the mistake of thinking that with modern technology, they couldn’t get lost in woods like these. That wasn’t the case. If anything, phones gave the illusion of safety, which only made people take more risks. Go off trail. Stay out for longer than they should.
GPS on a phone didn’t guarantee safe passage out of a forest, particularly if the person wasn’t trained or familiar with the environment.
Three more minutes and a man came into view. Tall. Black hair. He looked to be early thirties and wore shorts and a T-shirt. He had a string of tattoos down his neck.
“Alex?”
The guy looked up from where he sat against a tree. “Hey. You’re SAR?”
“Yeah, Connor. I heard you need help getting out of here.”
The guy laughed. “I do. Afraid I got a bit cocky and went further than I should have.”
“You wouldn’t be the first. Where’d you park?”
The guy scratched his head. “Uh…Outer Banks trailhead parking lot?”
“Come on. I’ll lead the way.” He started walking. “You from out of town?”
“Kind of. I haven’t been back for a while.”
“What has you visiting?”
“An old friend.” Alex shot a glance around the forest. “You out here a lot?”
“I have to be. This job keeps me busy.”
Alex kept pace with him as they returned to a trail that would take them to the proper trailhead. “You must see people at their worst.”
“This is nothing compared to what I used to see.”
“Firefighter? Wait, no, cop. Those guys have a tough slog.”
“I was military.”
“Oh. Explains the look.”
Connor frowned at him. “Look?”
“Alert. Controlled. Calm under pressure.”
“You can tell all that from one minute in my company?”
Alex lifted a shoulder. “I’m good at reading people.”
“What do you do?”
“I’m a business owner.”
Which told Connor all of nothing.
“You like it here?” Alex asked.
“I like my job. I like the people here. Why, you thinking of moving here?”
Another laugh. “Don’t think so, but hell, I could be convinced.”
“This town has a way of pulling people in.”
“You said you like the people. You mean your team?”
“Amongst others.”
“They also former military?”
He shot the guy a look. “Why do you ask?”
“Just taking an interest.”
There was something about the guy that wasn’t sitting well with Connor. His answers to questions were too vague, and there was almost something that felt…dishonest about him. Maybe it was his eyes. They were too assessing. “Yeah. They are.”
“That’s a pretty elite SAR team.”
“It’s new.”
“Huh.”
When they reached the parking lot, Connor stopped at a black Jeep Compass, the only car in the lot. “Guess this is you?”
“Yeah, thanks. Before you go, anywhere good to hang out around town? Any good activities or events? It’s been a while since I’ve been here. A lot has changed.”
There were a few events that Raven was organizing, but no part of him wanted this guy anywhere near her. Though he still wasn’t sure why. “Just good pancakes at The Pancake Bar.” He didn’t even want to send this guy to Bloom, because Polly was there.
Alex nodded. “I’ll check it out. Thanks for your help, man.” He held out a hand.
Connor shook it, noticing the shake was a bit firmer than necessary. He waited until the guy pulled away, and as he did, he took note of the license plate just in case he ran into him again.
When he hit the trail, his phone vibrated with a text.
Joel: Just saw something in town.
Zac: Bigfoot?
Ryan: Ward in a tutu?
Ethan: Maureen giving Anika a reading about the end of her dysfunctional relationship with Mark?
Zac: I thought they broke up.
Ethan: They always break up.
Joel: No. Ferris and Gerome were fighting about something outside the grocery store. Ward drove by and pulled over. Then Ward and Ferris started arguing about Ferris having a go at Gerome.
Connor: Jesus. You find out what the fight between Ferris and Gerome was about?
Joel: Nope. They all definitely made spectacles of themselves though.
Ethan: Shit. Guys, I was reviewing the security footage here at base and I found something.
Something else?
Ryan: Did that creep in black return?
Ethan: Yes. And put up his own cameras.