Chapter 7
7
R eeves pulled up to the house Stormy had rented. At least it was in a pleasant area and not the sketchy area across town. What he wanted to know was why she wasn’t staying at the ranch. He knew the answer. Him. He was the reason. He’d blew her off at every turn after Whiskey had been kidnapped. He’d been a wreck after Whiskey was taken, too deep in his own trauma to see how much damage he was doing to the people closest to him. He’d pulled away from everyone, especially Stormy.
Some nights he woke from nightmares drenched in sweat. It was always the same one. A moment in time that haunted him. A sudden chill ran through him as he thought of the nightmares.
He could still see Monroe on the ground rocking back and forth as he whispered to a naked, beaten Whiskey to hang on. It was in that moment something in Monroe broke. Reeves knew it but never spoke about it. None of them did. Now, because he had been an asshole, Stormy was dealing with some psycho ex.
Staring at the house for a moment, he took in the neat lawn, the white shutters, the way it stood out. It wasn’t exactly the kind of place he’d expect her to pick. The place she’d rented seemed to be warm and inviting. He’d been in some that were nice but were in terrible neighborhoods. This one wasn’t one of those. It was nice to see the derelict neighborhoods being given an uplift from people buying up the properties and fixing them up. It would go a long way if the city would put money and effort into the area. It could give the areas the facelift they needed. Problem with that was the people in charge, they didn’t want to spend money that could line their pockets. And people called the Salvadors unscrupulous. Assholes.
Reeves didn’t want to drag things out. He’d come to make sure Stormy came to Devil’s Perch for the remainder of her stay. With a curse under his breath, he opened the car door and stepped out, the Texas heat slapped at his skin. He didn’t know what he was going to say when he saw her, but he couldn’t avoid her. Not anymore. Not when she was back in Texas Creek and had a stalker. Not when every day without her felt like another day of him drowning in regret.
Glancing at the black SUV that pulled in behind him, Reeves walked over to speak with the two bodyguards he’d called to meet him at the house. “Gentlemen, I won’t be long. Make sure there isn’t anyone lingering around. Miss Knight has an unwanted admirer.”
Both men nodded as they got out of the SUV. “We’ll make sure the area is clear, Mr. Salvador.”
“If there’s a problem, let me know.” Leaving the two bodyguards to do their jobs, Reeves walked to the door. Knocking, he wasn’t shocked at how quickly Stormy answered the door.
What rocked him was Stormy throwing herself into his arms. She pressed her face into his chest as her hands twisted in his jacket. He could feel her shaking as soft sobs escaped. Rubbing a hand over her back, he hated how scared she was. “It’s going to be okay, sweetheart. I’m here.”
“Thank you for coming to get me.”
“Let’s get you packed so we can get going.”
Stormy was embarrassed by her need to be in his arms. Seeing two men walking towards them, she backed up. “We have company,” her voice shook as she pointed to the men. The two men were approaching quickly, their heavy boots eating up the stone path. Stormy’s heart raced as she tightened her grip, her eyes flicked nervously from the men approaching to the man standing beside her.
“Stormy,” he said softly, his voice a low murmur meant only for her. “Don’t worry. They’re not a threat.” Reeves kept an arm wrapped around her keeping her tucked into his side. “Sorry, you might not remember Marco and Dale. I wanted the boys to take a look around.”
“If it’s their job to keep you safe, then they should,” she said, watching as the bodyguards headed around the house.
“Oh, they aren’t here for me, sweetheart. They’re here for you.” He watched as one of the men came back to the front of the house. “All clear, sir.”
Reeves watched as Stormy turned and walked into the house. He rubbed a tattooed hand over his facial stubble, watching her long legs as she walked into the house. She left the door open for him to follow her inside. When she looked back over her shoulders, her eyes met his. He saw the desire in them and wanted to feel the emotion again. With her. Be a gentleman, he reminded himself.
He knew the shape of her well. He’d spent the last two years trying to forget her touch. The sounds of her moans. The smell of her skin, and what her body felt like as his hands roamed over it. Not another woman he’d bedded since her had slacked his lust. Not one had satisfied him like Stormy Knight had. Now, she was standing feet from him. All he had to do was reach out and pull her to him. Would she be annoyed or excited?
He needed to focus on the task at hand, but it was hard when everything about her seemed to pull his attention. The way her heels clicked sharply on the floor, each step deliberate, each movement graceful. There was something almost hypnotic about it.
Stormy didn’t seem to notice the effect she was having on him. Or maybe she just didn’t care. She was too absorbed in her own thoughts. The light from the tall windows bathed her in a soft glow, the sweater contrasting against her smooth skin. He tried not to stare, but his gaze kept drifting back to her.
It wasn’t just her curves. It was the way she carried herself, the way she moved through the space with ease. Her beauty wasn’t just in her body, but in the way she made everything seem effortless. Still, his inner voice was louder than ever, reminding him to keep his distance, to remember boundaries. That he was there to help her, not to bed her. Exhaling, Reeves cleared his thoughts. Whatever was happening was more important than the nostalgic feelings he was experiencing.
He watched as she turned to face him as he stood in the middle of the living room. Reeves saw her eyes rake over him. Reeves knew what she saw, a tall, well-built man. One that was intimidating and protective of what belonged to him. The big question he was sure she was asking herself was did she belong to him? If she asked it, he would tell her yes. Yes, she belonged to him, she always had. There was no denying he wanted her.
The smoldering look he gave her should tell her what he was feeling. “Show me what has you so scared.”
Stormy didn’t want to go back into the bedroom. “It’s in the bedroom.” When she went to walk past him, she gave him a long look. He was a man women like her dreamed about. Tall, imposing, well defined, protective male, all rolled up in an intimidatingpackage. She saw the smoldering look that stared back at her. It made her feel as if he was stripping her bare. It had her stomach doing flip-flops. “It won’t take me long to pack my things.”
The feeling of wanting to keep her safe had Reeves straightening his shoulders. Knowing she was alone and caught up in a situation she hadn’t asked for made the protective side of him flare to life. “I don’t know why Whiskey thinks I need to stay at the ranch. I can stay at a hotel.”
“You can’t stay in town,” Reeves replied. “This town is a network of information. The right amount of money and you can find anyone, get anything.” “I don’t know how Paul knew I was here.”
Knowing how Whiskey posted on her social media accounts, he would bet Stormy did the same thing. It was business until they posted something personal, which was what stalkers and psychos waited and watched for. “All he had to do was wait until you made a post about somewhere you’ve eaten or had coffee. And look it up.” He watched her eyes go wide and knew she’d done just that.
“Just shove everything in the suitcases and we can get going.”
Stormy had a feeling of dread twisting in her gut. If Paul had been watching her post, he could have tracked her down. Hell, he could be watching and would follow her to the ranch.
Reeves stared at Stormy as they walked into the bedroom. When he stopped short, she stumbled, bumping into him. Wrapping a firm hand around her arm, he steadied her. He saw her eyes locked on the open closet.
Staring into the closet, he froze, eyes locked on the life-size cutout of Stormy hanging in front of him. It was almost eerily lifelike, with her smile captured in that perfect, almost too perfect, pose. But as his gaze moved down the cardboard figure, to the spot where the throat of the image was slashed, the faint sound of dripping reached his ears, soft at first, like water slowly falling onto a surface. He glanced up at the cutout again, and that’s when he saw it. Red paint dripping from the cutout, slick and bright, cascading down her figure like a slow-moving, gory waterfall. The red liquid pooled at the bottom, darkening as it spread across the floor.
He didn’t like what he saw. Whoever her ex was, the guy was unhinged. Reaching in he grabbed her hanging bag and closed the closet. He’d have the place cleaned after he had her back at the ranch. Looking around, he picked up the suitcase that sat in the corner placing it on the bed.
Turning back to face her, the fear showed in her dark chocolate-colored eyes. He wasn’t good at taking away fear. He knew the town well enough to know if enough money was waved around information could be obtained. Picking up a pair of jeans from the bed he folded them, then placed the jeans into her suitcase.
He stepped into her space, toe to toe, and peered down. His hand cupped her cheek, tilting her head up where her eyes met his. “I intend to keep you close to me at the ranch.”
His smile seemed dangerous, but she wanted to know that danger. Her mouth suddenly dry, she licked her lips. She felt his thumb follow her tongue as it passed over her bottom lip. Stormy leaned in wanting to know his kiss again. When his lips pressed firmly against hers, she dropped the clothes and reached for him.
Reeves kissed her softly, which quickly turned into much, much more. A much rougher kiss. One he didn’t want to end. Breaking the kiss, he nibbled his way down her throat, peppering her collarbone with tender kisses. He nuzzled into her neck, breathing her scent in.
Moving back he saw her eyes blink a few times, smirking, he leaned over and kissed her quick before retrieving her shoes and clothes from the floor. “Let’s finish packing so we can get going.”
Reeves looked around checking for anything they’d missed. Once he was sure they had gotten everything, he closed the suitcase and pulled it off the bed. “Ready?”
Stormy nodded, more than ready to get out of there. “Ready.”