Chapter 15
Gray
I’m a little worried about Gerdie. I don’t like her alone since she’s just up the mountain from the Stumps. Beck offers to take her and Russet home with him and calls Micha who says to give him forty-five minutes, and he’ll come do the night watch here at the cabin.
Next, we call the hospital. The nurse explains that Joey is sleeping peacefully and they don’t want to wake him.
After Tawny provides identity information, they explain that he has a couple cracked ribs, a concussion and some blunt force trauma to his kidneys.
He’s receiving treatment and the doctor can be reached tomorrow for more details.
Prognoses is good for a full recovery. She also confirms he’s in a private room with a guard and promises to tell him his sister tried to call.
Micha shows up with his gallon thermos of coffee—just the way he likes it made—and disappears into the woods on his night rounds.
Beck and Gerdie take off with Russet, promising to be back after they take care of her chickens in the morning.
We’ll definitely need to enlarge the cabin.
Tawny is fading fast, which I expected with all the shocks today. While she takes her shower, I step outside to talk with Micha, who is really the senior officer, but prefers the seclusion of his piece of the mountain. He won’t hesitate to voice his opinion but doesn’t interfere.
“What do you think?”
“From what you tell me and the research I’ve done, they’re sloppy.
How they’ve gotten away with some of the shit they pulled is unbelievable.
Although they have had the current chief of police in their pocket the last few years since your Pops passed.
The women they’ve harmed are a damn shame.
In some ways your mom got off the easiest.
“They don’t know the network you have. Since they’re bullies, they’ll think they can bluster their way through. Threaten you and you’ll cave. You’ve already shut that down.
“Lust is always the unknown. Something about your girl held them back for a as long as they did. Probably a mix of her own intelligence and the fear if they did rape her, someone would believe her. At eighteen they’d be more likely to get away with a lie.
“You’ve done everything right as far as I can tell. Now that you have her brother safely hidden away, once they attack, you’ve got a good chance of sending them all away for good.
“The mountain is resting quietly tonight. I’ll wake you if she wakes up. My guess is we got about twenty-four hours. Get some rest.”
“Thanks.”
He nods.
Tawny is at the kitchen counter in her new robe. She glances up, pouring something in a mug. “Would you like some herbal tea?”
“I’m fine. I’m going to take a quick shower.
” When I come out, she’s fast asleep in the bed.
I smile. As much as I want her, snuggling with her is just as appealing.
Slipping my weapon into the hiding place in the headboard, I crawl in under the blanket behind her, spooning her body.
This is enough. Touching her, cradling her against me, inhaling her unique scent, gives me a quiet comfort that’s been missing my whole life. It’s like coming home.
Something shifts and I’m wide awake. Tawny’s whisper flows across my skin. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you. I just wanted to get closer.”
I’m on my back, her head is on my chest, her body pressed against my side. “Hmm, still not close enough.”
I shift her until she’s on top of me. “That’s better. Now I can hug all of you.”
She leans up, her forearms on my chest, and studies my face in the moonlight. “I love you, Gray Thorne. I didn’t think I’d ever be able to say that to a man. When I realized that I can and do trust you completely, it released something that said it was okay to love you.”
Swallowing the knot in my throat, I brush a stray strand of hair from her cheek. “You can always trust me. I’ll never lie to you or cheat on you. You are my forever, Tawny. Only you.”
“Make me your wife.”
“I don’t think we should. I want you to have more time. To feel comfortable with me.”
“I know how I feel. I know I trust you. I know I love you, Gray. I don’t want more time.”
“You are absolutely sure?” She nods. “If you change your mind at any time, You’ll tell me to stop.”
She nods.
“Let me get a condom.”
“No. We should be safe. My cycle just ended. I want my first time to be natural. But... do you want kids someday?”
“With you, I want it all. A home. A family. All the love we can share. You’re my one. My only one.”
“I... I wondered if I’d ever find love,” she tries to explain.
“I wondered if I’d recognize love. When you never know something it’s hard to believe it exists.
Then I realized the difference between my feelings for Joey and the others.
With him caring was reciprocated. He did things to protect me, and I did the same for him.
We could laugh and just be together and it felt right. Calm.
“With you it’s like that but more. I want to be near you all the time. I look for you and when you’re near, I feel your presence. Not just in a safe way but in a companionable way. In a—you fit kind of way. Does that make sense?”
“It does, kitten. It’s a bond that grows day by day. I don’t know where you start and I end anymore. That makes me feel complete.”
“Yes.”
“This is love, Tawny. I will always love you.”
“Make love to me, Gray. Show me.”
“Help me take your gown off.”
She sits up straddling my thighs and pulls the gown over her head, tossing it aside. I sit up and send my T-shirt after her gown.
Sliding my palms along her side, I lean in to capture her lips with mine. Warm. Soft. Eager. Enchanting. Everything I could hope for. Our kiss is sweet and tender, until it isn’t. Until it becomes needy, hungry and as necessary as air.
I love how she feels against my body. Warm, slight, strong and willing.
Gently, I shift us till we’re both lying on our sides facing each other. Slowly I skim my hand down her side to her knee and back up to graze the side of her breast. “You feel so soft, so perfect. You are so beautiful.”
“I want to see you, Gray. Touch you. Feel you. Please get undressed, too.”
Standing, I push my sweatpants to the floor. I’ve got a few battle scars but nothing too traumatic. No one lives the life of a warrior without a few scars.
“You’re beautiful.”
“Only you would see this old body as beautiful.” My response catches me off guard. I am old. Too old.