CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO #2
If the world weren’t like this, I’d take her to a ballet, get her on a rollercoaster just to hear her scream and laugh, and bring her to a fancy restaurant to order every damn chocolate dessert they had, just to watch her smile.
I take her hand gently, pressing my mouth to her fingertips. “Sarah…”
Her lips part in her sleep, and she murmurs, “James…” without even opening her eyes.
I can’t help but smile.
“Do you wanna wake up?” I ask, kissing her fingers again.
She shifts closer to me. “Is dinner ready yet?”
“Nope.”
Her eyes flutter open to glare at me. “Outsider, do you know how dangerous it is to wake me up before food is ready?”
I chuckle.
“Fine, I’ll cook something and bring it to you here.” I stand up and adjust her blanket, my fingers lingering a little longer than they need to. “Don’t you dare get out of this bed, or I swear, I’ll tie you up myself.”
She props herself up on her elbows, lips curling into that sly smile that drives me insane.
“You should know, your threats are fucking hot. If you tie me up, I won’t even resist.”
I go still. Her words go straight to my cock.
God, forget dinner. I’d rather devour her right here and now, make her scream my name until she’s hoarse.
“You’re not gonna resist, huh, little danger?” My voice drops to a low growl, thick with hunger.
She shakes her head slowly, her eyes locked on mine. I bite down hard on my bottom lip, the sting grounding me for a split second. And then I catch her gaze drifting lower, landing on the bulge straining against my jeans.
But she needs rest, and that ankle’s not going to heal itself.
“You’d better rest,” I murmur, sliding my hand under the blanket to her thigh, gripping just hard enough to make her gasp. “Because the second that ankle heals, you’re mine, baby. I’ll spread those legs and tie you up exactly the way I want.”
Her breath catches, and that wide-eyed look gives her away. She’s excited, even if she’s trying hard to hide it. She wants this, and she knows I’ll give her exactly what she’s begging for.
My body protests with every step I take away from her. And when I finally pull the bedroom door closed behind me, my mind’s still stuck on her, laid out on that bed, waiting for me.
I head downstairs, the house completely quiet. It stays that way until I reach the kitchen. That’s when the door leading out to the lake swings open, and three very suspicious-looking people walk in.
First is Lorelai, wrapped in nothing but a bath towel, clutching it like her life depended on it, and making it painfully obvious there’s nothing else under there. Ryan comes in after her, shirtless, his hair a mess. And last, Michael, the guiltiest of them all. His belt isn’t even buckled.
I clear my throat loudly, and all three of them practically jump out of their skin.
“Oh! Hi, James,” Lorelai says, her tone higher than usual. “Uh, how’s Sarah?”
“She’s fine. Resting.”
“Great. I’m just gonna go change, then I’ll help you with dinner.”
She practically bolts for the stairs. I don’t even bother stating the obvious. She’s not changing anything; she just needs to put clothes on.
Ryan scratches the back of his neck, avoiding my eyes. “I’ll, uh, light the fireplace in the living room.” Then he vanishes as quickly as Lorelai.
It’s strange—too strange—until my eyes land on Michael.
Oh, for God’s sake. It’s written all over his damn face!
I stare at him for half a second too long.
No. Freaking. Way.
“Don’t tell me… you actually went and fucked her, didn’t you?” I glance toward the living room. “And what—Ryan likes to watch?”
That’s what Lorelai said in the cave. I thought she was kidding.
I shake my head and hold up a hand, as if that’ll stop the mental image from forming. “No, no. Don’t say anything. I don’t even want to know.”
But his stupid grin gives him away anyway.
“Lorelai is wild,” he says, sitting down at the kitchen island like we’re just talking about the weather.
I groan, burying my face in my hands. Of all the things I don’t need to know, this tops the list.
“You know,” I say, grabbing a spoon from the drawer and pointing it at him, “it seriously worries me that the sanest person in this house is Sarah.”
He just laughs. Then his tone shifts to something more serious. “Speaking of her, what do you want to do now?”
I run a hand through my hair, the weight of everything hitting me at once.
“Shit, I don’t know. I mean, Brandon’s group ambush at the old library, almost drowning in the river, Aaron’s gang cornering us in the pharmacy, Axel and his men in the parking lot, and now the twisted ankle? Too much has gone wrong.”
Michael’s shoulders tense, like he already knows what I’m about to say. “You don’t want to go north anymore, do you?”
“Michael, they’re looking for me. I always knew any fight with those gangs would make me a target. Outsiders accept the risk. It’s part of the fight. But now? If they catch me, she’s the one who’ll pay for what I did. Axel made that clear.”
Michael nods. “So, what’s the plan? Stay at the lake house?”
“Yes.” I hold his gaze. “It’s the most hidden spot we’ve found since the cabin.”
“Agreed,” he says quickly, almost too fast, like he’s been hoping I’d say that.
I glance around the kitchen, the silence presses in.
“But Michael, we need to turn this place into a fortress. It’s hidden, but it won’t stay safe unless we make it that way.”
He nods again, and for a moment, I think we’re actually on the same page, until that stupid grin of his comes back, the one that means his brain’s taken a detour.
“So, as I was saying, Lorelai is fucking hot!”