10. Harlan
TEN
HARLAN
The cabin’s quiet except for the soft crackle of the dying fire in the main room and Sunny's gentle breathing against my chest. Her naked body’s curled into mine under the heavy quilts, all warm curves and silky skin that still carries the scent of our lovemaking.
Vanilla and wildflowers mixed with sweat and sex.
It fills my lungs every time I breathe in, making my cock twitch even though we’ve already worn each other out twice this afternoon.
I keep one arm wrapped tight around her waist, my rough hand splayed across her soft stomach, feeling the steady rise and fall of her breathing.
She fits against me like she was carved for this spot. My sunshine. My girl.
I’ve never needed anyone the way I need her.
The way she calls me Daddy, soft and sweet and trusting, it unlocks something deep in my chest. I can tell she’s never had that before.
A man who keeps her safe. Who takes care of her.
Who makes her feel wanted and protected. I’ll be that for her. Every damn day.
Her leg’s draped over mine, smooth thigh pressed to my hip.
I can still feel the ghost of how tight she gripped me earlier, how wet and perfect she felt around my cock.
The memory makes heat stir low in my gut again.
I press a slow kiss to the top of her head, inhaling the sweet scent of her hair.
The mountain wind whispers outside, rattling the windows gently, but in here it’s just us. Warm. Safe. Mine.
I’m just starting to drift when a sharp knock echoes through the cabin.
Three firm raps on the front door. My body tenses instantly, instincts from years in the service kicking in.
It’s late. Too late for visitors. I slide out from under Sunny carefully, pulling the quilts higher around her bare shoulders.
She stirs but doesn’t wake fully, murmuring something soft and sleepy.
"Stay here," I whisper, even though she can’t hear me.
I pull on my jeans and a flannel shirt, not bothering with buttons.
I move through the cabin on silent feet, the wooden floorboards creaking faintly under my weight.
The air is cooler away from the bed, carrying the faint smell of woodsmoke from the dying fire.
I reach the door and peer through the side window. Silas stands on the porch, his sheriff's hat dusted with fresh snow, his face serious in the glow of the porch light. Relief mixes with tension in my gut. Silas is one of us. Family. But if he’s here this late, it’s not for a social call.
I open the door. Cold air rushes in, sharp and crisp, biting at my exposed skin. "Silas. What’s up?"
He nods, eyes flicking past me briefly before settling on my face. "Sorry to wake you, Harlan. Got some news that couldn’t wait until morning. Mind if I come in for a minute?"
I step aside, letting him enter. The scent of cold night air and leather from his jacket follows him. He stamps snow off his boots on the mat, the sound loud in the quiet cabin. I close the door behind him, locking it. "Talk."
Silas keeps his voice low. "Someone’s been asking around Timber Creek about a woman matching Sunny's description.
A man. Blond hair, blue eyes, new in town.
Mid thirties. Pushy type. He was at the B&B earlier today asking if anyone had seen her.
Then he spent time at the diner grilling Greta. Offered cash for information."
My jaw clenches so tight it aches. Protective rage boils up hot and fast in my chest. I picture Sunny's face when she told me about Derek.
The fear in her eyes. The bruises she did not have to show me for me to know they existed.
This is him. I know it in my bones. And the thought of him getting anywhere near her makes me want to ride down the mountain right now and end it.
"Description fits her ex," I say, voice low and rough. "Derek. Abusive piece of shit who has been hunting her."
Silas nods, his face grim. "I figured as much. I’m looking into it. Got eyes on the B&B and the diner. He’s staying somewhere in town but I’ll find out where. In the meantime, keep her close. Haven 7 is secure but we need to stay alert."
I grip the back of a chair, knuckles white. The need to protect her surges through me like a storm. She’s mine. No one touches what’s mine. "He comes anywhere near this mountain, he doesn’t leave it breathing."
Silas gives me a knowing look. "Understood. I’ll keep you updated. Call if anything feels off."
He turns to leave just as soft footsteps sound from the bedroom.
Sunny appears in the doorway, wrapped in one of my flannel shirts that hangs to her thighs, her golden hair tousled from sleep.
Her blue eyes are wide, still hazy but sharpening fast. The sight of her like this, soft and vulnerable in my shirt, hits me square in the chest. I want to wrap her up and never let the world touch her.
"Harlan? What’s going on?" she asks, voice small but trying for that quirky brightness she always carries.
Silas tips his hat to her. "Ma'am. Sorry for the late visit. I’ll let Harlan fill you in." He slips out the door, closing it quietly behind him. The latch clicks and the cold air lingers for a moment before the cabin warms again.
Sunny steps closer, arms wrapped around herself. The firelight dances across her bare legs, highlighting the smooth skin I had my mouth on just hours ago. I pull her into my arms immediately. She melts against me, her face pressing into my chest, her breath warm through my open flannel.
"Tell me," she whispers.
I stroke her back, feeling the delicate line of her spine under the soft fabric. "Silas says a man has been asking around town about you. Blond hair. Blue eyes. Been at the B&B and talking to Greta at the diner. Offering money for information."
She stiffens in my arms, her fingers clutching my shirt tighter. "Derek. It sounds like Derek. Oh god, Harlan. He found me. He always finds me. The B&B... the diner... he’s getting closer."
Her voice cracks on the last words and it tears at something deep inside me.
I scoop her up, carrying her to the couch by the fire.
The leather is cool under us as I settle her in my lap, her legs straddling my thighs.
I wrap my arms around her completely, one hand cradling the back of her head, the other rubbing slow circles on her lower back.
She’s trembling slightly, her breath shaky against my neck.
"Shh, sunshine. Breathe for me," I murmur, my voice low and steady even though fury is raging through my veins. I can smell her fear mixed with the lingering scent of our earlier sex on her skin. It makes my protective instincts flare hotter. "He won’t get to you. Not here. Not ever again."
She pulls back enough to look at me, her big blue eyes shiny with unshed tears. "You don’t know him. He’s mean. Persistent. He won’t stop until he drags me back or... or worse."
I cup her face with both hands, my thumbs brushing away the tears that escape. Her skin’s soft and warm under my rough palms. "Look at me, Sunny. I do know men like him. I spent years dealing with worse in the service. He comes here, he meets me. And I promise you, he won’t like what happens."
Her hands slide up my chest, fingers curling into the open flannel.
The touch sends heat through me despite the situation.
Even scared, she fits perfectly against me.
The chemistry between us simmers underneath everything, charged and ready to ignite.
I lean in and kiss her forehead, then her cheeks, tasting the salt of her tears.
"Daddy," she whispers, the word breaking something open in me. "I’ve never had anyone keep me safe like this. Not really. It feels too good to be true."
"It’s true," I growl softly, pulling her closer so her chest presses against mine. I can feel her heartbeat racing. "You’re mine now. This mountain is yours. Haven 7 is yours. I’m yours. No one takes that away."
I kiss her then, slow and deep, pouring every ounce of my need and promise into it.
She tastes like sleep and sweetness and trust. Her lips part for me, soft and yielding, and I slide my tongue against hers, claiming her mouth the way I want to claim every part of her.
My hands slide down her back to grip her ass under the flannel shirt, pulling her tighter against my growing hardness.
Even now, with danger knocking, I want her.
Need her. The feel of her warm bare skin under my palms grounds me.
She moans softly into the kiss, rocking against me instinctively. The friction of her bare pussy against the rough denim of my jeans makes me groan. "That’s it, sunshine. Let Daddy feel you. You’re safe right here."
We stay like that for a long time, kissing and touching, my hands roaming her body under the shirt while I whisper promises against her lips.
I tell her how I’ll keep watch. How the men at Haven 7 will help patrol.
How I will teach her to shoot if she wants.
How no one will ever hurt her again. Her fear slowly melts into something warmer, trust and need mixing together.
Eventually I carry her back to bed, stripping off my clothes and pulling her naked body against mine under the quilts.
The sheets are still warm from earlier. I hold her close, one leg thrown over hers, my cock nestled against her soft stomach.
Not for sex this time, just for the comfort of skin on skin.
"Tell me more about him," I say quietly, my fingers tracing patterns on her hip. "Everything. So I know what we’re dealing with."
She talks for a while, her voice soft in the dark.
I listen to every detail, committing it to memory.
The way Derek controlled her. The yelling.
The times he found her. Each story makes my blood burn hotter, but I stay calm for her, stroking her hair and kissing her temple.
Sensory details ground me. The silk of her hair between my fingers.
The warmth of her breath on my chest. The faint scent of berries still on her lips from breakfast.
When she finally falls quiet, I tilt her chin up and kiss her again. Deeper this time. Hungrier. "You are staying right here with me. Forever if you want it. I’ll make sure of it."
She smiles against my mouth, that quirky sunshine peeking through even in the dark. "I want it, Daddy. I want all of it. The horses. The family dinners. You. Every grumpy protective inch of you."
We make love slowly after that, my body covering hers, moving deep and steady.
I whisper dirty praises in her ear the whole time.
How perfect her pussy feels. How she’s such a good girl for Daddy.
How I’m going to fill her every night so she never doubts she belongs here.
She comes twice, clinging to me and calling me Daddy in that sweet broken voice that undoes me completely.
When I finally spill inside her, marking her as mine, the release washes away some of the rage, leaving only fierce determination.
Afterward I hold her as she drifts toward sleep, my arms locked around her like a shield. The cabin is quiet again. The wind has died down outside. I listen to every creak and whisper, my senses alert even as my body relaxes around hers.
Everything will be okay. I’ll make it so. Derek can ask all the questions he wants in Timber Creek. He can poke around the B&B and the diner. But the second he steps one foot toward Wedding Cake Mountain, toward my woman, he’ll learn what real fear feels like.
Sunny sighs happily in her sleep, nuzzling closer. I press one last kiss to her hair and close my eyes, but sleep comes slow. My mind runs through plans. Extra patrols. Talking to the other men at Haven 7. Making sure Sunny stays within sight until this is handled.
She’s my sunshine. My future. And I’ll burn down anything that tries to take her away from me.
The night stretches on, the fire popping softly in the other room, and I hold her tighter, feeling her heartbeat sync with mine. This is only the beginning of us. And no ex is going to ruin it.