Chapter 16 #2
The MacKenna brothers talked and laughed easily as Lily and Rush took turns washing up in the bathroom, their conversation a mix of teasing and catching up.
Lily listened quietly, piecing together details about their relationship while she stuffed her ruined wedding dress in a garbage bag.
The comfortable way Rush interacted with them and the funny stories they shared about Rush spending time at their lodge made her chest tighten with the realization of all the things she didn’t know about him.
She had memorized the rough scrape of his beard against her skin and the deep groan he made when she took him into her mouth.
But there was so much more to Sheriff Callahan than she would ever have a chance to learn.
She felt awkward and out of place and faintly sad, but she kept her emotions locked down. There would be time later when she got home to process all that had happened. In the meantime, she tidied the cabin, erasing all traces of her stay there.
When it was time to go, Lily put on an extra coat Connor handed her and the old boots she’d found.
She followed the men out on the porch, but Rush stayed back.
She hesitated at the bottom of the steps, glancing back to find Rush standing at the door, his hands braced on the doorframe and his eyes unreadable.
Riggs sat at attention next to him. Clearly, they were both ready to reclaim their cabin.
She offered them her sunniest smile and lifted a hand to wave. “Bye, guys. Thanks again for…” She paused, feeling warmth flooding her face. Ride my face, darlin’. “Well, everything,” she finished lamely.
“Be safe getting home,” he said quietly.
That was it. No kiss. No touch. Just a clipped nod as a goodbye. Don’t you dare cry. Rush had made it more than clear what he could offer. She let her hand drop back to her side, swallowing against the strange lump in her throat.
Outside, the air bit sharply at Lily’s cheeks, crisp and cold now that the storm had passed. Sunlight sparkled across the snow, casting the little cabin in a golden glow that felt peaceful and calm, as if it hadn’t just been the scene of the most transformative weekend of her life.
Life-altering. Heart-shifting. And now over.
She kept her eyes forward as she trudged through the snow, refusing to look back.
Onward.
She concentrated on her breath. Cold air in, warm air out, and the strange, humming awareness still alive in her chest.
Gage helped her onto the snowmobile, handing her a helmet, but before she could lift it, familiar strong hands suddenly took it away. Warm fingers closed around her arms, lifting her off the machine and spinning her around until she collided with a familiar, solid chest.
And then Rush’s mouth was on hers in a sweet, hot, unapologetically possessive kiss.
He didn’t seem to care that they had an audience.
His tongue swept against hers, rough and demanding entrance even as she parted her lips eagerly, like he was trying to brand her while she clung to him.
He tasted like mint toothpaste and hot, urgent male, and she clung to him, knowing that this kiss would wreck her all over again. And not caring.
Rush growled and slid a hand down to her bottom, hauling her against him while the other hand slid into her hair and tugged her head back, seeking a deeper angle.
She clutched his broad shoulders and forgot about the men watching and what lay ahead for her and sank herself into the shockingly raw intensity of his kiss.
And then it was over. Lily felt herself being set back on her feet just as quickly as she’d been swept off them. Her knees were weak, her head spinning, and he was already backing away.
He hesitated, the muscle in his jaw flexing, and tilted her chin up toward him. “If you need anything,” he said gruffly, “you call me at the sheriff’s office. Got it?”
She nodded, her throat too tight to speak.
“‘Bye, angel,” he murmured. He slapped the back of the machine and turned, whistling to Riggs.
Dazed, Lily got back on the snowmobile, and Gage settled in behind her. “You okay?” he asked, handing her the helmet again.
She didn’t answer right away, still breathless and feeling the imprint of Rush’s mouth on hers. But as the cold air stung her cheeks, she drew in a deep breath, filling her lungs with the scent of pine and snow. And with it came something unexpected… a sense of peace.
I am a still lake.
The words settled inside her. Steady and true this time.
She turned back, meeting Gage’s eyes—deep and watchful, the kind that hinted at a story of his own—and smiled. “Let’s take this thing for a ride.”
He revved the engine, the deep growl vibrating beneath her, and a jolt of excitement ran through her. Not just from the ride, but from the choice she was making.
She wasn’t running away anymore.
Maybe whatever had ignited between her and Rush had ended before it had a chance to become something more. Maybe she’d leave the mountain with nothing more than memories that might fade with time.
But she was different.
She tightened her grip, feeling the sharp sting of the wind against her face, and inhaled deeply, feeling more alive than she ever had before.
And for the first time in a long time, she was ready to face whatever awaited her at the bottom of the mountain.