Chapter 45 Jagg
JAGG
The last of the sun’s rays scorched the sky in orange and crimson as I rolled to a stop behind Sunny’s truck.
I stared at the bungalow.
One minute passed. Maybe more.
The bushes and trees swayed in the evening breeze, and I noticed that on the vines coiled around the porch railings, bright purple flowers had bloomed overnight—like her presence had coaxed the world into something softer, more beautiful.
Fireflies blinked around the forsythias, their golden flickers dancing in rhythm with the cicadas' unrelenting song, a shrill chorus echoing into the deepening shadows of the woods.
Max launched from the Jeep the second I parked, his tail wagging as he disappeared into the pines.
Me? I couldn’t move.
One part of me wanted to throw the Jeep in reverse, crawl back to my hole of an apartment, and drown myself in case files. Forget Sunny. Forget the past few days. Forget the way she looked at me under moonlight.
But the other part—the louder, more dangerous part—wanted to vanish. Pack a bag, find some coastal town, and rot on a beach until time came to collect its debts. No more lies. No more pain. No more chasing ghosts.
I stared at the sliver of a window peeking through the bushes. The bungalow was dark. Was she in there, watching me?
Did she already know what I was about to do?
Would she hate me afterward?
Of course she would.
But I had to do it.
I pulled the keys from the ignition, my hand trembling just enough for me to notice.
I’d be fine. I’d always been alone. I didn’t belong in anyone’s future, especially not hers.
I didn’t do relationships. I didn’t do “normal.” Whatever this thing was between Sunny and me—it needed to end before it went any deeper.
Hell, I was doing her a favor. She deserved more than a wreck like me.
After Darby’s taillights had faded in the distance, I’d called Ryder.
When I asked him if he could do me another favor, he’d said no problem.
When I told him that favor was to put Sunny up in one of his spare rooms and be her bodyguard until I found Rees, then escort her back home, where I’d never see her again, he’d said, “You sure?”
You sure?
You sure?
With those two little words my mute-brother had sent off a bomb in my heart. Although Ryder’s contact with human civilization was shoddy at best, he’d obviously picked up on something—with me, with her.
Was I sure?
No. I wasn’t.
But I’d already made the call. Asked Ryder to keep Sunny safe. Told him to take her in, watch over her until I found Rees, then escort her back home. Without me.
And now here I was.
I stuffed the keys and my phone into my pocket and climbed out of the Jeep, leaving everything else behind.
Two squirrels scattered across the iron gate. The heat bugs roared. The forest pulsed with tension, humming with the strange energy of a full moon night.
I was bone-tired. In pain. Hungry. Angry. And—hell—nervous.
I pushed open the door.
The bungalow was dark, the sweeping windows glowing with the setting sun. A candle was lit on the fireplace mantel, the bed was made, and Sunny’s bag was tucked neatly in the corner.
But Sunny wasn’t there.
Only her scent lingered—soft, clean, floral.
Like everything about her.
Unmistakable. Unshakable.
And suddenly, I wasn’t sure of anything at all.
I made my way across the room, noting the open bathroom door and glancing into the vacant kitchen.
Knew she wouldn’t be there. I stepped onto the deck, the scent of charred wood catching my attention.
I zeroed in on movement at the end of the pier.
The water was still and dark, except for the reflection of the setting sun across it.
Sunny swam down the middle of the blazing color, smooth strokes of her long, slender arms, a V of waves following behind her body.
Her long hair flowed against shimmering colors of fuchsia.
I watched the waves ripple past her, growing bigger and bigger, until fading into the shoreline.
A perfect metaphor for the ripple effect Sunny had on the world around her. On me.
I slowly walked down the bridgeway to the dock.
I don’t know how long I watched her. I don’t know at what point exactly my thoughts had faded and my pulse had slowed just watching the waves around her.
Truly hypnotic.
She stopped, spun in the water, her hair spreading around a pool of sparkling tangerine light.
A smile caught me as our eyes met and although I could barely make out her face, I knew she smiled too.
She ducked under the water, then bobbed back up and began swimming back. About ten feet from the dock, she dove under again… and was gone. A few seconds passed, a minute. My brows pulled with concern while I forgot all else. My shirt was off and belt halfway undone when I heard a giggle behind me.
I turned and looked over the railing where Sunny lurked along the far side of the dock.
“Gotcha.” A blinding smile cut through the darkening night.
“Another minute and you would have had an entirely new snake to worry about.” I re-buckled my belt as her gaze drifted to my chest.
I pulled on my shirt. “Come on. Get out of there. This place is crawling with cotton mouths. I don’t feel like having to amputate a leg tonight.”
She swam around. “For some reason I don’t think it’d be your first.”
I opened my mouth to respond, but the words died the second Sunny emerged from the water—wearing nothing but one of my long white T-shirts.
Dear God and everything Holy.
She moved in slow motion, water shimmering over her curves, her silhouette framed by the fiery dusk behind her.
Her hair—soaked and wild—clung to her back in dark ribbons, droplets cascading down her shoulders and slipping over the soft swell of her breasts.
The shirt was practically transparent, clinging to every dip, every curve, outlining a pair of perfect, round breasts and the pink nipples that sent a shot of heat through my spine.
Red panties peeked through the thin cotton like a dare—somehow more intoxicating than full nudity.
She flashed me a sheepish grin as she passed, water trailing down her legs, her scent mixing with sun-warmed lake air.
“Sorry,” she said, breathless. “I didn’t pack a suit, and… it’s too damn hot not to swim.”
Hot? Hot? Yeah, the temperature had just tripled in the last five seconds.
Sunny Harper—barefaced, soaking wet, barefoot—was the most beautiful woman I’d ever seen.
She wrapped a towel around her body, tucking it neatly under her arm, hiding every inch I’d just memorized. Somehow, the soft cotton cover made her even sexier. Like a tease. Like a challenge.
Like she knew exactly what she was doing to me.
“I wasn’t sure when you’d be back,” she said, making it clear that her erotic swim hadn’t been intended for my eyes. “How did the rest of your afternoon go?”
“Fine.” I stared down at her exposed, her skin like butter under the orange light. Flawless. Beautiful.
“Saw you brought Max back with you… are you planning on going back out?”
It was the perfect opportunity to tell her, but my mouth simply wouldn’t form the words: Yes, I’m dropping you and Max at my brother’s and never seeing you again.
“You don’t want to talk about anything. Okay.” She cut off my thoughts and smiled. A twinkle of excitement flashed in her eyes. “But are you hungry?”
My gaze shifted to a cooler at the edge of the dock—that I hadn’t even noticed when I’d walked up. Another missed clue for the par.
“What’s this?”
“Dinner.”