by Sadie Hart
Rift’s eyes were hooded as he stared down at her. “I’m not sure I agree.” His thumb played at the back of her neck, massaging. “Not when I see the look on your face right now.”
Sawyer closed her eyes. “I just...I don’t need this right now.”
“This?”
“Us.” Sawyer tried to step back but he held her in place. “You, me, something more than just a woman helping your daughter.”
“You and me? We’re already something more.” He leaned in and brushed his lips over hers before she could protest. Just a light touch, but it was enough to sear every pathway in her mind with the memory of this moment. She knew what he said was true. Knew it and was still going to walk away.
“I have to go have a word with my father.”
And Sawyer pulled away from him and slipped out of the door, even when she longed to turn around and pull him back for a real kiss. The kind of kiss he’d only hinted at.
Fisting her hands at her side, Sawyer strode toward her father’s study, thankful for the excuse. It hadn’t been a lie. She needed to talk to her father. But she needed to call Lennox, too. And she hoped like hell her boss figured out a solution soon, because Sawyer was losing this battle.
Falling in love with Rift was getting easier and easier, and it was the one thing she couldn’t afford to do.
***
Rift leaned his against the wall to keep himself from following. She needed space. Room to breathe. He got that, but damn. Something was making her hold back. And he wanted a chance to figure out what it was; otherwise, he was going to lose her to that little voice inside her head that kept talking her out of them.
Running his hands through his hair, he took a deep breath. Boulder Pride. He’d never thought he’d ever step anywhere in the entire state of Colorado. Damn well had never thought he’d be standing in the middle of the pride. With a grunt he shoved off of the wall and headed into the hall.
He found Kinsey downstairs in the living area, Rona on her lap. A girl her age sat on the couch next to her. “Dude, I would kill for your hair but my dad would totally shit—”
“Grace,” a male voice chided and the girl cringed.
“Sorry, Dad.”
Kinsey caught Rift looking and grinned. Hell. He probably should have lectured her on her swearing. But who was he to talk? Rift shrugged under her stare and Kinsey’s smile just stretched wider.
Then a heavy hand landed on his shoulder and Rift went still. Every muscle in his body suddenly locked for a potential fight.
“We should talk,” the other male said and Rift slowly tilted his head to get a look at the man.
He was as tall as his father, with short black hair, closely cropped to his skull in a military cut. His nose had been broken in multiple places, and there was a scar that ran the line of his left cheek. He looked like a man who’d seen his share of brawls.
But it was the look in his cat-gold eyes that told Rift he’d seen more than a few barroom brawls. “Rift,” he said quietly and extended his hand, offering the other lion a sign of respect. Of trust.
Sawyer’s brother grasped his hand. “Rulon. Door’s that way.”
He tilted his head in the direction of the foyer and Rift could take a hint.
“Rift,” Kinsey called as he stepped for the door and he paused. He saw the worry in her eyes. She’d barely had time to get to know him, but he and Sawyer were all she had right now.
“I’ll be right back.” He winked at her. “Did you feed Rona?”
“Yeah.” She gave Rulon a worried look and the other lion softened.
“We’re just going to have a chat. I’m not out to hurt your father.”
That finally eased the tense worry on her face and Rift felt the anxiety curled in his gut abate. Making his way outside, he let the cool Colorado night air settle the edge of the beast inside him. Despite what Rulon had told Kinsey, most male lion-shifters didn’t simply talk. There were almost always claws involved.
He heard Rulon step out onto the porch, the wood creaking under his weight, and Rift turned to see the other man leaning against the wood railing. Calm, collected. Then again, this was Rulon’s pride. He had five other men at his back.
Rift was just Rift.
“I don’t want any trouble for this pride,” Rulon said and there was no missing the growl in his words. The lion just under the surface.
He looked Rift dead in the eyes, all brutal challenge, but Rift couldn’t bring himself to look away.
Looking away was a weakness he couldn’t afford here. Even if meeting Rulon’s gaze was stupid, probably fatal, cowering wouldn’t help either.
“I don’t either.”
“I don’t want any trouble for my sister, either.”
The muscle in Rift’s jaw flexed. “Sawyer’s a big girl. I think she can take care of herself.”
That made Rulon smile. “Yeah, and she has a way of finding trouble that’s not hers to borrow.”
It was probably true, but if she hadn’t, Kinsey would be dead. Rift glanced at the light shining from the living room window. He wouldn’t have even known he had a daughter. Kinsey never would have existed for him. And that was something he couldn’t even begin to wrap his brain around, even after this short time.
Not that long ago, he’d been fairly content alone.
But now he’d formed his own mini-pride even before he’d realized it. Kinsey, Sawyer, him. And he wasn’t about to let either of them go.
“She saved my daughter’s life. I can’t say I regret the trouble she found this time.” He looked at Rulon. “If it were your daughter’s life, would you blame me?”
Rulon gave him a small smile. “No. But it’s my sister who’s in danger now.” Rulon shook his head and shoved himself away from the rail. “And for the record, Sawyer deserves better than a rogue.”
With that, Rulon turned and disappeared inside, leaving Rift to the cold night air. Alone. But the lion had a point, one that was hammered home no matter where Rift looked. Rulon had a pride, a family, a safe haven. He had people to guard his back and protect what was his. Rift was hiding under that blanket of security, hiding because he couldn’t stand on his own against Cane Creek.
But Rift wouldn’t stand here forever. Rogue or not, lone or not, he wouldn’t let them hurt what was his. And regardless of Rulon’s statement, Sawyer had already wrapped herself around his heart. And whether or not she was ready to admit it, Rift was wrapped around hers.
They were intertwined, and together they’d figure out a way through this.
***
Sawyer collapsed in the chair behind her father’s desk. She hadn’t thought one kiss could mess her up this badly. Rubbing her face, she stared at the picture of her parents sitting at one corner of the polished oak. They grinned up at her. Happy. Together. Part of her knew she could have that. She just had to reach out and take it.
Another part of her couldn’t imagine finding a relationship under all her lies.
What lion-shifter really wanted a Hound for a wife? Especially one who’d been under cover when they met, who’d lied simply to keep her cover intact.
“It doesn’t matter,” she muttered to herself and picked up the phone, flicking past her boss’s missed calls and voicemails. The only thing that mattered was letting Lennox know they were safe and figuring out what to do next.
“Donnelly,” Lennox answered.
“It’s me. Took your advice. Hiding out in Boulder.”
“Mmhmm, before or after the fiasco on the news?”
Sawyer cringed at the question. “Depends on the fiasco.”
“The one where a tan Honda Civic was smashed up in a parking lot, there was blood all over the asphalt, and the car’s registered owner...a Sawyer Grant...is now considered missing.”
“Shit,” she breathed and Lennox gave an answering snort. “I’ll take that as an after. Bad news is I’m pretty sure Cane Creek knows you’re in Colorado. The only good news is they still won’t think to look for you
in Boulder. But you made my job hell for the past 24 hours.”
She opened her mouth to apologize, but Lennox steamrolled on. “However, I did notify Brandt. As the head of the Colorado Shifter Town Enforcement packs, and someone I trust, he knows where you are and is working with me.”
Sawyer remembered Brandt Lawrence from a serial killer case she’d worked back when she reported to Lennox. The killer had targeted Brandt’s sister, Ollie, and he’d come down to lend a hand.
“One of his packs spotted Tavis Slade nosing around the lot where your car had been trashed.”
Sawyer’s heart started to pound. God, they were that close already?
“Brandt had him and one of the other males picked up and questioned. It was a bogus charge and every Hound involved knows it, but they were the only lion shifters in the area. They’ll walk later today because there’s nothing to hold them with, but hopefully it’ll spook them back to Texas.”
“Did they say why they were here?”
“Vacation. Apparently they don’t want anyone else knowing they’re looking for you and Kinsey, either. If they’d reported her missing things could have gotten messy real fast.”
Then again, if they’d reported her missing it might end up suspicious when she wound up dead later. Sawyer closed her eyes, the pulsing throb in her head steadily gaining strength.
“What’s our endgame, Lennox? We—they—can’t stay in Boulder forever. As much as my family loves me, lions don’t appreciate rogue males just waltzing in and hanging around for awhile.”
That drew a laugh from Lennox. “Oh, believe me, I understand. They’d be no more welcome long-term at my house than at your father’s. But I’m still working with the Retrievers. We can put both Rift and Kinsey in witness protection, but they’ve never done anything like this, taking a girl away from her mother and pride without the mother’s knowledge and consent. Kinsey would never be able to see her again. They’re hesitating, trying to figure out the best method to provide them safety, and frankly, so am I.”
That much Sawyer could understand. If STE put Kinsey and Rift into witness protection, they’d disappear, sure—but Kinsey would never know her mother again. Her whole world would be narrowed to a father she had just met and barely knew.
“Well, we’re safe for now,” Sawyer said. “At the very least, it buys us a bit more time.”
Chapter Ten
Rift wandered along the white picket fence that stretched between the houses, gating off a playground for the youngsters. The whole place smelled of lions with a hint of apple pie in the air. He ran his hand over the wood, feeling the rough notches under his skin. Fireflies danced over the grass, blinking in and out as they wavered.
This was exactly what Rulon had meant, and he knew it.
How long would it be before Rift could find away to give Kinsey and Sawyer a place like this?
With a sigh, he headed back for the main house. He spotted Sawyer from across the yard, standing on the porch, her elbows braced against the whitewashed rail. The cool night air played with her shirt, tossing tendrils of her hair into the wind.
Feeling tentative, Rift moved towards her across the night dark grass. He was ten feet from her when Sawyer turned, her long brown hair cascading over her shoulder, catching slivers of moonlight and casting it silver. Beautiful.
Then he caught the edge of sadness in her gaze and frowned. “You okay?”
She forced a smile that let Rift know the answer even before she said it. “I’m fine.”
But she wasn’t, but she also wasn’t going to talk about whatever was bothering her, at least not with him.
Rift shook his head and closed the distance between them, standing in front of her, looking up at Sawyer as she stared down at him from the porch. He caught her hands in his before she could step away. “No you’re not, but that’s okay, too.”
One corner of her mouth kicked up. “Nice to have permission for my feelings.”
Her voice was soft, a half-whisper in the night, and Rift could feel something simmering under the surface. Her thoughts swirled over her face until finally she looked away, tilting her head back up at the moon. Sawyer closed her eyes as the wind stirred gently around them. It seemed to settle whatever troubles warred inside her.
“Walk with me?”
The words came hoarse, husky, and she laughed. The last of whatever ailed her easing away. “Said the big, bad wolf to Little Red Riding Hood.”
Rift grinned up at her. “If you want fairy tales, sweetheart, we can play Rapunzel.”
He reached up and snared a strand of her hair, giving it a gentle tug. Damn, but he wanted to pull her lips down to his and taste her again. Right here, under the night’s embrace, with a star-blanketed sky stretched out above them.
“Or Beauty and the Beast,” she whispered, teasing.
“Doesn’t work. We’re both beasts.”
“There is that.”
Rift ran his hand through her hair. It played like silk through his fingertips. Then he reached up to run his fingers along her cheek. Sawyer leaned into his touch, but the moment her head tilted into his hand the sadness crept back into her eyes. “More like Romeo and Juliet,” she murmured and started to pull away.
Rift caught her chin, frowning. “What, we both die in the end? This isn’t a tragedy, Sawyer.”
“You don’t know that.”
But he did. He wouldn’t let this end badly. He cared too much about her and Kinsey to give them anything but happiness, and he’d do everything in his power to make it so. “You’ll have to trust me on this.”
His thumb played over her cheek and she smiled softly into his touch. Rift took the opening and slid his hand into her hair, cupping the back of her neck gently in his palm, but he didn’t have to draw her down. Sawyer leaned over the rail and let her lips find his. She ghosted a kiss against his mouth. “It’s not you I don’t trust,” she said and once again he knew there was something else she was holding back.
“Sawyer—”
Her eyes shuttered and he could see her start to pull away. It wasn’t worth pushing yet, he didn’t have to know. Not right this second.
“Walk with me,” he repeated.
Sawyer shook her head. “I can’t.”
He remembered their conversation in the bedroom, how strongly she’d seemed to believe that there couldn’t be something between them. Rift brushed his lips softly against hers. “Just because you believe it has to end, doesn’t mean it can’t be good while it lasts.”
“It shouldn’t even be started. What’s the use in lighting a match only to snuff it out later?”
“Because it’s beautiful while it flickers. With warmth, fire—and, as fickle as it is, Sawyer, there’s always the chance that it could catch fuel and blaze into a wildfire.”
“Which only makes it worse when it burns itself out.”
Rift ran a thumb over her cheek and down over her lips. “Some fires don’t die.”
“That’s a lie, Rift. No fire burns forever.”
This time when she pulled away, he let her go. She slipped back through the sliding glass doors and he watched as she disappeared into the house. But she was wrong.
What he felt for her didn’t have to die. He just needed to prove it.
***
Rift was already in bed by the time Sawyer dragged herself out of hiding. The door creaked as she pressed it open and slipped into the darkness. Rift’s quiet, steady breathing reached her ears, and Sawyer felt the tension in her shoulders drain away. Kinsey and Grace were still awake down the hall, chatting away in Grace’s room. The girl needed a friend. Heck, she needed to spend a few days not being sardined in a car with her and Rift.
That alone made up for any reservations Sawyer had had about bringing them here.
Kinsey deserved this.
Even if Sawyer preferred the car. The threat of constant danger on their tails. It had given her an excuse to be stronger. And at the motel rooms, having Kinsey in the next bed had m
ade damn sure that nothing would happen if she climbed under the covers with Rift.
There was no such protection here.
Raking a hand through her hair, Sawyer watched as he slept. One arm was stretched out over her side of the bed, one tucked under his pillow. The covers lay tangled around his hips, revealing the muscled expanse of his back. His skin gleamed in the moonlight coming in through the window. Even asleep Rift radiated power.
Strength.
Sawyer watched him for the longest time, frozen in place.
Finally, out of the darkness, “You coming to bed or not?”
Her heart stuttered in her chest. She swallowed nervously. “Planned on it.”
“Sure you did. That’s why you’ve been standing there staring for the last ten minutes.” Rift rolled to his side, his arm resting on his hip as he looked at her. His sleep-hazed gaze locked on her. With one look, he was calling her bluff.
Sawyer grunted and headed for the bed. She slipped under the covers and scooted in, then felt Rift’s arm wrap around her and pull her close. His lips found the curve of her neck and each gentle kiss sent shivers through her body. Sawyer held her breath at the gentle scrape of his teeth, the moist touch of his tongue. Then his hand found her hip and he pulled her onto her back, his body rising over hers.
“Rift,” she said softly. “We can’t.”
“Can’t what?” He caught her bottom lip in his teeth and growled. He let her go, but then captured her mouth with a kiss. “This isn’t anything but a kiss.”
His lips found hers again, and Sawyer buried her hands in his hair, holding him to her. She could feel the fire he built inside her with a simple kiss. It was out of control, wild with heat, and it consumed her, rapidly becoming an inferno.
An inferno that threatened to burn her heart to ash when it this was all over with. When Rift and Kinsey had to walk away and disappear. Sawyer hitched a soft sob under his kiss, but when Rift would have pulled away, she drew him back to her. For right now, this kiss, she didn’t want to let him go.