by Lexi Hart
He looks pale, but he smiles wryly as I walk in the room. “Sounds like you had quite the weekend.”
I sit alongside him and lean in close so we can have an awkward side hug. “Um, what?”
He chuckles and coughs. “My body might be packing in, but there’s nothing wrong with my ears.”
Jemma walks in looking decidedly reserved as she hovers at the door. “Nat can’t stay. She drove straight here from the cabin.”
I growl at her and shake my head. “I can stay for a while.”
She looks ready to argue, but my father intercedes the way he always does. “Girls. Quit it. This might be our last opportunity to talk. So, shut up and listen.”
Both of us know better than to argue with him, so I take a seat at the opposite side of the room. He eyes us, then breathes out a rattle. “We need to talk about my will and the medical bills.”
Jemma nods. But I can’t move. I don’t want to hear what he’s saying. I don’t want to know who gets what. I don’t want to even think about it right now. I want to go back to the cabin. Back to Hunter and pretend my life isn’t a complete mess.
“We’ll need the proceeds from the sale of the cabin to pay for this,” Jemma says.
I jerk my head up. “What?”
She frowns at me. “Are you even listening? Dad was saying the insurance is only covering half.”
My father looks at me with something eerily close to pity. “Jemma, could you get your sister a coffee.”
It’s not a question. It’s a statement, and Jemma knows better than to argue. If anything, she looks relieved to be excused. Her heels clip-clop across the floor as wafts of perfume float past me. She breezes out the door, leaving me with my father’s eagle-eyed gaze on me. “Start talking, girl.”
He sounds so much like how he used to; I can’t help but find a teary-eyed smile for him. “I’m just tired.”
He barks a laugh. “Bull shit. I know that look on you. It’s the same look you had when that stray dog followed you home from school, and you wanted to keep it.”
I frown at him. “Hunter isn’t exactly a stray dog.”
He starts to laugh until coughs wrack his body and his eyes water. “Hunter? That’s his name. You found a man called Hunter who lives in the mountains?”
His cheeks have so much color in them, and he’s actually smiling at me, so I shrug. “He helped me clean, fixed the roof, and—”
He waves a hand in the air. “I don’t need the rest of the details. I can guess.”
A flush creeps over my cheeks. “I was just going to say he was a big help.”
My father nods. “Hmm. How you’d find him?”
I exhale slowly, pretty sure if I tell the truth, I’ll start him coughing again, so I change the subject and stare down at my fingernails. “It’s not important. He’s gone, and I’m pretty sure he’s not interested.”
A box of tissues flies across the room, making me jerk up and meet my father’s gaze. “You can’t live your life with a safety net, Nat. Pretty sure isn’t sure. Sometimes you have to take a chance. Hunter might be worth the risk. Don’t do what I did and regret letting someone walk away because you were afraid—”
I have no time to ask him if he’s talking about Mom when the door opens behind me, and a stern-faced older nurse with red lipstick and a smile walks in.
Dad’s face lights up as she puts her hands on her ample hips and mock frowns at him. “Mr. Jensen, do I need to whoop your fanny? That’s twice in the last hour your blood pressure has risen.”
My eyes pop as my father’s grin grows even wider as he gestures to me. “This is my daughter, Natalie; she’s a journalist.”
I scoff. “Hardly. I write fluff pieces for the local paper.”
The nurse smiles at me, skin creasing around her green eyes. “You keep your Daddy quiet now; he needs rest.”
She flitters around, checking his vitals, scrawling notes while my father seems to find an enormous amount of energy suddenly.
When she leaves with a smile and promise to bring him some water, he looks better than I’ve seen him in months.
He sighs and looks so dreamy, I laugh and throw the tissue box back at him. “Never underestimate the healing effect of red lipstick, a southern accent, and a round ass.”
I snort a laugh. “That’s kind of disgusting.”
He chuckles, but his lips tug downward as he looks at me. “Listen to me. You’re a beautiful girl who deserves a man who’ll take care of her. Jed never could; he was too busy taking care of half the city. Useless do-gooder prick that he is.”
I press my lips together so I don’t tell him what Hunter said. I knew my father didn’t like Jed, but useless do-gooder prick seems to be pushing it a little. However lousy a husband Jed was, he was and still is a fantastic police officer.
Dad starts to cough again at precisely the moment Jemma walks in with coffee.
She scowls at me and shoves the cup in my direction. “Maybe you should leave? He’s barely coughed until you arrived.”
Dad locks eyes with me and winks. “That’s because I had nothing worth talking about.”
Jemma’s cheeks heat and her gaze drops as she sets the coffee down. My father’s voice is getting weaker when he gestures to us. “You two make up before she leaves.”
When neither of us moves, he pulls himself to sitting. “Girls, make things right,” he growls.
I extend my hand, and Jemma edges forward with her lips twisted in a pout. She gives me a limp handshake. “Jed was that bad, huh?”
I drop her hand and shrug my shoulders. “He was always in a rush. He was on call a lot.”
A tiny smile flickers at her lips. “Will you go back to the cabin?”
My shoulders slump. “I just want to go home and get some sleep.”
As much as I’d love to drive for another two hours on the off chance Hunter’s hanging out having moonlit dips in the springs, I’m beyond shattered already, and I’m still not entirely sure chasing after him is the best idea.
I kiss my father goodbye and even manage to hug my sister before I walk out the door.
I don’t know what my father thinks is going to happen if I do see Hunter again, but as I leave the hospital, I’m acutely aware that I’m hoping I will.
Chapter 6.
Sunday 6.56pm
Hunter
My legs are burning when I reach the cabin again. The rain has stopped, but the ground is muddy, so I pick a spot in the trees and settle down on the pine needles and build a fire with the firelighters I carry.
I rest my back against the tree and start to pull out everything I need. My pack is a little lighter, more room inside and I’m baffled until with a curse I realize why.
I was in such a hurry to get out of here, I left my jeans inside, along with my spare t-shirt Natalie was wearing. My lips twitch into a smile as I think about how the shirt clung to her nipples.
I let my thoughts stray to what she felt like, and how she tasted when I spread her legs in the kitchen.
I’m starting to get hard, and since thinking about her is a waste of time right now, I shrug on a hoodie and pull out my sleeping bag.
I’m about to start cooking the rabbit I snared when I hear a branch crack behind me.
I spin around, reaching inside my pack for the gun I carry. I ease it under my thigh as a shadow creeps towards me.
I stay tense, ready to pull out the gun until the intruder is close enough for me to see the scar across his cheek.
He leans against the tree and eyes me like I’m a piece of shit he needs to scrape off his shoe. “What part of this arrangement was unclear to you?”
I exhale a long breath. “Nice to see you too, Agent Waters.”
He adjusts his posture and folds his arms over his chest and peers down at me. “This isn’t a game.”
I draw myself up to standing, holding the gun behind my back. “You think I don’t know that? I’m the one who’s been up here for two fucking years. I’m the one who
can’t even let my sister know I’m alive.”
Waters scratches his nose. “Are you regretting pushing for your relocation up here?”
I shake my head.
Even if I have to sleep rough, and even if I have to catch most of my own food, up until three days ago, the isolation, the quiet, had been just what I wanted.
It’d been the perfect way to escape what I’d done. What I’d seen, who I’ll eventually have to testify against.
I was fine until a knockout redhead showed up and I’m suddenly feeling like a love-struck teenager who’s lusting after the prom queen.
“You took an unplanned and unscheduled exit in an unapproved vehicle with an unapproved woman. Do you want to die Mr. Sloan?
“She’s legit.”
Waters voice stays level though I know he pissed at me. “She’s a journalist Mr. Sloan, that’s what she is.”
My stomach twists. “What?” I croak.
He shakes his head. “Yes, I see you were too busy screwing her to ask her anything about what she does for a living. She happens to work for a paper Mr. Sloan, not only that but her ex-husband is a police officer.”
“Fuck,” I spit.
He slowly uncrosses his arms. “Camping out by her cabin, stealing their firewood like I assume you were doing before she arrived is now out of the question.”
He turns to leave. “It goes without saying that you absolutely cannot see this woman again.”
Waters flicks his flashlight on and turns around. “I can see the smoke from a mile off. First light, pack up and get as far away from this cabin as possible.”
I watch his back as he stalks through the trees to the track. I hear a motorbike start, then hear him driving down back into the valley.
I should have known he’d spot me and he’s right to be pissed off. What I did was beyond stupid and beyond reckless.
I risked a cover I’ve earned as a drifter who blends into the landscape all for a woman, I can never see, let alone touch again.
SUNDAY 2.36PM
Natalie
I’m groggy when I wake, Hunter’s name on my lips as if he’s lying in bed next to me. I groan and turn over in my bed and tuck the sheets up to my chin.
I close my eyes and try to go back to sleep, but all I hear is my father telling me to take a chance on Hunter, and then I start to think about all the questions I’d like to ask him if I do see him.
I check the clock and give up when I know I won’t sleep anymore. I throw the covers back, step out of my bedroom, and switch on my laptop.
While it’s firing up, I stretch out my back and put the coffee machine on in my tiny kitchen and stare out the window.
The streetlights cast everything in a subdued artificial yellow glow. Smog prevents me from seeing the stars in the sky, of all which makes me miss the mountains even more.
I wrinkle my nose as I start to think about whether or not I should call in sick tomorrow. I doubt Geoff will mind. He knows Dad is sick, and since I can work from home, I’m pretty sure he’d approve a day or two extra leave.
When the coffee is brewed, I take a mug from the shelf and pour myself a half cup.
I slide my glasses over my nose and sip my coffee while I spell check my final draft.
I read it one more time then send it through to Geoff to approve before the print run on Friday night.
Since I’m awake, I phone the hospital and speak to the nurse’s station.
The report is vague, but my father is asleep, as expected for almost three in the morning. I place my cell to one side and type out an email to a night admin clerk in Jed’s precinct.
I send all the information to her and hope she’s having a slow night. Since I was too tired when I got home, I strip off my clothes and take a long shower.
I pull my fluffiest pajamas on, and hurry back to check my email; smiling when I see the reply she’s sent.
Hey Nat!
So great to hear from you. I miss you! All the girls in the office do.
Must be some story you’re working on, huh?
I found your tattooed guy; Hunter Sloan was involved in a bank robbery a couple of years back.
It was going to trial, he was going to testify, but he was shot and killed before he could.
I can’t find any information on how he was involved or where he was buried. He does have a sister who is living somewhere in New York though if that helps?
Anyway, I know things get weird in divorces, just wanted to say you’re missed.
If Jed couldn’t see what a catch you were, then good riddance. Give me a call if you want a shoulder to cry on.
Kelly
I stare unblinking at the screen. Dead. Hunter Sloan is dead. It must be a mistake. I squint at the screen and open the attachments.
I barely look at the gory photo of a man lying shirtless, dragon tattoo obscured by blood splatter before I delete it.
The other document is a death notice, verified, and certified as true and accurate. I sit back in my chair and piece everything together until two words resound in my head.
Witness protection.
Chapter 7.
Monday 4.41 am
Hunter
I’m frozen stiff and packing up when I hear a vehicle. I suck in a breath and kick dirt over the last of the fire. My breath is misting in the frigid air as I take the safety off and palm my gun. I creep closer, using the trees as cover as I slowly make my way to the clearing.
My nerves creep higher as I wait for male voices and the sound of clips being slid into guns. But I don’t hear anything apart from the engine switching off and a single door closing.
I follow the movement, catching snatches of a figure moving towards the cabin. I’m so close to the clearing I can hear the engine cooling on the grass.
I sneak a look through the trees and frown at the mud splattered Pathfinder. All the air leaves my lungs as I hear the cabin door opening. I slump against the tree trunk. She came back. For whatever reason, she’s here. Which means I can’t be.
I close my eyes and shove the gun down the back of my jeans and pull my shirt over it. I run a hand over my face and peep through the trees checking for any indication she’s been followed.
I wait to the count of a hundred then go back and finish packing my things up. My fingers are so cold it takes me a couple of tries, but I shrug into my pack and prepare to slip around the side of the cabin ready to leave like I should have done yesterday morning.
I round the corner and freeze as I find her outside examining the woodpile I’ve been pilfering from the last few months. I stay completely still. Unsure if she’s seen me as I hang back, breath locked in my chest.
A strangled sound escapes as she seems to notice me. She stares at me, mouth opening, eyes widening. Seconds tick by before she suddenly launches herself at me.
I stagger back, slamming into a tree trunk hard enough to make me grunt. Her breathing is getting faster as she pushes her tongue in my mouth, grabbing my hair and pressing into me.
My brain shuts off, and I automatically unclip my pack so I can shrug out of it. When it’s evident she has no intention of stopping at just a kiss, I pick her up, so her legs are around my waist and stagger to the front door with absolutely no intention of listening to Waters right now.
I kick the door shut and throw her on the mattress probably a little too rough, but she doesn’t seem bothered. She yanks her jacket and shirt off, leaving me to enjoy the view as she unzips her jeans, wriggles out of them and opens her mouth, almost like she’s begging for me to put my cock in it.
I don’t know why she’s here and right now when she’s lying on the mattress in her lacy underwear, red hair covering her shoulders, and she’s looking at me like I’m the answer to her problem, why is completely irrelevant.
I yank my shirt off, and she crawls to the end of the mattress, eyes wild as she unbuckles my belt.
I grab her hair as she tugs my jeans down and slides her mouth over my cock, licking the tip and r
unning her fingers over my ball sack.
My cock is tingling all over, and I’m struggling to stay upright as she keeps sucking me deep. “Stop, shit, stop,” I gasp.
I don’t want to come yet, so I back away and kick my jeans off. She looks so incredibly sexy as she waits for me, her knees are open, lace between her legs the only thing stopping me from sliding inside her.
With a primal growl, I climb on top of her and kiss her roughly. Shivers run over my cock as she leans down to rub and massage me until I’m covered in jizz.
I don’t need to tell to quit; her hands shift so she can pull me down. Her breath is ragged and hot as she pants in my ear. “Fuck me, Hunter.”
I’m so hard, so fucking horny when she wriggles out of her panties and spreads her legs; my cock finds its own way inside her.
I keep my eyes on her face, loving how wet she is, how turned on she is, loving how her mouth is already opening, eyes jammed shut as she starts to tremble and gasp my name as I make her come.
I grab her hands and hold them over her head so our fingers are linked as I pump her as hard as I can. A surge of pleasure rushes to my cock as she begins to explode under me again. Unprecedented levels of bliss start to tear through my cock as I start to come with her. “Shit, shit. I’m coming,” I pant.
In response, she wraps her legs around me, making sexy noises as the last wave of orgasmic bliss leaves my body.
I stay inside her, cock still semi-hard as I try to calm my heart rate. My arms are weak, and she’s almost whimpering underneath me; cheeks flushed as I roll off her and take a shuddering breath.
Natalie turns on her side and wriggles closer so she’s pressed up against me. She kisses me softly and runs her fingernails through my chin stubble. “That was...incredible but not what I was going to start with when I saw you.”
She chews her lip as I run my hand over the curve of her hip. “What were you going to start with?”
Her breath releases in a rush. “Um. I don’t remember. I’m really tired.”
To prove her point, she stifles a yawn. I chuckle and pull her closer so I can kiss her again. “Why did you come back?”
