Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78745 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 394(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
“You okay?” I ask, settling beside her.
She exhales, hugging her knees closer. “I’m not sure. I’m tired of being stuck in this... limbo.” Her voice trembles just enough that I notice.
I rest a reassuring hand on her arm. “Dean called. The restraining order’s official.” When she looks at me with a flicker of hope, I continue, “But Jason’s vanished—hasn’t been spotted for a full day. Dean’s got our BRAVO Team looking for him.”
She bites her lip, eyes searching my face. “So… he’s still out there,” she whispers, voice tight with apprehension.
I shift closer, draping an arm around her shoulders. “Briar, we’re on high alert. If he tries anything, we’ll know. But I need to ask—does he have anywhere else he’d go? A hiding spot, family, or friends who might help him lie low?”
She hesitates, pressing her lips together. Then a frown creases her brow. “He has a brother in Magnolia Ridge. I remember Jason mentioning him once, said he owed him a favor or something.” She lowers her gaze. “I never met him, though.”
I nod, tucking that information away. “Magnolia Ridge. Got it.” I fish out my phone again and tap off a quick text to Dean, relaying the new lead. As I type, Briar shifts, leaning into my side. Her warmth is a jolt of comfort in the otherwise tense atmosphere.
My thumb hovers over the screen for a second before I hit send. The message zips away to Dean, and I set the phone aside, sliding my arm more firmly around Briar. She turns her face into my shoulder, eyes squeezed shut, and I can feel the slow, uneven rise and fall of her breath.
I let my hand rest lightly against her arm, rubbing in soft circles. “Hey,” I say gently, “we’ll find him. And until we do, you’re safe here with me.”
She nods, the movement barely there. “I know. It’s just… part of me wonders if I’ll ever go back to normal. My job, my friends… everything’s on hold because of him.”
My fingers curl around hers, giving a gentle squeeze. “You will. That’s a promise.” The words feel heavy in my mouth, but I mean them. “We’ll get him off your back one way or another.”
She lifts her head, our eyes meeting. In that moment, the worry swirling in her expression tugs at something deep inside me. This isn’t just a job anymore—hasn’t been for a while. Protecting Briar feels personal. Too personal, maybe, but I can’t help it. I care about her, more than I probably should.
I catch my breath, drawing her closer. She settles against my chest, and I wrap both arms around her, letting her rest her head under my chin. She breathes out, a slow, shaky sigh that resonates in my own chest. For a while, we just sit there like that—her heart beating a staccato rhythm against my rib cage, the hush of the night enveloping us.
My phone buzzes again, and we both tense. She leans back enough for me to reach it. Dean’s text reads: Got it. Sending BRAVO to Magnolia Ridge. Keep her calm. We’ll find him.
I show it to Briar, and she nods. “Thank you,” she murmurs, glancing up. “For… everything.”
For a beat, neither of us speaks. My gaze drifts to her lips, and I remember the taste of her kiss. It’d be so easy to get lost in that again, to shut out the rest of the world. And maybe, for a moment, that’s exactly what we need—to find a little solace in each other.
I brush a hand over her hair, clearing a stray strand from her cheek. “You don’t have to thank me,” I whisper. “Just let me protect you.”
Her eyes, luminous and filled with vulnerability, meet mine. She nods once, a simple acceptance. And with her in my arms, I’m more determined than ever to ensure Jason never gets close enough to hurt her again.
I tug her closer, so she’s straddling my lap as I kiss her lips. Her mouth is soft, fuckable, and more than anything I don’t ever want to stop kissing her.
This is so wrong on so many levels, but I no longer care. What’s right, anyway? All I know is the feelings I have for this woman are unlike anything I’ve ever felt in my life. Is it love? Quite possibly, but all I know is that when this is over… she’s staying with me.
Chapter 19
Briar
Orion’s eyes are impossibly intense as they lock onto mine, as though he’s silently vowing to protect me from every danger the world might throw our way. In his gaze, I catch a glimpse of an unspoken promise—something warm, steady, and maybe everlasting. The thought of what that could mean stirs a flutter in my chest. Forever, the word whispers in my mind. Wouldn’t that be something? To stand with him always, to have this remarkable, infuriating, and wonderful man as my partner in every sense.