Page 56 of Unraveled Love

“Might as well enjoy ourselves.” Cort shrugged and tore open the case of beer.

Right. I could relax now. She was safe, Jaxon would take care of Daniel, and these guys could keep her safe.

We could chill a little bit. I just needed to keep reminding myself that, for now, we were safe. I took the beer from him. “Fine. But don’t be stupid.”

“Never,” Mason said, grabbing his own beer. Turning to face Addi, he wiggled his brows playfully. “Now, who’s up for some strip poker?”

So much for not doing anything stupid.

20

Addi

Unfortunately for Mason, who was still pouting hours later, every one of us gave him a resoundingnoon that strip poker idea. We were well fed, courtesy of Briggs, who—surprisingly with all of his joking—whipped up a lasagna that tasted better than any I’d ever had in my life. With a stomach full of good Italian food, garlic bread, and a salad, along with a couple of glasses of wine, I was snuggled up next to Shawn at one end of the sectional, watching the Carolina Ice Kings play in Chicago.

As soon as we’d reached the mountains and I’d stepped out of the Explorer, I had felt my stress levels decrease. Even then, with the game on, the guys watching, I knew they were alert. Every ten minutes, two of them left to patrol the outside grounds and then double-check that all the doors and windows were still locked. How in the hell they thought anyone could sneak up on them when there was nothing but trees and the one gravel driveway we’d taken to get here baffled me.

Their diligence was appreciated, but the main concerns flipping through my mind were my complete lack of care about my dad’s death and Daniel’s impending doom as soon as Jaxon and his men found him.

I’d never liked my dad. I’d never been close to him, and hell, he’d broken the law and, instead of paying for his crimes himself, thrown me to the wolves. Did I enjoy the fact that he’d been murdered, if the note left on Shawn’s door was to believed?

No.

But what did it say about me that my heart couldn’t find it inside of me to be all that upset about it after the initial shock?

What was this entire ordeal doing to me? I was changing. I was strengthening, my marrow hardening to my soul, but was it also blocking me off from the emotions I would typically feel and the compassion I’d normally have?

I must have tensed, or perhaps Shawn really was that great at reading my mind because the arm he draped over me, holding me against him, tightened, and he pressed his lips to my head. “You okay?”

“Yeah, I’m good, but that also scares me some.”

He pulled back and placed his thumb beneath my chin, tilting up my head until our eyes met. His swirled with concern, his cheeks slightly flushed either from the heat of me being against him or the few beers he’d had. Mine were flushed for an altogether different reason—being around Shawn, in any manner, turned me on.

“Come here.” He rose from the couch, adjusting me so I didn’t flop over from his quick movement, and took my hand in his. He gave a cursory scan of the room, stating, “We’re turning in for the night.” To Briggs, he asked, “You’re doing the last perimeter check before locking up?”

He gave the same fake salute Shawn had given him earlier. “Aye-aye, captain.”

I was in front of Shawn as he guided me toward the stairs with a hand at my lower back, but I was pretty sure I felt his eye roll.

These men were ridiculous and scary-as-hell-looking, but their humor lightened the mood, and I was grateful for it. Had it just been Shawn and me there, alone, I was certain he’d be on pins and needles, but knowing there were so many eyes looking out for us and we were so secluded helped me feel safer than I’d felt since they’d found me.

Once we were in the master bedroom we’d chosen, complete with a balcony for us, overlooking the dark mountains and skies only lit with stars, Shawn didn’t give me time to enjoy the peacefulness of the view, instead guiding me directly toward the bathroom.

“Have a seat here,” he said, leading me toward the tub. It wasn’t a corner soaking tub with jets, but it was a beautiful soaking tub in its own right, complete with a padded headrest. At the far corner were bottles of bubble bath.

Shawn flipped on the taps and ran his hand under the water, turning to me. His blond hair flopped to the side, and my heart skipped a beat. This guy was running me abath. “How warm do you like your bath?”

“Hot enough to scald your skin and make you hiss in a breath as soon as you step into it.”

His shoulders shook with his laughter. “Hot enough to burn your flesh right off it is.”

I chuckled and shook my head. “You don’t have to do this.”

“I know. I want to.”

My heart might as well have melted. No one had ever cared for me like this. My guess? It’d take me twice as long to get used to being taken care of, especially in small ways like this.

“Thank you,” I said, and my voice was hoarse, barely able to get the words out. My emotions tripped at the small kindness.

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