Page 30 of Shades of Mercy
He laughed at his annoying thoughts and went back inside to crawl into bed, careful not to disturb Mercy. She looked so peaceful, her hands pressed together under her cheek. He reached over and lifted a strand of her hair, twirling the silken piece around his finger. In that moment, he had never wanted to protect anyone more than her. He’d never felt such a strong urge to toss aside his values and pull her into his arms.
She moaned as if she were having a bad dream.
“It’s okay, Mercy. You’re safe.”
His words seemed tosatisfyher because she fell into silence.
Lying next to her didn’t feel too bad.
What scared him the most was the fact that he wasn’t so scared about his feelings for her. She made him feel safe, and that was something he hadn’t felt in a very long time.
Chapter Eight
The scenery changed from rows of cookie-cutter houses to ranches. Houses were separated by acres of lush pastures and fields as they drove closer to Storm Pass.
Mercy reclined and looked up at the clouds. As a little girl, she searched for shapes within the fluffy clouds, wondering if they were gifts or messages from loved ones who had passed away.
She felt more at peace this morning. Last night, she and Jag had a conversation without her feeling all those old emotions of anger toward him.
Waking up and finding herself cuddled against his broad back had left her aching for more. At some point, she must have moved the bag because it ended up at the bottom of the bed.
Thankfully, she hadwokenbefore him and extracted herself from his body before she was caught red-handed.
She didn’t want to be attracted to him. She didn’t want to feel a flash burn into the center of her bones when he looked at her. Yet, he affected her in a way she didn’t quite understand, and one that no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t shake.
Her focus should be on the danger lurking over her head, not on relieving the feral tingle between her thighs.
Bravely, she looked over at Jag, following the smooth and rigid lines of his profile. His beard covered most of his jaw and was neatly groomed. What would he do if she reached over and laid her hand on his thigh?
He glanced at her, his gaze narrowing. “Problem?”
Yes, I want to fuck you.
She stopped those words quick.
“I’m still curious about the men at the ranch. What they’re like,” she said innocently.
“Let’s see, Arrow is the epitome of his name. Once he has his trajectory locked on something, he won’t stop until he gets what he wants. He’s reserved and takes a bit to warm up to strangers. Atlas is the opposite. He's the entertainer of the bunch. He’ll crack a joke at a funeral if he thinks it’ll help break the ice. Bear and I go back. He and I bro-bonded over nights spent sitting in a sniper’s nest on scorching rooftops. You get to know someone well when you’re stuck in dangerous locations and afraid you’ll get your head blown off if you move a muscle. He’s a bad ass but he’d give his shirt off his back to help someone. Bones and Kye get on each other’s nerves because they're about as competitive as they come. Then there’s Crow. He’s hard to describe. Don’t be nervous. You’ll fit right in.”
With a nod, Mercy stared back through the window. “How much further do we have?”
“About six miles.”
“Six miles. Six years,” she muttered.
“You nervous?”
“Do you think we can pull off being cousins?” She wasn’t sold on the story, not when she craved to jump his bones.
“If we pretended you were my girl, they’d be a bit curious why I hadn’t mentioned you yet.”
“Why don’t you simply say you found me to take the cook’s position? Wouldn’t that be much easier?”
“The way a lie works is staying as close to the truth as possible. We have history, and that can’t be erased. I’ll have to let Puma in on what’s happening. He’ll know who you are.”
“Is that safe?”
He used his thumbnail to scratch his temple. “There’s no way around that. I’ll have to bring him in on things. He’s trustworthy without a doubt.”
