The man laughs. “You followed me all the way here? And now what? I saved your life. You—”
The click of a gun sounds into the night and then Jeremiah flies forward into the pit.
My eyes snap down searching for Violet, but she’s gone.
“Right here,” she says, her hand on my shoulder, her soft lips pouted in the pale of the night.
“What the hell?” I turn back toward the hole, and see Jeramiah lying flat, and Violet holding a pair of guns in her hands. “How the hell did you do that?”
She grins. “I pulled your gun off you when we kissed, and I pulled his from his holster while you two were talking. I figured I’d come up from the hole the same way you got down here. And I figured if neither of you had guns, no one would get killed. You can thank my mom someday for teaching me the ninja skills that kicked him into the hole.”
I’ve never been more turned on. She hands me my gun back and I tuck it into the back of my slacks as Walker pulls up on the ATV, a smile on his face as he sees Violet standing next to me.
“You’re above sea level,” he jokes, pulling her in for a hug. “I radioed down to the sheriff and rescue, just in case. I thought you’d be broken to pieces.”
“Not even close,” she laughs, “and I got the guy we were looking for. He’s in the hole.”
Walker looks down. “Oh, fuck. Good for you.”
“Who knew ending a cult would be so easy?”
I twist back toward Violet and pull her against my chest. “I’ll wait here for the local police department. I want to see this guy get dragged away and there’s a lot of jurisdictional paperwork to figure out. Why don’t you head back to Walker’s cabin and warm up. I’ll be back there in a bit and then we’ll get you home where you belong.”
She looks up at me teasingly. “You seriously don’t believe I’m leaving you here, do you?”
I nod. “I expect you to. You should get warm, take a nap, have a snack, and I’ll meet you back when I’m done.”
“No way! I have to be here to protect you!” she teases, nudging my shoulder playfully. “Plus, you’re not my daddy.”
I growl low and dip into her ear. “Is that so? Because I could be your daddy… and I could make you mind.”
She grins. “Good luck.”
“Well then, get back to that cabin and—”
“Okay,” Walker shouts, covering his ears as he walks back to his ATV. “I know I can’t take any more of this. Either I’ve been lonely too damn long or I’m just repulsed by romance but it’s time for me to leave.”
Violet grins and kisses my lips. “I’m not leaving you, so I guess you’ll have to punish me later.”
“Last chance,” Walker says, starting up the ATV. I have a feeling he doesn’t want to be here when the cops arrive.
“I’m staying,” Violet says, hooking her arm into mine. “I’ll set you up with my laptop next week. We’ll find someone for you to chat with, no doubt. Then again, I think Nicole at the bakery is single. Maybe I could have her drop you some muffins?”
Walker shakes his head and smiles. “I’m glad you’re okay. Hit me up when you can.” The machine rumbles as he drives back down the path he came.
I look toward Violet, holding her in my arms against the base of a cedar tree. Soon, this will all be a memory, and we’ll have a story to tell. Until then, I’m going to hold my girl, just like this, and never let her go.
Chapter Nine
Violet
It’s late in the day when we’re finally back in town, and I know when I wake up, Hawk will have to go back to Alaska to properly book Jeramiah and figure out the details of the case. Truthfully, I don’t know when he’ll return, or if he’s even coming back. The whole night feels like a dream. I’d say a nightmare, but Hawk is still next to me, and whatever brought us to this moment can’t be so terrible.
I stare toward him, a figure on the opposite side of the room, freshly showered and naked, his hard cock pointed out in front of me.
My entire body shivers at the thought of finally having him, and despite how draining the day is, I can’t end it any other way.
“How hard should I go?” His voice is deep in the darkness.