Page 47 of Fastlander Fealty

Sincerely,

Silver the New Rogue

She hesitated for a few moments before she hit send, and when it was out there in the internet-verse, she tossed her phone onto the bed and drew her knees up to her chest, watched the news again for a glimpse of Owen’s boar.

It was impossible to explain or understand, but she already missed him deeply.

Made no sense because she didn’t really know him that well…right?

A knock sounded at the door and she nearly jumped out of her skin. Heart pounding, Silver picked up her phone and checked the tracking app. Rook was still with the Pride. Unless he had ditched his phone there? Or done what she’d done and switched phones?

Another knock sounded.

Silver padded silently toward the door, and steeled herself with a steadying breath, pulled open the door a crack, and froze.

Owen stood with his back to her, wearing jeans, and a flannel with the collar flipped up. He wore a baseball cap, but she recognized his blond hair in the back.

“Owen?” she asked, in disbelief of what she was seeing.

He turned, and his eyes were such a bright blue, they almost looked white. His lips were pursed into a thin line, and he shoved his hands into his pockets as he dragged his gaze up and down her leggings-and-sports bra clad body. “You didn’t respond to my text,” he said.

Her lip trembled as she pushed the door open farther and closed the few feet of distance between them. She threw her arms around him.

Owen stood there stock-still for a five count before his body defrosted. Slowly, he removed his pinned arms from her embrace and slid his hands to her back, rested his cheek on top of her head.

“I thought it would make the goodbye harder if I continued the messaging,” she admitted in a whisper. “I’ve read that text twenty times, at least.”

“I’ve checked my phone for a message back so many times,” he murmured gruffly, hugging her tightly, and she exhaled a relieved sigh.

She hugged him tighter too. She didn’t have to be gentle with him—he was a bigger beast than she was.

“Fuck, Silver,” he rumbled, pulling her up off her feet. “I came here trying to stay angry with you. I can’t.”

Like it was the most natural thing in the world, she wrapped her legs around him and rubbed her cheek against his, and then the other, in a sign of affection used by her people when they had overwhelming feelings. He allowed it, and even gripped the back of her hair gently as she moved to his other cheek and did it again.

“God, you’re trouble, aren’t you?” he asked.

“Trouble for everyone,” she said with a thick laugh. “Trouble for myself mostly.”

“Are you running?” he asked softly, easing her back with a gentle tug on the back of her hair.

She nodded, unable to force the words past her thickening vocal cords. Silver swallowed hard. “We call it going rogue. How did you find me?”

And then the smile she loved so much tugged at the corners of his mouth. “Corey.”

She frowned, not understanding. “Corey wants you to kill me?”

He chuckled and set her down. “No, she said I need to bring you back or she would.”

“Oh.” Her frown deepened. “But…Corey hates me.”

Owen shrugged. “Now I think you’ve been promoted to just a strong-dislike. It’s progress.”

She laughed and hung her head, then lifted her gaze back to his. “I don’t know why but that just made me happy.”

The smile faded from his lips and he drew his thumb down her scar. When Silver grabbed his wrist and rested her cheek deeper into his palm, she thought he understood what she didn’t have the words to say.

He searched her eyes, and that soft smile was back. “You want to go on a date with me?” he asked.

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