Page 18 of Protected By the Ranger

The pain from my scrapes and the throbbing in my leg make me sway. Gideon swiftly lifts me up. He cradles me against his chest, pressing a tender kiss to my forehead, and carries me inside.

The earthy scent of yeast fills the air in the warm cabin, pushing away the lingering metallic tang of fear.

Gideon settles me on the sofa. He peels off my dirty clothes with a delicate touch, replacing them with his clean ones. I lay down, my body drained and numb. As I look up, I see Gideon’s watchful eyes, and then the adrenaline crash pulls me into a fitful sleep.

Chapter 6

I wake up shivering, drenched in cold sweat. The leather sofa is an icebox against my clammy skin. I sit up, trying to shake off the fog in my head. The new bandage feels tight on my foot and I immediately know Gideon didn’t redress it.

Butterfly band-aids cover the scrapes on my arms.

The room is bathed in a muted, afternoon light filtering through sheer curtains. Gideon stands by the window, his back rigid, shoulders hunched as if burdened by an invisible weight.

With effort, I mange to get up. The need to comfort him pulls me to him and I limp my way to him. He turns to face me. His eyes meet mine, but his face is etched with a grim agony. Even though he is looking directly at me, his gaze seems to pierce through me, fixated on something I can’t see.

I lean in and wrap my arms around his neck, whispering, “I’m here, Gideon. I’ve got you.”

His eyes focus on me and he crushes me to his chest. His grip is bruising and desperate. He buries his face into my neck, and I feel the ragged rise and fall of his breath. His fingers dig into my waist as if afraid I’d vanish into thin air.

“Are you feeling okay?” His voice is muffled by my curls. I nod against his chest. He pulls back, his thumb brushing my jaw.

“I came so close to losing you,” he whispers, his voice breaking as if the thought is too much to bear. His gaze drops to my throat, and he gently caresses the spot where Rick held the knife.

“Hey, look at me…” I demand, my voice trembling as I see the mist in his eyes. “You found me in time. I’m here, and it’s all thanks to you.” The thought of what could have happened if he hadn’t feels mind-numbing.

His voice is tinged with sadness. “As soon as I could, I rushed back home. I thought you’d be waiting for me. But when I got here, the cabin was empty. You’d been talking about leaving and with the roads open, I feared you left without a goodbye.”

I see the anguish in his eyes, as if he’s replaying that moment. “Then I heard your screams,” he says, his voice cracking. “I ran out there and found you held at knifepoint. I saw red. It’s a good thing I asked Liam to meet us here.”

I run my fingers through Gideon’s scruffy beard, “So, what happened to Rick?”

Gideon’s expression darkens. “Liam got his details from the federal database. Turns out, he has a history of stalking. He was released from prison just over a year ago. Liam confronted him with facts and punches, and he confessed.”

I brace myself, feeling the weight of the moment, “What did he say?”

Gideon tenses, as if reluctant to share it with me. His eyes are filled with a mix of sadness and frustration. “He trailed you home that night from the cafe where you met. He placed a GPS tracker on your car. That’s how he followed you everywhere and knew you came here.”

The room feels like it’s closing in on me. My mind races with the realization of how many times Rick was near, how often our paths crossed. How will I exorcise his phantom presence out of my mind?

Gideon’s voice is a soft murmur, “Once you’re feeling better, we’ll go to the courthouse and get a restraining order. It’s over now, Ariel. He’s gone and you are safe.”

But the fear churns inside me. I clutch his shirt, my knuckles white with the force of my grip. “Gideon,” I say, pointing to my temple, “He’s not gone, not from here.”

He watches me, his expression blank.

I force the words out, feeling exposed and raw. “I still feel trapped in his arms. What if the ghost of his touch, the constant need to look over my shoulder, never goes away?”

Gideon grips my chin and lifts my face, his tender touch a sharp contrast to the violent rage blazing in his eyes. “Ariel, I wanted to rip Rick apart limb from limb for putting his hands on you. I’ve endured a lot in my life, but seeing Rick threaten you with that knife is what will haunt me forever.”

The hunger in his gaze betrays his dirty thoughts as he says continues, “You’ve carved a space in my heart. I will let no one be a danger to you again, I promise.”

Gideon’s confession crashes over me like a tidal wave. I feel the weight of his words and the storm of emotions they carry. Tears well up in my eyes, his words cutting deep into my heart. My pulse races, no longer from fear but from the overwhelming realization that I’m dangerously close to falling for him.

That truth echoes through me, and I wrap my arms around Gideon’s neck. I crash my lips against his, molding them together in a searing kiss. A burning desire surges through my veins. I can feel the heat radiating from him, his rough hands hold my waist in a bruising hold.

Gideon bites my lower lip and I press myself against his chiseled body. My fingers tangle in his hair as he fists my curls and gently tugs on them. I pull him closer, my nails digging into his back, demanding more.

When I reluctantly pull back, I smile at the hazy look in Gideon’s eyes and feel my heart beating hard and fast as I try to untangle my thoughts from the overwhelming lust.

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