Page 71 of Cornered

“Oh really?”

Donovan ignored Gray’s innuendo. “What do you want me to do with the deer?”

“I’ve already sent someone to get it.”

“We have a procedure for this?”

“Yep. Don’t worry about it. Tell me why you’re at Cassie’s.”

This time, the comment held nothing but a request forinformation and Donovan didn’t hesitate to respond. He stepped away from the firepit and shared the story for the second time in the last few minutes.

Gray’s response was similar to that of Cal and Mo. “I would give up a month’s pay to get an informant in at The Dry Gulch. But that will have to wait. Talk to Cal and Mo about sticking to Cassie. I’ll call Bronwyn and tell her what’s going on. She already has security ramped up at The Haven, but I’ll make sure she doesn’t drop her guard.”

“Sounds good.”

“Then go home and sleep. Tomorrow I want you to talk to Chef Louis. And talk to Bronwyn about the possibility of putting you in the kitchen while Cassie’s working. You might need to dress like a server to keep from standing out, but I’d like you close.”

“Okay.” He was going to do that regardless. But having permission made it easier.

“Unless”—Gray drew out the word—“you want me to hand her over to Brick.”

“Gray—”

“Think about it. He’s on this weekend. Cassie knows him, and I doubt she’d mind.”

“Absolutely not. No one else is handling Cassie. She’s mine.”

TWELVE

“OH REALLY?”Cassie stood three feet away from Donovan, and the look in his eyes when he turned around and saw her wasn’t one she’d ever seen before. She didn’t hate it. But she didn’t quite understand it either. She was pretty sure he was angry. But not at her. Or at Gray. But at someone.

He kept his eyes on her as he spoke into the phone. “Well, if she wasn’t aware before, she is now.” A pause. “Because apparently she’s part ninja and she’s standing three feet away from me.”

Cassie heard Gray’s laughter through the phone but couldn’t make out what he said. Donovan’s response was a grunt. Then a “Yeah.” And finally, “Later.”

He slid his phone into his pocket and faced her, hands on his hips. “Didn’t your mother teach you not to eavesdrop?”

“I’m sure she tried.”

What was she doing out here? Why had she followed him?

She needed to think. Needed to process. Needed to figure out why the sound of his deep voice telling Gray that she was his had turned a university-sized marching-band drumline loose inside her.

“Cards on the table, Cassie. I hurt you. And now you don’ttrust me the way I want you to. That’s my fault. I did that. And now I want to fix it. With that said, I’m well aware of the fact that your need to put up boundaries is completely legitimate. I won’t push you into anything you don’t want. But I also won’t lie about what I want.”

He took one step toward her, and even though he didn’t touch her, she could feel the heat from his body and the energy that twined around them.

“What is it that you want?” she asked.

“I want you. I want you to stay in Gossamer Falls, with me. I want you to be mine. And I want to be yours.”

The drumline went completely bonkers and she found it difficult to catch her breath. She wanted to throw herself into his arms.

But she stood there. And tried to keep her voice steady even as her breathing turned jagged from her own fear. “There’s something I need to know. Something I still don’t understand.”

“Ask me. I’ll tell you.” Donovan sounded like a drowning man who’d been thrown a lifeline.

“Why didn’t you try to fix it before now? If I mean so much to you, why did it take this mess today for you to decide that I was worth the risk?”

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