Page 109 of Rugger: The Huntress

“You love them.”

“With everything in me,” she breathed out, “They’re all I’ve ever known how to love.”

“Would you consider learning to love someone else?”

She slid her hand up the cold sheets and placed a finger on my cheek. In circles, she swirled, considering the words to come from her mouth next.

“That’s why I’m here. And, that’s why I keep coming back here–no matter what promises I’ve made to myself or what rules of mine I’m breaking. You make it all feel unimportant. Irrelevant. Insignificant.”

“How do I make you feel?”

She drew in a deep breath. The slow release was met with hesitancy. She pulled her arm toward her and tucked it underneath her body. She craved self-comfort. She needed it, because discomfort preceded and would follow whatever was about to come from those lips of hers.

“Like I’m the only girl in the world.”

“Because you’re the only girl in my world, Gazelle. I don’t see anyone else. I’ve never seen anyone else the way I see you.”

“Me either.”

She looked me square in the eyes, unblinking.

“What is it?” I questioned her.

She scooted even closer, obstructing my view of her. But, strangely, I didn’t need to see her anymore. I could feel her.

With her lips against mine, she muttered, “If I give you my heart, please don’t break it.”

Her uneven, shaky voice made my stomach knot. My heart did a full summersault in my chest.

“I won’t.”

TEN

I slipped into the secondTom Fordknee-high boot that instantly spiked my confidence. The gold heel was stunning. The leather was flawless. And, the length was perfect for the black dress that stretched to accommodate me.

Excellent taste.

The gift from Sonnie was on the bed when I woke up tangled in his sheets three nights ago. He was nowhere to be found, but a large box and a note was in his place. How I’d slept through his departure was beyond me.

In the full length mirror, I studied myself while pulling the trench up onto my shoulders. There wasn’t a piece of fabric outof place. My hair was in a high ponytail that flowed down my back.

There was a single fish-tail braid keeping the strands joined. Each shift of my limbs influenced its movements. Dramatically, it swung from one side to the other.

My cell vibrated on the console table, stealing my attention. The unknown number didn’t prompt me to answer. I ignored the call and unlocked my phone. I opened the flip phone that had been laying beside it and copied the number into the message box in preparation to send to Royce. Before I pressed send, the number was calling again.

I slid my finger across the screen to connect the call. Silence coated the line. The hairs on my arms rose toward the sky. My nostrils flared and, involuntarily, my hand rested against my chest.

This thing that had come over me was inexplicable. It was dangerous. And, it was utterly scary. There wasn’t a single thing on God’s green earth I was afraid of other than harm being brought to my family. But, this feeling had me shaking in myTom Fordboots.

“Gazelle,” Psalms called out to me.

The name he’d given me had begun to grow on me.

“Where are you?”

I didn’t recognize my own voice. It was meek. It was mild. It was sheepish. It wassoft.

The longing in my soul wouldn’t allow me to conceal my craving. It had been four days since I’d laid eyes on Psalms and I was longing for his presence. His touch. His baritone.

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