Page 72 of Mountain Protector

It’s too soon. Just because we love each other and I can see a future with her doesn’t mean it’s time to propose. We haven’t even talked about living together yet. I’m still staying at her house every night, now in her bed instead of the couch, but we haven’t discussed making it permanent.

Maybe I should bring it up, though. I didn’t want to rush things, but if Lark’s happy with me at her place, and I am too…

“Okay.” Pulling to a stop, Lark nods toward the entrance to Bespoke Bliss. “Can you wait out here? It shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes. Or if you want to go someplace else and I can meet you there?—”

“I’ll stay here.” Yes, the threat against Lark is over, or actually, both of them are. Vinnetti is out of the picture, and Ric is in a court-mandated rehab facility downstate. Once the initial rage toward Ric faded, I had a talk with the prosecutor and actually suggested it. Deep down, I don’t think Ric is a bad guy, just someone who made some shit decisions.

But, threats neutralized aside, I don’t feel good about leaving Lark alone with hundreds of people around,especially at night. And I’m well aware that makes me an overprotective boyfriend, but I don’t care.

“Okay.” Lark smiles at me. Then she uses my shoulders for balance as she stretches up to kiss my cheek. “But if you get cold and want to go inside, just text me?—”

“Songbird.” I brush a tendril of hair behind her ear. “I won’t get cold. Go ahead inside. I’ll just be”—I angle my head at the bench just off the sidewalk—“right here.”

Once Lark disappears inside the store, I take a seat on the worn wooden bench. While I’m still not crazy about being separated from Lark, at least I have a clear view of the entrance and will be able to get inside in seconds if there’s a problem.

Not that there will be. There’s absolutely no reason to think otherwise.

To occupy myself, I pull out my phone and shoot off a few texts while keeping one eye still on the store. I send a message to Devin, letting him know that Lark and I are hoping to make it to Colorado sometime in February or March, just before I start work on the GMG cabins again. Then I send a group text to Rhiannon, Xavier, and Niall, telling them my plans to head to Texas sometime before spring.

I can’t wait for Lark to meet my old teammates. She and Rhiannon will hit it off right away, Xavier will have her laughing within minutes of meeting, and Niall’s just a great guy that everyone likes. And I’m looking forward to meeting Niall’s fiancée, Jade, after hearing him talk about her for years.

After five minutes pass, I start getting antsy, which rationally, I know is ridiculous. There are tons of peopleon the streets, and plenty more inside the stores. Just because Lark said she’d be a couple of minutes doesn’t mean it can’t take longer. There could be a long line, or someone trying to pay with a check, or she could have run into someone she knows.

But after ten minutes, the antsy feeling shifts to anxiety. Even though there are plenty of reasons she could be taking longer than expected, the majority of them perfectly harmless.

I know Lark is fine. She would have texted me if she wasn’t. Or called. Or in an emergency, triggered her necklace.

Still. I can’t stop the fear from bubbling up inside me.

What if I’m ignoring my instincts and Lark’s in trouble?

Whenever we were on a mission, we never ignored that gut feeling that something was wrong. That something was about to go sideways. So why am I ignoring it now?

Fuck it. I’m going in. If I end up looking like a paranoid, overprotective boyfriend, so be it.

I’m on my feet and heading toward the store when she walks out, a large shopping bag in hand, looking just as she did when she entered. Unruffled and unhurt; clearly I was worrying for nothing. As I exhale the pent-up air in my lungs while simultaneously vowing not to tell Lark how worried I actually was, a dark-haired man rushes out the door and comes up alongside her.

And that’s when I notice the first red flag.

Somethingiswrong.

The smile she wore ten minutes ago is gone, and thelight in her eyes has dimmed. Her shoulders are high and tight, and I can practically see her vibrating with tension.

And the man. He’s far too close for my comfort, and yes, I know I don’t own Lark and she’s entitled to talk to whomever she wants to, but the vibe I’m getting from him isn’t good. He’s too intense. His gaze is too… needy.

Then he touches her arm, and she jerks it away. A scowl moves across her face.

This is more than a red flag.

Picking up my pace, I’m at her side in seconds. Lark sees me and her shoulders sag. Her eyes brighten with relief. I only just stop myself from pulling her into my arms and settle for taking her hand instead.

Before I can say anything, Lark presses closer to me and says, “Knox. Sorry I took so long. There was a line. And then I ran into Neil. He’s an old—” She hesitates, and her voice sharpens. “Friend.”

“Boyfriend,” he corrects, glancing first at Lark and my joined hands, and then to my face. With a smug half-smile, he continues, “Lark and I were together?—”

“Were.” She emphasizes the word. “Not anymore. And not for a long time.”

Ah. So this is either the asshole boyfriend from college or the even shittier one from a couple years ago. Neither of which I imagine Lark is very happy about seeing.

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