Page 24 of Mountain Protector

“No.” He sighs. “Honestly? I hate leaving you.”

Oh.

Friends would say that, right?

Wouldn’t they?

Even though the thought of Knox leaving makes me feel sick to my stomach, I force a smile as I say, “I’mreally okay. I’ll just… watch some TV. Or I’ll call my dad. Even though he knows I’m safe, he worries.”

“Still…” Knox taps out another message. “I’d rather?—”

The phone buzzes. This time, he smiles as he reads the incoming reply. “Okay. We have a plan. Winter is coming over while we have our meeting. She has some more things for you, and she’s been wanting to meet you…”

And the unsaid part—in case I freak out being alone, there’s someone here to calm me down.

I won’t freak out, and I know I can handle an hour or two alone in this cabin, but I can tell Knox is really worried. Which feels pretty darn good, actually. And Winter is dating one of Knox’s closest friends, so it would be nice to get to know her.

“Okay.” I bob my head at him. “That sounds good. I’d like to meet her, too.”

He exhales. “Good. I think you’ll really like Winter. And I’ll be back in an hour or so. But if something comes up and you need me, just text. Okay?”

“I will.”

I won’t. Not after everything else he’s done for me.

Knox kneels in front of me, his gaze dark and intense. “I mean it, Lark. If you need anything, text. Or call. Don’t feel like you’re bothering me.”

Those flutters start up in my stomach again. Slightly breathlessly, I reply, “Okay.”

After a long pause, he asks, “Would it be okay if I hugged you before I leave?”

Friends hug, right? And I did ask him for one earlier. So it’s really no big deal.

I nod at him. “Yes. I would really like that.”

But as he carefully gives me a one-armed hug, drawing me into his very broad chest, something inside me clicks. My heart expands.

There’s the faintest brush of softness across my hair. A whisper of breath.

Knox kissing me?

Oh.

OH.

I’ve never felt like this before. Like there’s nowhere in the world I’d rather be.

Is it possible he feels the same way?

Is it possible he’s been holding back, just like me?

And maybe, despite my stubborn insistence on staying single, on only being friends, I want more.

In the midst of my revelation, the doorbell rings.

We both startle, and Knox pulls away from me, an indecipherable emotion in his gaze. “I’m sure it’s Winter,” he says, “but we have a display by the door and a camera right outside. It’s hard-wired, so no one can hack into it using Wi-Fi. It might seem like overkill, but it’s the most secure way to do it.”

A tiny shiver runs down my back. Considering my security system, which does run on Wi-Fi, did absolutely nothing for me last night, I’ll take this method instead.

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