Page 109 of Knotting With A Stranger

“It’s five o’clock somewhere,” he counters, slinging an arm around my shoulders. “Besides, how often do you find millions in gold hidden in your basement wall?”

“He has a point,” James concedes, the corner of his mouth lifting in that half-smile that does ridiculous things to my insides.

Hunter nods, some of the tension easing from his shoulders. “Fine. But first, we need to secure this properly.” He glances at the open wall compartment. “And figure out if there are any other secret spaces my grandfather built that we don’t know about.”

As the men discuss logistics, I stand slightly apart, watching them interact and how well they get along.

For a moment, I’m struck by a sense of not belonging, of being an outsider. But then James pauses at the bottom of the stairs, looking back at me with a raised eyebrow.

“You coming, baker girl?” he asks.

“Wouldn’t miss it,” I reply, hurrying to join them.

We head upstairs, leaving the treasure for now I assume, and emerge into the kitchen, now bathed in midday sunlight that streams through the large windows. The storm that brought me here feels like a distant memory, the world outside transformed into a brilliantly white landscape under clear blue skies.

“Table,” Hunter directs..

We drink, the whiskey burning pleasantly down my throat, warming me from the inside. For a moment, we sit in companionable silence. Yet something aches deep inside me, knowing that as much as I love it here, do I really belong?

Thor pads across the room and flops down at my feet with a contented sigh, his blue eyes watching us all with canine curiosity.

“So,” Archer says finally. “What’s the plan now? With the treasure?”

“Whatever we want,” Hunter says finally. “Fulfill all our fantasies and dreams.”

Suddenly, they all turn and look at me... my cheeks flush under their combined gaze, heat spreading down my neck.

“What?” I ask, trying to sound casual despite the butterflies suddenly taking flight in my stomach.

James moves first, crossing the space between us in two long strides. His fingers brush a curl from my face, lingering against my cheek. “I think you know exactly what.”

Archer appears at my other side, his hand finding the small of my back. “The question is, what do you want, Lily?”

Hunter completes the circle, standing directly in front of me, his imposing presence making me feel deliciously small.

My mouth goes dry. They’re so close, surrounding me with their combined scents—cedar and chocolate, pine and woodsmoke, old books and bergamot.

“I-I…” My words tangle in my throat, my heart thumping so hard, I feel the room spinning. I know what I want… them. Fuck, I want them for good so badly it hurts, yet a fear tumbles within me that our storm time was just that. Fun. Helping me. But now reality settles in.

I open my mouth to say something—to tell them I would love to give us a chance, a thousand times yes, beyond just our attraction and my heat—when a sharp knock at the front door freezes us all in place.

We pull apart slightly, exchanging confused glances.

“Who the hell is that?” Hunter growls, his protective instincts visibly flaring.

26

LILY

The knock at the door comes harder.

Hunter strides toward the door, his posture instantly alert. Thor trots at his heels, his ears perked forward with canine curiosity. James and Archer remain close to me, their touch lingering as if reluctant to break contact.

My heart hammers against my ribs, partly from the interrupted moment and partly from apprehension. Is it Hunter’s cousin, Travis, again?

Hunter pulls the door open, revealing a slender figure bundled in a pristine white parka, dark hair escaping from beneath a matching knit hat.

“Hannah?” I gasp, recognizing my sister immediately. I rush forward as she steps into the entryway, throwing my arms around her. “You’re here! Already!”

---