Page 24 of Recurve Ridge

Alan pulled out the chair with a flourish, settled me into the leather-covered cushion, and placed a plate of golden-brown waffles on the table. The scent of vanilla and maple indulged my senses. Each sweet treat curled, crispy at the edges. My mouth watered.

“Buon appetito,” Alan sang. The epitome of a cruise ship waiter, he sashayed across the room to take up residence in the bar.

Robe caught my eye in an assessing gaze. One eyebrow rose, the manicured one I already loved to hate. He folded his arms and stilled.

I raised my chin and pushed out a thin breath between pursed lips. Anger rose unbidden. That judgy, closed autocratic expression was back. Okay, so it wasn’t just the eyebrow.

I stabbed my waffle, telling myself my appetite had rekindled because Alan put a plate of amazing food in front of me.Notbecause I swooned for a sexy mountain god who now seemed to think he could stake a claim on my eating habits. Never mind that I sat in his house, wore the clothes he provided, and was washed and clean because of him.

While I did nothing for myself.

The protective way Robe stared at me left me in no doubt that he wouldn’t let anyone else see me in that state. Warmth bloomed in my stomach.Still broken.Holding his gaze, I cut a piece off my waffles and defiantly popped it into my mouth, chewing though my stomach revolted at the thought of swallowing anything. Robe tracked the movement as sweetness and carbs zinged through my overcaffeinated, tortured body that was already riding a whiskey high. I moaned in appreciation, forgetting Robe’s attention, how he fixated on me, the room.

His eyes darkened, black flames wreathed in their depths that promised me I wouldn’t walk away unscathed. I should hide and let the monsters play far away from me, but I wanted to push him, make him reveal every secret, every promise. Part of me needed his brand of darkness to forget my own.

And that was a terrible, dangerous idea.

7

JON

I poundedthe forest’s damp ground, my boot falls far harder than necessary. The ridgeline opened out in front of me as I beat a new pass into the soft packed earth, winding my way between thick trunks. My breath remained light as I jogged away from the cabin, unwilling to let them see me wrecked, though I loved every man in the small home Robe had built for us.

Will and Miller appeared between trees. The stocky soldier smiled, an all-too-knowing look in his eyes. “Gave you the shits already?”

It took every inch of my control not to snarl back at Miller. Mari had been in the house with us for less than a month, and I couldn’t bear sharing the space any longer. Too many memories surfaced every time she spoke.

I growled at Miller. “Maybe you should offer something proactive instead of having a temper tantrum in the middle of the house.”

“Like you just did?” He raised an eyebrow in perfect mimicry of Robe.

I wanted to bitch-slap it from his face.

Normally, I got along well with Miller, all things considered, since my incursion into their world at his master’s invitation. He followed Robe like a friendly stray, but the man was valuable. The rich boy turned soldier became Robe’s friend over the course of a dozen skirmishes continents away from their homeland, saved his life during half of their missions, and for that I forgave him most of our combined grievances.

This was not one of those times.

“Find your manners before you step foot in that house.” I pushed as much emphasis into the words as I could, shoving past the smaller man.

Miller might look intimidating to someone of Mari’s build and height, but to me he was another short log in my path. His expression remained indifferent as I plowed past him. Will shifted at his side, the easygoing kid clearly torn between playing advocate and backing the fuck away.

Smart boy.

The latter option fell in the young man’s favor, though Will’s gaze weighed across my shoulders as I picked a deer trail to torture. I slammed my feet into the delicate tracks, obliterating all trace of their passing, all too conscious that Will saw me as a sort of mentor or a woodsman superhero to emulate.

I wasn’t fit to be called either and tried to ignore the growing responsibility Robe thrust upon me unasked.

Unwelcomed.

Each of us played our role in his tattered family unit. Meeting the woods’ silence with my own secrets while keeping Robe’s was mine.

The boys’ chatter receded as I pushed deeper into the forest. Shifting greens blurred into a gray haze that distinguished nothing and hid everything. Pine needles bit into my skin as I found my stride.

It didn’t take long for the burn to start. I knew I’d have to stretch the lactic acid out later unless I wanted to walk like a cripple tomorrow. A quick glance over my shoulder assured me the cabin sat well out of sight.

The forest fell into a pensive snow-blanketed slumber around me as the echoes of my pounding boots reverberated beneath my feet. A half smile fell from my lips as I stared at the spaces between trees with a determined laser focus. Increasing the length of my steps, I sprinted like a madman through the forest, reckless and all too aware of the dangers nearby. I might be the size of a bear, but I didn’t have the claws of one. At least, not the physical sort.

Branches scratched at my arms. I shattered twigs and crumpled garnet-edged leaves as I pushed my bulk between the behemoths that refused to bend for me. Was this what Mari had felt, tear-assing through the forest while pursued by a horde of invisible predators to land in Robe’s lap? My heart pumped in my chest to the point of burning within moments at the thought of her endless terror.

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