Page 53 of Queen of Blades

“I don’t think it’s about me,” she admitted.

Taking a deep inhale, he scrubbed a hand through his hair. “It’s not.”

“Then you know who’s behind this?” Hope blossomed in her chest. “Who killed my dad?”

Lowering himself to the bed with a groan, he shook his head. “I have ideas, but nothing concrete.”

Her mind raced with possibilities as Paul pulled his shirt over his head and tossed it into a corner.

“I’m exhausted,” he said and lifted the bedding.

“Me too,” she agreed.

The day felt like it’d lasted years. Too much was crammed into twenty-four hours. What she wouldn’t give to close her eyes, wake up from the nightmare, and be back in North Carolina doing her thing while her dad continued his bullshit for another day.

Once under the covers, Paul scooted closer to her. “Lay with me.”

For half a second, she considered arguing with him about it, demanding he sleep on the couch, but it was fleeting and a completely ridiculous thought. They’d slept together, literally and sexually, quite a bit over the last forty-eight hours. Demanding he rest somewhere else was laughable.

She shimmied in the bed and tucked herself against his side. Paul slid his arm beneath her neck. Turning toward her slightly, he gently pressed his lips to her forehead. As the kiss lingered, she closed her eyes and enjoyed the sense of comfort he offered.

“I have a meeting tomorrow,” he said. “I won’t be gone long.”

She furrowed her brow. “I’m not going with you?”

He shook his head. “I don’t want to risk a repeat of tonight. This place is remote as hell. No one knows we’re here.”

She rested her head on his bare chest. With her ear hovering over his heart, she took solace in the steady beat. He was calm, confident. She wished she felt as collected as he seemed to.

“There’s a storm shelter in the yard. If you want, you can go in there while I’m gone, but I don’t think it’ll be necessary,” he suggested as he trailed his fingers up and down her arm.

“Okay,” she agreed softly, feeling weariness tug at her consciousness, pulling her closer to sleep.

“There are a ton of cameras in the security room. If you want, you can hole up in there and watch the whole lot of nothing going on around us. Maybe, if you’re lucky, you’ll see a deer or fox or something.”

The corners of her mouth curled up into a smile at the thought of seeing a fuzzy-tailed orange fox scampering about the land. “Yeah.” She sighed sleepily. “That’s probably what I’ll do.”

She’d gone from anxious and hypervigilant to content and drowsy in a matter of seconds. All it took was a gentle cuddle from Paul. Security and safety wafted off him and soothed her soul. He’d protected her in the past, yesterday, and today. He’d do it again. This man was a blessing.

The absurdity of that thought tickled her ribs. Paul was a dangerous predator masquerading as a respectable man in immaculate and expensive couture, but he was the guardian she never knew she needed.

Life was full of complicated contradictions like that. Standing side by side, any rational person would believeherto be the criminal and not the clean-shaven blond guy who wore nice suits. She wasn’t the cookie-cutter, respectable-looking lawyer. With her multitude of tattoos, her attitude, and her upbringing, no one would believe she was the one who upheld the law.

But where had that gotten her? All the studying, the busting her ass, the thousands of dollars she spent on her move and her education—it hadn’t changed a thing. She was back in Oklahoma, and her heart belonged to a lawless man.

If they made it out of this alive, what was she supposed to do with her life?

29

Paul

Paulwasn’taparticularlylight sleeper, but his lifewasrather tense at the moment, so he didn’t rest as soundly as normal. Harper, on the other hand, had the most fitful night of sleep he could’ve imagined. Granted, he’d only slept beside her one other time, so his only frame of reference was limited. She tossed and turned like a goddamn acrobat all night. A few times she woke with a start but refused to admit it had been a bad dream.

Either way, morning came way too soon. He would’ve stayed in bed for hours if he had the choice, but he had shit to do if he wanted to get to the bottom of this. Putting it off wasn’t an option. The goal was to ensure Harper’s safety so she could go back to North Carolina and her life.

Beside him, with her back to him, cocooned in the blankets, she seemed to have finally found peace in her sleep. He did his best to gingerly exit the bed without disturbing her.

Thankfully, she continued to snore softly after he stood. Tiptoeing unnecessarily, he slowly exited the room and carefully shut the door. Harper had been through a lot. The last thing Paul wanted was to wake her.

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