Page 25 of The Fence Between Us

“A beautiful and brave one at that.” The deceptively light tone dropped from his voice, and a seriousness came over him, making her warm and fuzzy all over. “I’m glad you’re okay, Skye.”

She recalled another time, on different night, when their roles had been reversed and she’d taken care of him. The air hung heavily between them, pushing them toward a turning point, a precipice of change. Skye couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if they both just jumped, without regard for a safety net, and let themselves fall.

She swayed into him. Rabble’s fingers no longer held her chin. Instead, his hand slipped down to cup her waist, steadying her and lending her his warmth. She tipped her head, an invitation and question. Rabble dipped his mouth toward her in answer as he closed the space between them. The brush of his lips against hers sent a jolt of electricity zinging through her.

“— a plan. Oh shit, man. Sorry.” Declan stepped into the kitchen and quickly turned right around, his hand covering his eyes like a child who caught his parents kissing.

Skye blushed even as Rabble growled at his friend.

“Okay, we’re coming.”

Declan retreated to the living room as quickly as his feet would carry him, and Skye couldn’t help the snort of laughter that escaped her.

Skye stepped back, out of his embrace, immediately missing the warmth he provided. She took his hand in hers, giving it areassuring squeeze before letting go, smiling. “I’m glad I’m okay too.”

They rejoined their friends in the living room, the sense of doom having mostly dissipated. Skye grinned as Declan winked at her, which earned him a slightly-less-than-playful punch in the arm from Rabble.

“Alright, Rab. We’ve got a new plan.” Dash slipped his cell phone into his back pants pocket. Skye studied his hard as granite face, the rage simmering in his eyes made her shudder. She wondered who he was more angry at, the intruder for breaking in and endangering people he cared for, or himself for the intruder getting passed his security measures.

Skye slid between her friends still sitting on the couch, though they’d relaxed into the cushions and slouched with exhaustion. Letting her head fall back, she closed her eyes, the deep rumbling of Rabble and his brothers’ voices soothing in her ears. She listened half-heartedly as they planned a protection detail that now extended beyond Bekah to include Elyza, Kellyn, and herself, at least until they could determine if the break-in had been random or somehow connected to Bekah’s possessive ex-husband.

When Dash announced the new living arrangements, Skye expected push-back from Elyza at minimum, but no one objected. Elyza and Kellyn would take two bedrooms at the bed and breakfast with Dash staying in his room. Declan and Bekah would leave town for a day or two, likely to Grand Rock, to put a little distance between her and anyone who might have caught wind of her past. That left…

Dash pointed at Rabble. “You and Skye—”

“I’ve got it,” Rabble said, his gaze turning distant and making Skye wonder what he was thinking about.

She desperately wanted to go home and sleep in her own bed, but Dash made it sound like she would be staying with Rabblesomewhere else—at least until the men of Rabble & Bros could come back during the day and do a complete sweep of Bekah’s house and the property and review the sensors.

“Like we said, it was probably a random break-in.” Declan’s cookie-cutter tone told Skye everything she needed to know about how much he believed that. “We just want to be cautious.”

He didn’t repeat why. Even if Skye didn’t know all the details about Bekah’s ex-husband, the fact that the men now worried about Skye and her friends spoke volumes. She shuddered to think what lengths he might go to, who he might hurt, to get at Bekah.

By the time they secured the house, packed a go bag for Bekah, and cleaned up the remnants of their girls’ night gone bad, the sun’s first rays peeked over the horizon. Skye watched from the living room window as Dash, Elyza, and Kellyn left, stifling a laugh as he tried to fit his large frame behind the wheel of Kellyn’s yellow Volkswagen Beetle. Declan and Bekah had left while darkness still lingered outside, hoping the night would give them additional cover. Skye offered them her car, and Bekah had hugged her tightly before letting Declan lead her outside, his hand resting in the small of her back. She hadn’t been able to control the tremors running through her body, so Skye hugged her even tighter, the way she did with her students when they needed some extra reassurance.

Skye chuckled as the Beetle drove away, leaving only her and Rabble in the cottage. It took her a moment to realize there wasn’t necessarily anything to be laughing about. Maybe the lack of sleep made her loopy, or maybe the excess adrenaline was finally draining from her system.

Rabble helped her to the truck and securing her in before returning to the cottage and locking the door. When he came back, he made sure she was buckled in and safe, then turned the key in the ignition and circling the block.

“What’s so funny?” Rabble asked. He checked the side mirrors for the third time and pulled away from the residential neighborhood just waking up.

Skye rolled her neck toward him, and her head throbbed dully. “Just that for my first girls’ night out, I hope we never top that.”

Rabble smirked. “Yeah, let’s avoid any future fun, okay?”

A gray vest rested on the center console and Skye settled her hand atop it, feeling the threads of it with her fingertips before pulling it to her, subtly sliding it under her nose to breath in Rabble’s scent. It smelled of the sun and summer nights. A hint of something warm and seductive sang through her and she inhaled again, deeper. Rabble’s quick glance over at her had Skye slowly setting the vest in her lap, using it as a cover. Wisely, Rabble chose not to comment and Skye relaxed a bit more into the seat at her back.

“Where are we going?” Skye asked, resisting the urge to lean her head against the window.

He was so still Skye wondered if he wouldn’t answer.

“I bought…something…” Rabble’s reluctant words immediately piqued her interest. “You’ll see soon. Just rest.”

She thought about challenging him, pushing him to talk about the things that pained him, that made him hesitate to let her know him. Even after eight years, he still feared people taking away anything he held dear. The pull of sleep tugged at her insistently though. As her eyes fluttered closed, Skye took his advice to heart and rested.

Chapter 15

Rabble

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