Page 84 of Delicate Escape

Shep’s breaths came short and quick. “Thorn.” His eyes were back on my mouth.

God, I wanted to taste him. To lose myself in all the goodness that was Shep.

He leaned in. So close.

A bellowed meow broke out behind me. It startled me, and I nearly tripped over my feet as Moose moved between us, yelling at us both. I swore he sounded like a disappointed parent.

“Sorry,” I mumbled. “Once he’s up, he demands food.”

One corner of Shep’s mouth kicked up. “I’ll get it. You take a shower.”

“You sure?”

He nodded and made a move to slip past me. But then he stilled. He bent his head and brushed his lips across the bruised skin. “I’d do anything to take this away.”

My breath hitched, coming in quick pants now. Shep straightened, moving past me and into the hallway, Moose on his heels, meowing away. But I stayed frozen to the spot, the place Shep’s lips had touched still burning.

I pulledthe frittata from the oven and slid it onto the stovetop. It looked amazing. But it should. I’d gone all out. Because I’d neededa distraction. After a very cold shower, I’d dealt with the kittens and then took care of the greenhouse.

But I’d still been twitchy, feeling like I might crawl out of my own skin. So, I’d decided to make a fancy frittata for breakfast. Plus, I had the heirloom tomatoes of the season. I’d paired them with mozzarella, parmesan, fresh basil, and arugula, then added some caramelized onions.

Stepping back, I was impressed with myself. All we needed was some toast from the fresh sourdough I’d made the other day, and this would be perfect.

Footsteps sounded behind me, but I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. Just thinking of seeing Shep had my face flaming. I could still feel his lips on my skin. Like an echo of a burn that would mark me forever.

“Please, tell me whatever just came out of that oven is something you’re sharing with me.”

Shep’s words had a little of the tension and anxiety bleeding out of me. Taking a deep breath, I turned. “How do you feel about a frittata?”

He grinned at me. “Sounds fancy.”

“We areveryfancy over here. Heirloom tomatoes, two kinds of cheese, greens, caramelized onions.”

Shep just shook his head. “If you’re not careful, you’re going to have a hard time kicking me out in a couple of months.”

I stilled at that. He’d only been here a few days, and already, I didn’t want him to leave. I liked having the company. And more than that, I loved havingShephere. It was as if his light cast a warm glow that had been missing.

Shoving that down, I crossed to him. “How’s your hand?”

“It’s fine.” Shep flexed his fingers in a testing motion, but I didn’t miss his slight wince.

I grabbed his hand gently, lifting it for perusal. The skin along his knuckles was torn, and the joints were swollen and already turning black and blue. “Shep.”

“It’s fine.” He lifted my chin, his thumb ghosting along the swell of my bottom lip. “A price I’d pay a million times over.”

I opened my mouth to say something, anything, but a knock on the door cut off my words.

Shep stiffened. “You expecting someone?”

I shook my head. As a fresh wave of nerves built, I quashed them. Nobody who wished me harm would knock on my door. Taking a deep breath, I moved to go answer it, but Shep stopped me.

“I’ve got it. It’s probably Rho checking on you.”

But the fact that Shep didn’t want me to answer told me he wasn’t entirely sure of that. It also told me he cared. Shep wanted to stand between me and anything that might hurt me. The knowledge lit a war of emotions within me.

Gratitude that he cared. Relief that I wasn’t alone in this. And fear. Because Shep couldn’t protect me from everything. And I knew he would carry that weight with him.

“Trace,” Shep greeted, surprise in his tone. “Everything okay?”

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