Page 46 of A Lonely Road
I laughed even harder at that. “Really? Man cave is too trendy for you?”
It was a nice little room, cozy and welcoming, with dark wood paneling and built-in shelves lining the wall on either side of the television. There was a recliner that matched the sofa, a tattered coffee table, and gleaming hardwood floors. Despite my teasing, my eyes widened with appreciation. Aside from his bedroom, the Dude Lair showed the most evidence of Jake’s personality.
“You better stop laughing at me, Cassidy, or I’m going to get a complex.” He caught my wrists in one hand and stretched them over my head, then leaned down and blew a raspberry against the strip of skin visible above my jeans.
“Oh, you will pay for that, Lincoln,” I warned, but he winked as he stood up and tossed me the remote.
“Lady’s choice on dinnertime entertainment. Dessert, however, is my domain.”
Chapter Twenty-Three
Jake
IfIhadtochoose between our previous nightly sleepover routine, an intimate lakeside getaway, or simply hanging out on the couch watching old movies, I was a little shocked to realize that the couch was pulling slowly into the lead. Something about eating Chinese food from takeout cartons and cuddling up with Nora in my favorite room of the house had me thinking about the future.
More specifically, about my desire for Nora to be a part of that future.
Still, no matter how the walls around her had crumbled, I was wary of saying anything that might cause her to pull away after the stress of the day. It was nearly midnight when we ended up lying spooned together along the faded brownleather, Nora’s head resting on my bicep, slowly cutting off my circulation.
“I could stay here forever,” she murmured.
Though my muscles jolted in surprise, I forced myself to relax when I realized she was very nearly asleep. She might just as likely have been referring to the couch itself, rather than the more generalherethat could mean Spruce Hill, my house, or my arms.
Still, the quiet words filled me with hope and I tucked her closer against my chest.
My lips feathered along the shell of her ear as I whispered, “Then stay.”
Her breathing grew slow and steady, and I found myself drifting right along with her. I was comforted by that sleepy confession, whether or not it meant what I hoped it did.
Sometime during the night, my phone vibrated against the coffee table. The buzzing sound was loud enough for me to jerk awake, but Nora didn’t stir. I lay there for another minute, wondering what had woken me, until another short buzz indicated a missed text message. I reached carefully over Nora’s soft, still form for the phone and blinked a few times to clear the sleep from my eyes. It was just after three in the morning and the preview showed only that it came from a private number. I swiped at the screen to open the message.
She’ll pay. You’ll both pay.
For a moment, I stared blindly at the words, then I swore under my breath, powered down the phone, and tossed it onto the floor next to the couch.
Nora shifted in her sleep but didn’t wake, causing a swift rush of relief to course through me. I would wait until morning to get in touch with the police. God knew Nora had been through enough already and needed a good night’s sleep. I reached over to pull down the folded blanket from the back of the couch, spread it awkwardly over us both, and tried desperately to forget those ominous words.
Morningcametooquicklyfor Nora’s taste, if her sleepy grumbles were any indication, and too slowly for mine—I'd lain awake for the rest of the night, staring up at the dark ceiling as I considered the possibilities behind the text.
A moment later, Nora rolled toward me, almost kneeing me right in the balls. Her eyes flew open when I flinched away.
“Oh crap, I’m sorry,” she whispered, cupping her hand over my crotch.
I gave a strangled groan and lifted her hand away to press a kiss to her palm. “The family jewels are safe,” I said dryly, “but we have something else that needs attention before those, I’m afraid.”
Her gaze shot to my face, swept over my features, and her expression fell. The sight of her sleep-flushed cheeks and mess of chestnut curls made me want to kiss her, but we needed to get the bizarre text out of the way first. She sat up more carefully to avoid kneeing me again and spotted my phone on the floor. When she bent to pick it up, I rubbed my hands over my jaw.
“Someone texted me around three,” I said quietly. “No phone number came up, but the message was . . . threatening.”
Nora nodded slowly, as though this was a perfectly normal occurrence. Then again, it was starting to feel a little too familiar for my liking.
“Right. Okay. What did it say?”
Wishing I could shield her from this but recognizing that was impossible, I turned on the phone to show her. A frown appeared between her eyes as she read it. She picked up her own phone to check for anything strange, but there were no incoming texts or phone calls after Sam’s message about the movie.
“Why would they send something like that to your phone instead of mine? I mean, obviously the second part applies to us both, but it seems a little odd for a threat directed at me to come through you.”
“I don’t know. My phone number is probably easier to find than yours—plenty of people in town have it, for personal and business reasons. I’m going out on a limb here, but I assume you don’t give yours out quiteso willingly.”
