Page 73 of Ink and Ashes
“Damn. Watkins would’ve been my top suspect.” His eyes shift to the conference room window, Holland’s silhouette visible through the window. His brows are pulled tight, and the look on his face is like a lion looking at his prey. It doesn’t surprise me—Holland is a beautiful woman, and it’s the same way all the guys have looked at her over the past few weeks. But that doesn’t stop my annoyance from flaring each time they do.
Holland isn’t mine, but I don’t want her to be anyone else’s either.
“Keep me posted on Parillo,” he adds, pulling my attention back to our conversation.
I flex my jaw. “You got it, Chief,” I tell him, shoving the unwanted jealousy down.
He pats me on the shoulder, turning to head back to his office. I join the guys doing inventory again, stealing glances up at Holland once in a while.
And every so often, I feel her eyes on me too.
A few hourspass before Beau and his team return to the station for lunch. It’s Newman’s day to cook, which means a meal none of us like to miss. His food never disappoints.
“How’d it go out there?” I ask Beau as we make our way to the kitchen.
“Good. Everything’s drenched right now from the rain, so fingers crossed it stays that way. Lines are holding well too.”
I grin. That’s the best news we’ve had in weeks.
The guys all gather in the kitchen, but I continue to the conference room to invite Holland to eat with us.
“Hey,” I say, knocking on the door. “Lunch is served. Come join us.”
She looks up from her laptop, her cheeks flushing pink. “You sure it’s okay?”
I nod.
“Okay.” She stands from the table, and together we make our way back to the kitchen.
No one bats an eye at Holland’s presence, everyone continuing on as usual. Adler jokes about thinking she’d left town, and I introduce her to the rest of the crew, since she has yet to meet everyone. I make us each a plate, then take a seat next to Langley. She takes the seat across from me, wedged between Cass and Dom. The room fills with chatter while we eat, and it’s the most relaxed I’ve felt in ages. Holland tosses jokes back and forth with the crew, and through the whole meal, I can’t tear my eyes away from her.
The last thing I expected when she arrived six weeks ago was for my feelings toward her to shift so drastically. I’d all but sworn off relationships of any kind before I met her, and Ineverthought someone would change that. I had my person, and I lost her. In my mind, I’d never get that chance again.
Yet, as I watch her banter with my best friends as if she’s always belonged here, I can’t help but wonder if she does. We’ve grown closer in the ten days of living under the same roof at the inn, and every time she’s around, I feel like I can breathe again.
But she’s leaving once this is all said and done. She’s made it clear that Ember Grove is just a pitstop for her. That her ultimate goal is to return to her old life—or try to, anyway. Which means no matter how badly I may want it to, nothing can happen between us. She’s already broken some of my walls down, and I know if I let her in all the way, I’m never going to want to let her go.
I tear my gaze from her, trying to focus on the conversation around me. Ace is telling a story about the time Langley had a condom fall off inside a girl—a classic and one we’ve all heard countless times before.
“Let me guess. You bought extra-large to make her think you had it, when you really should’ve been wearing a small,” Holland jokes, her brows raised in Langley’s direction.
The room erupts in a laugh.
“Why don’t you come find out for yourself?” Langley teases, and another flash of jealousy sparks through me. I bite my tongueto keep from telling him to shut the fuck up, but Holland beats me to it.
“Oh, Ethan. It’s cute that you think you could handle me,” she purrs, leaning forward. Her gaze is seductive, and with a quick glance around the room, I know every man in here is fighting a hard-on right now.
Myself included.
I’m not even sure she realizes the effect she has on men. I know she doesn’t realize the effect she has on me. But fuck if I don’t want to show her.
Langley laughs the rejection off and the conversation shifts.
“So, Holland,” Chief Whitlock starts. “What’s your story?”
Holland’s cheeks flush a light shade of pink, her confidence from a moment ago evaporating. She pushes some food around on her plate, then looks up at the group.
“Don’t really have one. I was a pretty successful journalist in Toronto, but I needed a change of scenery, so I came here. Not sure where I’ll end up next.”
