Page 14 of Awakening the Wild
"At least the roads are clear,” Shane said.
When the three of them kept looking at me expectantly, Kevin's hand pressed more firmly against my back. I could feel the possessive heat in his touch. "Tonya's staying with me while we rebuild Mary's cottage."
"Rebuild?" Shane raised an eyebrow. "Is that place really that far gone?"
"No, the foundation's solid," Kevin said. "It just needs some work."
"Some work?" Sam's grin was pure trouble. "I’ve been by the cottage. That place needs Jesus and a construction crew."
"It's not that bad," I said, lifting my chin at the skepticism in his voice. "Kevin thinks it's salvageable."
"Kevin thinks a lot of things," Sam muttered, earning a warning look from Kevin that could have melted steel.
"Are you ready to swing a hammer and get dirty?" Neil asked, but there was something approving in his tone.
"I'm learning," I said. "Kevin's teaching me."
"Bet he is," Sam said under his breath.
"We should head out," Shane said quickly, clearly the peacekeeper. "Let you get back to your... teaching."
"Our monthly meeting's this weekend," Neil reminded Kevin. "Usual place."
"I'll be there."
They climbed back onto their vehicles, engines roaring to life. But not before each of them nodded politely to me—tentative acceptance into their brother’s life.
As they rode away, the almost-kiss hung between us like unfinished business.
"They're protective of you," I said.
"We protect each other." His dark eyes were fixed on me with an intensity that made my pulse race. "Always have. They like you."
"How can you tell?"
"They didn't suggest I throw you off the mountain."
I laughed despite the tension crackling between us. "Is that their usual response to women in your life?"
"There haven't been a lot of women in my life." The honesty in his voice made my breath catch. "Not that I ever had staying with me here on our mountain."
The implication hung in the air between us. I was the first. The only one he'd brought to his sanctuary, his sacred space.
I was going to rebuild my grandmother's cottage with him. He was going to teach me to use tools I needed to learn to trust myself, and learn that I was stronger than Michael had ever let me believe. And I was going to do it all under the watchful, protective eyes of the most compelling man I'd ever met. A manI wanted to fall madly into bed with after only knowing him a week. I was hoping he felt the same.
Chapter 4
Tonya
The call came while Kevin and I were making dinner together—something simple but intimate, like we'd been doing it for years instead of days. When Michael's name flashed on my phone screen, I felt the familiar dread settle in my stomach like ice water.
"Answer it," Kevin said. "Put it on speaker. Let's hear what he has to say."
My hand trembled as I swiped to accept the call. "I want you to stop calling me."
"Tonya, sweetheart." His voice was silk and steel, the tone that used to make me feel cherished and now made my skin crawl. "I've been so worried about you. This little adventure has gone on long enough."
I glanced at Kevin, who was standing rigidly by the kitchen counter, every muscle in his massive frame coiled for violence. His dark eyes were fixed on my phone with lethal intensity.
