She exhaled deeply, and I swear I felt the caress of it all along my skin.
“Changed my mind. I don’t want to be alone.” She tilted her head to the side and asked so softly I wasn’t certain I heard her correctly, “Will you stay with me?”
On the off chance that I wasn’t hallucinating, I gave her the only response I was capable of.
“Always.”
Chapter 11
Kody
I wasn’t sure how long we sat on the floor in silence. It felt like forever, yet not nearly long enough. There was a lot left to be said between the two of us, but the quiet was nice, and needed. Even with the noise from the bar down below, I was in my own little world. The only thing that existed was the gentle caress of Hill’s hand gliding over the top of my head and down to the ends of my hair. I couldn’t recall the last time I’d felt like I could breathe this easy, or everything inside of me had felt so still and calm. It was as if his touch was a soothing balm to all my desperately frayed edges.
I might’ve even drifted off for a minute or two, but when Lorenzo knocked on the door and told me last call was done, I shook off the stupor. Hill offered to close up, but the look of pure horror on Lorenzo’s face told me taking him up on it would be a bad idea. I didn’t have the time, patience, or trust to bring someone new on staff. I wasn’t about to let Hill run off my best bartender, even if his intentions were good.
Once Lorenzo went back downstairs I said, “You can head out.” I tried to sound unaffected, but there was a wobble in my voice, and I was sure he could plainly see my fear of being left alone stamped all over my face. Well, it wasn’t so much the fear of being alone as it was the fear of him walking away from me just when I decided I wanted to hold on to him.
Hill shook his head and leaned back against the wall, taking his hat off so he could rest his head against the hard surface. He extended his long legs in front of him and closed his eyes.
“I’m going to hang out. Case was my ride and he’s long gone. If you don’t mind, I’m going to bum a ride back to the motel when you’re ready to go.” He sounded casual about the request, but there was some kind of deeper emotion in his tone.
Maybe it was a hidden suggestion that I go back to his room with him for the rest of the night. Or maybe that was what I wanted the tone to mean.
I ran down the stairs and helped Lorenzo shut the bar down. He apologized multiple times for not having been there to have my back when the handsy, insulting cowboys got out of control. I assured him it wasn’t in his job description to keep me safe. Especially from the people in this town who knew exactly where to hit in order to take me down. I grew up in the shadow of whispers and speculation about my father and what was going on inside my house. I lived with the endless weight of “I told you so” and “You should’ve known better” after everything that happened with Aaron. I should have a thicker skin by now. I usually pretended I did. But after all that had happened with my father and my newly found half sister, the armor I typically wore was paper thin. It was fortunate Shot had been at the bar to pick up his payment. He’d stepped in to fight for me when I forgot for a second how to fight for myself.
“Business has been picking up lately.” Lorenzo made the observation as he placed the stools up on the bar. “Maybe it’s time to consider hiring an actual bouncer, or some kind of security on nights we think there might be a full house. Some of the girls mentioned they would feel more comfortable if they had eyes on them when the crowd gets rowdy.”
I wiped the back bar with more force than necessary and angrily kicked one of the beer coolers. “Why did they tell you and not me? I’m the boss.” Which meant I should know if my employees felt unsafe while on the clock.
Lorenzo shrugged. “Probably because you’ve been out of it lately. First it was that mess with Crew and the gambling debt, then Case landed himself in the middle of an actual shootout. Before you could catch your breath from all of that, your dad ends up dead, and there’s a big, brooding Texas Ranger hanging around all the time. No one blames you for not putting work first all the time.”
I kicked the cooler again and threw the rag toward the sink tucked under the bar top. “Maybe I can get a pass for not focusing on work, but the people who work for me should always be a priority. It’s always been important for me to take care of you guys.” I wanted to be a good boss, someone they could rely on. It didn’t take a genius to know I tried to save people because I hadn’t managed to save the one who mattered most.
“Don’t stress too much. I’m sure they would’ve come to you when things calmed down. After tonight it seemed like a good idea to bring it up. We worry about you just as much as you worry about us.” Lorenzo slapped his palm on the bar. “I’m outta here. I want to escape before the Ranger decides to come down and make me scrape gum off the bottoms of all the tables again.”
I snorted and waved him off. “I’ll protect you from him. And I’ll ask Shot if he has anyone he would recommend to watch the door.” I figured the biker probably had some scary friends on speed dial looking to make some extra cash.
Lorenzo paused midstep and shot me a look over his shoulder. “You might want to ask the Ranger for a name instead. Something tells me he won’t like you asking Shot for any more favors. Unless you want to rile the big guy up.” He gave me a wink and disappeared out the door, the quiet click of the lock following him.
I cast a glance up the stairs to where I’d left Hill.
I could only imagine his reaction when he showed up to a full-on biker brawl in front of my bar. I was sure he was disappointed and that it’d taken all his self-control not to jump into a lecture the minute he saw me.
I finished cleaning up, making sure to wash my hands and pull my thoughts together before going back upstairs.
As soon as I hit the threshold of my office I heard the heavy sound of Hill’s breathing. My steps automatically lightened when I realized he’d fallen asleep where I’d left him sprawled on the floor. His head was tilted to the side, blond hair messy and mouth slack as a soft snore escaped. Adorable wasn’t a word I’d typically associate with the rough, rugged man, but right now, when he was unaware and unguarded, he really looked cute. Almost cuddly.
Snickering under my breath at what his reaction would be if he knew what I was thinking, I reached out to brush some of his wayward golden hair off his forehead.
I got an immediate reminder that while he might look soft and gentle, the man was anything but.
He’d been a soldier. He’d been a border patrol agent. He was now a Texas Ranger. He’d carried a gun since he was eighteen years old and learned how to defend himself long before that.
Hill came awake almost instantly. Gray eyes glittering and dangerous. I gasped as I found myself suddenly thrown backward, landing on the floor with him vibrating and tense above me. Both of my hands were clamped tightly in one of his and pulled above my head. One of his legs slid between mine, effectively pinning me between his body and the hardwood floor. The feel of his weight against me, and the press of all those muscles against all my soft and secret places, made my head spin. I watched him blink slowly, the sleep gradually fading from the sharp silver edge of his gaze.