Page 21 of Hidden Harbor (Evergreen Rescue #1)

M y lips pursed. I probably looked like a petulant child, but there was no way I was buying her lame answer.

The remnants of tears smudged her cheeks, and her breath came in tiny pants, like she was still catching her breath and trying not to sob.

She looked utterly devastated, like her world had crumbled to ashes beneath her feet.

“You look a long ways from my definition of ‘okay.’ What happened?”

My words came out harsher than I intended. Her chin tilted up, regaining the regalness I associated with her usual posture. Anya had never struck me as the cowering type. She had more the kill-them-with-kindness vibe. Seeing her look so defeated shook me.

I’d been making my nighttime rounds at The Anchor, ensuring everything was locked up tight for the night, when I spotted movement in Vi and Anya’s backyard. While a raccoon had been the most likely culprit, I still couldn’t go to sleep without checking it out.

Anya’s huddled form sobbing in one of the firepit chairs was the last thing I’d expected.

I inched closer, encouraged when she didn’t draw away.

She attempted a laugh, but it choked off on a short half-sob. That tortured sound cut my knees from beneath me. I sank onto the bench beside her. She melted into my shoulder. I took it as a sign she needed comfort, so I scooped her into my lap.

Every second she delayed answering, my fears mushroomed, growing inside my chest until my ribs felt like they would crack. She was hot to the touch and damp from tears. She burrowed deeper, as if she could absorb me like armor. It was a role I’d gladly claim, if it kept her from crying anymore.

“Honey, I can’t bear to see you so upset. Please, tell me what happened.”

Maybe it was the pure desperation in my voice, but she finally scooted back enough to see my face. Her blue eyes were liquid with tears, her eyelids angry and red. She swiped at her runny nose, and I dug a handkerchief from my pocket, offering it to her.

“Thanks.” She gave me a smile that wavered at the corners. “I’m sorry to blubber all over you. I just had a shock tonight. Someone from my family reached out.”

“I’m guessing you’re not close from things you’ve said, but is everyone okay?” I asked.

“My family’s not like yours.” Her smile turned wry. “Even if your gran can be a lot, she still loves you.”

“I’m sure your family loves you too,” I said.

She gave me a dark look. “They used me.” She said it with such bitterness, it was clear the pain was still fresh, the memories sharp.

I had no words. Questions crowded forward, begging to be asked, but she was wrung out. Her lower lip trembled, tugging at my heartstrings. Anya deserved to have a family who loved her, not one who left her sobbing in the dark.

I wrapped her in a bear hug, crowding her into my chest until her cheek lay against my heart.

She sank into my arms, relaxing with a deep sigh.

That tiny gust roiled me in a fresh wash of emotion.

Slowly, I stroked her head, running my palm over her sleek hair to her back, making small circles between her shoulder blades.

It was meant to be soothing, and I was rewarded when her shoulders relaxed, her body melting into mine.

I lost track of how long we sat like that.

At first, my blood rushed in my ears, my pulse heavy and fast. Gradually, the rhythm eased, slowing until it matched the gusts of wind blowing off the water.

Night sounds took over, crickets and frogs serenading us with their evening ballads.

She stirred, sighing reluctantly as she leaned back to look up at me.

Her blue eyes were dull with something too close to despair for me to leave it alone.

“Do you need protection?”

“I want to say no. But honestly? Maybe. Vi’s here, but she’s probably already in bed.”

My breath caught, mind swirling with the implications. “Is this get-the-sheriff trouble, or the kind we can handle ourselves?”

She wrinkled her nose. Her scrunched face would be adorable in other circumstances. “Too soon to tell.”

“Do you want me to stay over tonight?” I asked, not sure who I was asking for. There was no way in hell I was getting any sleep if I couldn’t be sure she was safe. “Let me rephrase. Where would you like me to sleep tonight? Your choices are this bench or your couch.”

“Not my bedroom?”

“If you need me close, I’ll be there. I can make a pallet on the floor.”

“What if I just need you ?”

The vulnerability in her voice ripped at my heart. “Honey, sex isn’t going to solve our problems.”

“How can you be sure unless we try?”

A hint of her normal sparkle returned, glittering in her blue eyes. Her teasing reassured me that all wasn’t lost. She just needed some recovery time. Space to process whatever had happened. In the morning, I’d press her for more details.

“Tell you what. Ask me again when you haven’t been crying, and we’ll see what happens. For tonight, I’m more interested in being your friend than your hookup.”

“Drew, you’re more than a hookup.” Her protest was soft but sincere.

“Good. Then you won’t mind waiting until I’m in a place to romance you properly. If I’m gonna do a thing, I’m going to do it right .”

“Doing the right thing is really important to you.”

“It is.”

She ringed her arms around my neck, expression solemn. “I can only hope you’ll still want me when you realize I’m only human.”

“First, I’ll always want you. Second, if your feelings for me are based on the assumption that I’m infallible, I’m going to disappoint you in two seconds flat.

Please don’t put me on a pedestal, Anya.

I promise, I’m just a man. A man who wants you desperately, but you only have to look at how I ran my mouth on our first date to see I make mistakes. I’m no saint.”

Her breath was shaky, and her mouth trembled at the edges, but it was a smile. I’d take it.

I led her inside. “Where do you want me?” I asked, my voice husky.

She arched both brows.

“Floor or couch?”

“You’re not going to get anything approaching real rest on the floor.” Vulnerability bled into her soft blue eyes. “And the couch is awfully far away… Stay with me?”

Her voice faltered on the last word, eviscerating my heart in one shaky syllable. Everything compressed, taking my ribcage and tightening it until I was sure I couldn’t breathe without her.

“If that’s what you want, I’m there.”

She did whatever women did in the bathroom before bed, returning in soft peachy-pink pajamas. It took a moment for me to resolve the intricate pattern into its component parts. From a distance, they looked almost floral. Up close? Not so much.

“Cute,” I murmured, holding back a grin. “Do I want to know how or why you have penis pajamas?”

Anya lifted one rounded shoulder, eyes glittering with humor. “It’s as close as I could get to a chastity belt on short notice.”

I widened my eyes, blinking slowly. Twice.

She grinned in the face of my disbelief, and I shook my head, dropping my chin.

“Yeah, I think someone failed history. Those might be the first urban legend. The second might be that you could come up with anything that would make me not want you. You look fucking adorable, even covered in dicks.”