Page 8

CHAPTER 8

KNOX

“I hope the pie turned out alright.”

Lark turns to me, her cheeks flushed from the cold, her lashes and hair dusted with tiny flakes of melting snow. A light breeze lifts her hair, sending strands of fiery red dancing around her face. Surrounded by thick blankets of white in every direction, she’s the rare and perfect splash of color amid it, like a cardinal taking flight in the winter.

My songbird. That’s how I think of her. Not that I’d say it out loud, not when we’re still dancing around what we actually are to each other. Friends? Friends with potential? I don’t know, and I’ve been hesitating to ask.

Yes, Lark’s doing better than several days ago, when she practically gave me a heart attack after that terrible nightmare. The haunted look in her eyes is gradually fading, and she smiles more, not those tight, fake smiles, but the real ones. The dragon-slaying ones. The ones I can’t stop thinking about.

Other things I can’t stop thinking about? Holding her in my arms. Rubbing her back. Kissing her head and smelling the soft scent of vanilla and rose in her hair and feeling her soft curves pressed up against me. And hearing that tiny snuffling noise when she falls asleep with her head on my shoulder, which I know Lark thinks is embarrassing, but to me? It’s the cutest freaking sound I’ve ever heard.

But. Lark is still going through a lot . And I’m not sure it would be fair to add the pressure of the whole relationship conversation to it. Especially if I’m reading her signals wrong and she’s not interested. Then she’ll feel uncomfortable and it could ruin our friendship, and on top of that, she might decide to leave the cabin because she feels weird around me.

So I’ll wait. See if there’s still this crazy chemistry between us by the time we solve her case. And if there is, then I’ll ask her out on an official date.

It’s kind of frustrating, though. If I’d only asked her out sooner… but I just wasn’t sure .

Or was I just too afraid to let anyone else in?

Am I still afraid of letting another person I care about down, and that’s the real reason I’m hesitating?

“I’ve never made a pie from scratch before,” Lark continues. “I know I could have ordered one from Decadent Delights. Or made one with the ready-made crust and filling. But with it being Thanksgiving, and it’s my first time joining you guys… I want to make a good impression.”

Her gaze is a touch anxious, but there’s hopeful anticipation in it, too. Squeezing her gloved hand, I reply, “First off, the pie looks amazing. Although,” I tease, “I’m still upset you wouldn’t let me have the first slice as payment for being your sous-chef.”

“And bring the pie with one piece missing from it?”

I laugh. “Trust me, with this group, no one would be surprised. Just wait. You won’t believe how much these guys eat.” As the anxiety in her eyes fades, I add, “And you don’t need to worry about making a good impression. Everyone on the team thinks you’re great. Winter can’t stop talking about how much she likes you.”

A pleased smile curves her lips as she says, “I really hope so.”

As we trudge along the snowy path to Enzo’s house, she glances around at the thick clusters of pines and barren maples, all coated with a layer of crystalline white. “I can’t get over how pretty it is here. I mean, I grew up in Vermont, so it’s not like I didn’t know. But having all this property, with the paths to walk down… it’s just like I always dreamed of having.”

“You can.” My mind clicks into project mode as I start mentally mapping out where I could clear paths between Lark’s property and mine. Maybe I could even build a few benches to set along the way.

“Maybe,” she replies, her expression clouding for a moment. Then she straightens her shoulders and asks brightly, “So, who else is going to be there? Aside from your teammates and Winter?”

“Well, Winter’s best friend, Violet, is here from DC. I’ve only met her once, but she seemed really nice. Enzo’s old teammate, Nolan, is here, too. Nolan just separated from the Army, so he’s been traveling while he figures out what he’s going to do next.”

“Do you know Nolan well?”

“I do. We were on different teams—he and Enzo were Bravo, I was part of the Charlie company, and Alec was Alpha—but we all trained together. I haven’t seen Nolan in a couple of years, so I’m looking forward to catching up.”

Lark nods. “And you said one of your old teammates is coming, too?”

Smiling, I reply, “Yeah. Hawk. He left the Army right before I did. Now he’s working on a fishing boat in Alaska.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting him.” She pauses, and her brows pull into a tiny V. “Are you sure I’m not going to be in the way, though? If you want to spend time with your friends?—”

“You’re not going to be in the way.” Before I can think too much about it, I let go of her hand, wrapping my arm around Lark’s waist instead. As Enzo’s house appears through a break in the trees, I hug her close to my side. “At all. I promise.”

“Okay.” Lark flashes a little smile at me. “But if you need some guy time, don’t feel like you have to keep me company. I can talk to Winter. Or one of the other guys.”

Irrational jealousy surges through me as I imagine Lark sitting on the couch talking to a very single Ronan or Alec or Gage. Not that any of them would make a move on her knowing how I feel…

Well. They don’t really know, because I haven’t said. All I’ve clung to is this whole just friends business. But regardless, I know they wouldn’t try anything.

But what about Nolan and Hawk? As far as I know, they’re both single, too. And Lark’s so beautiful and smart and easy to talk to.

Shit. I’ll have to pull them both aside and tell them?—

“Oh, Knox. Look at the house!” Lark’s gaze is fixed on the farmhouse just ahead of us, already fully decked out for the holidays. White lights are strung all along the eaves and the porch railing, and hundreds more are twinkling on the shrubs lining the front of the house. Red ribbons decorate each window, and there’s a huge wreath on the front door. Just to the side of the porch steps, a trio of lit snowman wait to greet us.

“It’s so festive,” she continues, a soft smile curving her lips. “Winter said something about decorating, but I didn’t realize she and Enzo were doing this much.”

I’ve never given much thought to Christmas decorations aside from noticing them springing up around Thanksgiving. But given what I know about Lark, it makes sense she would get excited about them.

“It looks nice,” I agree. “Looks like Winter really put Enzo to work.”

“I was thinking about ribbons like that,” she replies. “And lights on the little balsams around the cabin. There are these cute wooden deer—” Cutting herself off, her expression falls as she adds quietly, “Well. Maybe next year.”

Shit.

It’s not just Thanksgiving that’s different for her. Knowing how much Lark loves Christmas, of course she had all sorts of plans for decorating the little house she loves so much. And now she’s here, celebrating the holidays away from home and her dad…

A seed of an idea takes root, and I give Lark a gentle squeeze as I say, “You never know.”

Puzzled, she asks, “What do you mean? I?—”

But we’re interrupted by a loud, “Knox! It’s about time you got here!”

Hawk jogs down the path from the house, grinning as his gaze sweeps over Lark and me. He comes to a stop in front of us, humor glinting in his eyes as he says, “Knox. Good to see you.”

Then he turns his attention to Lark and extends his hand. He gives her a friendly smile as he says, “Hi. I’m Hawk Jamison. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”

“Hi.” Lark steps away from me and shakes his hand, wincing a little as she does so. “It’s really nice to meet you.”

Hawk’s expression immediately shifts to one of concern. His forehead creasing, he says, “Shit. Sorry, Lark. I forgot that you’re hurt. You didn’t have to?—”

“It’s okay.” Her face lights with one of those breathtaking smiles. “It’s not too bad now. Don’t worry about it.”

His gaze shifts to mine for a second, his brows rising in silent question. I shake my head slightly, and he frowns, not pleased with my unspoken answer.

When I talked to Hawk a few days ago, I filled him in on Lark's case—what happened and our plans to catch the man who shot her. Unfortunately, we haven’t made any significant progress yet, and neither have the police. But it’s not all bad. Alec is still searching for some shred of evidence, and he has several of his tech friends helping out. And Lark is safe on the GMG property until we solve it, which is the most important thing.

“Well.” Hawk covers his frown quickly. “I’m glad you’re doing better. Now let’s get inside. It’s freezing out here.” He claps my shoulder as we all head toward the house. “Why didn’t you guys just drive over here instead of trekking through a freaking snowstorm?”

Laughing, I say, “This isn’t a snowstorm.” Glancing up at the flakes floating lazily down, I add, “This is just flurries. Basically nothing.”

“I wanted to walk over,” Lark tells him. “It looks so nice out, and I wanted to get some fresh air.”

Hawk snorts. “I guess it’s nice enough. But after spending the last couple of years in Alaska, I wouldn’t mind something more tropical.”

“Texas is warmer,” I offer. “Have you stopped by the new Blade and Arrow yet? Niall tells me it’s going really well. Once we get things off the ground here, I’m hoping to head out there for a visit.”

And maybe, if things with Lark go in the direction I’m hoping, I could bring her along with me. Introduce her to my old teammates, Xavier and Rhiannon and Niall, who are heading up the Bravo team branch of Blade and Arrow Security out in San Antonio.

Hawk hesitates, finally answering just as we step onto the front porch. “Maybe. I have some other people to visit before I’m due back in Alaska. If I have time, I will.”

He sounds about as thrilled at the prospect as he would getting a root canal, and not for the first time, I wonder just how well—or not well—he’s dealing with everything that happened before we left the Army. But now’s not the time to get into it, so I just lift my chin as I say, “Well, you’re always welcome here. And you know, if you decide to settle in one place, I’m sure everyone would love for you to join GMG.”

“Thanks, Knox.” He gives me a quick chin lift in return. “I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet, but I’ll let you know.”

As I’m about to ring the doorbell, the door is yanked open by a beaming Winter. “Come in! You guys must be freezing.” Her gaze moves to the wrapped pie tin in my hand. “Oh, you didn’t have to bring anything. I’m just glad to have you here.”

“I had to bring something,” Lark replies with a smile. “It’s apple-caramel. Hopefully it’s good.”

Winter lifts the foil and takes a tiny peek. “Well, it looks amazing. I’d better hide it before the guys try to eat it before dinner.”

Lark laughs. “Knox kept trying to sneak a piece last night. When I woke up after midnight, he was lurking in the kitchen.”

“I was looking for a drink,” I retort. “I wasn’t planning on stealing any pie.”

Winter’s eyebrows shoot up to her hairline as she throws a questioning glance at me.

Yes, I’ve spent the last few nights at Lark’s cabin. But it’s perfectly innocent. I stay on the couch and if Lark sleeps better when I’m there, I don’t see anything wrong with it.

“Knox has been so sweet,” Lark explains. “Since I was having trouble sleeping, he offered to stay at the cabin. Although—” She turns to me. “I don’t want you to feel obligated, Knox. ”

“I don’t.” As I remove Lark’s coat, I add, “It’s nice staying here. I’m closer to work, and I’m getting to watch all these great movies.”

Winter giggles. “Are you watching Hallmark Christmas movies, Knox?”

Hawk snorts. “You mean those ridiculous movies where there’s some woman from the big city who moves to a small town and falls in love?”

I arch an eyebrow at him. “And how do you know about Hallmark movies?”

He goes slightly pink. “My grandmother liked them. Whenever I visited for Christmas, she made me watch an entire marathon of them.”

Enzo walks into the foyer and grins. “Who’s talking about Hallmark movies?”

“Hawk and Knox are,” Winter replies gleefully. “They both love them.”

“Wait.” Hawk shakes his head. “I didn’t say anything about liking them. Let alone loving. Watching them under duress doesn’t count.”

Enzo chuckles. “Hey, no judgment here.” He pauses. “Much. I mean, I prefer watching manly movies for the holidays, like Die Hard ?—”

Winter takes Lark’s and my coats and plops them in Enzo’s arms. “You watched a Lifetime Christmas movie with me last night. So you can’t talk.”

“Well, we have football on today,” Enzo replies. “Come into the living room. We’ve got snacks to keep us going until the turkey is ready.”

As we follow Enzo and Winter into the living room, he adds, “The turkey should come out of the oven at five—” He glances at Winter and she nods. “So we’ll serve dinner around five-thirty. Plenty of time for snacks in the meantime.”

Winter glances over her shoulder at Lark. “Not to follow the patriarchal roles, but you’re welcome in the kitchen with me and Violet, if you want. We’re sort of cooking, but also drinking wine and watching a rerun of the National Dog Show .” After a beat, she adds with a mischievous smile, “Or you can stay with Knox. Get to know the guys better.”

“Maybe I can do both,” Lark offers. “I’d really like to get to know everyone better. But wine and cute dogs sounds nice, too.”

“It’s okay if you want to spend time with Winter,” I tell Lark quietly, dipping my head so only she can hear me. “Don’t feel like you?—”

She catches my hand. “I don’t.” Her cheeks pink up as she meets my gaze. “I want to spend time with you most of all.”

Oh.

My heart squeezes and expands simultaneously. “I feel the same way.”

“Knox. Come sit over here so we can catch up.” Nolan gestures to the empty spot between him and Alec. He swats Alec’s shoulder. “Move. So we can make room for Knox and Lark.”

Alec moves approximately one inch to the side before dragging his attention from the football game on the TV screen. He smirks at me before saying, “Hey, guys. Grab some snacks. The mini quiche things are delicious.”

What an asshole. I know exactly what he’s doing.

As Lark and I approach the couch, her hand still tucked inside mine, she eyeballs the empty cushion skeptically. It’s not small for one person, but for two… it’s definitely a tight squeeze. “If you want to sit with Nolan,” she starts, “I can?—”

There are several ways this could go.

I could find another spot to sit with plenty of room for both of us. I could let go of Lark’s hand and encourage her to get to know Ronan and Gage better.

Or I could do what instinct is telling me to.

Tugging her over to the couch, I sit down, pulling Lark onto my lap.

At first, she stiffens, and my heart drops to my feet.

Shit. Did I really fuck this up? Did I make assumptions I shouldn’t?

But before I can apologize or try to play it off like a joke, do literally anything to fix this, she relaxes, leaning back against my chest.

“Is this okay?” I whisper.

Her cheeks go pink as she nods. “Yes.” A beat later, she adds with a little smile, “I think it’s perfect.”

Well.

Okay, then.

Maybe Alec’s not such an asshole, after all.