Page 15 of Protective Assignment (Warrior Peak Sanctuary #1)
Cade ran a hand through his hair as he stepped out of the cabin, trying to pull himself back together.
He couldn’t think straight. The only thing he could think of was his lips on hers, the feeling of her body against his, nothing but a towel to keep them apart. How easy it would have been to just push that towel aside and…
No. He couldn’t let his mind go there. No matter how tempting it might have been to finally give in to his desire, River had just left an abusive relationship and he did not need to complicate matters for her.
The last thing she needed was for someone like him to come into her life, demand her attention when she was trying to find a safe place and heal.
When he had heard her scream in the shower, he hadn’t even thought twice before going in there.
How could he? He needed to know she was okay.
After everything she’d been through, he couldn’t help but wonder if it was all going to catch up with her, and he wanted to make sure he did everything he could to ensure she stayed safe.
But she deserved her privacy. She wasn’t here because she chose to be for fun or just to pass time.
She was here because she wanted to stop running, she wanted to feel safe and not have to look over her shoulder for her ex.
And no matter how good that kiss had felt to him, he needed to remember that.
Her being here was about what she needed, not him.
No matter how deep his attraction to River seemed to run.
He pulled his jacket over his shoulders and started back up to the lodge.
He had been hoping to relax for the rest of the afternoon, but after their encounter, he knew he needed to give her plenty of space.
He didn’t want to make her uncomfortable or feel pressured into something she wasn’t ready for.
The image of her wrapped in that towel and the kiss were both already burned into his brain.
He knew he wasn’t going to be able to forget either anytime soon, but he was going to have to do his best to shove his feelings aside so things weren’t awkward between them.
They still had to share a cabin, after all.
He wasn’t going to push for more. If she wanted something from him, if she felt the same way for him that he did for her, then she would have to come to him.
No matter how badly he wanted to turn right around and go back to their cabin and show her just what he had been imagining in those long nights he had spent alone in his bed.
He arrived up at the lodge just in time to see Xavier waving off the sheriff from the door. He frowned as he walked over to him.
“Hey, Xavier. What’s that about?” he asked.
Xavier sighed, looking stressed. “There’s been a break-in at one of the warehouses we get supplies from, about fifty miles from here,” he explained. “The sheriff thinks it might have to do with that group he was telling us about before, the Shepards of Rebellion.”
Cade nodded. “Yeah, I remember.”
“I’ve told him we’re going to have one of our teams look into it for him,” he continued. “You think you could meet with Lawson and his team? Help with some tactical training? I don’t think they’re going to run into anything too heavy out there, but I’d rather they were prepared, you know?”
“Sure. Not a problem,” Cade replied.
In truth, he was glad for the excuse to get away from his cabin for a while. He needed to clear his head, and he knew he wasn’t going to be able to do that with River so close to him.
“What do you think’s going on with these guys?” he asked, crossing his arms over his chest.
Xavier shook his head. “I have no idea, but this is the most worried I’ve seen Willis about any kind of trouble in the area,” he remarked. “I don’t know if he’s just overreacting because all of this is new to him, or if there’s actually something to it, but I’d rather be safe than sorry.”
“Sure,” Cade replied, frowning. He couldn’t help but wonder if the Shepards drawing in closer to them had anything to do with River, but he quickly shook off that thought.
He couldn’t let his brain stray that way, not now.
He had no idea what all she was running from, but he wasn’t going to push her to come clean.
Hopefully, when she was ready, she would trust him with her secrets.
The more time they spent together, though, the more Cade hoped she’d learn to trust him and tell him about her past. No matter how drawn to her he was or how much he wanted to pursue a relationship with her, they wouldn’t be able to move forward until things were out in the open between them.
Just then, he saw Hannah approaching. Cade opened his mouth to greet her, but instead of stopping to talk, she narrowed her eyes in Xavier’s direction and breezed right past them. He turned his head and watched her walk away at a fast clip.
Cade chuckled in surprise. “Damn, what’s got her all angry?” he asked. “Did you do something to piss her off?”
Xavier shook his head as he watched her walk by, but Cade could tell there was more going on there than he wanted to admit to.
He grinned. At least he wasn’t the only one having woman trouble right now.
It was totally unlike Hannah to be anything other than her bubbly self, so there was definitely something more going on under the surface than he knew.
This lodge had its fair share of secrets, more than Cade was sure he would ever know about. But right now, he couldn’t worry about other people’s secrets or problems.
He had enough of his own.