Page 23 of Protective Assignment (Warrior Peak Sanctuary #1)

“Are you okay?” he murmured to her, tucking her hair back behind her ear as they lay next to each other in bed.

She nodded, leaning over to put her head on his chest. “Yeah,” she whispered back. “I really am.”

He smiled and wound his arms around her, pulling her in close.

Being this intimate with her was a dream he’d never thought would come true.

But the moment he had seen that desperate, helpless look in her eyes, he knew he had to take the chance to show her how much he meant it when he said he was going to protect her.

She needed to know he was all in this with her.

Sleeping with her for the first time had been incredible, their bodies matching with each other as though it was the most natural thing in the world. And now, as they lay together in his bed, it was like the enormous weight of everything that had been holding them back was starting to drift away.

She had finally told him the truth, and though he could hardly wrap his head around the vastness of it, he was grateful that she had.

It meant she finally trusted him completely.

He could only imagine how hard it must’ve been for her to come clean to him like that.

But it made everything about her just fall into place.

All the questions that hadn’t added up suddenly slotting together in a way he could make sense of.

He was so glad he finally knew where she was coming from, even if it had been hard for her to tell him.

She had escaped from a cult. A damn cult.

He couldn’t imagine how painful it had been to lose her father like that, to be left behind by the rest of her family, and then having to rely on the people who had killed him to survive.

And then to be told she was going to be married off to some psycho?

From what he had heard about the Shepards, Ryker was a real piece of work, and the thought of him getting anywhere close to River was enough to make him feel sick.

He’d told River he would protect her and he meant it. He was going to do whatever it took to keep that promise. No one was going to lay a hand on her, not on his watch.

He smoothed his hand over her hair, letting his fingers drift down her back and follow the curve of her body.

He was sure Lawson was waiting for him to return so he could fill him in on everything he had found out, but right now, he didn’t want to break this moment.

He didn’t want to share her with anyone else.

He wanted their time to last a little longer.

“So, now that you’re going to be staying a while longer,” he remarked. “Do you think you’ll keep working on mending clothes, or see about doing something else?”

She smiled, snuggling into his chest. “I don’t know,” she replied. “I like sewing, it’s what I know and I don’t mind doing it. But also, I think I’d like to try something else. I was talking to Sarah, that therapist?”

“Yeah, I know her.”

“Well, she said I could maybe help out with some of her patients. Peer mentorship-type work,” she replied, shaking her head. “It sounds crazy to me, but I…maybe I could help. It did feel nice to help that man the other day.”

“Man?” he questioned. “What happened?”

She let out a small sigh that tickled the hair on his chest. “When I put my bag down to refill my water in the lodge, a new group of people were coming in and it made a loud bang noise when it hit the ground. It startled one of the men and he started having an episode. No one else was around, so I tried to talk him down. Bring him out of it. I felt so bad for causing him distress, but it felt really good to help a little.” She shrugged and smiled into Cade’s chest. “Anyway, Sarah was there and saw us and approached me about helping.”

“That sounds amazing,” he replied, stroking her hair. “I think you’d be really good at that.”

“I don’t know…”

“I do,” he told her, and she smiled up at him.

It was clear it had been a long time since someone had actually talked to her like she was worth something.

To give her praise or even a compliment.

It killed him to think of how much she had been through already, knowing she never deserved anything that had happened to her.

Cade wished he could take those burdens off her shoulders.

“Thanks,” she murmured. “Maybe I’ll take her up on it once things have calmed down. I’ll think about it. That also will depend on if Lawson and Xavier will even let me stay here after this.”

“You should,” he urged her. “You would be a great help to her, I’d bet. And don’t worry about the guys. Once they understand what’s happened, they won’t turn you away.”

“I hope you’re right. What about you?” she asked, turning the conversation to him once more.

“I’m going to help out with the squad, I think,” he replied.

“The squad?”

“The one that Lawson runs,” he explained. “It’s a way for the guys who come here to get back on their feet and out into the field. They’re helping out with the Feds’ investigation into the Shepards right now.”

“You think that’s safe?” she asked, sounding fearful.

He squeezed her a little closer. “I know it is,” he replied. “I can handle myself. And if it means taking down the group that has been causing you so much pain, it’s not even something I have to think twice about.”

She nodded but didn’t reply. He knew she was worried and afraid, but it was something that he needed to do.

He’d been trying to find his place, his new start since his injury, and this was the right fit for him.

A way to keep his mind, body, and skills acquired through the years sharp.

He also wanted her to know he meant what he said about her being safe and protected.

And if he could use his skills and knowledge to help bring down the Shepards, that would be a bonus for them both.

Lying here with her in bed, he felt content for the first time in a long time. Even when he had been at peace before, he had always felt a hole inside him that never seemed to go away. He had been sure it was just because of his job—because of the life he’d left behind.

But when he was with her, all of that seemed to just fall away.

Maybe it wasn’t his work that he had needed, but a purpose.

Something to drive him forward, even when things seemed impossible.

And she was that purpose. Protecting her, making sure she had the life she needed and would never to have to fear for her safety or that of her family ever again.

Everything he had been looking and waiting for, it was lying in his arms at that moment.

He couldn’t imagine anything better, anything that would make him happier.

His whole life had changed when he had suffered that injury, and he had thought it would be an uphill battle trying to get back to the point where he felt like a person again.

But now, when he was with her, he had a purpose. He had a reason.

And it was River.

“I guess we should go talk to Lawson, huh?” River sighed.

Cade let out a groan. “No, let’s just stay here,” he replied. “I need to rest. And so do you. I’ll talk to him in the morning.”

She grinned and closed her eyes, hooking her leg over his. It was as though she couldn’t get close enough to him.

He knew how she felt.

Even with their bodies pressed tightly against each other, he still wished they could be closer.

“I have to go to town with Hannah tomorrow,” she murmured, smoothing a hand over his chest. “We have some supplies to pick up.”

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. You think that’ll be safe?” he asked. He could already feel himself starting to doze off, but he wanted to make sure she wasn’t about to walk into the middle of a mess by heading off by herself.

“I hope so,” she replied, and he ran his fingers through her hair, pushing it back from her face. “We didn’t have any problems and there’s been no sighting in the town, right?”

“As far as I know, no, there hasn’t. You’ll be extra careful?” he asked her, and she nodded.

“I promise I will,” she swore to him. “And Hannah too. We only have a few places to go, so it should quick. I don’t think they’d try anything with a town full of people. There’ll be plenty of people around while we’re there.”

“Stay close to populated areas, and don’t go off on your own for any reason. It’s not going to be long until we have Ryker and his gang behind bars,” he promised her. “Soon you won’t have to worry at all.”

“I hope so.”

“You don’t have to hope,” he replied. “I’ll make it happen, River. Just watch me.”

She smiled as her eyes drifted shut.

He stayed awake until he was sure she had dozed off to sleep, and then let himself drift off as well. When he fell asleep with her in his arms, he was even more sure than ever of what he had to do next.

Whatever it took to keep her safe. And whatever she needed to have the future she deserved.