Page 40 of West Bound

“I think he might need to find someone who isn’t a nun.”

“So you’ve never thought about it? I mean, Grant’s taken, I know, so you’ll have to settle for the lesser version. But still. He’s pretty, right? With the glasses and the serious-stare thing he does when he’s deep in thought? The girls at the bar always liked it.”

“He’s pretty. Yes.” I could admit that much, couldn’t I?

“So why not?”

“The part where I’m a nun, and he’s uptight?”

“It’s not like the other nuns are going to find out. Purgatory Falls can be your small-town Vegas. What happens here can stay here.”

“Even if I were tempted…” I trail off, staring down into my glass. It’s not an if, it’s a when, and these days it’s pretty much every hour of every day since we’re stuck in each other’s constant presence. The smell of his cologne. The way his brow furrows when he concentrates. The way he makes me coffee with extra cream and sugar in the morning.

“Even if?” Dakota looks at me with the question as my brain stalls out in a Levi-induced spiral.

“He wouldn’t. I’m the enemy’s daughter. I’m everything he hates. He doesn’t even trust me to be alone.” I point to the space between us. “He thinks I need a babysitter.”

“He trusts me to look out for you when he’s not around. That’s because he cares. If he didn’t, he’d have left you up in that cabin again. His guys wouldn’t fuck that up twice.” Dakota pours us another round of drinks along with two glasses of ice water. “And you being off-limits is part of the appeal. Men want what they can’t have. They like being tortured like that. They just hate to admit it.” Her lashes lift to reveal a devious smile. “So all you have to do is let him know it’s safe for him to admit it.”

I sigh. “I wish it were that simple. He already knows I have a thing for him, and he doesn’t care. He’s too focused on my father and everything else to care about something as silly as a crush. And he’s probably right. I’m silly for having one. Who crushes on the person holding them captive?”

“Oh, honey, I don’t think anyone is blaming you for crushing on him. There’s a whole list of women in this town who would pay for him to hold them hostage,” she muses.

My stomach flips at the thought of other women in this town. When he was a priest there was no opportunity for other women. But now… The creep of jealousy winds its way up my spine. I'm not in a position to be envious. But I hate the idea of him with someone else the second the images start to appear unbidden in my mind. So I am, whether I like it or not.

“How did you even begin to get over the intimidation factor with them?” I ask abruptly. “I mean, I suppose you’re not intimidated by them. You’re so…” I wave my hand in her direction. “Everything I wished I could be when I was growing up.”

A laugh tumbles out of her, and she shakes her head.

“Having a nun tell me she wishes she could be more like me is probably the best compliment I’ve ever gotten in my life.”

“Well, it’s true.”

“You just fake it until you’ve actually got it. Confidence takes time. Especially with them. They’re like angry bulls, stomping around, snorting, and demanding things all the time. You just have to hold your own. Show them you’re not scared of them.”

“Show him I’m not scared. Noted. Easier said than done.”

“And if you want him, you’ll have to make the first move. He won’t press his way over a line he thinks you’ve put in the sand, but if you give him permission…” She tilts her head like she’s remembering something, and it must be a fond memory given the way her face warms.

“The first move,” I repeat, and she nods, clinking her glass against mine in a mock toast.

“Just try it. I promise you won’t regret it. And if you do, you can just blame me.” She shrugs, grinning as she tops off my glass, and we take another long sip together.

SIXTEEN

Levi

“So, do we have a plan?”Grant asks, leaning back in his seat at the head of the table.

“Yes, how is our vicious little nun? Hopefully, no more accidents.” Rowan’s eyes search the meeting table and land on me with a wicked smile. He’s worse than my brother is about this situation.

“No more accidents. I’ve been transparent with her. She wants the same things as we do, more or less.”

“No love lost with her father?” Grant raises a brow in surprise.

“No. She’s got a list of reasons she can’t stand him, not least of which is that he forced her into a bad marriage and stole her inheritance.”

“Inheritance? That didn’t run through him?”