Page 25 of Hunting for her Heart
“It’s just grass,” I say, unsure why he thinks it’s weird.
“Yeah, but I don’t remember seeing it there before, and why just in this spot?”
I glance up at the ceiling. “Maybe there’s moisture coming from below in that spot, and the sun hits it for a longer duration throughout the day?” I guess. I’ve read some horticultural books, but I’m not exactly well-read on caves.
“Perhaps,” he says, running his fingers back and forth between the soft blades.
“I hope you’re hungry,” Ronan says. “Because there is a lot of meat here.”
“Starving,” Bo says with a nod.
“Me too,” Hawk agrees.
Ronan looks at me in question, so I nod. Then I get to play musical chairs as Ronan comes over and sits down beside Bo, and reaches his hands out to me. “Come here, my tiny treasure.” He called me that before, and I’m not sure what it means, but I like it. It makes me feel…treasured.
I place my hands on his large biceps, and he easily liftsme into his lap, settling me sideways as Bo tends to the meat that’s cooking on the fire.
“I don’t like to see these bruises on your skin,” Ronan says, lifting my arm gently to look at the black and blue marks.
“They are pretty ugly,” I agree sadly.
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “Nothing about you could ever be ugly. I just hate knowing that someone hurt you, that even now you are still hurting.”
“But…” I start to respond, but end up trailing off, knowing I shouldn’t be speaking unless asked a direct question. I’m finding it too easy to forget myself around them and let my tongue slip too often. I’m lucky I haven’t upset them yet.
Ronan’s fingers trail down my arm to my hand, and he gently takes it in his much larger one as his warm green eyes look at me in question. “Why do you do that?”
“Do what?”
“Stop yourself from speaking. You’ve done it several times now.”
I bite my lip, turning my gaze down to our hands, unsure what to tell him.
“Willow, look at me,” he says with a small bite of authority that makes me lift my gaze to his. “I know we haven’t fully explained what’s going on yet, but know that you can speak freely with us.”
I hesitate before whispering, “I don’t want to make you mad.”
His brows furrow as he asks, “Are you planning on trying to leave us?” His question surprises me, and I’m unsure why I haven’t even considered trying to run from them. The whole reason I had run and hidden in that treewas because I didn’t want to be caught by the men in this game.
My eyes bounce between his as I try to figure out why these three feel different. They make me nervous, sure, but it’s not fear coiling in my belly; it’s something else entirely.
“Willow?” he questions, making me realize I haven’t answered his question. Both Bo and Hawk are watching me now. All three of them are staring at me with a mix of worry and hope.
“It hadn’t crossed my mind,” I tell him honestly.
His shoulders relax, and I see some of the tension fade. “Good. Forget I ever asked.”
“Why would you even put that in her head?” Hawk asks angrily before turning back to watch the forest.
Ronan ignores him, his eyes still on me as he prods further. “I want to know why you think speaking will make us mad?”
Something about his energy has me wanting to tell him the truth, as if lying to him would physically cause me pain. “My father told me not to speak unless asked a direct question.”
His jaw tightens and he glances at the others before lifting my hand and pressing my fingers to his lips. The action is so intimate, it shocks me, making me inhale sharply as my belly coils with that unfamiliar need again.
“Willow,” he says calmly, his eyes burrowing into mine. “If there is one thing you need to know about us, it’s that we will never harm you or be upset if you speak your mind. Wewantyou to tell us what you’re thinking and feeling.”
“Here,” Bo appears beside us with some skewers full of meat. Ronan takes them and pulls off a small piece, popping it into his mouth and chewing, his brow slightly furrowed.
