Page 37 of Savage Rancher
Fuck—there's more she hasn’t told me yet. I sigh. "Emma."
"I have plans with Harper tonight. We’re meeting for a drink after she gets off shift." She lifts her chin, the way she always did when she was digging her heels in. "We've had it scheduled for over a week."
Luke grabs a piece of bacon from Mason’s plate, pale eyes sharp. "Is it smart, going out with the sheriff's daughter?"
Emma meets his gaze straight on. “She’s my friend. It'd look weird if I canceled now, and besides, I don’t want to."
“Be smart to find out what the sheriff’s thinking,” Mason says.
I shoot him a glare, which just makes the corner of his mouth kick up, his version of raucous humor.
I don't like it. I don't like the idea of Emma leaving Blackthorn, going back to Circle H, being out of my sight for even a few hours. Going out alone, God knows where, taking pictures. The need to keep her close is almost overwhelming.
I turn to her. "I'll come with you."
"Out with Harper?" Emma's eyebrows shoot up. "Jake, that's?—"
"Not to the bar. To the Circle H.” I get up and take our plates to the sink. I need to fuel up, but first, I’ll make sure Emma haswhat she needs. “I'll follow you home, make sure everything's secure."
"Eli's, um, taken care of," she says slowly, like I don’t understand the situation. She stands and faces me. "There's no threat anymore."
Mason and Luke have gone very still. I can feel their attention on me, warning me to tread carefully.
I don’t give a fuck. This is about Emma’s safety, and I won’t compromise that. I advance on her. She lifts her chin even higher. That little bit of defiance? Makes my cock twitch with the need to dominate.
The sad thing is, I think she might be the one in charge here.
I back her against the counter, my hands bracketing either side of her. "There's always a threat. Cole Turner might come around. And your security is shit. No alarm system, weak locks, isolated location?—"
"I've lived there my entire life without an alarm system," she says, rolling her eyes.
"That was before."
She shakes her head. "Before Eli?"
"Before you were mine."
39
EMMA
Before you were mine.
Something hot slides through my chest at those words. I want to be furious—I’m not a thing to own. I’m my own person, and I’m not giving up my life to accommodate anyone.
That was one of the reasons Mark and I broke up—at least in his opinion. I thought it was all the women he was seeing on the side.
Jake is different, and I want to be his, but I don’t want him to think I’m just going to do whatever he says.
I put my hands on my hips, studying him. "So that's how this works? You declare ownership, and I just comply?"
"No.” He tilts my chin up to meet his eyes. "You comply because you want to. Because you know I'll make sure you’re safe."
"I won’t be a prisoner, Jake." I put my hand on his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart.
"I didn't say you were."
But his jaw's tight, and I can see the battle happening behind his eyes. I shake my head. "Then why does it feel like you're trying to keep me locked up?"
