Page 49 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
She fiddled with the edge of the blanket and then pet Duke as he laid down once more beside her. She still wouldn’t look him in the eyes, and a heavy sigh escaped her lips.
“I don’t sleep well alone, okay? I was having another nightmare and just wanted to be close. I thought you’d be fine with it.” Maeve pulled her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. “I promise I wasn’t trying anything. I just feel safe near you.”
He rubbed at his eyes as he tried to decipher the jumble of emotions, which made sense in this scenario.
“I believe you, but no more sneaking in my room. Knock and wake me up if something is bothering you. I’ll sit up with you or whatever, but this….” He pointed to the bed. “Is a no.”
“But sneaking in is a lot more fun,” she smiled wide, that wicked grin of hers back on her beautiful face.
“Dear Creator,” he swore and walked out of the room.
“I was joking,” she called after him, but he needed a few moments alone to get himself under control.
Turning on the taps, he splashed cold water onto his face and closed his eyes. He needed to find his center. He breathed deeply until his body stopped acting like he was going through puberty again.
Feeling calmer, he finished his morning routine and could hear Maeve in the kitchen as he returned to the bedroom. She had looked way too good curled up next to him. The tousled morning hair and seductive look on her lips as she teased him were enough to push even a saint’s buttons, and he was no saint.
Before Maeve decided to see what was taking him so long, he pulled on his jeans, T-shirt, and cowboy boots. Grabbing his Stetson, he wandered out to the kitchen and grinned as she spoke to the frying pan like that was normal.
It smelled like scrambled eggs, and she’d done them up right by adding vegetables and cheese. She turned and looked at him, and he knew that right or wrong, he would never grow tired of the way her eyes traveled over him with a hungry look.
There was a difference in her gaze this time. She was looking at him with true interest and lust, and the strange frantic darkness her eyes usually held was not there. She wasn’t appraising him as her next fix but as a man. He would take that look any day.
“They’re going to burn?”
“Huh?”
“The eggs…they’re going to burn.” He nodded toward the pan and made his way to the coffee pot.
A smile spread across his face as she swore. Pouring himself a coffee, he heard the truck before he saw it. He was reaching for the gun in the drawer in case it was an ‘unfriendly’ when he recognized his Dad’s truck. He closed the drawer and pushed down the adrenaline surge.
“Come in,” he called out as his Dad knocked.
He already had the three coffees poured and handed one to Maeve and then his Dad as the man walked in.
Maeve turned and cleared her throat. “Osda Sanalei,” she said.
His Dad’s smile couldn’t have gotten any bigger. “Not bad at all. Good morning.”
“I’ll get better with it, Wolf has taught me a few more words, but I’m hoping to do full sentences soon. Would you like some eggs? I can make some more.”
Maeve poured the majority of the eggs on a plate and held it out for Wolf to take. He couldn’t stop staring at her. She was like the sun. She was bright and powerful and offered light to the world, yet if you flew too close, you’d get burned and fall to the earth just like Icarus. The thing was, he was finding himself more tempted and not caring with each passing day, even knowing the potential consequences.
“Thank you for the offer, but I’ve already eaten. I actually came to see if the two of you would like to help with the final preparations for the harvest celebration tomorrow night?”
Wolf wasn’t sure a large party environment was the right place for Maeve, but he couldn’t avoid the celebration and didn’t want to leave her alone and unprotected either. He was supposed to dance in the evening and would need to be there for most of the day. The fact his Dad was the elected Chief made it mandatory that he attend unless he wanted to dishonor his Dad, which he didn’t. Although the position’s duties and what it meant had changed over the years, it still meant that his Dad had a large hand in all the year-long preparations, and of course, he had to attend the powwow.
“I’m always good for a celebration. Yes, I’d love to help.” Maeve took a bite of her eggs, and even though she looked thrilled and his dad seemed excited to have someone new to teach, Wolf wasn’t sure this was a good idea.
“What about the rest of the hay and the other chores that need to get done today,” Wolf asked, hoping to derail the plans.
“Waya, you always work and worry too much. I booked Unole and a few of the younger workers to take care of the ranch for today….”
Wolf held up his hand to stop his Dad.
“I fired Unole yesterday, so don’t count on him showing up unless it’s to burn the place down.”
“Oh?”
