Page 72 of Redemption in the Dark (The Righteous 5)
“So is his gun.” They stared at one another for a heartbeat, a look of understanding passing between them.
“I can’t let him do this. Duke track,” Wolf said, and the dog twisted his head and looked at him. “Shit,” he mumbled as the panic gripped his heart.
He quickly wandered the outer area of where they were sleeping and found the distinct drag mark of Jimmy’s bum leg pulling the dirt.
“Duke, come. Find,” he said, pointing to the footprint, but Duke sat down.
“I think Jimmy has ordered him to stay with you. He’s not going to disobey,” Trev offered as the rest of the group began to stir.
“Don’t do this, Jimmy,” he mumbled under his breath. “He’ll be moving slow. I’m going after him.” Wolf grabbed the leash and hooked Duke up. “He has to come back.”
* * *
Wolf woke up with a start,his eyes opening to stare into soft caramel-colored eyes.
“What’s wrong,” he asked as he looked at Maeve’s concerned expression. “Is someone here?”
“You were screaming for Jimmy, and Duke was getting really upset.” She looked to the door, and he noticed Duke scratching at the welcome matt. “Are you okay?”
She slowly removed her hands as he sat up and swung his legs over the side of the couch.“Yeah, just some bad memories. Duke, come.” Duke looked over, his eyes wide. “I’m sorry bud. Come on. It’s okay.”
He held out his hand, and the large black and tan dog came over and sat between him and Maeve.
“I didn’t mean to upset you,” he said softly to the animal. “It’s been some time since I had a dream that bad. I’m sorry.” Wolf looked up and swallowed hard as he locked eyes with Maeve.
Everything about her called to him. Unable to stop himself, he reached up and moved some of the wild strands away from her face. He liked the purple ends, they suited her personality, but he loved to see the natural raven color framing her face. She was so stunning that his heart hurt to look at her.
“Am I too broken,” she said, her voice as soft as a whisper on the wind. “Is that the real reason you don’t want to be with me and why you look at me like that?”
A cool breeze traveled over his heated skin like a caress, making him shiver. He looked around the small cabin, his eyes looking for the cause of the cool air, and then back to Maeve.“You’re not broken, and I do want you.”
Maeve shifted a little closer, and he knew he should move away, but he couldn’t. He felt rooted to the spot by something more powerful. Heart hammering like a drum, he licked his lips as his body reminded him just how much he wanted her.
“Then tell me why. The real reason, because the age gap is nothing, and you know I’m innocent of what I was accused of. So regardless of what you were first sent to do, you can’t tell me that is still the issue.”
He turned his head and wanted to bolt from the conversation, but Maeve was quick and grabbed his face forcing him to look at her as she straddled his lap. Hands that felt like they belonged to someone else reached up and pulled Maeve closer, making him shudder as she came into contact with his hard cock. He was always on the edge of losing control with her. Like he was diving into the deep end of a pool, not knowing how to swim, but still wanted to do it.
“Tell me,” she said, her lips placing the softest of kisses on his lips.
His heart ached like a scab being ripped from a wound. Pain never really went away. We faced it, dealt with it, and then set it aside, but it was never really gone.
“The same demons that chased my sister chase you. I saw them in her eyes, and I’ve seen them in yours, and it… I….” Wolf sighed. “I’ve lost the two people I loved the most in this world way too soon and…I guess I’m scared, Maeve. I don’t scare easily, but what I feel for you terrifies me.”
He wrapped his arms around her body, the heat from her skin soaking into his own as she continued her delicate assault along his jaw to his neck. Wolf closed his eyes, a groan slipping loose as a torrent of emotion in his chest swirled.
“What happened to her?”
“She was bullied and depressed and hated who she was. She ended up hanging around the wrong crowds and partied too hard and distanced herself from the family. She did things to hurt herself. Things that I knew she was doing and didn’t tell my parents about because she promised me she would stop and I didn’t want her to feel like she couldn’t trust me.” Wolf shook his head. “She always felt so alienated and…I wish I could go back in time and get her the help she needed.”
Maeve leaned back enough so he could see her face, and he glanced at her arms. They were covered in beautiful tattoos. No matter how pretty they were, he knew the scars hidden beneath the intricate lines.
“She cut for real, the kind of cut that there’s no coming back from one night and died in my arms.” Tears that had laid dormant for years stung the back of his eyes. “I couldn’t save her. I tried but I failed her, and I don’t want to fail you. She was nineteen, Maeve, and I can’t relive that pain, not again.”
Maeve kissed the tip of his nose, and his eyes fluttered closed as she subtly comforted him.
“I’m not your sister Wolf. I’m not her, and I’m sorry for your loss. I really am, but you can’t paint me with the same brush.”
As he stared into her eyes tonight, it was like she’d aged twenty years overnight. Her eyes held passion and compassion, but it was different now. He could see that she had control. It was Maeve, the woman, not the addiction staring at him.
