Ride Wild (Raven Riders 3)

But he should not be thinking of her as family.

She was his employee, an employee who now lived in his house. That was boundary-pushing enough. And he was still a man with significant faith, trust, and abandonment issues when it came to relationships with anyone but his kids. And, Jesus, his kids loved Cora far too much for Slider to risk doing anything that might mess up their relationship with her.

So he and Cora could be friends, sure.

But family, that was something he was better off defining by those who shared his blood.

Maybe that was no guarantee, either. Because his parents sure as shit hadn’t done right by him. But Slider knew how he felt about his boys—and always would. So blood ties were the best chance he had to create something true, real, and lasting.

Just once.

Chapter 10

By the time the boys were in bed, Cora was slipping in and out of consciousness. She seemed so tired that she couldn’t keep her eyes open and when she spoke, it came out in a slur. But her temperature was down to 100.9 as of the last time they’d taken it, so at least they had this thing moving in the right direction.

Which meant he could get ready to hit the hay, too, especially since he’d finally found someone to cover the rest of his shift. Usually, Slider slept naked, but tonight he pulled on an undershirt and a pair of sweatpants.

“Leave a light on, please?” she mumbled against her pillow.

“Yeah. Okay,” he said. “Need anything else?”

She didn’t answer, which left Slider standing at the edge of his bed and debating. Sleeping with her seemed all kinds of problematic, given how much she got to him. And she did, he had to admit that much. But he didn’t think she should be alone. Maybe he should just sleep on the floor . . .

“You getting in?” she asked, trying to peer over her shoulder but not quite strong enough to do it.

He sighed. It was fine. They’d slept in the same bed together before. They could do it again. He crawled into the empty side.

Cora made a little whining sound that immediately had him propping himself up on an elbow. “No, not behind me. Can’t take you behind me.” She dragged herself to turn over, finally coming to lie on her side facing him.

“What?” he said, his gut churning at her words. He hadn’t given her request to leave the lights on a second thought. But hell if it didn’t look different with her saying she couldn’t tolerate him at her back. And, oh, Jesus, the way she’d freaked out that night in the family room . . .

“That’s better,” she whispered.

“I’m worried about you, Cora,” he said, not meaning just the fever she’d come down with tonight. That was only his most immediate concern. “I think we have to take you to urgent care if you’re not better in the morning.”

“Just need to sleep . . .”

And then she was out. But Slider was wide awake, again, worrying about Cora Campbell. And wondering exactly what she’d been through before she’d arrived in Maryland. Whatever it was, Slider’s gut told him it wasn’t good.

A suspicion that escalated the protectiveness he already felt toward her by a factor of about a thousand. At least.

At some point, he finally dropped off to sleep, and eventually he found himself in the middle of the most fucking amazing dream. Cora, sliding into his bed in the middle of the night. Climbing on top of him, covering him with her feminine curves. Grinding against him and making him moan.

Coming with his name on her lips.

“Slider,” she moaned.

His eyes blinked open, and he found his dream coming true. Except then his brain came back online enough for him to realize that he was a goddamn pervert and Cora was pressing up against him not in an effort to seduce him, but to try to get warm. She shivered against him. Her fever had spiked again.

“Wake up, Cora,” he said, reaching for the medicine he’d left on the nightstand. “I need you to take some more of this to bring the fever down.”

“Cold,” she whispered, bleary, green eyes blazing.

“I know.” He dropped two pills onto her tongue. “Drink.”

“Sorry I woke you. Didn’t realize . . .” She pushed herself away.

Slider hauled her right back against him. “Whatever you need, sweetheart, okay? Just want you to feel better.”

She was back to sleep in an instant. And, oddly, so was he.

And that was the way they woke up. Right away, Slider knew something was off. The house felt oddly empty, but the light coming through his blinds made it feel late. He turned to the nightstand and found a note propped up against the lamp in his ten-year-old’s hand.

You guys were out cold so I got us ready for school. No worries.