I tip up her chin so I can see her eyes.

“Because I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you for the better part of fifteen years, E. You’re it for me. So, I’m going to do whatever the fuck I have to do so I can be with you.”

Her chin wobbles, tearing me apart.

“Ah, baby. Don’t cry.”

“This could be so dangerous for you.”

“Not being with you is dangerous for me.” I kiss her forehead. “We don’t have to have the answers today. We’ll take it day by day and figure it out.”

“You make it sound so simple.”

“It doesn’t have to be complicated.” I kiss her temple and breathe her in. “I love you, E.”

“I love you, too. I always have, Archer.”

I want to shout from the mountaintop in joy.

Instead, I kiss her until my head swims.

We reach the bottom of the lift and walk the half-mile to the treehouse.

“I need a shower,” Elena announces when we walk into the cool rental. Thank God for air conditioning on warm days like today.

“Go ahead,” I say. “I’m going to grab some water. I’ll be behind you.”

She nods and walks into the master suite. I do fetch the water, but I also make a call for dinner reservations.

When I walk into the bathroom, the mirror is steamed up. I strip out of my sweaty clothes and cast them aside.

“I didn’t figure you’d want a super-hot shower after that hike.”

I open the glass door and grin when she turns a soapy head my way.

“The breeze on the way down was cool,” she says. “What are you doing?”

“I’m gonna check you over for ticks.”

She scrunches up her nose. “That’s disgusting. You didn’t say anything about ticks.”

“Don’t worry, I’m here to save the day.” I reach up and help her rinse her hair. “Have I mentioned how much I like your hair?”

“Once or twice.” She lets her arms fall to her sides and leans into my hands as I massage her scalp and rinse the soap away. “That’s nice.”

It’s about to get better.

When her hair is free of shampoo, I let my hands roam over her slick, wet skin. The scars on her back and thigh ignite the anger in my belly, but I take a deep breath, content to know that she’s safe with me now.

No one will ever touch her again.

My fingers glide up between her thighs, and she sighs as she braces her hands on my shoulders.

“I don’t think I have ticks there,” she says.

“I’m just being thorough.” I pick her up and slip inside her easily, as if she were made just for me.

Because she fucking was.

I brace her against the tile wall and fuck her hard and fast until we’re both spent and weak.

“Water seems to be our thing,” she says when I’ve set her back on her feet. “Good to know.”

I smirk and stick my head under the spray of water. “Everywhere is our thing, babe.”

“True.” She smacks my ass with a loud thwack. “I’m getting out of here before you attack me again.”

“You’re not going to wash my hair for me?”

“You’re a big boy,” she says with a shrug. “You’ve got this.”* * *Our time in Montana was over too fast. Next time, we’ll stay a minimum of two weeks.

I’ve already begun looking at some property there. Real estate is like a drug for me. An expensive addiction, yes, but it can also be quite profitable, and if what I’ve seen so far about the market in Cunningham Falls is true, an investor can’t go wrong by buying some property there.

I’ve just sent off an email to an agent there when my phone rings.

“Hey, Matt.”

“This a good time?” he asks, which is code for are you alone?

“It is.” I sit back in my desk chair and watch the waves beyond the windows of my office. “What’s up?”

“There’s been some movement,” he says. “Mostly in California.”

I feel my stomach ease when he doesn’t include Oregon.

“You know, it would be easier for me to know what I’m looking for if I knew where in the hell you are.”

I drag my hand down my face in agitation. I want to confide in Matt. But Elena would flip her shit, and I promised her I wouldn’t tell a soul.

“I can’t,” I say at last.

“Archer, I can’t protect you like this.”

“I’m not asking you to,” I reply. “But thanks for having the inclination.”

“You’re my family, and if you’re messed up with this mob family, you could be in serious danger. I can’t ignore it.”

“I’m not asking you to do that either. Listen, I made a promise that I wouldn’t say anything to anyone about this. I’ve already done too much by calling you in the first place, but I needed the intel.”

“I’ll continue feeding you information as I get it. Is there a specific part of the country I should be keeping a close eye on?”

Tags: Kristen Proby With Me in Seattle Romance
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