Defending Everly (Mountain Mercenaries #5)(50)

Stranger 1: I miss u so much. I hated not talking 2 u this morning. But it’s ur fault.

You: I know.

Stranger 1: If u had messaged me when I told u 2 then we wouldn’t have fought.

You: I’m sorry.

Stranger 1: It’s OK. I love u. Do u love me?

You: U know I do.

Stranger 1: Have u thought more about meeting me?

You: Yeah.

Stranger 1: And?

You: I’m scared u aren’t going to like me if we do.

Stranger 1: Not like you? Elise, I love u.

Stranger 1: I’m the only one who says u r pretty.

Stranger 1: I’m starting to think u might be seeing someone else.

You: I’m not.

Stranger 1: Then why don’t u want to meet me?

Stranger 1: Maybe you should have time to think about it.

Stranger 1: I’ll talk 2 u later. Maybe.

You: No! I’m sorry.

You: Rob?

You: Come back!

You: I don’t have to think about it. I love u.

“Bastard,” Ball muttered. He could feel the way Everly held herself tense against him, and knew she was just as angry.

Stranger 1: I’m so excited.

You: Me 2.

Stranger 1: I can’t wait to meet you.

You: Me too.

Stranger 1: I love u.

You: I love u 2.

Ball clicked out of the document, put his phone down, and wrapped both arms around Everly. She hadn’t said much, but it was obvious she was affected.

“Are they going to find him?” she asked after a while.

“I don’t know. If it’s a trafficker, you know how these groups are organized. There are layers upon layers of players. Whoever was playing the role of Rob online could be on the other side of the country, or even outside it. The person who picked Elise up is probably a low-level player who was allowed to do what he wanted with the girls until they were picked up by someone else. Most likely, arrangements were being made for different people to take them out of that house. It’s so hard to catch these guys, but the FBI is doing what they can to track down their trail.”

“I’m just scared for her. I check her phone every morning and don’t see that she’s downloaded any of the apps that were on her other phone, but I know she’s way more tech savvy than I am. And every day, there are more apps developed for teenagers that will help them talk to whoever they want without their parents knowing. It’s creepy as hell,” Everly said.

“I know. But I honestly think Elise has learned her lesson. She was shaken to the core by what happened. She’s not stupid. She knows she had a very close call. She’s not going to make the same mistake again,” Ball tried to reassure her.

“Ball?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks.”

“For what?”

“For being here for me. For being so awesome with Elise and trying to learn sign language. You have no idea how much that means to her. Thank you for introducing me to your friends, they’re awesome. Just . . . thank you.”

“You absolutely don’t have to thank me,” Ball said. “I have no doubt even if I wasn’t around, you and Elise would’ve gotten your feet under you again. I should be thanking you for giving me a second chance.”

He tipped her chin up and brushed his lips against hers. The second they touched, he shivered. The electricity between them was hot, and getting more and more demanding every day. But Ball refused to rush them. Things had already moved fast enough, and the last thing he wanted to do was something that might make Everly think twice about a relationship.

Besides, Elise was in the other room. She couldn’t hear them, but she could come out of her room to ask her sister something at any time. He respected both Everly and Elise enough not to put any of them in an awkward situation.

They made out for a while, and when Ball felt Everly’s hand cover his hard cock, he forced himself to pull back. He didn’t reach for her hand, because it felt absolutely perfect where it was. “We should stop,” he murmured, even as he leaned forward and nuzzled the skin on her neck.

Everly chuckled. “You think?”

For a split second, Ball wanted to pick her up and carry her into her room, but he forced himself to take a deep breath, even though that made it even harder to pull back, since her scent filled his nostrils. “We have plenty of time to go there,” he told her, not able to endure the feel of her hand on his dick any longer. He picked up her hand and kissed each of her fingers before doing the same to her palm.

“I’m thirty-four, Ball. I’m not a teenager who doesn’t know what she wants.”

“And I’m forty, old enough to know what I want too. And that isn’t some quickie orgasm on your couch, all the while worrying if your teenage sister is going to come out and bust us. I like you. A hell of a lot. And I want to see where this relationship between us can go. But I don’t think slowing down will hurt either of us. I never want you to think I’m only with you because I want some. You’re the first woman I’ve wanted to actually have a real relationship with since the fiasco with Holly. I don’t want to do anything to fuck this up.”

She stared at him for a long moment, and Ball was afraid she might be pissed. But then she nodded and snuggled into his side once more. Her hand came to rest on his belly, instead of his dick, which was both a relief and a disappointment at the same time. “We can still make out here and there, right?” she asked.