The Protector (Game of Chance, #1)(39)

Then he thought about the look on her face when he’d suggested charging her phone. She’d been . . . nervous? Scared? Of what, he wasn’t totally sure, but Chappy didn’t like it. If anyone dared put a hand on her ever again, they’d regret it. She might not know it, but she had a ready champion. He hadn’t spent all those years in the military without learning how to take down an enemy.

The water went from lukewarm to freezing in a heartbeat, but Chappy stood under the spray for a moment longer, hoping against hope that it would help his cock behave once he got dressed and went back out into the cabin. He wanted Carlise in his bed, under him, wanted to be inside her, but he wanted her to trust him, to feel safe, even more.

And if she never got to the point where she was comfortable making love with him, he’d respect that. Respect her. He’d still protect her. Let her go if that was what she wanted. It might kill him, but he’d do it. He’d never take more than she was willing to give.

In a lot of ways, she was like Baxter. Wanting to be loved. Wanting desperately to be safe. But unable to fully trust those who were willing to help.

Yet.

He’d give Carlise space and time. He’d let her see that she could trust him with her secrets, her body, her everything. And once she opened up, let him know what she was running from, he’d get with JJ, Cal, and Bob to take care of the threat.

Then it was only a matter of convincing her to move to Newton. With him.

Chappy snorted. Right. He had a feeling nothing about Carlise would be easy. But she’d be worth the fight. He knew that without a doubt.



Something was different about Riggs, but Carlise couldn’t put her finger on what it was. He was still his usual friendly and protective self, but she’d caught him staring at her more than usual. And after yesterday, that was saying something. It wasn’t alarming, not really, but she was aware that he was scrutinizing her even more than he had the day before.

She’d been a little reluctant to go for a walk, but once she was outside, she realized how much she’d needed to get out of the cabin. She loved it, but it was small, and she’d been stressing over her constant thoughts of Riggs. Now, being outside in the sun felt amazing.

Baxter obviously felt the same. At first, she’d been worried the dog would run off and get lost, but Riggs had reassured her that he wasn’t going to lose them, not when they were feeding him and he had a warm place to sleep on the cabin’s porch.

He was still skinny, too skinny, but amazingly, even after only a few days of full meals, he’d actually filled out a little. His hip bones and ribs didn’t stick out quite as much as they had before, and currently, the dog frolicked around them. That was the only word Carlise could think of to describe it. Baxter bounded through the snow like a jackrabbit. It even looked as if he was smiling as he played in the tall drifts. He wasn’t getting close enough to be petted, but he was very definitely keeping his eye on them both, not letting them get too far ahead or behind.

The air was cold, Carlise could see her breath as she exhaled, but it didn’t feel as cold as it had previously. The wind wasn’t nearly as strong now, but it was still making the trees sway above their heads.

As she slowly trudged through the deep snow, Riggs reached for her hand. It felt natural, as if they walked like this every day.

A small smile formed on Carlise’s face. She caught Riggs staring at her out of the corner of her eye—again—so she turned to look at him as they walked. “What?”

He shrugged. “You look content.”

“Truth?”

“Always.”

“I am,” Carlise told him. “I mean, I’m not exactly a nature girl. I’ve always lived in a city. But it’s so peaceful walking around out here, in the middle of nowhere. Being the first people to make tracks in the fresh snow. It makes my problems seem not quite so insurmountable.”

“I love it out here. When my friends and I were being held hostage, I was pretty sure I’d never get a chance to do something like this again. I try not to take it for granted.”

Carlise squeezed his hand. She hated to think about him being a POW. It seemed inconceivable. He was so strong, so capable.

After a long moment, she asked, “Are we going anywhere in particular?”

“Yup. I thought about heading to the road to see about your car but decided to go this way instead to show you something.”

“What?”

He grinned. “You’ll have to wait and see when we get there.”

“You’re mean,” Carlise pouted. “I hate surprises.”

“You’ll like this one,” he said mysteriously.

The truth was, Carlise used to love surprises, but for a long while now, she hadn’t gotten very many good ones, and she’d become wary.

They walked for a while, probably around thirty minutes or so, frequently stopping to admire the scenery or check on Baxter, before Riggs turned to her. The walking hadn’t been easy with all the snow, and Carlise felt a bead of sweat drip down the side of her face. She was bundled up, and at first, she’d been cold, but now she was feeling a little overly warm. The temperature was probably well below freezing, but she’d been exerting a lot of energy.

“You ready?” Riggs asked.

“Yup.”

“Okay, close your eyes.”