Fractured Sky (Tattered & Torn #5)(68)

“The sky?”

She nodded, lifting her gaze to the window. “It always reminds me that there’s hope. Those pinpricks of glittering light in a sea of inky black.”

I didn’t need to turn to follow Shiloh’s line of sight. I could see everything reflected in those pale blue eyes. And in the moment, I was no longer alone.





33





SHILOH





I dreamt that I was swimming in sunlight, free and weightless and blissfully warm. I couldn’t help the moan that slipped from my throat.

Soft lips surrounded by stubble pressed against my neck. “Sounds like that are sweet torture.”

My eyes flew open. Not my bedroom. Not alone.

Strong arms tugged me gently against a rock-hard chest. Ramsey. I was drowning in him. His scent. His feel. His very being.

“I was dreaming,” I said by way of explanation.

He grinned against my neck. “And what were you dreaming about?”

“I was swimming in the sun.”

“Sounds like a good dream to me.”

“The best.”

Ramsey turned me so I faced him. “How’d you sleep?”

I ran through a mental inventory. “The best I have in years.”

His smile widened. “Me, too. No nightmares.”

My mouth pulled down in a frown. “Do you usually have them?”

“Every now and then. There’ve been less lately, though.”

I couldn’t help but hope I had a little something to do with that—even if the thought was ridiculous.

I heard a scratching sound, and the door to Ramsey’s room flew open. Kai let out a happy bark and launched himself at the bed. Ramsey grunted as the dog landed on him, and I couldn’t hold in my laughter. Kai licked my face and then his owner’s, then rolled between us, burrowing in.

I wrapped my arms around the furry beast. “Morning, Kai.”

“He stole my spot.”

I looked up to see Ramsey full-on pouting. “Careful, your face could freeze that way.”

Ramsey scowled at his dog. “I love you, but you’re a damn woman-stealing cockblock.”

That had me dissolving into laughter. It might be chaos, but this was the best morning I’d ever had.





“When I said no bodyguards, what did you think I meant?”

Ramsey sent me what could only be described as his attempt at a charming smile. “You don’t like my company?”

I scowled at him. “I like your company just fine, but not when you’re following me around like a Secret Service agent.”

“I needed some stamps.”

I arched a brow as I turned the corner from the small grocery store and headed towards the post office. “And I couldn’t get them for you?”

“You don’t know what options they might have. I need to pick my favorites.”

I let out a growl of frustration.

Ramsey caught my elbow. “Shiloh.”

I hated that simply saying my name in his low, rumbly tone had me melting.

He pulled me in close. “I don’t want to suffocate you, but I do want you safe. Can you cut me some slack and let me stick close for a while? When we’re on the ranch, I’ll give you all the space and alone time you need.”

The problem was, I didn’t want space and alone time. I wanted Ramsey: the feel of his rough fingertips, the scent that was only him, the comfort of his presence. “Sometimes, it scares me how much I like having you close.”

His expression softened, and he moved in even closer. “It scares me, too, but I’m not running. And neither are you.”

“You sound sure about that.”

“You’re not a coward. You don’t run just because it might make things easier.”

Guilt fluttered in my stomach. “I used to do exactly that.”

“You might’ve avoided hard conversations with your family, but you didn’t run. You stayed at that ranch. And you’re having those hard conversations now.”

He was right, and a certain kind of pride came from that, from knowing that I wasn’t stuck in the same patterns—I was changing and growing. I stretched up onto my tiptoes and brushed my mouth against Ramsey’s. “Thank you.”

He grinned against my lips. “That mean you’re gonna let me follow you around like a lost puppy?”

“Yeah, yeah. Come on, Fido.”

Ramsey chuckled, and we started towards the post office. When we were a few steps away, the door opened, and Kenny Chambers stepped out. The rage that swept through me had me struggling to catch my breath. All I saw was Aidan’s black eye and Elliott’s tear-filled gaze.

Kenny’s eyes narrowed in our direction, but a grin played on his lips as he took in my still-black-and-blue cheek. “Heard you ran into some trouble. That’s what happens when you stick your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

Ramsey’s muscles strung tight. “What did you say?”

Kenny’s grin spread into a smile. “Just saying your woman got what she deserved. She should’ve spread her legs for someone else. But maybe she already is.”

Ramsey charged forward, but I gripped his arm tightly. “Don’t. It’s what he wants. Don’t give him that power.”