Whispers of You (Lost & Found #1)(75)

The kiss was long and slow and deep. Holt poured everything into it that there weren’t words for. A language that was only ours.

He began to move in slow, lazy thrusts, ones that took their time and let me feel everything.

My fingers dug into Holt’s back as my hips rose to meet his. There wasn’t desperation this time because I knew Holt was mine. That he was staying. That this was our second chance at a life we would always cherish.

His hips angled him deeper, and I let out a gasp. Warmth spread through me, the kind that had escaped me all night. And I held on as Holt picked up speed.

Rolling waves quaked through me as each thrust landed. Holt sucked in air. “Love you, Wren. Every moment of every day.”

Tears filled my eyes as I let his words hit me—no walls or defenses. I let myself feel Holt’s love. It hurt in the best way. The kind that branded and would be with me forever.

I gripped his shoulders tighter as my muscles shuddered, and I edged toward the precipice that would change everything. “Every moment of every day.”

I let myself fall, spiraling with Holt, knowing we were losing control together and that nothing would ever be the same. But knowing that it would be better. It would be us.





37





HOLT





My hand skimmed along Wren’s hip as I slid the plate of poached eggs and toast in front of her. My lips ghosted her hair as I breathed in the scent I loved above all others—mountain air and a hint of gardenia. I’d never get tired of it.

Wren tipped her head back to look up at me, a smile teasing her lips. “Are you gonna sit?”

I gave her a long, slow kiss, my tongue seeking hers. “I’m having a hard time not touching you.”

She smiled wider against my mouth, then reached over and pulled the second stool so that it was practically flush with hers. “Problem solved.”

“I like the way you think.” I slid onto the stool, and my thigh pressed against Wren’s. “How do you feel?” I hadn’t missed the ibuprofen and Tylenol next to her plate.

Wren made a face. “Like I took a tumble. But nothing too bad.”

My eyes narrowed on her.

She rolled hers. “Calm yourself, oh, overprotective one.”

With everything we’d been through lately, that would take time. The deepening bruise on the side of Wren’s face didn’t help.

“You know, it could give a girl a complex if you keep scowling at her like that.”

I circled a finger around Wren’s face. “I hate this.”

Wren burst out laughing. “Gee, thanks.”

The sound was the best thing I’d ever heard. She’d chuckled in my presence since I’d been back, even laughed some, but I hadn’t heard that full-out, from-the-soul laughter in ten years. God, it was heaven.

I leaned over and took her mouth. “You laughing at me?”

She nipped my lip. “Definitely. Your romanticism knows no bounds.”

I skimmed my fingers gently over the darkening skin. “This is what I hate. I’m so sorry, Wren.”

Her hand curved around my arm, squeezing. “The bruises will fade. My ribs will heal. I’d pay that price a million times over if it meant ending up here.”

My chest gave a painful squeeze. The good kind. “Love you, Cricket.”

“Love you, too.”

“Gonna need you to say that at least ten times a day for a while.”

She chuckled. “Don’t you think ten is a little extreme?”

“You’re right. Twenty is better.”

Wren’s laughter filled the air as my phone rang. I reached for it on the counter. “It’s Law.”

The laughter died on Wren’s lips. “Answer.”

“Hey. Everything okay?”

“That’s my line, isn’t it?” Lawson asked.

“Just trying to spread the concern around.”

“Fair enough. Got two things for you.”

My fingers tightened around my phone as I lowered it and tapped a button. “All right. You’re on speaker with me and Wren.”

Lawson let out a long breath, and I heard the bone-deep fatigue in it. “County techs came in early this morning so they could run ballistics.”

“And?” I pressed.

“The handgun wasn’t a match. But the rifle we pulled from Joe’s trunk is the same one used in the Peterson shooting.”

“Prints?”

“Looks like it was wiped clean, or Joe was using gloves. But our chain of custody is tight, so we should be good.”

Sorrow etched itself in Wren’s face. “Is he talking to you?”

That was my Cricket. She needed to understand the why. Her empathy was so ingrained, she felt for those who had done the worst to her.

Lawson sighed. “Not a word. To us or his lawyer.”

We would likely never know the why. We might get pieces but never the whole picture. Sometimes, a person’s mind simply twisted. And Joe had been living with the derision of so many in this town for too long. The fact that we were coming up on the tenth anniversary only added to it all.

“What’s the second thing?” I asked.

“Got a favor.”

“Name it.”