The Protector (Game of Chance, #1)

“Good. And you’ll be okay tonight? When it’s time for bed and we do it again?”

Tingles shot through Carlise as arousal swam in her veins. He wasn’t actually saying anything would happen beyond sleep, but her body had other ideas. “Yes,” she repeated.

Riggs sighed. “Thank God,” he murmured.

Then, to her surprise, he leaned down and kissed her forehead. “Close your eyes, sweetheart. I’m about to move, and the sun is going to be right in your eyes again.”

She did as he suggested and felt the rays against her lids as he shifted off her. Cold air infiltrated the warm cocoon they’d been in, and she immediately burrowed into the blankets to try to preserve Riggs’s body heat.

“I’ll put some more logs on the fire. It’ll warm up soon. Just stay in bed for now,” he said.

Carlise opened her eyes and watched as a fully dressed Riggs headed for the fireplace. Knowing that they’d both remained clothed, that he obviously hadn’t taken advantage of her the night before, made her estimation of him rise even higher than it already was.

Her instincts had been right. He was an honorable man. He wouldn’t hurt her. He wasn’t going to attack or rape her as soon as her guard was down.

Yet, a tiny part of her, the part that had always been let down by the men in her life, cautioned that she still didn’t know Riggs that well. Didn’t know if there were parts of himself that he kept buried away.

She watched as he puttered around the cabin, pulling an ancient coffee maker from the back of one of the cabinets, one she hadn’t bothered to look into. Eventually he glanced over at her. “You want to feed Baxter this morning? Or do you want to stay in bed and let me give it a shot when I go out to start up the generator?”

Carlise wanted to check on the dog, but she could hear Riggs’s desire to befriend Baxter in his tone. “You can do it, if it’s not too much trouble.”

“Never,” he told her with a small smile.

She watched from across the room as he emptied two cans of shredded chicken into a bowl, along with a can of green beans. “You’re spoiling him,” she called out.

“Hey, this is the first time you won’t be there feeding him. I need to give him incentive not to bolt,” Riggs said. “I’ll scoop in some of the cheesy pasta when I get out there and get it from the icebox. I’ll be right back.”

Carlise had to smile at that. Where else was he going to go?

Fifteen minutes or so passed while Carlise dozed, waiting for Riggs to return. When she heard the creak of the door, she opened her eyes and saw Riggs enter with a huge smile on his face and an empty bowl.

“He ate?” she asked unnecessarily.

“Yeah. He’s coming around,” Riggs said. “It’s only a matter of time before we’ll be able to get him inside. He’s going to love sleeping in front of the fire. I got the generator started too. It’s kind of loud, but as soon as we’re done doing what we need to do with the electricity, I’ll shut it off.”

Now that she was more aware, Carlise could indeed hear the hum of the generator outside. After the silence of the forest, it did sound a little out of place.

“You can shower first,” he said. “It’ll take another ten minutes or so for the water to heat, but I’ll get the coffee started and plug in your laptop so it’ll be fully charged. You want me to charge your phone too?”

Carlise forced herself to sit up. The air in the cabin wasn’t nearly as cold as it had been when Riggs got up. She thought about his question for a moment, then shook her head.

“You sure?”

“Can I even get service?”

Riggs shrugged. “Probably not.”

Carlise shook her head again. “My mom will be okay for a few more days. The last time I talked to her, I told her I was going offline for a while.”

“If you’re sure.”

“I’m sure,” Carlise told him. She wasn’t ready for real life to intrude. She wanted to pretend she was simply on vacation.

Well . . . the truth was, she was scared to death that when she turned on her phone, she’d have dozens of scary messages and texts from her stalker. She wasn’t ready to deal with that yet. Wanted to live in a fantasyland with Riggs for a little longer.

“Okay. Whenever you’re ready, just let me know. I thought maybe we could take a walk today.”

Carlise stared at him with a frown. “Um, there’s, like, two feet or more of snow out there, Riggs.”

“I know,” he said with a smile. “But I’d like to check out the area, see if there are any trees down that I need to deal with. And the sun is out. It’s probably at least twenty degrees warmer without the wind blowing. It’ll be fun.”

“So says the man used to Maine winters,” Carlise muttered.

“Yup,” Riggs said without any hint of embarrassment. “I’m thinking Baxter will like the chance to stretch his legs too.”

“You think he’ll follow us?”

“I think anywhere you go, he’ll go,” he said with a nod.

“I don’t know about that. He’s used to being on his own,” Carlise said, although pleasure bloomed at the thought of Baxter liking her enough to want to follow her around.

“There’s an old saying that goes something like, ‘If you save a life, you’re then responsible for it.’ He saved you, so he feels as if you’re his now. Besides, you gave him food when he was starving, blankets when he was freezing, and you’ve talked to him in a soothing, loving tone. I have a feeling that dog would do anything for you.”

The pleasure at the thought of Baxter liking her faded as she thought about what would happen once she left.

“What? What’s wrong?” Riggs asked, stepping closer to the bed.

“I just . . . I’ve never had a dog. I don’t know what to do with one. He’d be better off attaching himself to you.”

“Too late, sweetheart. Don’t borrow trouble. Things will work out.”

He sounded so sure. Carlise had a million questions but didn’t want to be a pest, not after all the nice things he’d said about her the night before. “Okay.”

“Okay. If you get up and get me the things you want washed, I’ll get a load ready for after our showers. By the time you brush your teeth and stuff, the water should be ready for you.”

For the first time, Carlise realized that she’d be naked behind the bathroom door. And she didn’t remember seeing a lock on it. Riggs could burst in while she was in the shower and—

No.

He wouldn’t do that. She knew that down to her toes. She forced herself to push back the comforter and climb out of the warm sheets. She went to her backpack and took out the last clean outfit she had. She’d loved wearing Riggs’s sweats, but now that he was awake and aware, it felt too intimate, so she’d gone back to wearing her own things.

She was relieved her clothes could be washed but felt a little weird about handing over her underwear to Riggs. Of course, he didn’t even blink at the bundle of clothes. He simply dumped them into the hamper she’d seen him use earlier before picking it up and heading over to a wide closet she hadn’t bothered to investigate.

He pulled back the pocket door, and Carlise saw a small stacked washer and dryer. The appliances almost seemed out of place in the cabin, especially after all the days of only using the fireplace as a source of light. “I’ll add the clothes you’ve got on after you shower,” he said as he leaned over to grab a bunch of clothes to put into the washer.

Carlise couldn’t help but stare at his ass. It was a thing of beauty. Round. Tight. And her fingers itched to touch.

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