The sky was just beginning to show signs of dawn when I forced myself out of the tangle of blankets and limbs I was caught up in.
At first, I thought it might be tough to stay awake all night. After what happened, our injuries, and the fact I was totally fucking satiated from sex, I’d been concerned we wouldn’t be able to manage.
It ended up not being an issue. Worry would do that to a man. Worry and the desire to protect what was his. I did think the men who forced Bellamy up the mountain were dead, but I would be a stupid fool not to realize there was a slim chance the assholes lived.
I lay awake listening for any signs of them approaching the cabin, either looking for us or just seeking some kind of shelter. They never came, and the hope I had they were dead grew.
No. I didn’t feel remorseful for hoping those men were dead. They deserved that and more.
There was also the fact Bellamy was the target of a mobster. I had to make her safe… but fuck me, I wasn’t sure how.
“Is everything okay?” she asked as I gazed out the window for probably the hundredth time, searching the snowy horizon for signs we weren’t alone.
“Yeah, sweetheart, it’s fine.” I turned in time to see her shiver lightly and pull the blanket tighter around her.
The fire was starting to die down. I’d used the last of the wood. I could go out and get more, but it was wet and would take a while to burn. With the sun coming up, the best thing for us to do was get moving. We could be back at the resort in an hour.
“Liam?”
I made a sound, acknowledging her.
“Do you have your phone?”
I shook my head. “It was in my coat pocket, not the inside one. I lost it during the avalanche.”
“Well, now I don’t feel so stupid for not even thinking of it before.”
“You aren’t stupid. A lot happened last night.” I strode across the room and poked at what was left of the fire. “It’s almost light out. I think we should head out, get back to the resort as soon as possible.”
“I’m going to call my contact at the FBI.”
I turned. “I thought you didn’t trust them.”
She made a face. “It’s not like I think they’re dirty or anything. I just don’t have much faith in witness protection. They’re going to be pissed I broke their rules and did something that connects me to my old life.”
I felt my eyes narrow as a thought occurred to me. “They gonna try and take you away?”
“I’m sure they’ll want to.”
A low growl rumbled up from deep inside me.
Bellamy hurried to say, “But I’ll refuse. I’m not just going to blindly accept everything they say is the best thing. I want some say in my own life. I want some of what I lost back. I want you.”
Bending down, I lifted her onto her feet, pulling her into my arms. “Fuck, I love hearing that.”
“I love saying it.”
“C’mon. Get dressed.” I gathered up her clothes, getting angry all over again at how little she had to wear as protection from the elements. The jeans were still damp and so was some of the other stuff.
Bellamy plucked her T-shirt out of the pile I was holding and frowned. “They ripped your shirt,” she commented, fingering a rip I hadn’t noticed last night.
My gut tightened, and again, I had to fight back that instant rage threatening to take over. “It’s just a shirt,” I told her.
She shook her head. “It was yours and you gave it to me.” Her blue eyes lifted. “It was my favorite.”
It pierced my heart the way she looked at me. How even after everything, my shirt still meant something to her.
“I’ll give you a new one, sweetheart,” I murmured. “Hell, I’ll take you to my place and let you have anything in the whole damn closet.”
“I haven’t been to your house yet.” She was intrigued.
I smiled. “There’s still lots of firsts we need to have. All the more reason to get the hell out of here.”
Smiling softly, she lifted the shirt to her nose and sniffed it. I was about to ask her what the hell she was doing when she made a sound. “It’s ripped, and it doesn’t smell like you anymore.”
I laughed and tugged it out of her hand. Then I handed her the one I had on last night. “Better?”
Her eyes lit up as she reached for it and tugged it over her head, struggling a little to get it over her sore arm and shoulder. After I helped pull it over her, she smiled, fingering the hem that fell past her thighs. “This one smells like you still.”
I kissed her forehead, then threw on everything I had, including the ripped shirt that no longer smelled like me. When I was done, I helped Bellamy put on her coat, then began pulling mine around her on top of it.
“I can’t,” she said, stepping back.
“I’m not arguing with you about this, Bells. You’re wearing it.”
“What if I just put a blanket or two around me?” She offered.
I thought about it, then shook my head. “The coat is waterproof. Sit.” I pointed to the coffee table.
With a huff, she sat down and glared. Suppressing a smile, I grabbed her boots so I could tie them up for her. Before sliding the first one on her foot, I tugged my sock over her bare toes.
Bellamy gasped, as I knew she would, and pulled her foot up out of my hands. “What are you doing?”
“Tucking your jeans into the socks. It will help keep the heat in.”
“These are your socks,” she ground out.
I sighed and rubbed a hand over my forehead. “I have a headache, baby. How about you just indulge me?”
An empathetic sound ripped from her throat. Her small hand covered my cheek and lifted my head. “Let me see.” She leaned close to the gash she’d cleaned just hours before. After another small sound, she pulled back. “It’s not bleeding anymore, but it’s still pretty swollen. We really need to get it looked at.”
“Foot,” I said, holding out my hand.
She surrendered it without a word.
It was a dirty trick, playing hurt to get her to cooperate. My head did hurt, but it wasn’t anything I couldn’t handle. Hell, my knee hurt worse. I didn’t want to argue with her, though, and we needed to get the hell out of here. So yeah, I might have used my injury to get her to cooperate.
“What about you?” She worried, biting into her lower lip.
I finished tying up her boots and smiled. “My boots are waterproof and warm. I’ll be fine.”
She nodded, looking doubtful.
“You keep your hands inside the coats, okay? I’ll wear the gloves.”
She nodded, and I pulled my hat down over her ears.
Another look of protest darkened her eyes, so I put my arms around her bundled body and kissed her. Her sweet lips parted instantly, and my tongue swept inside to stroke over hers. A feeling of rightness washed over me, a feeling I allowed myself to enjoy before pulling away.
As I did, a faint sound drifted in from outside.
Our eyes collided, both of us silently asking if the other heard. I put a gloved finger up to my lips and turned, automatically tucking her behind me.
The sound grew a little louder. It was a sound I was familiar with. It was a sound I wouldn’t normally think twice about, but today wasn’t a normal day.
It was barely light.
We were out of bounds of the resort perimeters, so whoever was out there wasn’t just taking a snowmobile for a joy ride.
There was a reason it was out there. There was a reason the sound of the engine grew closer and closer with every passing second.
“What if it’s them?” Bellamy worried, her hand closing around the back of my shirts.
It couldn’t be. Where the fuck would they have gotten snowmobiles? Unless they had them stashed in the woods somewhere. Unless they’d survived the avalanche, gone back to the resort, and took one to come looking for us.
I turned toward Bellamy. “Stay inside. Don’t come out until I come for you.”
Her eyes went wide. “Where are you going?”
“To see who it is.”
“Liam.” She reached for my hand, grasping it. “Stay here with me.”
“You know I can’t do that, sweetheart,” I told her reasonably. I wasn’t about to sit in here like a sitting duck. I was going to find out who the fuck was out there.
And I was going to do it now.