Fear flickers across her face for a beat. "When?"
"Monday. County court in Helena." I take her hand, needing the connection. "Rebecca Winters is handling it. She's the best."
Riley nods, processing this new threat. "So what's the plan?"
"We stay the course. You’ll stay here with me. Until the hearing." I squeeze her hand gently. "Where I can keep you safe."
She studies my face. "You're angry."
"Furious," I admit. "The system is supposed to protect people like you from men like him. Instead, it's being manipulated because his daddy knows the right people."
"It's not the first time the system's failed me." She sounds resigned but not defeated. "Won't be the last."
"It will be," I promise, bringing her hand to my lips. "One way or another, this ends soon."
Her free hand rises to cup my cheek, turning my face to meet her gaze. "Don't do anything stupid, Elias. I just got you. I'm not losing you to some revenge mission."
The fierce protectiveness in her voice touches something deep inside me. "You won't lose me."
"Promise?" Her eyes search mine.
"Promise." I seal the vow with a kiss, hugging her close.
She settles against me, her head tucked under my chin. "So we're stuck here for three days? Under cabin arrest?"
Despite everything, I smile at her choice of words. "Looks that way. Think you can handle being cooped up with me that long?"
A hint of mischief enters her eyes as she slides her hand down my chest, fingers tracing patterns on my skin. "I'm sure we can find ways to pass the time."
She pulls me down to join her, and the outside world, and all its impending threats, recede. For now, there is only Riley, her heart, and her body welcoming mine.
The rest can wait.
8
RILEY
Iwake to the sound of rain hammering against the cabin roof. The space beside me is empty, sheets cool to the touch.Elias has been up for a while.
Stretching languidly, I savor the pleasant soreness in my muscles. We'd made love three times after Sawyer's call, each encounter more intense than the last as Elias gradually unleashed the control he maintains so rigidly in every other aspect of his life.
The memory of his hands on my body and his mouth claiming every inch of me send heat pooling low in my belly. One night together and I'm already addicted to him.
I slip from the bed, pulling on Elias's discarded shirt from yesterday. It hangs to mid-thigh, swallowing my smaller frame in a way that feels deliciously intimate. His scent surrounds me as I pad barefoot through the cabin, following the smell of coffee and the low murmur of voices.
I pause in the hallway when I realize Elias isn't alone. His brother Finn sits at the kitchen counter, nursing a mug of coffeewhile Elias stands opposite him, his back to me. Their voices are too low to make out words, but the tension in Elias's shoulders tells me they're discussing something serious.
Probably me. Probably Brad.
I clear my throat, announcing my presence. Both men turn, their identical blue eyes finding me in the doorway.
"Morning," I say, suddenly aware of how I must look with my hair tousled from sleep and sex, wearing nothing but Elias's shirt.
Finn recovers first, a grin spreading across his face as he takes in my appearance. Unlike the perpetually serious Elias, Finn has a reputation as the most approachable McKenna brother. "Morning, Riley. Sleep well?"
The teasing note in his voice makes me blush, but I refuse to be embarrassed. "Very well, thanks."
Elias crosses to me in three long strides, his hand settling at the small of my back as he presses a kiss to my temple. "Coffee's fresh," he murmurs.
