Love Me Reckless (Love Me Dangerous #2)

Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-Three

SAWYER

I check my watch again. I’m no wedding expert, but the guests are seated, Kirilee’s mom and grandma have been escorted to the front row, Birch is standing at the altar with his groomsmen. Where are Sofie and Ava?

Where the fuck is Kirilee?

I check the back of the hall, where Jeffers St. Claire stands with his arms behind his back waiting for his daughter, a stoic expression on his face.

Next to me, Zach frowns. “Something’s up,” he says in a low tone.

My phone buzzes in my pocket. Shit, I forgot to silence it. Quickly, I slip it from my suit jacket pocket. But on the screen is a message from Kirilee.

This is Sofie. We need a little help.

My pulse taps into my temples.

Zach and I share a quick glance before I type out my reply.

Is Kirilee OK?

Can you pick her up at the service entrance in 5 minutes?

Zach whips out his phone and starts texting. “Go,” he says to me.

I jump up from my chair so fast that it starts to topple backward. After working my way down the row of guests, I try to take measured steps so I don’t draw any more attention to myself.

My brain is going haywire. Service entrance. What does this mean? Is she hurt?

At the side door, I risk a glance over my shoulder. Rows of chairs face the giant windows that no doubt on a nicer day would reveal the pretty foothills and pine forests rising to the jagged peaks. Birch stands at the altar, arms clasped in front of him, the benign expression he wore just moments ago replaced by a cold glare.

I lock eyes with him for an instant, then I push through the door and hurry down the hallway.

Because I’m considered essential personnel, I get an employee parking permit, so my truck isn’t far from Bear Lodge. I race down the stairway and fly through the exit door. The cold breeze stings my face and makes my eyes water.

After following the heated walkways to the stairs, when I get to the other side of the road, my dress shoes slip like a pair of skates. By some miracle, I manage to not fall on my ass or break my neck on the slick stairway.

Inside my truck, I caress the dash and slide my key into the ignition. “Don’t let me down now, girl.” The engine purrs to life.

A tight burst of hope explodes inside me. I crank the heat and drive to the exit, but instead of turning down the service access road, I take a right toward the lodge.

The Bear Lodge service entrance is accessed from the same road that ends at the maintenance building. I’ve never been there, but I’ll find it by feel. I take a right at the fork, then follow the narrow, paved road behind the condominium complex, then a left to parallel the back of the lodge. When I pull into the service bay, Kirilee’s troubled face is peering out of the tiny glass window in the double door. Our eyes barely connect before she rushes out, flanked by Sofie, the hem of her stark white dress gathered above her knees so it doesn’t slow her down.

She’s unbelievably beautiful. Her hair is pinned back, with loose tendrils framing her gorgeous face, and the dress is all flowing white satin, so bright it shines.

Yet it’s a version of her that doesn’t highlight the real Kirilee. The woman who goes skinny dipping, and dancing ‘til two in the morning, and gets a tattoo, and is passionate about her causes, and cares deeply for her friends and family.

I jump out and hurry to the passenger side. “You okay?”

Her smile is like a supernova. “Let’s find out!”

I laugh. She and Sofie share a quick hug, and then she wraps her arms around me. I hold her close as she sighs. Though I have a thousand questions, in this moment, they lose their importance. She’s here, tucked into my embrace. Safe.

“You guys better git,” Sofie warns.

Kirilee steps back and dabs her eyes with the pad of her fingertip. “Right.”

I help her into the truck and stuff the last of her dress in before shutting her safely inside.

Sofie grabs me in a surprise hug. “Take good care of her.”

I give her a gentle squeeze. “Count on it.”

She spins away from me and hurries through the door. I jump in my truck and reverse out of the bay.

“Where are we headed, princess?” I ask my copilot.

Her green eyes flash, but then she laughs. “Let’s start by getting off ranch property.”

I pull back onto the road and check my rearview mirror. No angry mob, but the security guard could easily stop us at the exit gate.

“Do you want to tell me what happened?” I ask her. I take a right at the bottom of the hill and accelerate. “Did he hurt you? ”

Kirilee watches the snowy landscape whizzing by. “Someone once told me that I could choose the course of my life. I didn’t believe him. Or maybe I wasn’t ready to.”

I remember this conversation well. She was pissed, but I needed to get through to her. Did I, and that’s why we’re here?

“What changed?” I ask.

The exit gate is just ahead.

Kirilee exhales a slow breath. “I did.”

At the gate, the guard gives us both a glance. His left eyebrow arches up. “Miss Kirilee.” He leans out of the booth to glance at the road behind us, like he’s expecting more vehicles. “Everything okay?”

“Everything is great,” Kirilee says.

The guard nods, but I can tell he’s confused.

“Can you let us through, please?” Kirilee asks.

“Oh, sure.” The guard presses the button, raising the gate. “Have a nice… I mean… congratulations.”

I raise my window and accelerate through the gate, half expecting it to come crashing down on my hood.

Kirilee gives a sigh of relief.

“Where to now?” I ask.

“I wish we could go back to that house on the lake. The one you rented with the McCabes. Everything felt good that night.”

I pause at the stop sign. “Why couldn’t we?”

She gives me a curious look. “It’s the middle of winter.”

“Not exactly prime tourist season.”

Her eyes light up. “Oh!”

I slide out my phone and pull up the rental property website. “See if it’s available.”

In the fading light, the bright screen illuminates her pretty face as she taps and scrolls. “It’s available! How many nights?”

“How many do you want?”

She laughs a full, hearty laugh. “Indeed. Hmm, maybe three?”

“Three it is.”

Her eyes widen. “I don’t have my wallet. ”

I slide mine from my back pocket and hand it to her.

“You don’t have to do this for me.”

“Call it a wedding gift.”

She laughs again, filling my cab with sweet melody. “But I didn’t get married.”

I rub the back of my neck. Fuck, is this real? “I didn’t actually buy you guys a gift.”

“Good. One less thing I’m going to feel guilty for.”

I tuck this away for later, because I’m not about to let her feel one ounce of guilt for this. “Let’s go, princess. Before the angry mob catches up.”

She gives me that adorable scowl, but slides out my credit card.

I cruise through the stop sign and descend the hill toward town. The low sun is peeking through the cloud cover, sending thick sun rays over the foothills. Below us, the long lake is a smoky black, the surface scuffed by the steady north wind.

“Done,” she says as I pull into the lakefront neighborhood.

“Have you thought about how you, um, want to handle this?” I ask.

“I don’t want my parents to worry,” she says, glancing at me. She must have heard my grunt of disapproval. “That doesn’t mean I’m going to listen to them though.”

“Maybe talk to them? The rental has a phone.”

“I don’t know what I’m going to tell them.”

I shrug. “Can you start with the truth?”

She inhales a slow breath. “I don’t think they’ll listen.”

“Is it worth trying?”

She nods. “Yes. Yes it is.”

The neighborhood is quiet, and though the roads are plowed and walkways shoveled, some of the homes have that deserted feel, like they’re hibernating.

I pull into the driveway of the handsome vacation house, my winter tires crackling on the crusty snow. The shades are drawn and the front yard is mounded with so much snow it’s up to the windows. Memories from that weekend months ago rush back as I shut off the engine. The rowdy games of basketball in this very driveway to Hunter’s surprise lake dips to cooking together in the kitchen to the moment I brought Kirilee here and my life changed in the blink of an eye.

Has every moment since been leading us back to this place?

“Thanks for the rescue,” she says in the quiet. “I don’t exactly know where to go from here, but so far this feels right.”

“Let’s keep it that way,” I say.

She smiles.

I jump down and dash to her side. The cold wind has a bite to it this close to the lake, so I lift her to the ground, then hurry us to the front door. We stand there shivering in the alcove while I scroll past messages from Zach to the one with the entry code.

Kirilee taps it in, and after a quick flash of green, the lock gives a whirr.

Inside, the house is dark and still. Our dress shoes on the hardwood floor sound extra loud as we clatter into the entryway and close the heavy door behind us.

To the right, a hallway leads to the guest bathroom, a bedroom, and the game room. To the left is the living room with the giant hearth and comfy couches, and straight ahead is the open kitchen and eating area. Beyond it, the sliding glass doors lead to the deck, yard, and lakeshore. Though darkness is falling quickly, the last of the light outlines the tall pines, their branches shifting in the steady breeze.

I tap the thermostat panel on the wall and the heat kicks on instantly. “I’ll get a fire going. Let’s find you a blanket.”

In the hall closet are several choices. I pull out the two thickest ones and carry them to the living room. I unfurl the down throw and wrap it around Kirilee’s shoulders.

She curls against me and sighs. I cradle her body against mine, the warmth between us sending pinpricks rushing over my skin. She gives a little shiver, so I kiss the top of her head and walk to the hearth.

“I wish I could take off this dress.” She drops onto the couch and pulls the other blanket over her lap.

“Don’t let me stop you,” I say, glancing over my shoulder.

She gives me a sly smile. “Maybe Ava or Sofie could bring me the bag I packed from the lodge.”

I slide my phone and wallet across the coffee table. “Maybe order us a few pizzas while you’re at it.”

She groans. “That sounds so good. I just got really hungry.”

“Running away from your wedding is extremely taxing.”

She hitches the blanket higher around her shoulders. “I can’t believe I did that.”

I kneel down in front of the hearth and sort through the assortment of kindling. “How does it feel?”

“Amazing.” She kicks off her shoes. “But… new. I’ve never done anything like this.”

I build a little teepee over rolled-up newspaper and light it. The kindling is so dry that the fire snaps to life quickly, the bright orange flames dancing.

While I add more kindling and grab a few sections of split pine from the woodpile, Kirilee uses my phone to order several large peperoni and olive pizzas, breadsticks, sodas, and a bottle of wine.

By the time she hangs up, I’ve got several logs burning. It’ll take a bit more time for the heat to build, but it’s a start.

My phone chirps. “It’s Zach,” Kirilee says. “You want to answer it?”

I dust off my palms and pick up the phone. “Hey.”

“We stalled them as long as we could,” Zach says. In the background, the murmur of conversation fades and a door clicks shut, like he’s on his way out of the lodge. “You guys okay?”

I join Kirilee on the couch. “Yeah.” Though how much longer will that last? Her family isn’t going to give her up without a fight.

“What do you need from me?”

“We just ordered some pizzas and a bottle of wine. Can Sofie and Ava bring over Kirilee’s bag or some clothes?”

“Yep. Where are you?”

“That vacation rental. The one the McCabes took over last summer.”

“That’s a great idea. She’s going to need some space to figure this shit out. I take it you’re staying with her?”

“Someone’s gotta bar the doors.” I send Kirilee a wink.

“I’ll add some clothes for you too, then. Just so you know, her parents have called the sheriff. I’ve already talked to him, but… this could get ugly.”

“Understood.”

We end the call. The fire pops and snaps in the hearth.

“You don’t have to stay,” Kirilee says, her tone wistful.

“Do you want me to?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll stay as long as you need me.”

She gazes into the fire, her hands limp in her lap. “You’re not scared?”

So we’re back to this. “Even if I was, is that your responsibility?”

She scowls. “That sounds like a trick question.”

“Your job is to take care of you right now.” I retrieve the cordless phone from the kitchen and hand it to her.

With a sigh, she takes it.

I visit the hot tub on the deck to get it ready in the event Kirilee wants to use it. Outside, it’s gone completely dark. Beyond the lights from the house, the yard and lake are a vacant emptiness, blurred by the movement of the trees.

While I finish up, a gust brings the mineral scent of the lake and chills my arms and neck. I’m about to return inside when movement from the edge of the yard catches my attention. I stare into the void, waiting for more. But another gust whips up a pocket of loose snow, and the shadow I thought I saw disappears.

I watch for another moment, but the only movement is the wind in the trees.