Page 18 of Shielding Serena

She couldn’t refute that, not without sounding totally bitchy, so she gave a little eye roll that made all the men laugh in response.

They filed out of the bunkhouse and said their goodnights.

Walker escorted Serena to her cottage, holding back a smile at her snort of ‘whatever’ when he told her his intention. Yeah, it was only twenty yards away, and she was in absolutely zero danger here on the ranch, but he was still going to see her to her door. It was the gentlemanly thing to do, after all.

She climbed the three steps to the porch and turned to face him, the light by the door haloing her hair, and would have looked like an angel if not for the snarky smile on her face. “Okay big guy, you’ve done your duty. See you in the morning.”

And because she was being playful about it, he pushed. “Oh, I don’t know,” he said, keeping his tone smooth as honey. “I definitely need to clear the interior, to make sure you’re safe.”

She hummed underneath her breath and then coughed into her hand with something that suspiciously sounded like bullshit. But she turned and opened the door anyway, a smile still on her face.

His intent hadn’t been to get her alone, it had been more to play. She’d had a hard day, and tomorrow might be even worse, but in a different way. He suspected the shock of the attack would fade and the feeling of violation would take hold.

He stepped forward and brushed her hair away from her temple. The wound looked gnarly, and she’d hidden it pretty well with her bangs, but he wanted to see how it was doing. He breathed out a sigh of relief when he saw there was no redness indicating infection or anything like that around the base of the knot. And while he knew that Lila Pearson knew her shit, it settled something inside to see the healing process begin, even as the reason for it filled him with rage all over again. He tamped it down though, because that wasn’t what she needed right now.

“You feeling any pain? Woozy or anything like that?” he asked, all kidding gone from his voice now. Because if she was feeling those things he would park his happy ass on the sofa for the night or move her over to the main house. Or take her down the mountain.

She smiled and reached up to cup his cheek in return.

“Sometimes you surprise me,” she said quietly. “I forgot what it was like to have somebody truly give a damn about me.” Then she stepped back as if she’d said too much. “I’m feeling fine. My head aches a little bit but that’s about it.”

Walker didn’t much care for her retreat, but he wasn’t going to press her. He wasn’t that kind of man.

He looked over her shoulder and grinned, lightening the mood again. “Yup, it looks secure enough for me.” Then he allowed himself to become serious. “You’ve got my phone number, if you start to feel anything weird, I want you to promise me that you will call me. I can be here in under a minute and have you down the hill and back in the ER in less than ten.”

She smiled in response to his words and closed the gap between them as quickly as she’d retreated. “Oh, I’ve got your number all right,” she said and her generous mouth tipped up in that half grin he’d so loved as a teenager.

“Good night, Serena,” he said softly, and when he would have backed away, would have gone to his cold lonely bed, she pressed herself against him and laid a kiss on his mouth.

Even though the kiss was chaste, it was everything he remembered and more. Heat surged through him but he kept his hands at his sides. She’d taken the initiative, and he would honor that.

Her lips moved softly, slowly over his, and he fisted his hands in response, the need to feel her hair sliding through his fingers almost painful.

Then she stepped back, her eyes wide. “Well hell,” she said quietly. “That backfired.”

Walker hid a grin. “How so? I thought it was mighty nice.”

He drawled the words on purpose, making her laugh in response. She swatted his shoulder. “Mighty nice? Since when did you become a cowboy?”

“I’ve always been a little bit of one, darlin’,” he said and reached for the doorknob. “You have sweet dreams, Serena, I know I will.”

He stepped into the night and closed the door behind him and let out a long pained breath.

Why, in the name of all that was holy, had she kissed Walker? She’d meant it as kind of a thanks, a reconnection.

Boy howdy had it been a reconnection. He tasted like the short shot of whiskey he’d enjoyed after dinner, smooth and mellow with a hint of spice.

And she’d enjoyed their byplay a little bit too much. It was too reminiscent of what they’d had together in the past but now flavored by age and experience. Infinitely more potent because of those things. Her heart was still galloping, and that was from a simple kiss. She could very well imagine the heat that would have exploded between them had she invited him to stay the night.

She laid her palm flat on the door, then dropped her fingers to the knob. Could she really keep it to a night of pleasure between old friends? And because she knew the answer to that all too well, she withdrew her hand and went to bed.

CHAPTER 9

Walker slept fitfully that night, images of someone assaulting Serena parading through his head, interspersed with fantasies where they hadn’t stopped with a simple, virtuous kiss.

By four, he surrendered to the inevitable and got up, walked into the kitchen, and started coffee. He knew he’d be up in an hour or so anyway, and that he, Quentin and Kujo would spend the morning integrating their systems with those of the Brotherhood Protectors in Montana before starting work at The Menagerie.

It was good work, necessary work. Still, it felt secondary to the knot sitting heavy in his chest whenever he flashed back to seeing Serena in a crumpled heap on the floor.