Page 28 of The Triple Play

But seeing the tears start to well up in her eyes still catches me off guard.

Griff shoves back his hood and rakes wild eyes up and down her body. “Liv! Fuck. Are you okay?”

We’re both soaked and breathing hard from almost running the entire way here from where we had to abandon our truck. But any discomfort I’m feeling is nothing compared to the relief at seeing Pixie.

“I’m fine, I promise,” she says quickly, brushing away the tears and stepping back so we can all go inside the tiny cabin. Trip starts dancing around our feet as soon as Olivia’s out of the way.

“Holy shit, Pixie, when we got the call to come out here, we guessed it was you. I’ve never been so scared going into a rescue.” I’m babbling as I struggle to get out of my goddamn rain gear, but I can’t seem to stop.

“It’s hardly a rescue, I’m not hurt. Just stuck.”

I’m guessing that she means her words to be reassuring, but I can’t stop vibrating with tension. Then she lifts a hand to my shoulder, and that one simple touch grounds me more than anything.

“Hey, I’m okay. Really glad you two are here, but I’m fine.”

That makes my shoulders release just a fraction of the tension.

From next to me, Griff lets out a slow exhale. “Okay. Let’s regroup for a minute, then we need to call into HQ. Getting out of here isn’t going to be simple. We tried to drive in to extract you, but a culvert overflowed and the road was washed out about a kilometer or so from the base of the Lupin trailhead. So whatever we do, it’ll be on foot.”

“I’ll call it in.” I grab my pack and unstrap the radio, grateful for something to keep me busy. Armstrong answers immediately, and I know he’s probably wondering why it took us a lot longer than anticipated to check in.

“What’s the status?” he asks in a clipped voice.

“We’ve reached the cabin but had to come in on foot. Culvert overflowed and the road in is washed out. There’s also a tree down, blocking us from driving out of here.”

I can hear noises in the background, voices and sounds of the chaos that is MIGSAR headquarters right now. After several seconds, Armstrong speaks.

“Okay. It’s not safe for you to head out on foot with the subject, it’s getting too dark, and conditions are obviously poor. You’ll need to stay the night, then set out in the morning.”

I’m already nodding in agreement with his recommendation, and Griff has a grim expression on his face. Olivia’s arms are wrapped around her waist, and I want so fucking badly to pull her in for a hug.

“Got it, sir. We’ll touch base in the morning before we head out.” I end the call and set the phone down. Not gonna lie, the idea of spending a night stuck in a remote cabin with Olivia isn’t entirely a bad one.

Now that my nervous system has mostly reset, I can see a benefit or two at being in this situation. In my head, I keep replaying our conversation from last week.

The fact that we both want her is out in the open. And it’s not like he was horrified by my joke about her being between us.

An idea rooted itself in my head that afternoon. An idea I have no business thinking but can’t seem to shake. The three of us forced to spend a night together in a tiny cabin is making that idea seem better by the minute.

The thing is, ten years ago, Olivia was just my friend’s hot, smart, older sister. And I was just a dumb college kid. Now she’s still my friend’s hot, smart, older sister, but she’s also so much more.

She’s captivating, from her intelligence to her kindness, her fierce dedication to her job, and her courage. And beneath all of that, I can tell there’s a vulnerability that makes me want to slay all of her dragons. Defend her, protect her, and care for her.

I don’t know why, but I get the feeling she’s never let anyone take care of her before, and I want to be the man to do just that.

“You good, Pixie?” I ask quietly.

She nods, a little too quickly, her gaze darting around the small space. “Fine. Like I said, glad you’re here. How bad is it out there?” She gestures to the window.

I grimace. “Not great. Lots of flooding, especially inland. It’s going to get worse before it gets better. But we should be able to hike out tomorrow. You’ll be back home before you know it.”

She blows out a breath, her eyes fluttering closed. Her eyelashes are blonde, nearly translucent against her cheek. “Okay. We’ll be fine.”

I clap my hands together and rub them. “Alright. What do we have for snacks in this place? Have you polished off all the Doritos or are there some left? Even if they are the wrong flavour.” I give her a wink. “I’ll rustle up some food. Griff, you wanna check the firewood situation?”

“It’s well stocked,” Olivia supplies. “And I brought in plenty of firewood to dry out when I arrived a couple of days ago.”

“Well, damn. Okay, Miss Prepared,” I tease. “Then you guys can just relax while I figure out our food. Maybe see if there’s a deck of cards or something?”