“Okay,” she whispered, stunned.
Weston got out and jogged around the back of his truck, then yanked open the door. The rain was still pouring down, but he was smiling and, for a moment, she sat frozen, trapped in the easiness of the curve of his lips. One side of his mouth lifted higher than the other. Selfishly, she hoped she was the only one in the world who had noticed that.
Weston reached over her lap and unclicked her seatbelt, then held his hand out to help her down out of his monster truck. Avery swallowed hard. When she slipped her palm into his, electricity zinged from his touch through her body and landed in her chest. She jerked away at the shock, and when she dragged her attention back to Weston’s face, his smile had dipped slightly, and under the bill of his hat, confusion furrowed his dark brows. He squeezed his fist a couple times and ducked his gaze, stepped back to give her room to get out on her own.
“Run on inside, and I’ll bring in your stuff.”
The inside he spoke of was a cabin on the edge of the trees, lit from the inside out with the soft glow of lights. A porch sat invitingly off the front, and the rustic windows were bracketed by dark-colored shutters. Where the warmth had consumed her a moment ago, now chills blasted across her skin for reasons she couldn’t fathom.
This was the raven haven Weston had found for her. This cabin would be her safety. It would mean warmth and a comfortable bed. She wanted to cry, but refused to let loose any tears right now in front of Weston. She would do that later when she was alone in the dark.
Avery climbed out of the truck, splashed unfortunately into a mud puddle, and moved to pass Weston. But she stopped suddenly and, as a silent thank you, wrapped her arms around his waist as tight as she could. She pressed her lips against the left side of his chest, right over his heart, and then like a coward, ran to the porch before he could respond.
When she dared a glance behind her, he was standing in the rain, in the soft glow from the cabin windows, his green eyes nearly glowing with intensity as he watched her. A slow smile transformed his face in the moment before he gave his attention to shutting the passenger door, and oh, what that man did to her insides. Over the past week, she’d wanted desperately to be the one who drew a smile from the Novak Raven, and now he was giving them to her freely.
That man required the people he cared about to prove themselves before he would trust them, and little by little, he was softening to her. Without words, he was complimenting her. He was telling her she was worthy of trust, and for some reason, her heart felt like it was raw and open. As though tonight she was going through a metamorphosis. She wasn’t as scared or intimidated by him. She wasn’t as intimidated by anything. Here she stood, in the middle of the Bloodrunner Dragon’s territory, and instead of being terrified like she would’ve been a week ago, she was okay. She was happy even, and now her eyes were really burning. Happy? Was that what this warm feeling in her chest was?
She couldn’t do this—couldn’t dwell on these thoughts too long or she would fall apart, and she didn’t want Weston to see that side of her. She wanted him to like her. She wanted him to keep her.
Avery kicked off her muddy shoes and pulled Weston’s flannel shirt tighter around her soaking dress, then rested her hand on the doorknob of the cabin. The metal house numbers glinted in the porchlight. Sure, the numbers were crooked, and barely hanging on, but this cabin’s address was 1010. In one of his letters, Weston had mentioned an old magic singlewide trailer in Damon’s Mountains where he’d grown up. He’d called the trailer 1010. Gooseflesh raised all over her arms. Shaking her head at the strange coincidence, Avery shoved open the door and stepped her bare feet onto the uneven wooden floorboards inside. The living room led straight into an open kitchen, and a woman with black hair cascading down her back stood at the stove.
“Oh!” Avery exclaimed. “I’m sorry!” Wrong house.
She went to close the door, but the woman turned. It was Lexi, Ryder’s mate, who she’d met at the bar.
“Come on in,” Lexi said. “Weston called and asked if I had any leftovers for you to eat, but that didn’t seem big enough for your first meal in ten-ten. I’m pan searing steaks, and I have asparagus cooking, too. Are you okay?”
Avery pushed off the wall where she’d pressed her back and nodded. “I’m okay, just…embarrassed. Did Weston tell you why I need leftovers?”
“A little.” Her bright green eyes softened. “There’s no shame in needing help, though.”
Weston strode through the front door, his boots echoing loudly on the floors. “Hey Lexi. Smells good in here.”
“It smells really good!” Avery exclaimed, remembering her manners. “Thanks so much for doing this for me.”
Lexi giggled and turned back to the steaks, flipped a pair of them in the pan, and explained, “I’m a personal chef for a cabin rental company near here. This is no problem and is the fastest meal to make. Plus, I’ll be up late waiting on my mate to come home.”
“Where is Ryder?” Weston asked, his tone troubled.
Lexi’s shoulders lifted with a deep inhale. “I don’t know. He left earlier with a couple cans of white spray paint, so I’m waiting on a call either from him or the police.”
“Shit,” Weston muttered. “You want me to go find him?”
“No,” Lexi murmured. “I think he needs to work some stuff out on his own right now.”