Fragile Sanctuary (Sparrow Falls Book 1)

The faint beeping of an alarm sounded. Faint because I was pinned to the mattress by a tiny yet surprisingly strong starfish.

Rho groaned. “Make it stop.”

I chuckled as she burrowed her face deeper into my neck. “What’s your name?”

“‘I’m gonna kick your ass if you ask me one more time’ is my name.”

I grinned into her hair. It smelled sweet, something floral, which shouldn’t have surprised me, given Rho’s love of plants. I’d also learned that she loved her sleep. She’d been like a snarling kitten every time I woke her during the night for her concussion protocol.

Struggling to extricate my arm from beneath her, I reached for my phone and shut off the alarm.

“Better,” she grumbled.

I stroked my hand up and down her spine. “How do you feel?”

Rho made a humming noise against my neck. “Good.”

Her voice was like liquid heat spilling over me.

“Reckless…”

“My head hurts a little.” She levered up so she could look into my eyes. “But the rest of me feels great.”

Rho shifted so she was straddling me, my body coming awake beneath her. My hands ran up her thighs beneath the oversized T-shirt she wore—that damn airbrushed kitten shirt from the vet’s office. But even the ridiculous top couldn’t dull my need for Rho. I was insatiable.

The need clawed at me from the inside out, and I knew it would never stop. The flicker of an alarm bell lit in my brain, but I shoved it back. As my fingers slid higher, Rho’s back arched. But as it did, she caught sight of something and froze.

“It’s seven a.m.?” she shrieked. And then she was off me in a flash. “I’m going to be late.”

My dick throbbed in an angry beat. “You can’t work today.”

“Of course, I can.” Rho was already grabbing clothes from drawers as Biscuit lifted his head from his bed. She slid on a pair of pink panties with daisies on them, giving me a shot of her delectable ass that only made my dick angrier.

“You have a concussion. You need to rest,” I argued, sitting up.

“A mild concussion. I won’t do any lifting. I’ll just sit behind the counter. But I’m supposed to open in thirty minutes.”

I pushed to my feet, grabbing the clothes I’d discarded last night. “Call your boss. I’m sure he’ll cover for you.”

Rho pulled on some sort of bra thing with a million straps crisscrossing her tanned back. The view had me imagining different kinds of straps tying her down while I—shit. I needed to get a hold of myself.

“I don’t like missing work,” Rho muttered as she stepped into shorts.

I moved into her space as I pulled on my T-shirt. “Rho.”

She looked up as she tugged a tank top over her head. “I’m fine.”

I wrapped my arms around her, the move so easy, as if there’d never been a time when I hadn’t done this. She fit in my hold, my body molding to hers. “You were in a car accident last night.”

Rho shivered against me, and I hated myself for even bringing it up. But she needed to remember to take it easy. She rested her chin on my sternum and looked up at me. “I know. And if I lie around here all day, all I’ll do is think about it. If I go into work, I’ll at least have distractions.”

Just the thought of her being out of my sight had anxiety and fear clawing at my insides. Someone had forced her off the road yesterday. Hurt her. Was maybe even trying for worse.

Her thumb stroked back and forth over my spine. “I’ll be with people all day,” she assured me as if reading my thoughts. “You can drive me, and I’ll have someone give me a lift home.”

“I’ll drive you home,” I argued.

Rho huffed out a breath. “Fine. But we need to go, or I’m going to be late.”

“All right,” I grumbled.

She stretched up onto her tiptoes, kissing the underside of my jaw. “I gotta brush my teeth.”

We both went through an abbreviated morning routine, and Rho grinned as I used her toothbrush. I rinsed my mouth as she took the brush and put it back in the holder.

I shook my head. “Not like my mouth hasn’t been plenty of other places.”

Rho stuck her tongue out at me. “I know. But I like you using my toothbrush. Makes this feel real.” She stilled then. “It is, isn’t it? This wasn’t some one-time freak-out because I could’ve died, and now you’re going to get all weird on me sort of thing, right?”

An ache wrapped around my chest. I’d injected that doubt into Rho with all my back-and-forth bullshit. I pulled her gently into my arms and brushed my lips across hers. “This is real. I’m probably going to fuck it up a million times over, but I won’t stop trying.”

Rho melted against me. “I’d rather have you and your fuckups than anyone else.”

I chuckled, kissing her forehead. “Lucky me.”

“Come on,” she said, heading for the door and whistling for Biscuit. “If Sonny’s already at the café, I’ll con him into making us breakfast.”

My stomach rumbled at that. I followed Rho as she hooked Biscuit’s leash to his collar and opened the door. As we stepped outside, her steps faltered. The crew was milling around the Victorian, ready to get started on the day.

“They’re all seeing you come out of my house,” Rho whispered.

They already knew I’d spent the night before, so it wasn’t exactly new information. I could pass it off as me looking after a friend when they’d been through something horrible, but I didn’t want to lie. Didn’t want to deny what Rho was to me.

I wrapped an arm around her and pulled her into me, my lips close to hers as I stared into those green and gold eyes. “No more hiding.”

Those eyes flared. “No more hiding,” she whispered.

I dipped my head, my mouth taking hers. My tongue stroked in, her taste exploding in my mouth. God, I could drink her in for an eternity. But I forced myself to pull back.

Rho’s focus was a little hazy as I did, making me grin. But when I stole a look at the crew, they were all frozen, staring. A few had slack jaws. Then one of them whistled. A few others hooted or shouted something I didn’t want to hear. Shep just stared hard at me.

Shit.

I owed him a conversation. But right now, I needed to get Rho to work. “Come on,” I said, guiding her gently toward my truck.

She paused to let Biscuit do his business, and then I lifted him into the cab before helping Rho into the passenger seat. I turned to meet Shep’s angry gaze after closing her door.

Apparently, the conversation couldn’t wait. “Shep⁠—”

“Tell me you’re not messing with her.”

My jaw hardened as I struggled to keep my temper in check. “You know me better than that. If I needed to blow off steam, I sure as hell wouldn’t do it with your sister.”

He kicked at a piece of gravel. “Hell.”

“I care about her.” That word seemed so lacking, but it was the best I had right now.

Shep’s shoulders slumped. “You’ve both been through so much. I don’t want either of you to get hurt.”

I saw it then. His genuine care for us both. His worry. Shep carrying the world on his shoulders yet again. “The fact that we’ve been through so much is what bonded us. I told her. Everything.”

And, God, such a weight had been lifted by doing that. Giving Rho my greatest shame and knowing that she accepted me anyway…. That she understood me.

Shep’s eyes widened. “You told her about Greta?”

I nodded. Hearing Greta’s name aloud wasn’t as painful this time. It was almost…good. I needed to pull her out of the dark and bring her back into my life. Remember her. Not just the guilt that surrounded her death but also the amazing life she’d lived.

Shep’s gaze flicked to the truck and then back to me. “Then I’m glad for you. You needed to let someone in.”

He extended a hand, and I took it in a shake. “Thanks, Shep. For everything.”

“I’ll always have your back.” His grip on my hand tightened, and he jerked me forward. “But if you hurt her, I’ll bury your body under one of my construction sites, and no one will ever know.”

“Shit,” I muttered, trying to extricate my hand from his grasp.

The passenger door opened. “If you two are done having a pissing contest over my virtue or whatever this is, can we go? I’m going to be late for work.”

Shep released my hand. “Be careful today. And take it easy. Trace said he’ll have deputies hanging around the nursery.” Shep glanced at me. “He wants to talk to you at some point, too.”

That familiar weight settled in. Of course, he did. I was sure Trace wanted to know why I’d hidden my past, and if I had any insights on what was happening. I wouldn’t have any choice in the matter because I’d do whatever it took to keep Rho safe.

“Yeah,” I muttered. “I’ll talk to him.”

Shep slapped me on the back. “Then get your ass back here because we’ve got work.”

Rho watched me as I rounded the truck and climbed inside. She didn’t say anything as I backed out and headed toward town. It was only when I was pulling into the nursery that she finally spoke. “You don’t have to help Trace.”

I turned off the engine and looked over at her. “I’m not helping Trace. I’m helping you.”

Rho shook her head, her hair swishing around her shoulders. “I don’t want you to cause yourself pain to do it.”

I reached over, sliding a hand across her jaw. “I’d go to hell and back for you.” I already was. Because diving back into the world that had destroyed me before would be like walking through fire. But I’d always do that for Rho.

“I don’t want you to have to,” she mumbled.

My thumb stroked her cheek. “We’re going to find who’s doing this. Whatever it takes.”

Rho leaned forward, resting her forehead against mine. “Promise you’ll let me be there for you while you do this. I don’t want you to be alone in it.”

“I’m not. Not anymore.” Rho had given me that. It had been so long that the feeling was foreign. But, damn, it was good, too.

She quickly pressed her lips to mine. “Good.”

And with that, she hopped out of my truck.

I followed behind, helping Biscuit out and handing Rho his leash. The nursery was quiet; no one else seemed to be around yet. “When does everyone else get here?” I asked.

“It’ll explode in about fifteen minutes,” Rho said, pulling keys out of her pocket. “We get lots of early morning traffic.”

I’d stick around until then.

As we approached the main greenhouse, Rho’s steps slowed. “That’s weird. We don’t carry cut flowers here.”

I followed her line of sight, my body instantly on alert. There, in front of the door, was a massive bouquet of flowers. Rho bent to pick them up, but I quickly grabbed her shirt, tugging her back. “Don’t,” I clipped.

She looked at me, frowning. But I was already scanning the area. There wasn’t any sign of anyone.

“Don’t move,” I commanded. “Don’t touch anything.”

I jogged back to my truck, rustling through the contents in the bed until I found a box of gloves. Pulling out a pair, I quickly donned them.

Rho’s face went pale as she took me in. “You think it’s him?”

“I don’t know, but we need to be careful either way.”

I leaned over and plucked up the note that rested on the flowers. Scrawled across the envelope in jagged block letters was RHO. Just seeing her name had nausea rolling through me.

I opened the envelope and tugged the card free. Written in the same jagged handwriting was a single word.

SORRY.