She shook that off, meeting Ben’s eyes with a solemn, “Thank you.”
“Welcome.” He brushed a bare hand over her head, a soft caress that had her wanting to nestle in for more. “Take care of her,” he warned Joe and Scott, though his eyes never left Willow’s.
“That’s what we do best,” Scott called out. “Remember?”
Ben grimaced. “I’m surprised Rome hasn’t already booted them out of the cabin.”
“That’s because we haven’t been here long enough to annoy him.” This from Joe.
Willow felt her lips twitch, nearly laughed out loud when she spied Rome standing, hands on hips, legs apart, just outside the front door. His head was tilted up, as if seeking reassurance or patience from the heavens, and not getting any.
Ben brushed his hand over her shoulder and down her arm as if loath to leave. “I’ll see you later.”
Willow nodded, watched as Ben resettled on the snowmobile. “Be careful.”
Ben winked. “I have reason to be.” A minute later he was roaring out of the clearing.
As he left, another vehicle entered, this one carrying two women. The two vehicles met in the middle and the driver’s side window of the blue SUV rolled down. Willow recognized the driver as Kaylie Gentry, er, Kinigos, but didn’t know who the passenger was. Mild curiosity turned into sharp jealousy when the blonde laughed and reached over Kaylie to pat the hand Ben lay in the open window.
What is wrong with you? She forced her hands to unclench and hugged her waist, very aware she’d never been this moody before, even on the most brutal of PMS days. Ben isn’t yours. You aren’t even dating. Just deep breath in, deep breath out.
Willow’s mental mantra was interrupted by Rome’s exasperated, “Now what?”
“If you’d wanted privacy, you should have gone to Richmond.” Joe admonished.
“I wanted security, not fucking Grand Central,” Rome snarled.
Willow yanked her head to Rome, her mouth forming a shocked “oh.” It wasn’t that she hadn’t heard the word before, she just rarely heard Rome lose his calm demeanor.
Rome heaved out a sigh. “Sorry, Will. There’s been some...difficulties with another case and I’m not handling it very well.”
A shot of uneasiness went through her. “Do you need to leave?”
He straightened, every inch of his muscled frame pure determination. “Not unless I absolutely have to and if that happens, know that you are completely safe here. No one will get to you without a fight, and a deadly one at that.”
She didn’t need the reminder. “I don’t want anyone else to die, Rome. Not on my account.”
“He’s not talking about us, love,” Scott cracked his knuckles. “It’s the bad guys who are gonna fall.”
While Willow could appreciate Scott’s confidence, no one was invincible. She turned back at the sound of vehicles, seeing Ben zoom off—without a backward glance—and Kaylie ease to a stop right where the snowmobile had been.
The blonde stepped from the SUV with a hearty laugh and Willow gritted her teeth. The woman was absolutely stunning. Tall and slender, her thick silky hair glowed in the dying sunlight, framing a face that was perfectly made up, yet far from overdone. Her attire might be an almost duplicate of Willow’s, and Kaylie’s, for that matter, as the other clomped through the snow, but the newcomer seemed more elegant somehow, and moved through the white fluff with a grace that surpassed that of any dancer Willow had ever come across.
And this bimbo flirted with Ben? Just who was she and, more importantly, what was she to Ben?
Once again Willow had to pry her fingers free from where they gripped the material of her coat.
Not yours, remember? Ben doesn’t belong to you.
The blonde smiled and Willow narrowed her eyes, this time in thought, because the Mona Lisa lip twist made the tall woman appear familiar somehow.
“Hey, everyone. We’ve come to snatch Willow away for girl time.” Kaylie’s eyes sparkled with mischief.
“Holy hell. You’re Tess Gentry.” Scott practically drooled with open admiration.
The blonde made a face. “Guilty.”
The name meant nothing to Willow, other than the gorgeous creature must be related to Kaylie. Still, she racked her brain trying to place the face. It was in the midst of Willow’s hard stare that Tess turned to her and held out a hand. “Hi, Willow. I’m Tess, Kaylie’s sister. I just have to tell you I saw you perform in New York once and was mesmerized by your grace. You moved so effortlessly you seemed to simply float over the ground.”
Taken aback, Willow looked down at the offered hand, free from any covering, and automatically responded, yanking her hand back briefly to rip off her glove. “Thank you.” Willow tilted her head in contemplation. “You look familiar.”