I couldn’t look at him. So I tilted my head down and to the side. This man—one I’d only recently met—saw right through me. If I wasn’t careful, he would see it all: my flaws, my weaknesses, my scars.
And he’ll run like all the others.
With my face averted from him, I tried to tamp down the tears of frustration and sadness that threatened. “I don’t know you.”
Fingers at my chin tilted my face up. Seconds feeling more like hours, he studied me. “You know me.” He stated that with far too much confidence for my liking. “You know everything about me, down to my record of service, even though that was classified information.” His gaze narrowed on mine with his words, but I couldn’t help the shy smirk as I caught the corner of his lips twitching up. “You know everything about my team. Hell, you probably know everything about everyone you’ve ever met in your adult life, even though you don’t have their files on those super computers of yours.” It seems that Brycen had done a fine job gathering information from my systems.
“Some, yes. Most, never. And before you ask, I got to know Skylar the old-fashioned way. I can do that when I want.”
His hands cupped both sides of my face and he leaned in close. Close enough to feel his breath fanning over my face. My brain was getting foggy from his nearness. “The problem, as I see it, is that you’re trying to close doors when you should be opening one in particular; the one that’ll let us…that’ll let me know you.”
I tried to shake my head, deny the truth of his words, but his grasp prevented me from doing so. “You don’t want to get mixed up with the likes of me,” I said.
“Let me be the judge of that,” he whispered, pressing his forehead to mine, his eyes closing for a moment. “Let me in.”
“Easier said than done, Dalt—”
He hushed me with a gentle press of his lips. A press that ended far too quickly for my liking, but he never moved too far away, leaving his eyes closed, his forehead still touching mine. Then he sighed. “I’ve been waiting to say this for a long-assed time because of your skill and extreme stubbornness.”
“What is it?” Fuck, could I sound any more breathless?
“I know we haven’t brought up that night from a year ago in our conversations, so thank you.” He opened his eyes and I was ensnared with what I saw there. “Thank you for stumbling onto Morgan’s video. Thank you for stepping up to the plate and getting involved. Thank you for being our eyes and ears where we couldn’t have them. Just…thanks.” Then he pressed his mouth against mine once more, running his tongue over the seam of my lips. I opened for him on a moan of capitulation. My hands braced themselves on his shoulders, what with how weak-kneed he made me with the thoroughness of his kiss. It’s as if he was inhaling me. I liked it. Liked it a lot. Maybe a little too much.
“Do you think Brycen will be okay with me joining you guys on this case?” I blurted out as soon as we separated for much-needed air.
Dalton leaned back, humored disbelief strewn across his face. “I kiss you like that and you’re thinking of Matthews?”
“I’m sorry.” I pecked his playful pout without thinking. I couldn’t help myself. “It’s just, I know how it is between hackers. We’re a little territorial.”
“Well, he’ll just have to deal with it.” His matter-of-factness filled me with warmth. “You’re running point on this one.”
Say what? That’s when reality hit me. “Shit.”
“The guys will probably think I’ve officially lost my mind when I tell them tomorrow, but I’ll deal with it. If anyone gives you trouble, let me know.” His tone held authority so I played into it.
“Sir, yes, sir!” I saluted.
Chapter 15
Dalton
The following morning, I headed into the office for our weekly team meeting. As soon as I’d made it to the conference room, I found Brycen, Cade, Tate, and Theo already waiting for me. I had asked Devolin to show up a half-hour after our usual start time, so that I’d have enough time to make the big announcement, and feed everyone’s curiosity, not to mention, possibly extinguish a few fires.
When I noticed Shane hadn’t arrived, I asked, “Where’s Peters?” to the room at large.
“Here,” the man in question answered as he entered, then dropped into one of the vacant seats. “Sorry I’m late.”
“So, D, you want to let us in on why the hell these two are here?” Cade motioned toward Shane and Theo, who did do work for me from time to time, but they had day jobs of their own. Then again, so did Cade.
“I asked them here because I have some news that’ll play into the Wentworth case. With the calls pouring in, business is booming.” A few heads nodded. “I’m bringing someone in.” Judging by everyone’s gaze intent on me, it seemed that that little piece of information was being taken in easily enough. “As you all know, Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister, Max Wentworth, has contacted me, and it’s come to my attention that a one-man effort isn’t going to cut it, what with the information Brycen and I have discovered this week.”
“I was wondering why you hadn’t left town yet,” Tate, the newest on the team said.
“The Wentworth clusterfuck is only part of why I haven’t left. My gut tells me I need more boots on the ground. People I can trust to be on task for this one. This goes without saying; if I didn’t trust you, you wouldn’t be here.” Heads nod and I continue, “If everything stays on schedule, I’ll be heading to Ottawa on Tuesday to talk with the minister. I’ll need all of you to come along when Mexico comes into play. I’m telling you right now guys, this reeks of cartel.”
“So back to the new guy. What’s this person’s specialty?” Tate asked.
“Computers.”
That got Brycen’s attention.
“Did I just hear you right?” he asked.
“Matthews, you’ve been busting a nut to get out from behind the desk, these last couple of months. You have the field training, and I could use someone who’s good with computers, in case we run into something that can’t be tackled here from headquarters.”
“So who’s—” The man’s eyes widened. “You’re not serious! You’re bringing her in?”
I nodded.
Cade leaned forward, looking between the two of us, a pissed off expression. “Who? Why didn’t we know about this shit until now?”
“Hello?” came from out in the hall.
“In here,” I called out. Within seconds, my eyes set themselves on a suit-clad woman I barely recognized. I should have told her that kind of attire wasn’t needed, unless she was needed in a client meeting. Then again, I wasn’t disappointed with what I saw. She carried the office-assistant-slash-hot-librarian look better than any other woman I know. Complete with small eye glasses, tucked in her lapel pocket.
“What the fuck?” Tate broke me out of my musings.
I cleared my throat, proceeding with introductions. “Men, I’d like you to meet our newest team member, Devolin Taylor, also known around here as Hussy, Huss, or White Hat Hussy.”
The room had gone so silent that I swear I could have heard crickets.
Cade was the first to break silence with a whispered, “Holy shit, you found her!”
Brycen was second, and far from subtle. “Marry me. We’ll make a bunch of beautiful, little dancing computer genius trolls together.” At this, Devolin burst out laughing. The laughter was cut short when the man found his feet and walked over to her, grabbing her hands in his.
Devolin immediately fought to reclaim her personal space by yanking her hands from my teammate. It got my attention enough that I moved to get between them. “Do you mind?” I pushed Brycen back gently. “Sit down.”
“Okay, okay.” He leaned to the side to peer over my shoulder and watched Devolin reclaim her composure. “I’m sorry, hon.”
Devolin nodded despite her obvious embarrassment.
Theo, with a guarded air to him, got up next and approached her. A foot now
separated him from the woman as they studied each other. “Huss?” His voice was husky.
“Theo,” whooshed out of her.
He extended his arms before asking, “Can I?” Before he even finished, Devolin launched herself into his arms for a bear hug. “Goddamn, sweetheart, but you gave us the scare of a lifetime that day you showed up on my doorstep. I know I said it last year when everything went down, but thank you for what you did that night.”
She nodded into his chest. “You’re welcome, and I’m sorry I freaked you all out.” It came muffled due to the big lug’s tight hold on her. “I’m okay.”
“I can see that.” He chuckled. “But do us all a favor, and quit wasting poor D’s resources. They’ve had a tough go chasing a ghost around this last year.”
“I make no promises, but I’m here for now.” Devolin pulled away and gave him a sheepish smile.
“Right.” I clapped my hands together once. “Now that we have the introductions out of the way, let’s talk about how we’re going to do this job.”
Chapter 16
Devolin
My knuckles met the hard wood of Dalton’s office door.
“Come in.”
Peeking from around the door, whatever seemed to be bothering the man disappeared as his gaze warmed when it found me.
“I got the paperwork filled out.” I waved the pile of forms Dalton had given me to complete. From payroll and benefits, it was all there as promised along with a formal letter of offer.
He got to his feet and rounded his desk while holding out his hand, which I promptly filled with my delivery.
Dropping them onto the top of his desk without a glance, his gaze turned assessing on me. It made me fidget, wondering what he saw as he looked at me.
I felt like an idiot. Here I was, dressed to the nines for some large corporate getup. In my defense, the skirted suit was my regular attire when I worked out of Gordon’s office. But here, all my new coworkers were a step up from grease-stained jeans and holier-than-thou t-shirts.
“Did you get yourself settled okay?”
His words seemed to carry a double meaning of sorts. “Yeah, why?”
He approached me slowly, stopping at arm’s length. I held my ground, even though my manically beating heart made me want to retreat. “It was a little hard to miss that you were a little…” He looked as if he was trying to choose his words carefully.
Okay, so I was right. He wasn’t just being a caring boss, making sure his newest employee was ready to get to the grind come first thing in the morning.
“Skittish?” I supplied. He nodded. “It’s part of the curse.”
His brows drew together. “Curse?” I nodded. “But you’re fine with me. And Theo—”
“Theo asked for permission, but it wasn’t as uncomfortable as it’s been for me before. And with you…” I let my words hang.
Dalton took another step forward, bringing him close enough to touch. “What about me?” he whispered.
You make me feel safe.
I didn’t tell him this. Instead, I led with, “I think it’s got something to do with what we—Theo, you, and me—went through last year. It’s brought us closer together than with the other guys on the team.” There! That’s plausible enough, right? To make my point clearer, I added, “Aside from doctors and nurses, I haven’t been around many people other than Sky, a few others, and my mother over the years.” Dalton reached up and cupped my cheek. “It got worse in my teens, when I couldn’t really maintain friendships. I mean, who wants to hang out with the sick girl, right?”
Now why in the hell did I go and say that? It left the door wide open for Dalton and his ever-inquisitive mind, especially when he knew my health history.
The hand on my cheek flexed, Dalton’s thumb rubbing a light pattern over my skin, making it difficult for me to focus as the need to nuzzle his palm grew greater. “We’re going to have to talk about this need of yours to pull away. Brycen may not have shown it, but the guy was seriously freaked out.”
“I’d rather not.” I gave into the warmth of his hand and nestled my cheek into it, my gaze on his chest because it was easier for me to hide that way.
“Honey…”
My eyes snapped to his. “Hmm?”
“I have plans for dinner, and since I’m heading to Canada tomorrow, I was really hoping to see you.” He shuffled his feet closer. There was nowhere else for me to go. Suddenly, the air I was breathing grew thicker with the scent of his cologne, the warmth of his body. Had I been able to move my feet, I still wouldn’t have attempted to go anywhere. “Please say yes?”
Wait a minute. Did he just say that he had dinner plans? Talk about a proverbial bucket of cold water to douse the rising flame in my libido.
“I can’t.” I quickly righted myself and took a step back, putting some much-needed distance between us. “We shouldn’t. Kip, I’m working for you. And you’re clearly seeing someone.”
Dalton’s shoulders began to shake right before a boisterous laugh left him. I couldn’t help but watch his reaction, even though there really wasn’t anything to laugh at.
“I—I should go.” I backed toward the door.
Before I could get too far, Dalton wrapped a hand around my upper arm and moved us until my back pressed against the cold wooden surface of my only exit. The tick in his jaw was the only thing that showed his annoyance. His eyes, although firm in intensity, still held a slight hint of softness. “I’m not the cheating kind, Devolin.”
I swallowed the lump in my throat. “I didn’t say you were.”
He pressed his front to mine, the sensation making my body tingle. That was new to me. And delightful. And just a little scary, if I allowed myself to feel the full extent of my emotions. “You eluded to it, sweetheart.” He released my arm, only to lean closer by resting his elbow onto the wood above my head. His free hand came up to draw soothing patterns on the side of my neck, making me shiver. “Am I scaring you?” he whispered against my cheek, nuzzling it. The man was as potent as he was scary, but the fear was of the unknown for me, not the man himself per se.
“Uh-uh.” I gulped as his questing digits traced my bottom lip, one that felt so dry that I set to wet it, unintentionally licking his trailing finger.
Dalton’s eyes dilated, and the unmistakable look of lust in those orbs fed the fluttering sensation that had taken residence in my stomach.
“Good.” He pecked my cheek, then proceeded to nuzzle my jaw before pulling far enough away to make eye contact. “I’ve changed my mind.”
I blinked, confusion setting in. “What?”
“You’re coming home with me. Right now.”
“What?”
“You heard me.” He smirked. “Skylar is dropping by for a family dinner.”
My eyes widened. “Oh no!”
“Oh yes,” he chimed. “And before she shows up, we have a few things to discuss.”
My apprehension to his statement rose a notch or a hundred. “We do?”
“You’re going to tell me all about this whole skittishness of yours. While we’re at it, we’re going to discuss how to get you past it. If we have time, we’ll talk about other things.” The last, he growled as he watched my reaction. He knew when the fear hit me. “Sweetheart, you’ve got to know by now, there’s nothing you can say that’ll scare me off.”
That went a long way to appease my mind. Not! “O-okay.”
He gifted me with a smile, appreciation reflected in his silvery-blue eyes. “And when Skylar leaves…” He pushed his groin harder into my stomach. The feel of his rock-hard cock rubbing against me couldn’t be missed. It also caused me to gasp, my eyes widening as I felt the warmth of a very thorough blush spread to more than just my face. “We’ll see where the night takes us.”
It wouldn’t be taking us very far, of that I was certain. Regardless, I couldn’t bring myself to deny him anything. It was easier to agree than to fight him right then
. So I nodded my assent. The rest I’d deal with when the time came.
Chapter 17
Dalton
Things took a major turn for the awkward as soon as we arrived at my place.
Devolin pulled up and parked behind my truck, as I stood leaning against the tailgate, waiting for her. That’s when I saw her conflicted look warring with one of panic on her face. All of this as she remained unmoving behind the wheel.
I approached her vehicle without her noticing me, then opened her car door for her.
When she still didn’t budge, or acknowledge my presence, I crouched down and softly prompted her. “Devolin? Honey, what’s the matter?”
“I-I don’t think I can do this.”
“This? This what?”
“I can deal with telling you all about me. The bad. The ugly.” She licked her lips. “But—”
I couldn’t help myself. Something told me I needed to reestablish our connection, and the easiest way to do that was by touching her. Grabbing her hand, I squeezed it. “Look at me.” She gave. “We don’t have to do anything that’ll make you feel uncomfortable.”
“But that’s just it.” Her sigh came heavy with frustration. “I’m uncomfortable all of the time. I don’t know how to deal with this. I don’t know how to deal with you. Me. Us.”
Isolated. Alone. Not used to contact outside of her small circle. I had to remind myself of these facts, even as I tried to figure what it all meant in the grand scheme of things for us.
“Will you still come in?” I asked. In the state she was in, I wasn’t above begging, just to make sure that she was in the right frame of mind before letting her go off on her way. “If it makes you feel better, you pick one end of the room and I’ll stick to the opposite side of it. I won’t push you to give me any more than you’re ready for.”
Her nod came hesitantly, albeit determined.
As soon as she’d made it to the couch, Devolin let herself drop to the edge of the cushion, her fingers automatically clasping each other, turning white with what I’d discovered to be a nervous tick of hers.
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