by Katie Knight
“Oh no. Demetri, please tell me she didn’t…”
Pain pinched his heart, but he forced himself to continue. He’d kept all of this inside for too long, like a wound that festered. It needed to be let out in order to heal. “She did. A couple months later. Left a note that said she loved me, but she couldn’t go on anymore. Not without my dad. She’d loved him too much. So yes, I think that kind of love is possible—for a little while, anyway. But I won’t ever let myself get involved like that. It’s too risky. Too much can be lost if that kind of love goes away. Do you understand now why I said what I said earlier? Why I don’t do love?”
They sat silently for a while, both lost in thought, until finally Diana reached up and cupped his stubble-covered jaw, straightening slightly to look him in the eyes. “I understand why you feel that way—and I definitely get wanting to protect yourself after you’ve been hurt. But you can’t shut yourself off from the world forever, Demetri. Believe me, I know about risky love. I know about putting it all on the line and not having it work out the way you wanted. My ex nearly broke me in a hundred different ways, but now that I’ve had some time to think about it, I think maybe all that happened for a reason. Maybe it was for the best. Maybe I wouldn’t be where I am now if it wasn’t for the lessons that relationship taught me.”
“You mean on the run? Staying in a hotel with a strange man while a stalker is after you?” He was deflecting, trying to use humour to ease the discomfort of the other emotions roiling inside him—affection, anticipation, anxiety, and something that felt as if it was way more than liking or lust.
Diana wasn’t having it, though. She leaned closer, until their lips were mere millimetres apart, her warm breath fanning his face and her pupils blown wide. “Yeah,” she said, the words no more than a breathless whisper. “Exactly like that.”
Then she kissed him, slow and sweet and tentative, and a piece of Demetri’s tightly coiled heart unfurled. Needing more, wanting more, he slid one hand to the back of her head and deepened the kiss, sliding his other arm down her back to her butt, pulling her onto his lap. She felt so soft, so warm, so, so right. Diana moaned low in her throat and parted her lips and he took advantage, sliding his tongue into her mouth to duel with hers, pressing her closer to his chest, feeling the thud of her heartbeat against his.
She slid her fingers through his buzz cut hair, her nails scraping along his scalp and making him shiver. It had been a while since he’d been with a woman like this, and there had never been anyone else like Diana. They’d had one night together, but one night hadn’t been enough, would never be enough.
He moved his hand from her lower back to the front of the robe, eager to see if those amazing breasts of hers felt as good as they looked. She panted, leaning her forehead against his, watching as his fingers traced the vee of her robe, grazing her skin, her breath hitching slightly and driving his already raging libido higher. His body tightened, his cock pressing painfully against the fly of his jeans. He felt hot and bothered and more than a little bewildered that things had gotten to this point so fast, but damn if he was ready to stop now. Not with Diana in his arms again, straddling his lap, her hips rocking against his, letting him know how badly she wanted this too.
And sure, maybe he was using sex to avoid delving deeper into feelings that were best left forgotten, but right now Demetri didn’t care. All he cared about was the weight of her breast in his palm, how her nipple hardened beneath his touch, the tiny mewls she made as he kissed his way down her jaw to her neck to the pulse point at the base of her throat, the rapid beat in time with his own racing pulse. One tug on the belt of her robe and she’d be naked, one tug and he could see her beautiful body again, one tug and…
Knock. Knock. Knock.
Diana scrambled from his lap, looking as flustered as he felt. “That’s room service.”
Shit. While she fixed her robe, Demetri answered the door and did his best to figure out what the hell had just happened to him.
He never lost control. He never spoke about his past and he didn’t have illusions about love. Whatever this thing was that was going on between him and Diana was dangerous, and he needed to put a quick kibosh on it before it got way too far out of hand and compromised everything he was trying to do here—namely keep her safe and keep himself on track.
Love wasn’t part of his plans. Period. Amen.
No matter how badly he might want Diana, one night of sex was all that would ever be between them.
Demetri sighed and stared up at the ceiling as she let the waiter in with their food.
And maybe, if he told himself that enough times, he might actually believe it was true.
Ten
“Do we have to keep driving around in circles?” Diana asked, as they rounded yet another corner in downtown Atlanta. She was starting to feel carsick. “I mean, we’re two states away from Virginia. I doubt the stalker followed us here.”
Demetri gave her look from behind the wheel. “Don’t be so sure. And don’t underestimate this guy. He took out my squad leader, one of the best, toughest, smartest men I’ve ever known. If he can do that, then he could be anywhere.”
“You’re sure it’s a guy, though?” She narrowed her gaze. “Bit sexist, wouldn’t you say?”
“No. I wouldn’t.” He sighed as they stopped for a red light. “It’s a known fact that the majority of violence is done by men. The methods of attack also point to a man rather than a woman. I can’t say with one-hundred-percent certainty that it’s a guy behind all this, but the odds strongly lean that way.”
Before she could reply, the light changed to green and Demetri accelerated through the intersection and turned into a tiny parking lot behind a nondescript brick building in a rundown neighbourhood. She leaned slightly to peruse the graffiti-covered wall in front of them, filled with abstract art and curse words. “This is the security agency?”
“Yep.” Demetri cut the engine and climbed out, walking around the back of the SUV before opening Diana’s door to help her out. It was a small gesture, but it showed his manners and his deference toward her and she appreciated it, despite the edge of uncertainty she felt at being this close to him. Since their make-out session on the sofa the night before, she’d been far more aware of him than she wanted. Each time she closed her eyes, she remembered his hands on her body, the warmth of his kisses on her lips, the feel of his hand cupping her breast, teasing her sensitive nipple. Fresh molten heat pooled in her core and she pulled her hand free of his as soon as she was out of the car. No sense holding on to him when last night probably meant nothing anyway. Best to keep to herself. She’d learned that lesson well enough from her ex. Time she put it into practice now. She didn’t need a man. Right now, what she really needed was answers.
Hopefully, his friends could help provide some today.
Demetri held the door for her, and they walked inside. Surprisingly, the place was nice inside. Clean, spacious, with exposed brick walls and pipes overhead lending to the overall industrial feel. The dark hardwood floors gleamed and the modern desks were tidy and each held an expensive computer system. Three men were working around the room, each as tough-looking and muscular as Demetri. One guy, a few inches shorter than Demetri, though just as broad, came over to them. His blonde hair was buzz cut like Demetri’s, and his scowl transformed into a grin as he held out his hand. “Deme, buddy. Good to see you again.”
They did a quick bro hug before Demetri turned toward Diana. “John, this is Diana Addison, Peter’s little sis. She’s the one with the stalker problem we talked about.”
“Right.” John shook Diana’s hand, his grip sure and strong. “Nice to meet you. Though I wish it were under better circumstances. And can I just say I’m shocked to find Pete has such a gorgeous sibling.”
She chuckled. “You can. I tell him that all the time.”
John laughed and Demetri frowned. “Seriously. Pete’s a great guy and all, but man. I can see why he kept you a secret.”
“Can we get down to business, please?” Demetri growled, stepping slightly closer to Diana. “I don’t like to waste time.”
John snorted and shook his head, then turned away. “Whatever, dude. Chill out. No one’s going to steal your girl. C’mon. I’ll show you what we’ve found so far.”
His girl?
“We’re not a couple,” she said, shaking off Demetri’s hold, then giving him a confused look. Why was he hovering like that, as if he thought they might be attacked? These guys were his friends. He trusted them or they wouldn’t be here. If she didn’t know better, she’d almost think he was behaving like a jealous boyfriend. Except Demetri wouldn’t be jealous. Diana was his current mission, his friend’s sister, and the mother of his child, but she was not a romantic prospect for him. He’d made that clear.
Right?
Demetri remained silent, still looking like he’d just as soon put his fists through one of the walls as the other two guys across the room waved and gave Diana appreciative looks. “She’s not my girl.”
“No?” John said, seemingly unfazed by his friend’s dark glower. “Sure. Okay. Whatever. We’ve got more important things to discuss than your love life anyway, man. Take a look at this camera footage we got from the past few days.”
Even though Diana had slept like a log the night before, all the travel was taking a toll on her. The swelling in her ankles was still bad, and she was thirsty again. Not to mention needing to pee. She probably shouldn’t have had all that juice at the restaurant where they’d stopped for breakfast. Much as she wanted to listen in on the findings, she wanted to find the nearest bathroom even more. “May I use your restroom?”
“Sure.” John pointed her in the right direction, and she took care of business.
When she came back out a few minutes later, the four guys were in deep discussion. She started to walk over toward them but Demetri, catching sight of her, grimaced and motioned for her to stay back. They’d discussed this on the drive over—that some of the conversation with the team might be about military operations, classified information that she wasn’t authorized to know. She didn’t like being kept out of the loop, but she understood the necessity of it.
She decided to get a glass of water from the cooler against the wall, then take a seat in the comfy chairs in the waiting area. The TV there was on and her soap opera was playing. She wasn’t normally one to watch a lot of television, but there was a soap opera she’d been hooked on for years. She’d watch every day during summer holidays and other school breaks—thankfully, the story had enough fresh twists and turns that she was always able to get back into it quickly whenever she picked it up again, despite the long stretches of school year when she wasn’t able to watch. One character was cheating on another. One couple was falling in love while another was in the midst of a messy divorce. Same old, same old.
“You doing okay?” John asked as he walked by her to grab something off his desk nearby.
“Fine, thanks,” she said, holding up her glass of water.
“I’m sorry if I embarrassed you earlier.” John smiled down at her, a folder in his hand. “With what I said about you and Demetri.”
“It’s fine. I grew up with Peter, remember?” She gave a dismissive wave. “Typical brother. Teased me all the time. I know a joke when I hear one.”
“Hmm.” John came around his desk to stand near Diana’s chair. “Well, I actually wasn’t joking about Demetri’s feelings towards you.”
Now it was her turn to frown. “Seriously? I think you’ve misread the situation. He thinks it’s his job to protect me because I got drawn into this situation thanks to him. And I’m grateful for the protection and all, don’t get me wrong. After all this, I’d consider him a friend. But if you’re his friend too, then you have to know that Demetri doesn’t do relationships. I think the past few days with me are probably the longest stretch of time he’s ever spent with the same woman, and all we’ve been doing is running for our lives.”
Well, that wasn’t quite all they’d been doing. A sudden image of them entwined together on the sofa the night before flashed into her mind before she shoved it away. That had been nothing more than a mistake, triggered by elevated emotions from the sad story Demetri had told her and an overload of adrenaline from several days on the road. Had to be. Happened all the time in the action movies she watched and the romance novels she read. There was even a name for it. Forced proximity. They had to spend time together which created a false sense of intimacy. Not to mention that tensions were high and they both needed an outlet for their energy. That was all. Once this was over, they’d both go their separate ways again. End of story.
Isn’t it?
Her chest gave a weird squeeze before she could stop it.
“Look,” John said, exhaling slowly. “It’s none of my business, really, but I’ll tell you that in all the years I’ve known Demetri Lewis, he’s always been a loner. You’re right that there have been no steady relationships, but there have also been no close friendships. Even with us. I mean, we’re his buddies and all, and we always have each other’s backs, but when it comes to sharing personal stuff, he never goes there. It’s like he keeps a shell around himself and no one’s let in. But when you guys walked in here today, it seems like he wanted to pull you in that shell with him—keep you close, and keep us out. I’ve never seen him be that possessive of someone.”
“Yeah, I was surprised by that too,” she admitted. “I honestly don’t understand what it means.”
“Well, Demetri’s a good guy, even if he’s a bit of a mystery. He likes you. A lot. I can tell.”
John walked back to where the other guys were talking and Diana watched him go, still mulling over his words. Did Demetri like her? Sure, he wanted her. That much had been obvious on the sofa last night, but did his feelings go beyond sex? Did hers?
She stared back at the TV screen without seeing it, working through the new information. If Demetri did have feelings for her and she for him, could they have a future after all this mess was over? He’d seemed so convinced that real-life love stories were doomed—that relationships had no chance of ending up happily ever after. Was he even willing to try? Was she?
Did she want Demetri in her life, not just as a protector and rescuer, but as a lover and a friend and partner in life? They had chemistry, no denying that, and she did enjoy his company. But she had more than herself to think about now, and she was still wary of getting involved in another long-term relationship after the debacle her relationship with Brad had been. Her heart told her things with Demetri would be different, that he was a different, better man than her ex had ever been, but her head urged caution. Demetri would never put her down the way Brad had at every opportunity…but was he capable of truly opening up to her, of loving her the way she wanted to be loved?
Diana glanced over to see Demetri hunched over a computer screen with the other guys, and her core quivered. Could she trust him with more than just her body? Could she trust him with her future and that of her baby? Did she want to try?
“Wait, can you run that back again?” Demetri asked, pointing at the screen.
“Sure,” said Eric, the group’s resident tech expert. He was the same age as Demetri and their two teams had served on a mission to Iraq together before Eric had retired to get married and have a few kids. “What do you see?”
“There. Stop.” Demetri leaned in closer to squint at the footage from the lobby of the hotel where they’d stayed. “See that guy? In the black sweatshirt? Can you use your facial recognition software on him?”
Eric winced. “That’s going to be tough, dude. With that baseball hat on under the hood it shadows his features. I mean, I’ll give it a shot, but can’t guarantee anything.”
“Okay.” Demetri sighed and straightened to go through the file John handed him. “I wish I had more to go on, but whoever is stalking Diana is good. These fire reports don’t show anything conclusive as to who started the fire. Just a Molotov c
ocktail thrown through the open window. And there were no footprints other than Diana’s and mine found at the scene.”
“Have you spotted anyone following you?” Craig asked, the third man on the security team. He was the newest member and the youngest, having just retired from active duty a couple of months prior after getting injured by an IED in Afghanistan. He’d lost an arm, but still had the indomitable SEAL spirit. “See anyone suspicious lurking around that we could track?”
“Nah.” He thought back to those crazy moments racing away from the flames of Diana’s house. “There was one guy, walking along the road, that I saw in my rear-view mirror. He was wearing a dark hoodie.”
“That’s it?” John didn’t sound hopeful. “Man, that could be anyone.”
“I know.” Demetri finished going through the papers in the file and set it on the desk. “But it’s all I’ve got. Frankly, the guy could’ve just been out for a stroll.” His gut said otherwise, considering Diana had lived in the middle of nowhere, but still. It was all he had at this point. “Anyway, if you could look for any identifying marks we could use, like visible tattoos or scars, to get an ID, that would be helpful. Looking at the footage, it could be the same guy. The build is similar between shots, and the hoodie’s the same too.”
John leaned his hip against the edge of the desk. “You do realize that if this guy does turn out to be something, it’s not good. He’s right here in Atlanta. He figured out where you’re staying.”
“Yeah, I know.” He took a deep breath and glanced over to where Diana was sitting watching TV. The last thing he wanted to do was uproot her again, but he needed to keep her safe. His feelings were still a mess after their incident on the sofa last night, but he couldn’t let that interfere with his objectivity. He needed to stay sharp, stay focused. Even if he could still taste her each time he licked his lips, could still imagine the feel of her soft curves pressed against his chest, could still hear her tiny moans as he’d worshipped her incredible breasts with his fingers. As if sensing his attention, she looked over and caught him staring. She gave him a crooked little half smile and his heart pinched. John hadn’t been wrong earlier. He did care for her, probably way more than he should. Certainly way more than was wise. Somehow, she’d gotten past his barriers and bored right into his life. Now that she was there, he wasn’t sure how to get back to the way things were. Worse, he wasn’t sure if he even wanted to try.