Leverage

by Janie Crouch

  She looked over in Dylan’s direction. Her eyes met his for just a moment before dropping away. Her smile faded completely.

  “Finished your call?” Mrs. Morgan asked him. “We’ve got food here for you.”

  Dylan joined them and ate, and although Mrs. Morgan and Angi had plenty to ask him and talk about, Shelby had withdrawn. She didn’t talk to him, barely looked at him.

  Dylan realized she was emotionally removing herself from him and the situation. He couldn’t really blame her after the way he’d run so hot and cold with her.

  But Dylan knew, as he sat eating his fried chicken, looking at the woman who was looking everywhere else but at him, that he wasn’t going to let her withdraw.

  He couldn’t.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Dylan was looking at her.

  Of course, obviously he was looking at her because they were the only two people in the studio apartment that the friendly Mrs. Morgan and her slightly bratty daughter, Angi, had shown them to above the hardware store.

  But he was looking at her. The way a man looks at a woman when he has something planned. That involved a bed.

  And it was interesting Dylan was looking at her now, because Shelby had pretty much decided she wasn’t going to look at Dylan anymore.

  Because she’d only known him twenty-four hours and he had already ripped her heart out more times than most anyone else she knew. Not that she tended to let anyone close enough to do that, but she had been unable to help it in this situation.

  Shelby understood Dylan’s hot-and-cold behavior, she really did. His wife and unborn child dying right in front of him? That had to mess somebody up pretty badly. He still loved his wife. Shelby could certainly understand that.

  But she couldn’t keep allowing herself to get blindsided by Dylan each time he realized he was acting on his attraction to Shelby. And Shelby knew he was attracted to her. But she also knew he didn’t like it.

  So the best thing Shelby could do was just keep her distance from him.

  But he had to stop looking at her. Or else there would be no way she could do that.

  Thankfully, Dylan turned away so he could lock the door that opened to the outside stairway that led down to the hardware store. Immediately he pulled the drapes all the way closed. Then turned to scope out the room, so Shelby did the same.

  A king-size bed dominated most of it. Shelby stood staring at it.

  “Much better than outside in the cold, right?” Dylan asked her. “Maybe we can get a nap.”

  She nodded, avoiding his gaze. “For sure. How long before someone is here to pick us up?”

  “Sawyer’s coming, but he needs to drive, so probably about four hours.”

  “What do you mean he needs to drive?”

  “Normally for this distance he’d take one of the helicopters available through Omega. That would save a few hours.”

  “But he’s not taking a helicopter now.” Shelby wasn’t unhappy about staying on the ground, but she didn’t understand why Sawyer would delay their arrival.

  Dylan looked as if he was going to say something then stopped.

  “What?” she asked him. “Don’t start keeping things from me now.”

  Dylan sighed. “When someone tried to kill you yesterday, that could’ve come from multiple sources. Somebody following you from your house, or perhaps an intercepted transmission or call between you and Megan.”

  “Yeah, that would make sense.”

  “But once it became clear someone had sabotaged my airplane, I realized that only someone from Omega Sector could’ve known you’d be with me. We were definitely not followed back to my house from town yesterday evening.”

  All Shelby could remember about the drive back to Dylan’s house was seeing her red-and-black thong hooked on his big finger. Everything after that was a mortified blur. But if he said nobody followed them, she believed him.

  “So it’s somebody in Omega who is trying to kill me.” The very agency Megan worked for, the same agency that was supposed to be protecting her and stopping DS-13.

  “It looks that way. I’m sorry, Shelby.”

  Shelby sat on the edge of the bed. “I wish we didn’t have to go to Omega at all if there is someone there trying to kill me. Someone who obviously doesn’t care if they take you down with me.”

  “We have to. The hardware Megan needs to use with the numbers in your head is at Omega, so Sawyer must have a plan to sneak you in. He’s getting here without Omega knowing.”

  “Yeah, I know.” Shelby heard the hesitancy in her own tone, but couldn’t help it.

  Dylan came to sit beside her. “Thank you for not giving up. Most people who had survived three and a half attempts on their lives, not to mention hiking a marathon through the woods, might be ready to throw in the towel.”

  “Three and a half attempts?”

  Dylan winked at her. “Well, I figured that copperhead should at least get half credit.”

  And there was the look again. Coupled with the dimple from his smile? How in the world was Shelby supposed to resist that? She had to get out. Right now.

  “Okay, well, I’m just going to take a shower.” Shelby stood up abruptly and made her way into the bathroom. She saw Dylan’s eyes narrow momentarily, but she didn’t stop. She couldn’t stay there on the bed looking at his gorgeous face.

  She wasn’t trying to be rude, she just needed some distance.

  * * *

  DYLAN WATCHED SHELBY all but run into the bathroom. He shrugged off his jacket, easing his wounded arm through the sleeve. Shelby had done a good job wrapping it. He’d planned to let the Omega doctor look at it, but that was out of the question now. It wasn’t too bad. A full first-aid kit would probably be enough in the hands of any of his siblings who were trained as field medics.

  But more important, Dylan didn’t like the way Shelby was avoiding him. Maybe not physically—it was impossible for two people in their situation to avoid each other physically, although she was trying her best—but she was definitely closing down on him emotionally.

  He’d started the emotional pull away first, so he couldn’t blame Shelby. It was his own fault. It had been his MO for the past six years to keep himself separated from people, especially women.

  And double especially for women who had insinuated their way under his skin in twenty-four short hours with their bravery, intelligence and beauty.

  Damn it.

  But those kisses today.

  His body began to react just thinking about it. Those kisses had set them both on fire and it had been all Dylan could do not to make love to her right there in the middle of the wilderness only a few miles from where they’d almost died.

  Dylan was a man known for his control. He liked to have control in all aspects of his world, and worked very hard to make sure he had it.

  But a kiss with one small redhead had blown his control all to hell. Dylan would’ve made love to her in that tiny shelter, on the hard cold ground, if the thunder hadn’t boomed and reminded him that they were in a pretty dangerous situation.

  But now here they were: safe, warm, dry. And Shelby wouldn’t look him in the eye. For the past six hours—since his asinine statement about staying out of his business—she had hardly spoken to him at all. Yesterday, Dylan might have welcomed the relief from her acerbic wit. But now he could see her withdrawal, could feel it. And it made him mad. Mostly at himself.

  But Dylan would be damned if he was going to let Shelby shy away from him. He wanted her more than he’d ever wanted any other woman. Watching her in the forest had sealed it for Dylan. She had shown strength and courage under demanding circumstances that could’ve rightfully caused her to crumble. Would’ve caused most people to crumble.

  But she hadn’t crumbled. The opposite, in fact
. And if it hadn’t been for her quick thinking, Dylan would probably be dying of a copperhead bite right now.

  Everything about her was attractive to him. And he hadn’t even begun thinking about her freckles yet.

  So this can’t-look-you-in-the-eyes stuff was not going to cut it. If he wasn’t going to withdraw, he wasn’t going to let her do it either.

  A few minutes later the bathroom door opened and Shelby stepped out, steam swirling around her. She was dressed in only a towel. She moved to the side, holding the towel with one hand and gesturing to the bathroom door with the other.

  “All yours. I washed out my clothes, so they’re still wet, but I got them out of the way enough, I think.” Her smile was forced, and she was obviously uncomfortable in her state of undress.

  Dylan stood up from the bed and walked slowly over to Shelby, stopping just in front of her. She was looking toward him, but still not looking at him.

  “Shelby.”

  “Yes?”

  “Look at me.” He took a step closer to her, but she didn’t look. He tipped a finger under her chin. “Look at me.”

  There were those gorgeous green eyes. Finally. “You’re avoiding me,” he whispered.

  “How can I avoid you?”

  “You know what I mean.”

  Shelby finally nodded. “I can’t keep getting hurt by you, Dylan. Terrible things happened, I know, so you do whatever you have to, to protect yourself. Your defenses.”

  She was right. It was amazing that someone who had known him such a short time could understand so much about him. “Yes, but—”

  “It’s okay to have defenses, Dylan,” Shelby continued. “I usually have them, too, with almost everybody. But for some reason my normal defense mechanisms don’t kick in around you.”

  Something in Dylan eased. He knew it was selfish, but he didn’t want her defenses to work around him. He wanted her to be open to him. “Shelby—”

  “But you hurt me, Dylan. You keep hurting me. Because what you think you want and what you really want are two different things.”

  “I want you,” he whispered, backing her up against the wall. “You are what I think I want and what I really want.”

  “But you might change your mind.” Shelby began to look away again.

  “I am not going to change my mind.” Dylan brought his hands up on either side of her head, burrowing his fingers in her damp hair. “I hurt you because I’m so used to pushing everyone away, and I’m sorry. You are what I want.”

  He bent slightly so they were eye to eye. “I won’t hurt you again.”

  Dylan could see the doubt in Shelby’s eyes, and it killed him. He was afraid she would pull away. But she leaned toward him, putting her lips gently against his.

  He was humbled by her trust in him, and kissed her back gently. But then the hunger—the heat—that had sparked between them since the first moment they’d met flared again. And all thought of soft and gentle was left behind.

  Dylan kissed her. Kissed her in a way that left no doubt that, no matter what, they would be finishing what they started this time.

  Her arms reached up to wrap around his shoulders, but Dylan grabbed her wrists and brought both arms up over her head, never stopping the kiss. He heard her soft sigh as his hands slid up from her wrists to link their fingers together.

  Her mouth opened, giving him fuller access, and he took full advantage, using his tongue to duel with hers. His body, pressed up against hers, was the only thing holding her towel in place. Dylan nipped gently at her bottom lip then let go of her lips altogether, but not of her hands, which he still held over her head against the wall. He waited for her eyes to flutter open, then deliberately took a small step back.

  Her towel slid down her body and pooled on the floor.

  Their eyes met, then Dylan brought his lips back down to hers. He released her hands and slid his fingers into her hair and cupped the nape of her neck, drawing her even closer. Her fingers slid under his shirt, pushing it up. Dylan released her lips to tear his shirt over his head, then found her mouth again. This time he was the one moaning.

  He reached down and swung her up in his arms. He walked over to the bed and laid her on it almost reverently.

  Yes, she was very definitely what he wanted and he proceeded to prove it to her.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Shelby felt as though she’d been almost run over, had survived a plane crash and had hiked through miles of wilderness over the past twenty-four hours.

  Oh, wait, she had.

  To say nothing of the most incredible sex ever. That had probably come the closest to killing her. In the best way possible.

  She had been determined to hold herself aloof from Dylan, especially after what he had said in the forest. He’d apologized, and they’d even kissed again, but Shelby had already emotionally withdrawn. She had just wanted to get out of the woods, get to Megan and help however she was needed, and then get away from Dylan.

  But there had been no reason to sit around talking about her hurt feelings with Dylan in the forest, so Shelby had just bucked up and started walking.

  Because if there was one thing Shelby’s mother had taught her, it was to buck up and move on. Shelby had never been able to please her mother. Had never been outgoing and pleasant enough; had always been too rough around the edges. Eventually Shelby had just stopped trying to please someone who couldn’t accept her the way she was. It had been a long and painful lesson that had taken up most of her childhood.

  But Shelby knew how to hold her head up and keep moving forward even when a little piece of her heart had cracked. And she’d done it today with Dylan.

  He still loved his dead wife. Shelby understood that, couldn’t even fault him for it. His coldness was understandable. But when they’d made it into town, Shelby found that she couldn’t look him in the eye. That somehow, her ability to buck up and move on had failed her.

  He didn’t want her. And that hurt.

  She’d fled to the shower where she’d been able to pull herself together. All she needed to do was make it through the next few hours until they got to Omega. Then she could say goodbye to Dylan, get the codes to Megan and her supercomputer and get back to her house in Knoxville. And maybe never leave it again.

  But then she’d walked out of that shower.

  She had no idea what had happened to Dylan while she was in there. Yeah, he’d been giving her the look before she went in. But by the time she came out of the shower, he’d been determined to get what he wanted.

  And what he wanted was her.

  She lay on his chest now, his fingers trailing up and down her spine.

  “Your freckles drove me crazy from the first second I saw you, you know,” he said against her forehead. “You’re lucky you made it out of the diner without me throwing you down on the booth.”

  Shelby kissed his chest and laughed. “I’m pretty sure Sally would not have approved.”

  “And poor Tucker definitely would’ve had a heart attack.”

  Shelby felt so close to Dylan now, not just because of the incredible lovemaking, but because he was more relaxed, at ease. After everything that had happened over the past day, lying here, just enjoying Dylan’s arms around her, was all Shelby wanted.

  But the other part of her was waiting for Dylan to realize what he’d done, which was, in essence, to cheat on his dead wife. She was sure it wouldn’t be long before the freak-out happened. Before he pushed Shelby away again, found a reason to put distance between them. That was just a matter of time, she was sure.

  Their lovemaking was probably just a one-time thing. They were two people attracted to each other, but their attraction had been pushed along at breakneck speed by everything they’d been through.

  Trauma-induced sex. Was that a real thing?
Shelby would have to look it up. It felt as if it should be a real thing even if it wasn’t currently.

  Shelby wished she had her smartphone. Or was at home with her computer. Or was at home at all, where she could fall apart alone.

  Oh, hell, was she about to start crying?

  “You doing okay over there?” Dylan asked.

  “Just feeling a little overwhelmed by everything that’s happened.” Shelby could feel her voice shaking. She definitely didn’t want to mention that a huge part of the emotional roller coaster she was on was fear of what Dylan was going to do in the next few minutes.

  But Dylan rolled to his side so he was facing her, then slid both arms around her so he could roll onto his back, bringing Shelby’s entire body on top of him.

  “It’s okay to be overwhelmed. You’ve held it together for much longer than I thought you would, much longer than anyone could’ve expected.”

  Shelby nodded, feeling the bubble of panic inside her begin to lessen. “Thanks. I’m just tired.” She laid her head down on his chest.

  “We probably should’ve used our free time to rest. Not...other stuff.”

  Oh, no, here it came. Dylan’s withdrawal. His regret about their lovemaking disguised as worry about exhaustion. Shelby tried—and failed—to keep tension from coursing through her body at Dylan’s silence after his statement.

  So she totally wasn’t expecting him to roll himself quickly over on the bed and take her with him. She let out a small shriek before she could stop herself. Dylan reached down and hooked one of her legs up over his hips. He held most of his weight on his elbows, gazing down at her, his fingers brushing her hair away from her face on both sides.

  “Of course, there was no way I was going to nap when having you naked in this bed was an option. I didn’t care how exhausted I was.”

  Shelby felt the tension ease out of her. It was hard to be tense when someone as gorgeous as Dylan was lying naked on top of you and obviously wanted you.