Shawn sighed before he responded. “Cydney, a lot has happened to you today and I need you to trust me. I promise we will talk more once we get settled in our location.”
She took one last glance at him before she rotated to look out of the window. She felt safe with Shawn, and that was really important, but she wasn’t sure she liked the idea of being placed under witness protection...with him as her protector. It wasn’t because she thought he couldn’t protect her from the people after her. He’d already proved he could. The reason she didn’t like the idea was because he was now her sole protector, and not being intimate with him was going to be an impossible task. Her mystery lover had reentered her life only to save her from evils she hadn’t known were lurking. And now, headed to an unknown location, Shawn had managed to land right where she hadn’t known she craved him most—her heart.
Chapter 12
“We’re here,” Cydney heard Shawn say as she opened her eyes and stretched her back. She’d slept for much longer than she’d anticipated, but at least she felt more relaxed than she had earlier. She yawned as she looked over at Shawn, who was exiting the car. A quick glance at her surroundings made her breath catch in her throat. It was breaking dawn outside and the autumn trees were blowing in the wind. The brilliant colors of nature and soft hum of a nearby lake was breathtaking and Cyd could have appreciated the ambiance even more if they had been standing outside a hotel rather than a cabin. A camper was one thing Cydney Rayne was not. It was not that she detested camping; she just didn’t enjoy the idea of roughing it in the wilderness. There was something about the dark of the night and uncertainty of what animals prowled around that had always been her reasoning for declining any invitation to go camping. But you’ve definitely never camped with a man like Shawn Miles, the voice inside her head reminded her.
“Um, where are we?” she asked Shawn as she joined him outside the car. Instead of responding to her, he smiled and made his way to the front porch of the cabin. Cyd followed Shawn through the dirt, her bare feet growing even filthier than before. She wanted to curse Jim for numerous reasons, one, probably the silliest reason, was that he’d made her discard her shoes before they climbed down the ladder at the hotel. Shawn took the stairs two at a time and Cyd was quick on his heels, swatting at a few flies on her way to the front door.
Opening the cabin door, Shawn stepped back to let her enter. “Welcome to my cabin in Gatlinburg, Tennessee.”
“Tennessee!” she exclaimed as she walked through the door, not believing that they had crossed several state lines in the middle of the night. Cyd had stopped in Tennessee briefly years ago on her way to visit some relatives, but she hadn’t been able to visit much of the area. “You own this cabin?”
“Yes, I do,” Shawn said as he closed the door and began opening the blinds. “This is by far one of my most favorite homes.”
“One of your favorite homes?” she asked him questionably.
“Yes, I own several homes including that beach home in Anguilla. But this cabin is one of the most rural, yet relaxing, places I own.”
Who is this guy? CISO turned FBI agent turned multihome owner. Seriously? “Well, your cabin is very nice.”
“Thanks,” he replied as he continued to open the blinds. “There are two levels, four bedrooms and two bathrooms, a fully equipped kitchen and a Jacuzzi on the back patio that I will make sure is ready for you in case you need to relax.”
She followed Shawn as he took her on a tour of the cabin. Cyd admired the rustic interior with fur rugs, solid wooden chairs, enormous ten-person dining table and large-mantel fireplace. The cabin was truly gorgeous, decorated with warm colors and a comfortable setting that felt very homey. Cyd instantly felt at ease even though they were still in the middle of the wilderness. It helped that there were also large flat-screen televisions in most of the bedrooms and living room.
“When will I be able to go shopping for clothes?” Cyd asked when she realized she hadn’t been able to grab anything out of her hotel room.
“My team will ship all your belongings back to Chicago. In the meantime, I called my neighbors and had them stock the shelves and the closet in your room. You’ll find clothes, socks, shoes and undergarments in there.”
“Is that safe? To tell your neighbors I’m here?” Cyd asked, knowing they were supposed to be in hiding.
“Definitely,” Shawn replied. “I trust this couple with my life.”
Just as Shawn was finishing his statement, they arrived to the room on the second floor where she would be staying. Cyd was suddenly overcome with an uneasy feeling that she couldn’t shake. She didn’t like the idea of other people packing up her private belongings, including her undergarments and grandmother’s diaries that she treasured. The only thing she’d managed to grab before she was snatched from her room was her purse that contained a little makeup, one of the diaries and other odds and ends that she knew wouldn’t do her any good now. She didn’t even have her iPhone since she’d dropped it during the attack.
“I’ll let you get settled,” Shawn said after he’d shown her where everything was in her room. Once Shawn left, Cyd opened a couple drawers and observed the different sizes and styles that had been gathered for her. Next, she went to the closet and ran her fingers over the dresses and jeans that were hanging there. Unlike the spicy pine smell of the cabin, her room smelled of fresh lavender. Usually the smell of lavender was very calming to Cyd, but today it was a reminder that she was far from home and away from the comfort of her loved ones. She’d been through a whirlwind the past twenty-four hours and she hadn’t thought she needed much comfort...until now.
Cyd plopped on the bed and dropped her head into her hands, overwhelmed by the new emotions that overtook her. She felt like her nerves had been playing a game of Ping-Pong ever since the first attack, and even though she was safe now, she still felt on edge. Please don’t cry, please don’t cry, she chanted over and over to herself. She was a strong woman who could overcome anything and she refused to let Jim and whoever else was after her get the best of her. But even as she chanted the words, she could feel the tears in the back of her eyes demanding to be released. Her adolescent ways of playing detective were long gone. Not in her wildest dreams did she imagine that one day she’d be involved in an actual case and have to be placed under witness protection.
Deciding she couldn’t be in her room any longer, she made her way downstairs to the only bedroom on the lower level, the one that Shawn said he would be occupying. Instead of the bedroom, she found him on the back porch checking on the Jacuzzi. He stopped suddenly and Cyd assumed he’d noticed she was watching him through the glass door. He didn’t look up at her; instead, he looked at his wet shirt as he discarded it and continued cleaning the Jacuzzi. Her eyes had a mind of their own as they took in the complete view of his naked chest. It had to be forty degrees outside, but Shawn didn’t seem fazed by the weather. “Hot-blooded male,” she said to herself as she continued to watch him.
After he’d checked and cleaned the Jacuzzi, he swept the fallen leaves off the porch. Watching him clean the porch with the beautiful mountains in the distance was a picturesque scene Cyd wished she could keep with her forever. There should seriously be a rule against a man looking that handsome. His rugged look gave him the appearance of a mountain man, further proving that she hadn’t really known the man behind the city swagger and captivating wordplay. Her center grew wetter the more she stood and watched him in his element. Oh, no, please don’t chop the wood, she thought as she watched him pick up an ax and walk over toward the tree stumps on the ground near the porch. She could barely keep her legs closed now, so watching him chop wood without a shirt would no doubt soak her panties even more. As suspected, he went about chopping several pieces of wood, her pink essence throbbing with each chop of the ax. Lord, have mercy. Why did he make everything look so damn sexy!
When he lo
oked as if he was coming back into the cabin, Cyd made a beeline dash to his room to wait for him. She didn’t know why she didn’t just wait for him in the living room where she’d been watching him outside. All she knew is that her first thought was to catch him in his room.
This is insane, she thought to herself when she quietly sat on his bed in the most erotic pose she could think of at the moment. She had almost convinced herself to leave his room and meet him in the living room when his six-foot-three frame engulfed the bedroom doorway.
“Where are you going?” he asked her in a husky voice as he leaned one forearm against the entryway. This man had the ability to make her feel like a nervous schoolgirl, adding another emotion to her already growing list of her current feelings since the incident.
“Um, I figured I would go take a shower,” Cyd lied as she fully rose from the bed and tried to make it past him.
“I saw you watching me,” he said as his arm enfolded her waist and gently tugged her to his damp cinnamon chest, halting her quest to get out of the bedroom. Cyd took several breaths before she got up enough nerve to look him fully in his eyes. And when she did, all the apprehension she felt was replaced by fiery need and potent attraction. His sea-blue eyes ventured to her lips only to return with a clear agenda. “You’re sexy as hell,” he said to her as his eyes darted from her lips to her dress.
“I can’t look sexy after everything I’ve been through,” Cyd replied shyly. She couldn’t think straight when he looked at her with such inhibition. It was rare that she’d gotten to actually see him look at her quite like that. His lips curled up in the sexiest half smile she’d seen on him yet.
“I disagree,” he said, right before he leaned in a little closer to her mouth. Once he was mere centimeters away, Cyd noticed the slight look of concern in his face.
“Are you okay?” he asked in the sweetest voice. Instead of responding, she nodded her head to indicate that she was.
“Are you sure?” he asked her again, not convinced.
“At first I wasn’t,” Cyd admitted. “That’s why I sought you out.”
“And now?” Shawn said as he placed his hand gently on the back of her neck while the other remained around her waist.
“Now I’m more than okay,” Cyd replied, leaving his hypnotic eyes and landing her gaze on his juicy lips. Shawn then pulled her head closer to his, their mouths fusing together in a perfect union. A moan escaped Cyd’s mouth when Shawn’s tongue slid through her lips evidently on a mission to bring her to her knees in desire. Mission accomplished, she thought as she felt herself being lifted in the air and placed gently on the bed. He slid between her legs with grace and style as his hands pushed her dress to her waist. His lips never left hers as his tongue dipped in and out of her mouth, allowing more moans to escape. He left her mouth and began placing hard kisses on her neck. His lethal tongue was no doubt leaving imprints on every part of her body that he touched. When his mouth found hers again, his kisses grew slower. Shawn stopped kissing her and lifted himself onto his hands as he gazed down at her face. When he didn’t say anything but continued to look at her, she noticed that the mask that was usually blocking his true desires was left uncovered for her to observe. She felt like there were still many secrets left untold, but what gave her hope was the fact that his look proved he wanted her to know some of those secrets.
She lifted one hand to his cheek as she searched for more reasoning and answers. The passion still lingered in the depths of his eyes, but vulnerability and intense desire were also present in his look. Apparently, deciding he’d shown her enough, he rose from the bed and helped her get up, as well.
“How about we both take showers and then we’ll make something to eat?” Shawn asked.
Cyd smoothed out her dress as she tried to organize her thoughts. “Sounds like a plan,” she said and gave him one quick peck on the lips before escaping upstairs to her room to shower. Once she was on the other side of the door, she lay on the bed and looked up into the ceiling. Cydney Rayne, you’ve really done it this time. Although Shawn had said none of this was her fault, she suspected he was trying to ease her worry. She’d always been told that her antics would get her into trouble one day, and finally she understood just how much trouble, reflecting again on the situation she could have avoided. Now she was stuck in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, supposedly in witness protection, and all she could think about was sexing the hell out of Agent Shawn Miles. Way to have your priorities straight, Cyd, she said to herself sarcastically as she got up to take a much-needed shower. Maybe all I need is some me time. She actually hadn’t relaxed in weeks and although she wasn’t much of a reader, she’d noticed the bookshelf was full of great novels. “Yup, a good book should do the trick.” And if it didn’t, it would at least prolong the inevitable.
Chapter 13
“Come on,” Shawn said to himself as he adjusted his pants for the third time this morning. He’d had a hard-on ever since he’d kissed Cydney yesterday and it still hadn’t gone down. She’d politely excused herself from lunch and dinner, leaving him horny and irritated. He left her food on the outside of the door and each time, he returned to find an empty tray.
Shawn figured she was avoiding him, for what reason, he had no idea.
“Cydney, are you ready?” he yelled up the stairs. His neighbors had invited them over for brunch and Shawn was going to use the time after brunch to pick up some necessities and call Agent Wolfe. He knew his neighbors would keep Cydney busy while he handled his business and went into town to get some supplies.
Mama Jessie and Papa Willie were more than his neighbors, they were his godparents and the couple who had raised him. Mama Jessie was best friends with his mom, and Shawn would forever be grateful for the love and support he’d gotten from them.
“Here I am,” she said as she made her way down the stairs. She had on a pair of blue-jean capris and a navy blue blouse that would look modest on most women, but on Cydney, it looked sensual. “I may be a little cold, but it was hard to find pants that fit the way I needed them to,” she continued to say.
“You look great,” he said when she reached the bottom of the stairs, his eyes glued to the part of her legs that were showing beneath the capris.
“You look nice, too,” she said with a slight gleam in her eyes.
“Finally I’m getting you out that room.”
Cyd raised an eyebrow at his statement. “It’s only been a few hours,” she said, crossing her arms over her chest. “Besides, I’m reading a great book.” Book or no book, she was definitely avoiding him. But if she wasn’t ready to admit it, he wasn’t going to force her. Sooner or later, she’d have no choice but to come to terms with her feelings for him.
Slow down, Miles, he warned himself. The last thing they both needed was to get too deeply involved before the case was solved. Feelings clouded judgment and Shawn was already in too deep with Cydney.
“I called Daman last night,” Shawn said as he and Cydney made their way to the front door. “My neighbors live a couple miles away, so you can call your sister when we get to the car. She’s expecting your call.”
“Thank goodness,” Cydney said as she jumped up and down with glee. “I need to talk to her so badly.”
As crazy as it seemed, Shawn felt a tinge of jealousy that he wasn’t the reason behind her happiness. They got into the car and Cydney wasted no time hurrying Shawn to hand over his cell phone. Imani answered on the third ring.
“This is Imani Rayne-Barker.”
“Sis, it’s me, Cyd.”
“Oh, my God, Cyd, are you okay? Daman told me he spoke with Shawn. I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m fine. It’s been an insane couple days, but I’m finally safe...thanks to Shawn,” Cyd said as she momentarily glanced at him.
“Honestly, I would have probably gotten the girls and driven to Indianapolis
myself had it not been for Shawn.”
“I know,” Cydney said with a sigh. “I can’t believe the mess I’ve gotten myself into.”
“Daman wouldn’t tell me details, but I highly doubt any of this is your fault,” Imani replied. When Shawn had told Daman some of the story, he’d left it up to him as to what he told his wife.
“Thanks, sis. Did you tell Mom and Dad I’m okay?”
“Yes, I told them that you’d fallen for Shawn and the two of you took an impromptu trip out of the country and you left your phone.” Shawn choked back a laugh when all the color drained from Cydney’s face. He was trying not to eavesdrop on their conversation, but it was hard considering his phone was connected to the car’s speaker.
“What!? Imani, why would you tell them that?”
“So they wouldn’t worry, why else! They met Shawn at the wedding and Shawn gave Daman permission to tell them he’s in the FBI. They agreed to keep it secret and Mom was thrilled that you’d finally met a man.” That time, Shawn couldn’t hold back and let out a hearty laugh.
“But Shawn and I aren’t a couple! What happens when I have to tell Mom and Dad the truth?”
“Well, little sis, my gut is telling me that you and Shawn are way past friends. Are you telling me y’all haven’t had sex again since my wedding?”
“Imani, he can hear you! You’re on speakerphone.”
Imani laughed on the other end of the call. “Duh, I know that. Why do you think I brought it up?”
“Okay,” Cyd said, clearly even more embarrassed than before. “On that note, I think I’ll hang up now.”
“Don’t hang up on my account,” Shawn interjected. “Hey, Imani,” he said, greeting Cydney’s sister.
“Hi, Shawn,” Imani eagerly replied. “Thanks for taking care of my sister.”
“It’s been my absolute pleasure,” he said, purposely insinuating that he was doing more than just protecting her. He was rewarded by a hard punch on the shoulder by Cydney.
If Only for Tonight Page 11