Chapter 16 #2
He couldn’t stop himself from skimming his thumb over her temple and brushing back a tendril of hair.
Why was he fighting so hard against this pull toward her?
It was the same pull he’d always felt—the deep longing to be with her, as if she was the very breath of life he needed to function.
Without her, he’d been lost and alone and wandering in a haze.
But with her here in his arms, he felt as if he’d found what was missing.
He gently combed back another strand. He thought he’d become cursed in finding love and that he would never experience the McQuaid legacy of love. But what if he was simply cursed with every other woman except her . . . because she was his special one, the only one, the legacy one?
All these years, he’d thought he’d been foolish for thinking she was his one. But maybe he hadn’t been wrong. Maybe he’d just been too stubborn to swallow his pride and go after her the way he should have.
As he grazed her temple again, she stirred and made a low humming noise.
He moved his hand away, not wanting to wake her yet. He was enjoying this quiet moment too much and didn’t want it to end.
Without opening her eyes, she smiled. “Don’t stop. I love your touch.”
She loved his touch? Shoot. That was the wrong thing for her to say. Because it rammed against the last of the wall that was in place, bringing the barrier to the ground. His whole heart was unguarded, and the flood of emotion he’d held back came rushing in, filling every chamber and vessel.
How else could he describe that emotion except for love? It was the same feeling he’d had when they were young, but it was more powerful now. No doubt the passing of time had made it stronger and more certain.
She nestled closer.
The warning inside went off, but it was low and faint, hardly noticeable anymore. He could easily ignore it. And he did. He lifted his hand to her hair again and stroked a long strand.
“Ummm,” she rumbled.
The sound sank deep within him. It was a sound he could listen to for the rest of his life. He wanted to spend forever making her happy, and yes, making her hum with pleasure.
“You’re beautiful.” The words slipped out before he could filter them.
Her eyes flew open. In the soft morning light, her eyes were a murky blue, filled with sleep.
He loved that sleepiness, the carefree smile, the languidness of her expression, as if she had all the time in the world to lie there and look up at him.
What would it be like to wake up to her like this every morning? He honestly couldn’t think of anything better.
She lifted her hand to his cheek and traced his jaw until she reached his hair.
He almost groaned aloud at the warmth and softness of her fingers against his skin. The slightest of her caresses had the power to command him. It was a good thing she didn’t know, or she would have taken advantage of the fact.
“You’re not so bad yourself.” She glided her fingers into his short, clipped hair.
He closed his eyes and clamped his jaw shut, afraid he would embarrass himself and gush over her all the more.
Her hand pressed his head downward, and in the same instance, she arched up into him. Her mouth connected with his ear in a breathless kiss that echoed in his head and sent desire scorching through him.
The voice of reason called to him to stop, to move away from her, to remember who he was . . . her bodyguard, a professional, and on duty.
But as she shifted her lips to his neck, he did groan. It was soft, but it was enough to let her know he liked her kisses and wanted more. Because the truth was, he did want more, much more. And not just kisses. He wanted everything—her life, her love, her future.
Somewhere, the opening of a door broke through his haze of desire. Before he could bring himself back to reality, a chortle rang out behind him.
“Told you we’d find them making out.” The voice was Ty’s.
“I didn’t doubt you, dude.” That one belonged to Isaac.
Dustin scrambled off Silver and up from the sofa with a speed that had come from his years as a Ranger. He was facing them and scowling before they could say another word. “What happened to knocking?”
Ty tipped up his cowboy hat and was grinning like he’d scored a winning touchdown in the Super Bowl. “Knocking is overrated.”
“I agree.” Isaac’s eyes were filled with mischief, probably gloating over Dustin breaking all the EPA rules.
“This isn’t what it seems.” Dustin straightened his shirt.
Silver pushed up from the sofa and stood beside him in her silky pj pants and matching silky top. “I was just telling Dustin good morning. We certainly weren’t making out, were we, Dustin?”
“Nope.”
Ty guffawed.
She looked incredible, but Dustin didn’t want anyone else seeing her like this. He grabbed the blanket that had fallen to the floor and draped it around her shoulders.
She smiled up at him, her eyes now bright and alert. “Thank you.”
An ache formed in his heart just looking at her.
“Holy smokes.” Isaac whistled under his breath. “You’ve got it bad, dude.”
Ty whistled too. “No doubt about it. He’s still in love with Silver.”
Dustin glowered at his brother. “Stop.”
“Still in love?” Silver’s brows lifted.
“Oh yeah,” Ty said through another laugh. “He can deny it all he wants, but he’s never loved any other woman but you.”
“That’s good to know.” Silver’s smile only inched higher as she crossed to the kitchen nook, heading directly to the coffee maker.
Dustin didn’t respond. What could he say? He couldn’t exactly deny Ty’s statement. But he wasn’t ready to confess his love for Silver. He could hardly admit it to himself, much less others.
“What do you want, Ty?” He didn’t care that his voice came out as a growl.
Isaac held up his phone. “I’m the one who’s been trying to get ahold of you for the past thirty minutes. I was worried when you didn’t respond, so I reached out to your brother.”
Dustin picked up his phone, where he’d left it on the coffee table. It was dead.
Inwardly, he cursed himself for his sloppiness.
What had he been thinking, to get so carried away with Silver that he’d allowed his phone battery to run out?
That accounted for why his security app hadn’t alerted him when Ty and Isaac had crossed into the shield around the cabin.
What if his partner had been trying to warn him about a possible threat?
“Update me,” he said curtly to Isaac. “What’s going on?”
“The therapist and ranch hands haven’t done anything.” Isaac walked toward the sofa while flipping through his tablet, probably checking the security cameras back at the ranch, which were monitoring the suspects.
“So we’re ruling out three more of the suspects.”
“Looks that way.” Isaac plopped down in the spot Silver had just vacated.
Dustin wanted to boot the guy from the cabin, along with Ty, who was talking with Silver as she started making a cup of coffee. Instead, he pushed down his protest and tried to muster his professionalism. “Time to inform the next couple of suspects?”
“Exactly.”
“I say we have Beryl tell the housekeeper this morning.” Dustin hooked his phone into the nearest charger, attached to one of the side table lamps. “We’ll give Paula part of the day. If she doesn’t do anything, then we’ll start tipping off the old boyfriends.”
In the meantime, he had to be more careful to conceal his feelings for Silver. Even if he was having thoughts about pursuing a relationship with her, this fake honeymoon trip wasn’t the time to start anything between them.
Not when the stalker was out there and might be closing in at any moment.