Ohmigod, ohmigod.
Breathing hard, Dakota stared into Sonny’s lifeless eyes, fear like nothing she had ever experienced charging through her body.
“Sonny,” she cried, shaking him. Feeling a stickiness on her hands, she knew without looking it was blood. She still called his name, still shook him several times, hoping, praying…
He’s gone.
I have to get out of here.
Heart pounding double-time, she wiggled beneath his heavy weight as tears pricked her eyes. Come on, move…move! She told herself trying to squeeze from beneath him.
She was trapped and the gunman was coming back.
I can’t let them get me. I have to get out of here. I have to get out of here.
“Dakota.”
She jerked when someone touched her arm. With her heart thumping wildly, she started punching and kicking, but something restrained her.
He was back. The gunman had come back. She needed to get away.
Her breaths came in short spurts, and she jabbed her fists back and forth in quick succession, making contact with a hard body.
“Shit.” A low growl followed. “Dakota.” Strong hands gripping her arms ignited her will to fight harder.
“Get back. Get off me!” she yelled and kept throwing punches, connecting with soft flesh and maybe a jaw.
“Dammit, Dakota!” Her name pricked the deep fog in her mind as the grip on her arms grew tighter. “Dakota, wake up.”
Breathing hard, she blinked several times, her eyes adjusting to the darkness. Her gaze landed on Hamilton standing to her right.
“You’re safe. Okay? You’re safe.” He said the last words quietly. The calm in his voice washed over her like a gentle breeze, cooling the heat that had engulfed her.
He slowly loosened his grip on her arms, and Dakota sagged against the seat. Her heart rate slowed as she glanced around the dark interior of the huge truck. The events of the evening coming back to her.
Sonny.
Gunshots.
Blood.
Hamilton.
“I won’t bother asking if you’re okay,” he said, his voice deep but low, just above a whisper.
Dakota ran her hands down her face as she straightened in the front seat. She must have fallen asleep on the ride to the safe house. Clearly, she’d been knocked out if she missed the whole ride. They were in a garage and Hamilton was out of the truck, standing on the passenger side of the vehicle with the door open.
Hamilton rubbed a hand over his left jaw. “You pack a mean right hook. Now I know not to get too close if ever I have to wake you again.”
Dakota grimaced. “I—I’m sorry. I was dre…I dreamed about the shooting.” She chanced a glance at him and hated to see that look in his eyes. The look of pity. A look she rarely saw from anyone. She wasn’t some weak, insecure woman, but damn. Right now, she was having a hard time keeping it together. “I can’t stop seeing Sonny’s face when, after...”
“That’s probably going to happen more often than not over the next couple of days.” He leaned in, a hand on the headrest of her seat and the other on the dashboard. “I’ve seen grown men on the police force lose the contents of their stomach after seeing a dead body. It’s not something you get over quickly. It’s going to take time. If you need to talk,” he shrugged, “I’m here.”
Dakota was quickly learning that Hamilton had way more than good looks going for him. He wasn’t a big talker, but the man was undeniably a listener. He had also been extremely patient from the moment he showed up at her place. Even when she balked at the idea of being sequestered in a safe house, he listened, but calmly told her—more than once—to pack a bag. Dakota had always been attracted to take-charge men who weren’t intimidated by her independent hear-me-roar attitude. Tonight was no different.
Hamilton’s light touch on her hand snagged her attention. “Come on. Let’s get you inside.”
A short while later, he showed her around a three-bedroom, two-bathroom ranch home in the Alpharetta neighborhood that was twenty-five miles outside of Atlanta. According to him, the place was one of several safe houses the agency owned and had been remodeled to include all of the comforts of home, including a state-of-the-art alarm system and bulletproof windows. Decorated with contemporary furnishings and warm colors, it was beautiful; not at all what Dakota had expected when he first suggested her going to a safe house.
She followed Hamilton into one of the bedrooms. He set her backpack and small suitcase on a bench at the foot of the queen-sized bed. “This is the bedroom you’ll be using while you’re here. It has a bathroom with any toiletries you might need.”
The blinds were closed and instead of turning on the overhead light, he illuminated the space with the two lamps sitting on the side tables. Decorated in coral, brown, and gray, the room wasn’t very big but, like the rest of the home, it was warm and inviting.
As Hamilton roamed around the space pointing out the television remote, bathroom and closet, Dakota leaned against the wall just inside the room. She inhaled a steadying breath before releasing it slowly while half listening to him. When she woke up that morning, she saw her day going way different than it had. She didn’t have to work for the next three days and had looked forward to vegging out in front of the television, especially since Tymico was scheduled to be out of town.
Thinking about Ty, Dakota knew she needed to call her. She probably should call her father as well, but he was the last person she wanted to deal with right now.
She rubbed her tired eyes, suddenly feeling the weight of what had happened in the last few hours. An overwhelming sense of defeat engulfed her like a dark cloud weighing her down. There was a shooter roaming around the city and tonight she might’ve been his target.
A vision of Sonny’s lifeless body came to mind again, and a shiver gripped her body. How would she ever be able to erase that sight?
Dakota stepped away from the wall and wrapped her arms around herself as if that would keep all bad thoughts and memories away. Still trembling, she was going to have to do some serious praying, meditating, or whatever else it took to get her mind right.
She kept her head down and rubbed her hands up and down her arms, trying to shake the imagery. “I need to call Ty and let her know, um…let her know what happened.”
“I have a burner phone you can use while you’re here.” Hamilton had insisted she leave her cell phone at the apartment. He said they didn’t know what they were dealing with and didn’t want to take a chance on someone being able to track her whereabouts through the phone.
When Hamilton didn’t say more, Dakota glanced up to find him watching her. She had never felt so vulnerable in her life, and the way he was looking at her again stirred something inside. It wasn’t the lust and desire she’d experience each time before when they were near. No, right now she just wanted to be wrapped in his strong embrace and pretend the last few hours hadn’t happened. Pretend she hadn’t almost lost her life tonight. Pretend that watching Sonny die was just a bad…very bad dream.
Dakota wasn’t sure what Hamilton saw on her face, but his dark intense eyes softened. She swallowed hard and tried to keep in check the emotions threatening to burst free. It wasn’t working. She glanced away, refusing to let this man see her fall apart.
“You’re safe here,” he said when he moved closer. One of his large hands cupped her cheek, the pad of his thumb caressing her heated skin. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Dakota bit her bottom lip as tears filled her eyes. Why’d he have to be so damn sweet? Despite whatever her father had done to him, Hamilton had been nothing but kind. That said a lot about his character. In her experience, people who hated her father usually disliked her as well.
She couldn’t remember the last time she cried, as she blinked several times to keep the tears at bay. Maybe the melancholy feeling was because of how gentle Hamilton was being, or maybe it was due to the events of the evening. Heck, it could have even been because she was so exhausted that she could barely see straight, but whatever the reason, she didn’t want to cry in front of him.
“Thank you,” she choked out, horrified by the way her voice cracked. She quickly swiped away an errant tear.
Hamilton huffed out a breath and before Dakota realized what he was doing, he pulled her into his strong arms. She didn’t resist. She couldn’t. All the fight had left her.
She buried her face into his muscular chest and looped her arms around his waist, soaking up his strength. He had no idea how much she needed the hug. Still feeling emotional, she wasn’t ashamed to wave an invisible white flag and say uncle at the realization that the night had brought her to her knees. Not literally, but her equilibrium was off and fatigue had seeped deep into her bones.
They stood holding each other for the longest time with Hamilton whispering reassuring words. She would get through this.
Dakota’s body tingled from the light kiss he brushed against the side of her head. Peace settled around her and some of the sadness that had consumed her just minutes earlier washed away.
This type of closeness was what she missed in her life. This was what she’d been craving. Someone significant to share her life with. Someone to talk to about her troubles. Someone to make her feel as if all was well with the world, even when she knew it wasn’t. Hamilton was reminding her of what she’d been missing.
Dakota trembled against his hard body. Damn, he felt good. Hugged up against him made her aware of just how long it had been since she’d been with a man. She breathed in. The woodsy scent of his cologne surrounding her fanned the lust that had been ignited the first time they’d met. Considering how their last meeting had gone, them being there together like this seemed surreal.
When Dakota turned slightly, the side of her forehead brushed against Hamilton’s chin and she sucked in a breath. The light stubble sent a tingle of awareness through her body. Being this close to him did wicked things to her, and she wanted nothing more than to press her lips against his.
“Dakota,” Hamilton said roughly close to her ear, as if pained. He brought his hands up and cupped her face, forcing her attention to his eyes. He shook his head looking conflicted. “Damn, you do something to me.”
The feeling was mutual, but before she could utter a word, he lowered his head and his mouth covered hers.
Dakota’s heart pounded harder in her chest and her eyes drifted closed as she devoured the sweetness of his soft lips. The kiss started slow and gentle. Him nipping at her top lip and then her lower one. Soon the caress of his mouth on hers grew harder, more demanding. He pulled her closer, his body molding against hers. A flare of excitement engulfed Dakota when he nudged her lips apart and slipped his tongue inside her mouth.
It was as if they did this all the time. The intensity reminded her of the powerful connection she felt between them days ago. Every stroke of his tongue had her blood pressure rising, only emphasizing what she already knew.
They clicked.
Hamilton backed her to the wall and the low rumble of a growl started in his chest and worked its way up. He sounded like she felt—out of control. His hands slid from her face and did a slow trail down the side of her body, caressing every dip and curve. The way he held her, the taste of his sweet lips and the power behind every thrust of his tongue made her forget everything else. She moaned, savoring the feel of his hard body against hers.
Dakota gasped into his mouth when he palmed her butt. Gripping. Caressing. Kneading. Electric jolts charged through her body. Right now, he could ask anything of her and she’d willingly give it. With them both breathing hard, Hamilton possessed her mouth, taking total control and she yearned for so much more.
She wanted him. God, she wanted him more than she had wanted any man in a long time.
“Hamilton.” His name slipped out as her hands did a slow crawl up his rock-hard torso, his muscles contracting beneath her touch. Hungry for so much more and unable to control herself, Dakota lifted her right leg, and wrapped it around his hip, needing to feel all of him. “I want you,” she whispered.
Hamilton’s mouth froze on her lips. His hands stilled on her butt. Hell, Dakota couldn’t even tell if he was still breathing. She wanted to kick herself. Her words had clearly ruined the moment.
She lowered her leg and released a frustrated breath as she dropped her hands. Maybe she should have kept quiet, but she meant every word. She wanted him.
He was just as affected and didn’t move away. His palms settled against the wall on either side of her. Chests heaving up and down as they gazed into each other’s eyes, neither spoke for the longest moment until he broke the silence.
“I was out of line. Way out of line. You and me…can’t happen.”
Dakota heard the words and he figured that he probably meant them, but his actions said something altogether different. Like the way his gaze dropped to her lips longingly, and the way he still hadn’t pulled away from her.
He wanted her. He wanted her as much as she wanted him.
“You keep telling yourself that if you want to,” Dakota said close to his ear, nipping at his earlobe, and loving the way he visibly shivered. Desire sparked in his eyes, or maybe that was just her imagination. Either way, she knew she had left an impression on him. “You and I are going to be amazing together.”
Dakota slipped under his arm, leaving him near the wall as she grabbed her backpack and headed to the bathroom. Her body craved him…and maybe a long, hot soak in the tub, but right now only a cold shower would do.