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Avery worried her lower lip as she placed the phone on the counter following the conversation with her father. A few deep breaths and she rubbed her hands down the front of her pant legs. She flicked her tongue over her lips and turned to face the man who brought her there.
Derek leaned into the entrance of the kitchen, a towel in his hand as he wiped them off. He had left her alone while she spoke to her father, however, she was sure he would’ve been there had she needed him.
Right now the silence stretched between them, heavy and thick with something she wasn’t sure she wanted to think about. Sprawled on his side on the kitchen floor, Cao seemed perfectly content in this man’s kitchen.
There were times she envied her dog, and this would be one of them.
With an easy lobby of her wrist, Derek launched the towel to land on the countertop by the sink. The hand that seconds ago released the towel now beckoned to her. It may have been against her better judgment—hell, may have been against any judgment—but she made her way to his side.
Derek didn’t move, just watched her with those blue eyes and his hand still out. Uncertain of what he waited for, she scrunched her fingers back up into the long sleeves of her shirt. That assessing gaze flicked from his hand, to her, and back again.
It hit her, what he was waiting for. Allowing her fingers to slip free from the cuff of her shirt, she placed her hand in his and let him lead her to the couch.
Seating arrangements were what he wanted, which meant she ended up hauled against his side with his arm around her anchoring her there. Although, honestly, she wasn’t inclined to argue.
“I’d ask you how it went, but I’m fairly certain I know the answer to that given the expression you have.”
Figuring his comment didn’t need an answer, Avery remained silent. She took the time to stare into the flames of the fire burning in the hearth. Seconds to minutes that turned to an hour, and she sat there against him, growing tired.
She continually expected him to try to ask more questions about the conversation with her father, what she was doing there, or any other number of things. However, he didn’t. Instead he allowed her to think things through his touch, idyllic and comforting.
For the longest time since her rescue, she was finally safe and warm. There were no concerns for her that the nightmares would possibly show up, sending her scrambling to spend the remainder of the night sitting up worried that something was going to snatch her from the dark. She closed her eyes and sighed heavily.
A slight nudge in her neck from Cao woke her with a start. She knew three things the instant she realized where she was. One, she was still in the living room and the fire had burned low. Two, she lay on the couch atop Derek and he held her tight against him. Finally, three, she had no desire to move, not even the slightest bit.
Problem was, Cao didn’t wake her for just anything, he had a reason. And it was her job to find out what that was.
The moment she began shifting off of him, he tightened his hold, anchoring her.
“Where you going?”
“Cao woke me.”
In the fading light from the fire, he watched her. In the time it took her to blink, the man who was sleepily watching her turned alert and dangerous. She hadn’t any chance to get a word out before he had risen, leaving her alone on the couch.
“Stay there, stay low. Don’t come out unless I call for you. Keep your dog close.”
Her face must’ve given away the fear that coursed through her, for Derek winked, smiled, and chucked her under the chin.
“You’ll be fine, Avery, I promise.”
She didn’t have it in her to tell him; it wasn’t herself she was concerned about, more so about what ran towards him and the danger he could be facing.
Ten minutes later he strode back into the room. She looked at him, fingers deep into Cao’s coat. “Everything okay?”
“Yes.”
Relief swarmed her and she relaxed her grip on Cao. He hadn’t been all that concerned once Derek had gotten up and moved around to inspect it all, and now her pet lay at her feet with a heavy sigh.
“If you’re sure.”
Derek settled back beside her on the couch and reached over to push some hair behind her ear. Carefully, indicative of his not wishing to harm her, he gently touched her earring. Derek grasped the dangle post and single gemstone between his index finger and his thumb.
Everything within her wanted to push into his touch. Experience more, enjoy more, have more.
But this wasn’t in her fantasy world, it wasn’t the place she got to live and participate in each and every one of them. This was real life. It wasn’t the place for dreams. All she had managed to do was bring her nightmares to his front door. Shame washed over her and she lowered her eyes, unable—or perhaps unwilling—to continue holding his gaze.
“Look at me, Avery.”
Derek had to repeat the command twice more before she listened. Ever so slowly she lifted her head and met that intense, dark blue gaze. The one that would never leave her side so long as she was able to create a dream.
His touch had moved from her earring to the soft skin behind her ear. Slight strokes moved against her skin, once again making her long for things she couldn’t have. She blinked a few times and struggled once more with the urge to rub her eyes.
He continued watching her even after she gave herself a moment by entertaining a long, extremely long, blink.
“We’ve some things to talk about you and me, Avery. And while I know you’re tired, I feel if we don’t do this now, there is going to be some excuse stopping us from going down this road.”
She nodded, not even bothering to argue. It was the least she could do, considering how she had just shown up and thrown his life into upheaval.
“When you look at me, Avery, tell me, do I remind you of the bad?”
With three small head shakes, she tucked her fingers once more inside the sleeves of her shirt. “No.”
He moved his touch on from her ear, sliding his hand forward to cup the nape of her neck. The calluses on his fingers reminded her what it was like to be alive. With a small bite to the inside of her cheek, she strove not to forget he wasn’t hers anywhere outside the dream world.
Derek inched closer to her, and suddenly he was right there. Nose to nose, lips to lips, everything she’d ever wanted. His thick black lashes framed those amazing eyes and all she wanted to do was touch.
Everything.
“When you look at me like that, Avery... How you are now, you make me feel I have the ability to hand you the world.”
Avery swallowed the remnants of her fear and flicked her tongue over her lower lip; his sharp gaze tracked the movement.
“You did.”
His thick brows slashed as he furrowed his brow. “No, the world was yours for the taking, Avery. It still is.”
“I don’t want the world.”
“What is it that you want, Avery?”
Apparently, her confidence hadn’t left her completely at this point in time. Using her left hand, she reached up and gripped his wrist, her thumb swiping over the pulse, allowing her to align to the beating of his own heart.
“You.”
Derek was grateful for the couch beneath him, for if it hadn’t been there his legs surely would have given out and he would have been on the floor at her word. Her one singular word that said so much.
He flexed his fingers on the nape of her neck, wishing she wasn’t so scared, and he could just haul her to him and indulge. Hell, he’d already kissed her once and her taste imprinted on him.
“You have me.” He exhaled sharply and released his hold on her neck. “The next move is up to you.”
She blinked a few times and stared at him, no way for him to miss the indecision in her gaze.
Damn, he wanted to kiss her. Shove away all those horrible memories and replace them with new, shared ones with him.
There was so much more to Avery than anybody could ever have imagined from the first time he met her. Hell, even from the dossier he’d been given on her, whoever had written it up had observed her and pulled information in the cold, clinical way. There were so many layers, facets, everything he wanted to uncover and reveal about her.
Sure, it wouldn’t be easy and it definitely wouldn’t be fast. He didn’t care, he looked forward to all that work. He wanted to take a lifetime learning everything about her.
Derek shook his head. None of this made any sense.
“You’re just as confused as I am, as to why this is happening between us.” Avery released her hold on his wrist and instantly he missed her touch.
“I’d be lying if I said otherwise. Does that bother you?”
She rolled her plump lower lip between her teeth before shaking her head. “No, I think I’m in the same boat as you are. And it scares me. Makes me feel out of control.”
“Yet, through all of it, it still feels right.” He didn’t make it a question; it was a statement and he knew damn well she felt the same way.
“It does. I am so sorry for showing up like this at your house. I know I shouldn’t have done it.”
“Fuck this.” The words were ripped deep from his throat. Guttural. Dangerous.
Without giving her a chance to say a word, he did what he wanted to do since the moment he saw her. Have her close to him—not just near close, where their skin slid against each other, breath mingled, and tactile discovery was inevitable. Where they could become one.
He leaned back as she sprawled on top of him. Against his larger frame, Avery seemed so slight, so fragile, so delicate. Her breasts pressed into his chest and he shifted on the cushions, allowing her legs to settle deeper between his own.
She continued to watch him, large eyes wide, but there was still no fear, and that was her gift of handing him the moon. Derek cupped her face with his hands, stroking his thumbs along her cheekbones.
He still wanted more. Craved more. Needed more. His physical desires could wait, this was so much more than that. So much more important.
“What did you tell your father?”
“I told him I drove out here to thank you and your brother for what you did for me. That I was fine, Cao was fine, and we would be home eventually.”
“And what was his response?”
She shook her head slightly. “He wasn’t happy.”
“The reason for his unhappiness. Was it because you are here with me or is it because you left your bodyguards and ran without telling him where you were going?”
She thought about his question, not releasing his gaze but mulling over her words.
“A bit of both would be my guess. I’m not sure.” She canted her head to the side. “Is it important?”
“Everything about you is important to me, Avery.”
“Why did you come for me?”
Now it was his turn to mull over an answer. Through his mind streamed a million different responses, ones he’d been trained to give, others that would make him sound more like a hero than he could ever be. In the end the truth slipped free.
“I had no choice.” Derek expected more questions, expected her to ask to expound on what he said. None came.
Avery turned her head so her lips met his palm and kissed him. The lightest brush of her lips against his skin as her eyes closed. As quick as it began it was over, and she once again watched him.
“Thank you.”
A slight tremor overtook her and she rested her head against his chest. Threading his hands into her soft hair, he held her close. Neither of them spoke, and eventually the room filled with her deep, slow, even breaths, offset by the crackling of the fire and the occasional shift of the dog lying beside the couch.
Derek didn’t want to move. There was something special about having her pressed up against him all the way in such an intimate fashion. This wasn’t anything he wished to end.
It didn’t matter, he already had a bed for her that he should put her in and allow her some rest. He wasn’t moving. If it meant him being selfish then so be it, call him a selfish bastard.
His eyes closed as sleep beckoned to him.
The hot, humid, muggy air was difficult to breathe. Amazing how living in a place like Montana could affect something so necessary as breathing.
“I know you’re exhausted, babe, but we need to keep moving. I need you to keep going, one foot in front of the other.”
The woman with him didn’t appear to have much left in the way of energy or strength. Her tatty hair, shorn unevenly and desperately in need of a wash. The bruises and dried blood on her face didn’t make him feel any better.
Her tiny, slender frame had seen better days. Adjusting his grip on the machete, he continued to hack his way through the foliage, wishing there were an easier way to get her out of the hell she’d been in.
All he had to do was get to the exfil with her and meet his brother who would get them out. Then she would go home, as would he, and he could learn to get on with his life.
She stumbled and fell against him. He caught her before she could hit the ground. Frail was the first word that came to his mind. Yet beneath that was steel. Strong, powerful, unbending, unyielding steel.
Holding her in his arms, he stared into her slightly tilted brown eyes, seeing beyond the image before him, seeing the woman she was in the pictures before her life had been sucked into the hell he pulled her from. She watched him warily, distrust prevalent. It bothered him on some level; however, overall he did understand, considering what she just been through. Were their situations reversed he had no doubt he would be hesitant as well.
“I will get you out of here. You have my word.”
She didn’t speak, she didn’t look like she was going to attempt to. All she did was reach up with one shaking hand, settle it along his jaw, and brush along his scruff-covered skin.
The scene changed and they were running, bullets flying around them, and as he took down one man with a quick snap of his neck, he could see another lining up to take a shot at the woman.
“No,” he screamed.
This wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Ever since he first touched the dossier on her, he knew this wasn’t how it was supposed to go. Her body jerked as a bullet tore into her flesh, dropping her like a stone in the water.
Rage simmered before exploding throughout every inch of his body. Single-minded focus had him ready to kill, and the man who just shot her was his target. Derek lunged for him, swiftly crossing the space between them with ease. The second he reached him more shots rang out, and in his periphery he watched as his brother went down.
His need for revenge would have to wait, there was no time to make them suffer for what he done. Derek had to get them all out of there. The skies darkened, and the thunder rolled. More men popped up, automatic weapons in hand, and they began firing.
Derek couldn’t stop it, couldn’t save them. Couldn’t even save himself. Lunging for the girl, he protected her as best he could when everything suddenly fell silent. Pushing up, he scanned the area to find he was alone with her. Not even his brother was there anymore.
She lay in his arms, blood staining her light gray shirt, the stain growing as she bled out. He couldn’t stop it, he couldn’t do anything but sit there and watch as this woman died in his arms. She never looked away from him, never blinked, never spoke his name.
As her last breath left her body, a deep keening cry rose from within him. The cry turned to a roar as it spilled from his lips.
“Derek?”
He jolted awake. Jackknifing up, he looked around, ready to take on the threat that had put fear into her voice. It took a moment before he realized she wasn’t dead or bleeding. Avery stood beside him, looking down with overwhelming concern in her eyes.
“You okay?”
Wordlessly he shook his head, even as he reached for her. Not giving her a chance to say no or pull away, he drew her into his arms and settled back against his chest. Thankfully, she didn’t fight but merely leaned into him, a large sigh overtaking her body.
The moment she stilled, he swung his legs over and got up from the couch. Not saying a word, he carried her to his bedroom and put them in bed together.
Right now this was what he needed. She never once pulled away; in fact, she burrowed closer. Skimming his hand down his face, he sighed. Then he held her tighter and closed his eyes, unwilling to face anything at the moment that had to do with him not being this close to her.
