Page 123 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

Her eyes teared up. “Somehow, I know that,” she uttered, then looked surprised that she’d said it. “Good night,” she quipped, then quickly left the room.

“Good night,” Corbin repeated softly. He was starting to recognize a pattern. Every time something sparked between them, Delaney retreated. It’s probably for the best, his mind argued, even though his heart didn’t believe it.

She was standing in a field of clover, the one where she used to play as a child … wiling away many a lazy summer afternoon making long flower chains that she’d wind around her head as a crown. A chill ran over her flesh as she looked around, noticing that the world had gone dark. She looked up, trying to see the sun, but an ominous cloud was in the way. Delaney ran full speed, trying to escape the shadow of the cloud, but no matter where she went, the cloud seemed to follow.

She looked in the distance and saw him coming toward her. Her first thought was to get away, but she was transfixed by the splendor of this man. Tall with lean sinewy muscles, he walked with purpose, a warrior strength in his jaw. Before she realized, he was standing in front of her.

“I shouldn’t be here. I can’t be attracted to you.” She pointed up at the cloud, fright knotting her insides. “I have to get away.”

Corbin only smiled in amusement, sending her pulse racing. She stared into his mesmerizing eyes … greener than a grove of trees with specks of gold. In the tenderness of his gaze, she caught the faint notes of a ballad that only her heart could understand. Her defenses crumbled like a broken suit of armor at her feet.

Her stomach tingled as his arm encircled her waist and pulled her to him in a crushing embrace. “I can’t,” she uttered before his lips came down on hers. Gently his lips moved against hers, stoking the growing fire until it became an inferno of splendid emotion. Her hands moved across his back and up through his hair as she pulled him closer. Never had she felt such utter and complete bliss as she drank in his nearness.

The scene shifted. It wasn’t Corbin but Tuck who held her in his arms. His blue eyes were balls of ice, his mouth twisted in a cruel smile as he squeezed her to the point where she couldn’t breathe. As her eyes bulged, he laughed. His mocking laughter grew louder and more terrible until it shook the very ground. A voiceless scream sounded in her throat, darkness overtaking her.

Then she was running …

Chapter Seven

As Delaney pulled a slice of bread from the toaster and slathered on a pat of butter, she cast a surreptitious glance at Corbin who was at the table eating a bowl of cereal. Remnants of her dream the night before swirled around her, making her feel a sense of embarrassment.Geez.The dream had felt so real, like they’d actually kissed. She shook her head, willing herself to get a grip. It was only a dream, after all.

A guy had brought over Corbin’s luggage. Freshly showered, he wore a faded pair of jeans and snug black t-shirt that stretched over his wide shoulders, revealing the outline of his very defined pecs. Just as she’d suspected, he was a casual-clothes guy. His messy hair was still damp, and there was a faint sleep line along the edge of his right eye. She bit back a smile. He was darn cute and so very masculine at the same time. His presence filled her entire condo, making her keenly aware of him every second.

What she should’ve been thinking about, however, was her show tonight. She had to be at the top of her game. But that was hard, considering she’d hardly gotten any sleep. Aside from the stupid dream, every time she heard a noise, it sent terror racing over her. Several times last night, she’d been tempted to go intoCorbin’s room and sleep on a pallet, just so she wouldn’t have to be alone. The only thing that kept her from doing it was pride. She didn’t want him to think she was throwing herself at him. It was embarrassing enough that he’d caught her checking him out at the party. And he’d certainly not hesitated to call her on it. She didn’t want to add fuel to that fire.

She took her plate and sat down at the table across from him.Act normal, she commanded herself.Don’t think about how the very sight of this man quickens your blood and starts the butterflies flapping in your stomach.This was a job for Corbin. Nothing else. She’d do well to remember that.

He pushed aside his empty cereal bowl and leaned back in his seat. “Let’s go over the plans for the next few weeks.”

She took a bite of toast, collecting her thoughts. “The main thing I have going this month is my album.” She told him about having to have the songs written and recorded by the end of the month. Then she rattled off a few other engagements. “Two months from now, I’m going on tour.”

He nodded. “Tell me about your ex-husband.”

She coughed, causing a crumb to get lodged in her throat. She reached for her glass and took a few gulps. She coughed again more forcefully this time, trying to clear her throat. Finally, she got the crumb to go down. Her cheeks went warm, then scalding hot when she saw the amusement in Corbin’s eyes, which were more gold than green today.

“Do I need to give you mouth-to-mouth?”

Her eyes popped. “No, that won’t be necessary.”

“Too bad,” he uttered in an intimate tone that sent tingles circling down her spine. She had to resist the urge to fan her face.Sheesh.She was blushing like a school girl. And from the look of his coy smile, he knew the effect he had on her. She sat up straight in her seat, trying to get a handle on herself. How was it that she could perform in front of thousands of people, then fallto pieces because Corbin asked her a simple question? “Why do you want to know about Tuck?”

“The more I know about Tuck and Hugh, the better.”

His voice was light, casual. But underneath the façade, she detected a keen interest. Or maybe she was reading too much into things. How much did she want to tell him? She didn’t like telling anyone about her relationship with Tuck, but she especially didn’t want to tell Corbin. There was an unreadable expression on his rugged features as he waited for her to expound. She shifted in her seat. The best way around this was to stick with the facts. “I met Tuck when I was sixteen years old. I never knew my father. My mother and I lived in a trailer park in Noble, Alabama. Hugh was our landlord.” She wasn’t about to tell Corbin that her mother and Hugh had a thing … even though her mother was ten years his senior. If Corbin wanted that bit of sordid information, he’d have to search it out himself. “Tuck and I got married when I was nineteen.”

“You were really young,” he mused.

“Yes.” She could tell he wanted her to say more, but she just sat there.

He rubbed his ear. “Why did you and Tuck get divorced?”

She tensed. “Is this really necessary?” He was her bodyguard, not her psychiatrist.

“I need to get the full picture. Any seemingly insignificant detail might prove useful.” His eyes probed hers with such intensity that it burned into her soul, stripping her bare. She knew for sure in that moment that Corbin’s interest in her past went beyond a professional level. He was interested in her, the same way she was interested in him. Their strong connection made little sense, but it was there nevertheless.

She ran through the options of things she could disclose. Her stomach churned as she thought about the beatings and how she’d ended up in the hospital, broken and battered. It washumiliating. Certainly not something she wanted to tell Corbin. She realized he was studying her. Then she caught something in his eye. Her hospital stay was public record. She held him with a look. “You already know, don’t you?”

He didn’t flinch. “Yes.”

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