Page 136 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“I always wanted to learn to snow ski.” She chuckled. “But in Alabama, the closest thing you get to snow are a few ice storms.”

“We’ll have to go while we’re in Birchwood Springs. There’s a resort right next to my grandfather’s cabins. My sister works there.”

“Really? We could go? Would it be safe? Considering the circumstance …” Her voice faded into a thick silence.

Corbin wanted this whole ordeal to be over. It cut to hear the dismay in Delaney’s tone, to know how terrified she was. He couldn’t help it. He reached over and placed a hand over hers. Electricity spiked through him when their skin connected. She had to have felt it too. Yes, he could tell she did … he knew from the way she went rigid. He thought Delaney might jerk her hand away and was relieved when she didn’t. “I think we can manage a trip to the ski resort.”

“I’d like that,” she said, giving him a wan smile. Carefully, she removed her hand from his. “Sorry, but considering our situation, I’d like to keep things between us professional.”

Disappointment pummeled through him as he nodded, putting his hand back on the steering wheel.One step forward … two steps back.He was getting used to Delaney’s routine, but he didn’t like it.

“How did we first meet? That’s the number one question people will ask.”

Her comment helped ease some of the tension as he relaxed in his seat, keeping his eyes on the road. “At a party.”

“Okay, sounds good to me. What type of party?”

“A fancy shindig on Coronado Island, hosted by a billionaire philanthropist.” He saw the surprise on her face. She’d just now figured out the direction he was taking. “I walked into the mansion wearing my new, shiny white tux and felt this gorgeous babe checking me out.”

“I was not checking you out,” she blustered.

A smile tugged at his lips. “Yes, you were.” He cut his eyes at her to let her know she wasn’t getting off the hook. She could sit there all day and pretend there wasn’t anything between them, but she couldn’t deny that she’d noticed him first. “You know it’s true.”

She made a face. “Fine. I admit it. I was checking you out,” she muttered. “What do you want? A confession in blood?”

“I just wanted to hear you say it out loud.”

She shoved his arm with a laugh. “You’re such a cocky moron. I can’t believe you got me to admit that,” she uttered.

He glanced at her, not surprised to see her lips turned down in a petulant frown. She was so darn cute that he wanted to pull the SUV over and kiss her right this minute. He chuckled inwardly. Not a good idea. She’d freak out. Never speak to him again. “And then when I went over to talk to you at the bar, you sicked Anton on me.”

She chuckled nervously. “Yeah, not one of my finer moments. But you certainly had no trouble holding your own.”

The admiration in her voice caused him to lose his train of thought. He fumbled to come up with a response. Did he saythanks? Was she complimenting him? Or just stating the facts? Thankfully, she spoke first.

“I’m sorry about the Anton thing. I had no idea you were working for Sutton. I thought you were hitting on me.”

He’d dodged this the night before. Time to own up to what really happened. “I was.”

She coughed. “Excuse me?”

“I was hitting on you. I didn’t realize you were going to be assigned to me. You caught my attention earlier, and I wanted to meet you.” There. He’d said it … gotten it out in the open.

“A-ha! I knew you were hitting on me.” Her voice grew animated like she’d just gotten the correct answer on a game show.

His next statement could either move things forward or put a monkey-wrench in them. But he was tired of tiptoeing around the situation. “One minute you openly checked me out and then you shot me down cold when I tried to approach you. Why?” He knew the reason, of course. She was scared because of what happened with Tuck. Still, he wanted to bring it out in the open … discuss it, hoping they could move past it.

“Because I don’t need a relationship right now, especially not with you.”

Talk about a punch in the gut. Wow!“What’s so bad about me?”

“Never mind. I shouldn’t have said anything.” She shook her head, angling away from him.

“No, you started this. I wanna hear it.” He clutched the steering wheel, awaiting her answer. No way he was going to let her weasel out of this one. She’d given him a personal insult, one which was totally unfounded.

“It’s not you. It’s me.”

“I don’t understand.”

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