Page 261 of Cowboys & Navy SEALs

“There’s nothing to be sorry about,” she blurted, “either you want to go out with her, or you don’t.”

He gave her a stupefied expression, like he thought she was a couple of French Fries short of a Happy Meal. “You’re trying to fix me up on a date? With your friend?”

Heat fanned her face. “Brooke’s a little shy. She has a hard time meeting guys.” She gulped, forcing out the rest. “She’s coming here at ten for a class. I would love for you to meet her.”

The look on his face suggested that he wanted to flee—get as far away from Gracie as he could. She sought for something she could say to fix this. Brooke would be here soon, and she had to walk through this area in order to get to her class. Maybe she could somehow push Derek into Brooke, so that he would be forced to talk to her. The good news was, the minute he laid eyes on Brooke, he would be taken in by her stunning good looks. Thebad news was, Brooke would soon open her mouth and be her usual rotten self. Then Derek would run for the hills.

At that moment, time seemed slowed as she caught a glimpse of Sheldon striding towards her. Her eyes bulged as she missed her step, her right foot landing on the edge of the treadmill, which wasn’t moving. She would’ve fallen hard had he not reached for her arm to steady her.

“Easy,” he said, leaning into her ear. “We both know it won’t do any permanent damage if you fall … due to your immortal condition, but it still hurts, all the same.”

All she could think about for a split second was how he looked like a walking magazine cover forMuscle & Fitness.

Get a grip!she commanded herself.

This over-the-top attraction to Sheldon was going to have to stop. At the inn, he’d nearly ruined everything she worked so hard to put together. Yes, he was gorgeous and charming; but he didn’t have her best interest at heart, and she would do well to remember that. It didn’t help that every inch of her body was acutely aware of him. He was like this giant black hole of masculinity, pulling her in.

She pushed the emergency stop button on the treadmill. “What’re you doing here?” She gave him a look that could stop a clock as she jerked her arm out of his grasp.

He let out a low chuckle. “Now, is that any way to treat an old friend, love?”

Love.She remembered how thrilled she was the first time he’d called her that. “Is that what we are?Friends?” The hurt came gushing back like water over Niagara Falls. “You tricked me. You made me believe you were on the good team, when all the while, you’re a dark angel.”

“Almost a dark angel.”

She looked at him in surprise. Was she that transparent? Could he somehow read her thoughts? The fact that he was notyet a dark angel was the only shred of hope she had to hold onto. Even though Gertrude had warned her to stay away from Sheldon, he’d constantly been on her mind. And she’d been wracking her brain to come up with a way to persuade him to change—to become good.

He wrapped a finger around one of her curls. “I’ve missed you.”

There was a hint of tenderness in his startling blue eyes as they captured hers. Then she felt a peculiar stirring in her brain, followed by the all-familiar pull. He was using his persuasive abilities to bend her will to his. As Gertrude had explained to her on that black, snowy night when she learned Sheldon’s true identity, he was very persuasive and charming as a mortal, but now that he was a dark angel …almost a dark angel… those abilities were enhanced to the point where Sheldon was nearly impossible to resist. He was like her very own nicotine … or heroine.

Warning bells went off in the back of her head, but they got swept away in the blissful haze which settled over her. She drank in his perfect features, her eyes tracing the outline of his tantalizing lips. She wondered how they would feel against hers. Then she caught a flicker of something that sent her spiraling back to reality. His satisfied smirk suggested that he was enjoying the power he wielded over her.

It was the match that ignited her fury. “Your silly Jedi mind-tricks won’t work on me.”

He looked startled, then dubious. “Jedi mind-tricks?”

“Really? You’ve never seenStar Wars?”

He gave her a blank look.

“The movie?” She rolled her eyes.

“You might say I’ve had more pressing things to think about,” he said stiffly.

“What year did you die?”

No response.

“What year?” she pressed.

“1927.”

Her jaw dropped as she processed this. She’d assumed that he lived in modern times like her. “Wow! You’re an old geezer.”

He laughed. “Geezer? That’s a new one. I suppose I’m older than most. But like a fine wine, I just keep getting better and better.”

She ignored the glib remark and forged on. “And you’ve been working under your mentor all this time?” She feigned disappointment. “You must be a slow learner.”

---