Page 35 of Reckless Hearts
I swiped some of her smeared mascara away. “I’m gonna find out what happened. All this shit with the tack room and that phone call with your old coworker and now this”—I shook my head—“something weird is going on and I’m gonna find out what.”
“How are you going to do that?”
“Don’t know yet,” I admitted. Could trail Ethan…maybe beat the shit out of him for complicating Delilah’s life like this. “But let me worry about it, okay?”
She nodded and lay her head back in the crook of my neck. Turning slightly, I buried my nose in her hair. My eyes drifted shut as her scent flooded through me, calming some of the chaos inside me. We stayed clinging to each other until her breathing eventually evened and she went lax in my arms.
“Lilah,” I whispered after a while, just to make sure she was asleep. When she didn’t respond, I looked down at her. My chest tightened at the sight of her, something inexplicable making it hard to breathe. I smoothed her hair back, letting my fingers glide along her jaw.
With her asleep like this, I could take in every detail of her without worrying about her noticing. She had thirty-seven freckles scattered along her cheeks and nose. Her bottom lip was slightly fuller than the top. And I was about ninety-nine point nine percent certain I had feelings for her. Strong ones. Feelings that went beyond sex, that were beyond anything I should’veeverfelt for the girl who’d annoyed me the majority of my life.
I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation I’d landed myself in. Leave it to me, the guy who’d been celibate for three years, to become utterly obsessed with the first woman I slept with again. I felt like one of those horror stories the older guys on the football team in high school warned me about:never sleep with a virgin or she’ll become obsessed with you.
But it was true—Delilah consumed me. Maybe it was just infatuation. A post-sex endorphin rush that had lasted weeks, and I was reading into things. But I wasn’t so sure. The idea of being with another woman felt about as tempting as trekking twelve miles with a thirty-five-pound rucksack, like I did in Ranger school. Other women didn’t scarf down Pixy Sticks when they were wasted or angry. Or make inappropriate jokes. Or turn everything they touched into gold. Or try to help a stubborn asshole like me even when I didn’t deserve it.
I sighed, staring at the woods for answers, but all I saw were the same shades of green in Delilah’s eyes. “Yeah…this is bad,” I murmured under my breath. “This is real bad.”
And with that realization, I scooped my girl up and took her to my bed, knowing full well we both needed the rest.
“Am I going to wake up alone again?” Delilah murmured groggily when I climbed into bed with her. I winced, hating that I woke her up.
Would she wake up alone? I told myself I wouldn’t let this happen again, but the idea of sending her home after how upset she was made my skin crawl. “No,” I answered finally, pulling her back to my front. “But I won’t lie and say I’m not nervous about sleeping next to you again.”
She wrapped my hand up in hers, holding it to her chest. “Why?”
Heat crawled up my neck. “You know why—my nightmares. What if I have one?”What if I accidentally hurt you?I almost said it, but couldn’t get the words out.
“Then I’ll tase you.”
A stunned laugh left me at how matter-of-fact she said it. I waited for her to say she was joking. She didn’t. “What?You have a taser?”
She rolled onto her back. The confused look on her face told me that it should’ve been obvious. “Yeah? It’s in my purse. I can sleep with it under my pillow if you’re really worried about it, but I’m not.”
It frustrated me how reckless she was. It always had. Did she not realize what could happen? Surely she knew the statistics, the risks, given her line of work. “How could you not be? Do you not realize how much stronger I am than you?”
“Trust me.” She ran her hand up my arm and squeezed my bicep. “I’mveryaware of these drool-worthy muscles.” I fought the urge to flex; now wasn’t the time to show off. But then shecradled my cheek, looking up at me with those hazel eyes. “I’ve known you since I was three, Emmett. The safest place I could be is with you.”
My stupid, damaged heart skipped a fucking beat. I didn’t even know how to respond to that, so I didn’t. Instead, I kissed her until I couldn’t think straight. Until she was gasping against my lips for more. So I lowered my head between her legs and showed her just how grateful I was for her trust in me.
I’d keptmy promise and stayed in bed until Delilah woke up, and I was hating myself for not sticking around the first time. Seeing her all sleepy-eyed and groggy was like seeing another side of her, one I think I wanted to see more of. And the first time hadn’t been a fluke—I slept better beside her. And after we drank coffee, she slipped out before the ranch hands showed up, and I got started with my day, feeling lighter than usual.
I glanced around the police station, my hands in my pockets. Everywhere I looked, there was movement—cops moving in and out, paperwork flying, the buzz of a dozen conversations at once. My shoulders went tight, my spine straightening like I was back in uniform. And for a second, it was like I was back in a tent overseas, waiting for orders. My chest ached with a pull I hadn’t felt in years.
“Hey there,” a middle-aged woman said, smacking her gum at me.
I took a step towards the counter. “Morning. Is Colt McLeod in?” My shoulders jumped up a little when she screeched his name.
“I’ve told you a hundred times to stop doing that,” Colt laughed as he came out from behind the counter. He was dressed in his brown and khaki uniform, his sheriff’s badge proudly pinned to his left chest. Another kick of nostalgia hit me, this onea little harder. He belonged to something, just like I did once. And while I didn’t regret retiring, I missed that feeling of being a part of something bigger than me.
He lifted his chin in greeting, resting his hands on his hips. “Hey, man, what’s up?”
“Hey. Can we talk?” I glanced around the busy station. “Somewhere private?”
His eyes narrowed slightly before he nodded. “Sure.”
Colt’s office was simple and organized, just like him. Pictures were scattered around his desk, but the one of the twelve of us and the kids in front of the new Golden Circle logo at the end of the driveway caught my attention. That picture was taken only two months ago, and yet it felt like a lifetime. I instantly found Delilah, noticing the dazzling smile she wore, the cascade of fiery hair that fell almost to her waist, and the joy in her eyes.
I had to stop myself from reaching for my phone to text her just to see what she was doing.
