Chapter Seven
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“WHAT IS THIS?” Shelby accepted the tennis ball Colton handed her.
They’d cleaned up the kitchen and put her notes away for now. Colton was quiet—too quiet. There was definitely something he was chewing on from the information she’d given him, but he’d insisted they work on her physical therapy while he waited for the security system from his boss to arrive.
He knelt down beside her where she sat in the kitchen chair, picking up her leg. “Put it under your foot and roll it back and forth.” He set her socked foot on the ball.
She’d rather kick a skunk, but this was what she needed if she was going to get her strength and mobility back.
The one thing that did make therapy more fun was the fact Colton was now her torturer. “That’s the best you got, Bells? Roll a tennis ball under my foot?”
He shot her an impatient glare. “We’re starting easy. I wouldn’t want to overtax you, beauty queen.”
Smartass. He’d been as proud of her when she’d won Miss Oklahoma as her parents had been, but he liked to jab her about it anyway.
Oh, yes, this was going to be fun. “This beauty queen is going to kick your butt for that comment.”
He grinned. “You have to catch me first.”
Bastard.
“I know a thing or two about recovering from an injury,” he said, taking her foot and massaging it through the sock. He kneaded each toe, then rubbed her arch. Shelby’s eyes nearly rolled up in her head. “Trust me on this.”
The foot massage ended all too soon and he guided her foot to the tennis ball once more and showed her how to roll it back and forth, side to side. After a minute, she was rolling it in circles and feeling pretty proud of herself for her control. “I want to go see Lori Evers. Meanwhile, do you have any contacts at Coronado who could get me access to the autopsy reports?”
He kept his gaze glued on her foot, stood, and then went to pour a fresh cup of coffee. “You’re not back on the job. Better let pretty boy Theo handle things.”
She pressed too hard and the ball shot out from under her foot. Salisbury leaped on it, growling and wagging his tail at the same time. “It’s my case.”
He leaned on the counter, steam from his cup rising past his face as he studied her. “You’re out of commission for the time being, and your last attempt to solve the case ended with a bullet to the head. As long as I’m here, you’re steering clear of this. Got it? You will let your boss handle it.”
Anger burned in her stomach. “There’s a serial killer on the loose, taking out veterans who’ve crossed your path. I’m not sitting this out, and I know damn well you aren’t either.”
One shoulder shrugged but the tension in his body was undeniable. “Right now, you don’t have a choice.”
Her vision blurred, letting her know her blood pressure was spiking. Gripping the table edge, she drew in a deep breath and let it out slowly like Alicia had taught her.
Colton came to her, ran a finger down her exposed neck to her shoulder. “Shelby, I can’t risk letting you get hurt again.”
“I won’t with you here.”
He knelt beside her, his eyes haunted as they stared up at her. “You’re damn right you won’t.”
There was no misreading the desire in his face. Heat spiked the air between them.
Shelby released her grip on the table and reached out to stroke his hair. “We can work the case together. Stop whoever killed those men.”
His gaze dropped and he backed away from her touch, standing once more and heading to the counter. “Let your boss handle it, Shel.”
Damn it. Salisbury brought her the ball, dropped it at her feet, and sat back on his haunches. His face was easy to read too—he wanted her to throw it.
She did, turning over different ways to make Colton see the light. “If whoever killed those men is still at large, he knows I’m out of my coma and that soon I’ll be back to work. He has to realize the FBI won’t let this go. If I’m not digging into the case, someone else will. We could work that to our advantage.”
Skepticism crossed Colton’s features. “Oh, yeah? How’s that?”
“If I start digging again, he’ll come after me, right? We can flush him out and arrest him.”
Colton threw his head back and laughed. There was a snide incredulity in his tone. “You think it’s a good idea to make yourself bait in your condition?”
Pushing herself out of the chair, she used the table for leverage. Once she felt confident she wasn’t going to land flat on her face, she pointed a finger at him. “Don’t underestimate me.”
“I never have.”
Feeling braver than she had in days, she took one step, then two. Without her walker. Without any help at all.
Colton stared at her, gentle challenge in his eyes, egging her on. A familiar curve lifted the corners of his lips. She stared back, those small steps giving her a wild sense of courage.
I can do this.
Salisbury skipped around Colton’s legs, watching her. He let out a joyful bark.
Another step. She was close enough she could touch the countertop. How awesome would it be to walk over and fill her own coffee cup? One more step and she’d be able to reach out and knock that nettling grin off Colton’s face.
Pride laced its way up her spine. All her hard work the past few weeks was paying off. With Colton here to harass her and a serial case waiting for her to solve, she had all the motivation she needed to work even harder on her balance and strength. She’d be back in shape in no time, and…
Her ankle twisted and—whoops—balance gone, she pitched forward, knocking Colton’s cup out of his hands. Coffee splashed in her face making her gasp, and crash! The cup landed at her feet.
Colton’s large, firm biceps were the perfect thing to grip to keep from going down. Salisbury, thinking it was a game, jumped against Colton’s legs, barking. Shelby swore softly as Colton steadied her, and then he laughed again.
This laugh came from low in his belly and echoed off the ceiling and walls. He pulled her close and nudged Salisbury away from the broken cup. “God, that was priceless. I wish I had that on video.”
She brought her good knee up and tried to land it in his crotch, but he was adept at dodging her, and the action only made her wince at the pain in her ankle. He half carried her back to her chair, continuing to chuckle as she fumed.
Her butt hit the wood and he grinned down at her. “You keep falling into my arms like this and I’m going to think you’re flirting with me. Seriously, if you want to rub naughty parts, all you have to do is say so. Don’t ruin a perfectly good cup of coffee.”
He danced out of the way of her hand. “Not funny…”—the word was right there—“donuts!”
Donuts?!!? “I mean… Dog breath!”
Both words started with d, but neither were the one she’d intended.
Colton’s laughing continued, hearty bellows that rankled her ears.
Thank goodness the coffee had cooled a little. She used her sleeve to wipe her wet chin and sighed heavily at the mess she was now in.
Still chuckling, Colton cleaned up the cup and spilled coffee, his own shirt damp as well.
“How’s the ankle?” he asked, bending down to check it.
“It’s weak like the rest of me,” she groused. “I am so sick of this!”
“Stay put. I’ll grab you a clean shirt.”
He disappeared, Salisbury on his heels.
Shelby made a fist and punched the top of the table. Pride goeth before a fall, she heard her father admonish.
Boy, was he right. For each small achievement, every two steps forward, she took one back. A giant one, in fact.
Not for long. One way or another she was going to get back on her feet—literally—and bring a killer to justice.
Colton swung back into the kitchen, two shirts in hand. He eyed the buttons on her blouse. “You need a hand getting that off?”
For a second, Shelby wasn’t sure if he was serious or just teasing. The look in his eyes—the same heat from before—told her he was serious all right.
Dead serious.
He wanted to unbutton her blouse and help her out of it.
Not because he was being nice or thought she couldn’t work the buttons on her shirt.
Evil man. “Just because my leg is screwed up doesn’t mean I can’t dress myself.”
He tossed the fresh shirt on the table, then reached out to finger the collar of her blouse. “Was thinking more about the undressing part. Can you do it on your own?”
Her nipples hardened and she licked her lips. “Is that part of my therapy? Showing you I can unbutton my shirt?”
A wicked grin lit his face. “I need to do a full evaluation of what you can and can’t handle.”
The desire pulsing at the base of her spine moved lower. At the same time, she undid the top button.
This was such a bad idea, but this is what they did—teased, played, and had fun. Until the fun was over and reality came calling.
When it was just the two of them, they were perfect together. As soon as her family, friends, or job entered the picture, there was nothing but anger, hurt, and arguing.
As if he could see the mental war going on in her head, he upped the ante—he shucked off his own shirt.
And oh, my. What a beautiful man he was, even with the scars crisscrossing his chest and belly. His broad shoulders bunched as he wadded up the coffee-stained shirt and tossed it on the table, his steely gaze once again challenging her in a totally different way.
Her hand went to the second button on her blouse, toying with it, watching the effect the promise of something more had on him. He knew as well as she did that nothing good could come from them lowering their defenses and seeking comfort in each other’s arms, but hell if that had ever stopped either of them from giving in to their passion.
Sex with Colton had always been good—not just good, great. Eighteen months was a long time to go without that kind of pleasure, without him, yet she hadn’t even considered hooking up with anyone else. Couldn’t consider starting over with someone new.
Jaya had tried setting her up more than once. Shelby appreciated her friend’s compassion and determination, but most times, she never even made it to the first date. Same with her mom, pushing her toward Daniel. A good man, but no one else was Colton.
Even now, he knew she needed to control the flow and pace of this dance with the devil. She was no amateur—she knew the price of crossing the point of no return with him. He wasn’t about to push her into anything. This was her choice. All he was doing was putting it out there. Offering to make her a very happy woman for a few hours.
Was she willing to let him?
Her body screamed yes, yes, yes. Goading, demanding. It remembered all too well how amazing he could make her feel.
Her heart, though…that was an altogether different thing. Wait, wait, wait, it cried. It didn’t want to be hurt again.
Because surrendering her body to Colton was one thing, but she couldn’t separate her heart from it. If she plunged into heedless abandon with him, her heart would pay the price.
Logic attempted to marry the two, reminding her that a drop-dead gorgeous man, one who wanted to protect her and maybe still loved her, was standing there in front of her, half-naked and willing to do anything she wanted.
Shelby was no fool. She reached for him.
He caught her hand, intertwining his fingers with hers, and once again went to his knees in front of her.
A rush of pure, unadulterated power ran through her veins. Having this man—a former SEAL and the most incredible lover a gal could ask for—kneel in front of her was as thrilling as any moment she’d ever had on the beauty pageant circuit, as intoxicating as any case she’d ever worked for the FBI. He was hers. All hers. He might have teased her relentlessly about being a beauty queen, but he loved giving her anything she wanted.
Right now, she wanted him.
And he knew it.
Slowly, she drew him toward her, leaning down to offer a kiss to seal her pact with the devil.
Their lips touched, Colton letting her set the pace.
She brushed her lips against his again, lingering for a moment longer this time. Waiting.
As her eyes met his and held, she traced the outline of his shoulder with her free hand, let it skim his chest and drop lower.
All systems go.
He got the message, bringing a hand behind her head and catching her lower lip between his teeth. A moan escaped her, her knees spreading to allow him to move closer. He did, bringing her flush against his chest and parting her lips with his tongue.
A soft sob racked her chest as she pressed into him, feeling his strength and solidity.
Home. Being in his arms was home.
Pulse pounding, she wrapped her hands around his neck, breasts pressing into his chest. In the background, she heard Salisbury bark, then growl low.
She’d just reached for Colton’s belt and started to undo the buckle when ding-dong, the doorbell went off and Salisbury went crazy.
OF ALL THE luck.
Colton broke off the kiss, fool that he was, and saw Shelby’s half-lidded eyes blink once, twice, three times as she realized they had company.
“Don’t answer it,” she whispered.
“Have to.” He rubbed a hand over his face. “It’s probably the delivery guy with the security system.”
Even if it wasn’t, it was someone like Jack or Shelby’s boss, stopping by to make sure she was okay, because just like always, Colton was the big, bad wolf and they felt compelled to save her. They wouldn’t go away until someone answered the door.
Knowing Jack, he’d bust in and catch Colton and Shelby going at it on the kitchen floor.
Not that that had never happened before.
Colton snickered to himself as he grabbed his clean T-shirt off the table and pulled it on.
A truck sat in the drive behind his. Not a delivery truck, though. A dark blue pickup that looked like a rental.
Every nerve in Colton’s body went on high alert. Salisbury was going crazy at the front door, scratching and barking.
The doorbell rang again and Colton pulled his gun from the holster that he’d hung on a coat hook next to the door. He flipped off the safety and checked that a bullet was in the chamber.
The hair on the back of Salisbury’s scruff stood straight up as he planted his paws, his lip curled in a snarl.
There was no peephole in the door. Colton sidled over to the nearby window that looked out onto the front porch.
He used his gun to slide the lace curtain aside half an inch and angled his body to peer at the visitor.
A tall man with the build of a soldier stood on the other side of the door, looking off toward the abandon skeleton of the house across the street. In one hand was a black duffel.
He raised a fist and knocked on the door. “Bells, you in there? Come on, man. I’m six hours short on sleep and Beatrice is hot on my ass to make sure you’re okay. Open the damn door.”
Connor?
Colton grabbed hold of Salisbury to keep him from going attack dog when he opened the door. “What the fuck are you doing here?”
Connor flipped him the bird and yawned as he eyed Salisbury. “Good to see you too.” He brushed by Colton. “Where’s the coffee and that pretty wife of yours?”
Salisbury went from a snarling demon to wagging and wiggling so hard, Colton nearly lost hold of him. He set the dog down and Salisbury took off after Connor as the man headed for the kitchen.
“Shelby?” Connor called as he walked through the dining room. “Special delivery!”
“Connor?” Shelby squealed from the kitchen. “Oh my God, look what the cat dragged in.”
There was laughing and Connor told Shelby she looked good. Salisbury barked again, happily this time.
Colton shook his head and flipped the safety back on his gun as he joined them.
“My deadline isn’t up,” he said to Connor, and then, “Why didn’t you tell me you were on your way this morning?”
“What deadline?” Shelby asked.
Connor set the black duffel on the floor and flopped into Colton’s seat at the kitchen table. He grabbed a piece of bacon and started munching. “The only way to get this security system to you first thing this morning was for me to deliver it.”
“Bullshit,” Colton said. “Beatrice could have overnighted it with one of the carriers.”
Connor shrugged, finishing the strip of bacon. “She was afraid it might get damaged in transit.”
Colton silently called bullshit a second time. Beatrice didn’t believe he could handle himself and this situation. She’d sent Connor to babysit him.
Wasn’t that fucking priceless?
Connor pointed at the nearly empty French press. “How’d the coffee turn out? Looks like okay by the piddly amount left. Can I have what’s left? Airline coffee sucks.”
“What deadline?” Shelby asked again.
Colton, fuming, turned away from her and went to the French press. He poured the last of the liquid into a cup for Connor and set it in the microwave to heat. “Nothing, Shel. Don’t worry about it.”
Connor leaned over and unzipped the bag, pulling out the security system receiver and a couple of window sensors. “Our boss has a job for Colton when he gets back, so she’s given him a deadline.”
From his peripheral vision, Colton saw Shelby eyeing him. “This comes first,” he told her over his shoulder. “I’m not leaving until I know you’re safe.”
“Colton, if you need to get back to work…”
He swiveled. “I don’t. Everything’s cool.”
He shot a glare at Connor, telling him not to argue, but he could see in the way Shelby narrowed her eyes, that everything was not and she was going to interrogate him later.
“Well,” she said to Connor, “while I’m thrilled to see you, I feel terrible that you had to personally fly to Oklahoma just to bring a security system. I can’t believe your boss would go to such expense.”
The microwave dinged and Colton handed the steaming cup to his friend, who was about to be on his shit list. “Drink your coffee and be on your way.”
Connor blew on the hot liquid and motioned at the black box on the table. “Beatrice said to help you get this set up.”
“I don’t need help.”
“I’m here, you might as well put me to work. Or I can run Shelby to her PT today. She is still under a doctor’s care, right?”
Shelby tried to hide a smile. Colton crossed his arms over his chest. “I’m doing her physical therapy.”
Taking a sip of the too-hot coffee, Connor choked it down. “Not bad. So let me get this straight. You’re playing bodyguard, physical therapist, and you’re investigating who shot Shelby, all on your own.”
“And fixing the bathroom sink,” Shelby added.
Colton huffed. “Yeah, so?”
“Come on, man,” Connor said, exasperated. “Let me help.”
“No.”
“Colton!” Shelby shot him a chastising look. “Connor came all this way. Don’t be rude.”
Colton leaned on the counter. “He came because our boss ordered him to keep an eye on me.”
Connor took another sip of the coffee and stood, grabbing the receiver off the table. “I’m not leaving until I get this security system installed, so suck it up, Bells. You want to argue with someone, call B.”
He slapped Colton on the back as he walked by, leaving Colton steaming harder than the microwaved coffee.
Shelby raised a brow. “Have you lost every last one of your manners?”
What manners? He’d never had many to begin with.
Shelby pushed herself to standing and grabbed her walker. She tested out her ankle, seemed satisfied, and turned her back on him. “I’m going to sort through my mail and see if I have any notes on my laptop about the case. Go help Connor, and try to be civil.”
“Shelby…”
She held up a hand, her eyes snapping when he reached for her. “You’re a one-man army. We get it. I like my independence and autonomy too. I hate asking for help or relying on anyone, but one thing I’ve learned since the shooting—we need other people, Colton.”
Her hand landed on his heart and stayed there for a moment, the heat of it soaking into his worn-out body. “This once?” she said, looking up into his eyes. “Stop being a bullheaded SOB and accept your friend’s help. Do it for me if you won’t do it for yourself.”
She turned away once more, setting her walker for the dining room.
The sting of her words bit at him as if an invisible dog were at his feet nipping his ankles. The real dog panted as he stared up at Colton, tail swishing and ears perked like usual.
Yeah, she’s like that. Always putting me in my place.
As if the dog understood, he wagged harder.
Discreetly, Colton watched over Shelby as she walked slowly but determinedly into the dining room. The blinds were drawn but she didn’t flip on the light. Her irritation at him had fostered one bonus—she was fired up enough to step-by-meticulous-step walk the room to open each blind and let in the morning light.
He had to bite his lip not to yell at her to stay away from the windows because he knew she wouldn’t listen. Luckily, this part of the house faced the side of the property along the driveway and looked over wheat fields that stretched out for miles.
She seated herself at the long, rectangular table—one he had built himself as a wedding gift to her. She was so goddamn beautiful in that light, her blond hair shimmering, her skin porcelain.
As if she felt his gaze, she shot a glance over her shoulder and saw him watching. He quickly turned away and got busy making a fresh pot of coffee.
Because judging by the way this day had started, it looked like he was going to need it.