He pulled her closer still, until she was nestled against his side as he matched his stride to hers. She was in no hurry, savoring the usually tedious, routine path that she’d walked hundreds of times before. But with him it was a new experience. Companionship, intimacy. Things she hadn’t enjoyed until now.
Being with him brought home just how isolated her life was. Her schedule was fixed, rarely deviating from the norm. She woke, she worked, she came home. Wash, rinse and repeat. But today had been a wonderful change to her monotonous routine.
She slid her arm around his waist and leaned further into him, enjoying the feel of his muscled frame against her.
“Thanks again for today,” she said softly. “I liked having you there.”
She hoped she wasn’t saying too much or that he’d take it as a hint or invitation. She didn’t want to come across as demanding or expectant. But she wasn’t going to be so nonchalant about his presence today. She didn’t care if he knew just how much she’d liked having him around. The sex was great. No denying that. But his company was nice too. Just being together, even with her working. It had been nice to look up and see him there in her space. In her life.
He squeezed her shoulder, pressing her more firmly into his side. “I liked being there. I was impressed, Maren. I don’t think I could do what you do every day.”
“But you do. Sorta. You help people. I help people. We just do it differently.”
“I guess you’re right. But each mission is different. I never know going in what exactly I’m dealing with. You do the same thing day in, day out. And yet you don’t act like you’re fatigued with it. You had a smile for each patient and you looked genuinely interested in them. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it didn’t look to me like you ran through your patients robotically, working by rote. You personalized each exam. You treated them like real people. Not all doctors do that.”
She could feel herself blushing and she practically squirmed at how sincere he sounded in his praise. Thankfully they arrived at her cottage and he opened the door, then did a quick scan of the interior before he guided her in.
“I hate that you don’t lock your door, and I hate more that it wouldn’t do a damn bit of good to lock it because it would take no effort to get in this place whatsoever,” he muttered.
She smiled at his gruff concern and the way his brow furrowed when he was irritated.
“I’m fine, Steele. The locals all like me. They look out for me. I’ve never had an ounce of trouble here.”
“It’s not the locals I worry about,” he said.
She rose up on tiptoe and kissed his lips. “It’s sweet of you to worry, but you don’t need to, Steele. I’ll be fine. Besides, I have connections. I know some people who work for a kick-ass organization that specializes in rescues and beating up bad guys.”
She grinned as she said it, and his lips quirked in amusement.
“Yeah? Who’s that?”
“I’ll never tell,” she said solemnly.
He smacked her playfully on the behind. “Go put your feet up. If you’ll tell me what tea you want—you have over a dozen that I saw—I’ll put some water on to boil while I get the steaks out and prep the grill.”
“I could seriously get used to having a houseboy,” she said wistfully.
He raised an eyebrow. “Boy?”
“Er, um, house hottie then? House stud?”
He winced. “Sorry I said anything at all. If it ever gets out that you called me your house hottie, I’ll never be able to show my face to my team again.”
She laughed. “I won’t tell if you don’t. Or unless I ever need to pay you back for something you’ve done to piss me off.”
“Can’t guarantee I won’t piss you off, but I’m liking the idea of makeup sex already.”
“Are you bipolar?” she blurted.
His look of complete what-the-fuck was hilarious.
“What the hell kind of question is that?”
She raised her upturned palms and shrugged. “It’s a logical question given the data I’ve collected on you.”
He groaned. “Good God. Don’t get all doctorly on me. You’ve done research on me?”
She grinned again. “No, but given what I’ve known of you all this time, you have to admit that it’s like looking at two entirely different people. I would say talking to two entirely different people, but Steele the badass didn’t ever speak to me. Or not more than a few one-word responses here and there. Steele the human is flirty, has a sense of humor, smiles a lot and says nice things that make me all shivery on the inside.”
“You’re one to speak your mind, aren’t you?” he said dryly. “Guess I don’t ever have to worry about you trying to spare my feelings.”
“What can I say? I’m a say-it-like-I-see-it kind of girl. You have to admit that you underwent a pretty radical personality change. Either that or you had a lobotomy or maybe you got a little too close to those explosives that got Baker and suffered a head injury. It’s been documented that head injuries have radically changed people’s personalities.”
He groaned and shook his head. “Look, I like you, okay? And I don’t like very many people. That’s why I get the reputation for being a hard-ass, an asshole, a machine, and a whole bunch of other not-so-nice names. As a rule, I hate people. But I like my team. I like the Kellys. And I like you.”
She grinned bigger. “Did that kill you to admit?”
“You can shut up anytime now,” he said in a sour voice. “You’re about one smart-ass remark away from having to cook your own damn steak.”
She held up her hands in surrender. “I give, I give. Cook away. I’ll shut up now and put my feet up like I was instructed. Surprise me and just pick a tea bag. I like them all.”
Before she could walk away, he hauled her up against him and thrust his hand into her hair, holding her in place as his mouth descended on hers. “Like those glasses on you. They’re cute. Make you look all serious and smart, even though I know you don’t need glasses to look that way. Gonna have to leave them on sometime when we have sex. It’s a serious turn-on.”
Okay, that tilted her universe just a bit. She didn’t reach to adjust them even though they slid down her nose just a bit when he kissed her. Instead she let him deepen the kiss, enjoying the feel of his mouth against hers.
He kissed her hungrily, his tongue sliding deep and then brushing over hers in light, teasing strokes. When he pulled away, his eyes gleamed and his pupils were slightly dilated. Arousal hummed from him, was thick in the air. Her own pulse quickened as she took in the evidence of his desire.
“I like that you give as good as you get,” he murmured. “Love that saucy tongue of yours, and I love that you give me shit. No one else does that.”
“That’s because they’re scared shitless of you,” she muttered.
“But you’re not,” he stated. And he looked quite pleased with that fact.
But she was scared of him. Not in the way he was talking about. But she was definitely terrified of him. Because she knew without a doubt that he had the power to hurt her. He wouldn’t do it maliciously or intentionally. But she was already in way over her head with no way out. She didn’t want out. Even knowing the eventuality of the hurt she’d endure.
She’d already been attracted to Steele. Fascinated by the side he presented to the world. But now that she’d gotten a good look at the man behind the hard-ass exterior? She was doomed with a capital D.
She’d liked him before. Had wanted to pull back those layers that surrounded him. But where she’d liked and admired him before? She was already falling hard for the man behind the brick wall.