Somehow, he’d managed to calm her enough to be able to look around. They were still in Teresa’s backyard. No one was paying any attention to them—now. Someone may have seen her when she’d attempted to escape like a startled gazelle.
Well obviously, this man had been.
Steff shifted her gaze from her surroundings to the man standing in front of her. He was tall; over six feet. His dirty blonde hair was cut close to the sides and a little long on top. His eyes were the blue of the Caribbean Sea. He had a presence that should’ve scared her, considering what she’d been through, yet it didn’t.
His arms hung loosely at his sides, and his stance was casual, non-threatening.
He’d asked her something, what was it?
Can I cup your elbow?
“Why do you want to cup my elbow?” The words burst out of her, and while she should be embarrassed about it all, considering how she’d been acting only a few minutes ago, she wasn’t.
“I was going to move us to a quieter corner of the yard. You looked like you needed a few minutes to yourself.” Again, his voice was gentle, and a ghost of a smile whispered across his mouth.
“I was trying to leave.”
“Yes, you were, but I couldn’t let you run out.”
“I’m sorry?” She bristled at his words. Who did he think he was telling her that he couldn’t let her leave? Was he as bad as the men who’d held her captive?
Amazingly, the more she was around this man, the more her panic morphed into stirrings of anger. Which didn’t make sense, because that had never happened. In the past, when her panic threatened to overwhelm her, she dug her nails into her thighsuntil she had rows of half-moons puckering her flesh. Only then did she feel like she could go on.
“What I said sounded worse than what I was thinking. All I meant, was that I could see you were lost in your mind, and I didn’t think it would be safe for you to leave or drive.” He offered her another smile. “I should introduce myself to you. I’m Dalton Jaeger, the guys call me Jag. I’ve been with Alliez for a couple of years now.”
Again, with just a few words, he managed to nip her anger. Not in a controlling way, but more of a rational way.
While they’d been speaking, he hadn’t attempted to get close to her again. If anything, he’d taken a step back to give her more room to leave if she wanted to.
“I’m Steffanie Price, my friends call me Steff.” She shoved her hand out, something that had been an automatic part of her life when she’d been a reporter. Steff couldn’t remember the last time she’d instinctively done that.
His large hand clasped hers, and warmth seeped into the places that had been cold for so long, she thought they would remain frozen for the rest of her life. “Pleased to meet you, Steffanie.” He released her hand, and she mourned the loss briefly before she pulled herself up short as the realization sank in.
This was the first time she’d allowed a man to touch her since her kidnapping.
What did that mean?
No way was she cured, because beneath all the calm, her panic bubbled away, ready to erupt and curl around her until she couldn’t breathe again.
“I think I should go,” she uttered. “I’m okay now.”
Dalton shoved his hands in his pockets, as if he was trying to stop himself from touching her.
Had she misread his actions? Did he still want to detain her?
“We haven’t had the cake yet. I heard from Angel that it’s ‘very cute’ and tastes amazing. Apparently, the frosting is ‘sublime,’ and everyone should ‘sample it.’”
Her lips twitched with the urge to laugh when he used his fingers as quotation marks.
“I’m sure it is, but I guess I’ll have to try it another time.” Yet, the thought of leaving didn’t seem so pressing now.
Over Dalton’s shoulder she could see Teresa watching them. Steff knew if she gave any indication that not all was well, then Teresa would be over in a flash rescuing her.
But she didn’t need rescuing, not anymore. At least she didn’t think she did.
“If I say that I’ll be nearby and if you need to escape, I’ll help you, will that encourage you to stay? Also, if you don’t want to, I’ll totally respect that and I’ll escort you to your car.”
Could she do it?
