She’d already been out longer than she had been in months. Of course, the reason for that was standing in front of her. Without him stopping her, she would likely be driving home erratically and putting not only her life, but the lives of others in danger.
Perhaps Dalton had been right in stopping her from leaving in the state she’d been in.
Steff looked again at Teresa, who mouthed,Are you okay?She nodded, because she was. And also, she didn’t want to let her friend down. She knew that Teresa felt responsible for what happened to her and Cynthia. That it was because of her investigation into the Ramirez Cartel that had ultimately caused her to be snatched from an opening she was reporting on. And for two of their other colleagues to be hurt. “Okay.”
“Okay what? To staying, or wanting me to walk you to your car?”
“Staying.”
This time when Dalton smiled, it reached his eyes, and laugh lines appeared at the sides of his mouth. “Excellent. Do you think we can taste the frosting without anyone noticing?”
“No! We can’t do that.” Even though part of her wanted to do exactly that. “It’s Angelica’s birthday cake; it has to be perfect for her to mess.”
“I suppose you have a point. How about I get you a drink?”
“I’d like that.”
“Excellent. What would you like?”
“Sparkling water will be fine.” If she had any sort of alcohol, she would fall into a funk. She’d found that out shortly after she’d been released. While drinking had been numbing, it had gotten to the stage where it was becoming a crutch. Amidst all of her scurried thoughts, she’d had the foresight to know that if she continued drinking, nothing good would come of it.
Then she found that pain helped.
Steff shut those thoughts down, knowing that what she was doing was wrong. She should go back to her therapist to tell her about it. But that had meant going out, and she hadn’t been able to manage that.
Maybe she could now, considering how she was doing at the party. Then again, perhaps it was because of the man in front of her.
Again, Steff closed her mind to those thoughts. She’d just met Dalton. He was being nice. Once he left the party, she would be a forgotten thought for him.
He probably had a girlfriend, wife, or partner of sorts. A man that good looking couldn’t possibly be single.
If he did have a significant other and was spending time with her, then perhaps he wasn’t the sort of man she wanted to be hanging around with.
Who did that? Speak to another woman? Touch another woman, when their partner was in close proximity?
Or had Dalton spoken to whoever he was here with, and told them he was going to help her out and they were fine with it?
Why was she still there then?
“Do you think you feel up to sitting with Teresa?” Once again, Dalton dragged her back from the brink of her thoughts spiraling out of control.
The reason she was at the party was because Teresa had asked. She hadn’t pressured Steff in attending, more like encouraged her, and Steff, for the first time in ages, hadn’t been able to resist.
“Yes, I can do that.”
“Excellent. Let’s go. May I?” He pointed to her elbow, and she recalled his earlier question.
“You may.”
Dalton’s touch was light, and as he led her over to where Teresa was seated at a small table with two chairs, she couldn’t help but think what would’ve happened if it had been someone other than Dalton that had seen her panic attack.
Chapter Two
Dalton “Jag”Jaeger kept one eye fixed on where Steff was seated with Teresa. He hadn’t expected when he saw her fleeing that he would be able to encourage her to stay.
He hadn’t forgotten the night they’d rescued her and her friend Cynthia. She’d been a quivering mess curled into the corner of the dank, smelly room, as if she was wanting to melt into the walls.
It had taken some convincing for her to allow him to lift her. Her whimpers had cut him and fueled his anger to hurt the men who had taken the liberties of all the people they’d rescued. Hound and Deal had been the ones who’d rounded up those assholes.
