Page 21 of Deadly Alliance

Chapter Nine

The slow,steady beat of her heart reverberated in her skull as Emme emerged from what felt like thick cotton candy. The pain was throbbing in her head and her body felt so shaky, it made her wonder what was going on. Was she coming down with the flu? When she tried to move and open her eyes, it was as if everything was delayed and it made her whimper as she fought through the fear and nausea.

“Hey, easy, sweetheart. You’re safe now.” His voice. Shane. The familiar rumble made her relax a little, helping her to break through the fog and finally open her eyes.

Shane’s handsome face filled her vision. “Time to wake up, sleeping beauty.”

The first thing that flashed in her mind was quivering muscles and caressing hands as he tried to soothe her worry. It was quickly replaced with a disgusting vanilla latte and the fake barista. The man they were searching for!

“Shane! That man…”

Gently pushing her back down, Shane caressed her cheek with the tips of his fingers, pushing her knotted hair away from her face. “We know. But it can wait until you feel better. You’ve been dosed with Rohypnol. We’ve given you something to counteract the effects, but you’ll need a couple more hours rest before you’re back on your feet.”

“No, I’ll rest later. I remember his face. I saw him up close—we need to get him out of my head while the memory is still fresh.”

Emme shivered, as every second of what happened in the bakery came back full force. It would take some time to forget the fear she had felt in the arms of that madman.

“Sweetheart, easy, you’re shaking. Please, lie back down.”

Emme didn’t want to, even if her body didn’t agree with her. She needed to move, to erase the fear, to work, to move forward.

Emme didn’t realise she was struggling until Shane climbed on the bed beside her and took her in his big arms. Burying her nose in his chest, she gave in and held him back. He was her anchor in a choppy sea.

His hand slowly traced her spine, in a slow, reassuring stroke, making her lose track of time until she finally got herself back under control.

“You scared me, Emme.” The words were uttered so low she almost didn’t hear them. “When I woke up, I reached for you. Your side was still warm. I was pissed. Until I realised you weren’t in the house.”

What could she say? It had been her idea. It hadn’t been a success as she’d hoped, not entirely at least. She was prepared for a proper dressing down from the SEAL, but nothing in his voice or his touch told him he was angry at her. On the contrary, as he spoke, his touch grew even gentler. “I thought I would have a heart attack when that fucker carried you away. I almost didn’t see you.”

Shane relaxed his hold on her so he could look into her eyes. His rough hand cupped her cheek as he looked deep into her eyes. Emme thought he would kiss her, but instead, he traced the lines of her face as if committing it to memory. Soon his fingers were replaced by his lips, feather-light, soothing, ticklish. She closed her eyes, and her head started spinning for an entirely different reason. This warrior may have been one of the most dangerous individuals in the world, but when he was like this, touching her as if he was made of glass, like butterfly wings touching her body, he was simply lethal.

There was nothing overtly sexual about his touch, yet, her body sang and wanted more. Shane ended his meandering path on her lips. This time, it wasn’t a kiss, it was a connection that shook her to the core.

And when Shane pulled back, Emme had the feeling she wasn’t the only one who’d felt it.

“I want to apologise.”

“Apologise for what? I’m the one who left without telling you, Shane.”

“Your instincts were good, even if your plan was flawed. I’m not apologising for that. If I had trusted you, you wouldn’t have been forced to prove me otherwise, and put yourself in danger. That’s all on me.”

Blue eyes seared her, filled with sincerity and it humbled her in return.

“I had to prove to you that I was a worthy member of this task force.”

Shane closed his eyes. “You are. Zack wouldn’t have accepted you as part of Fortis otherwise. And Beatrice is the best judge of character I have ever seen. She would have been the one inside that bakery herself if she doubted your ability. I’ve been the blind one in all this.”

“Maybe. Maybe not.”

A corner of his delectable mouth lifted. “And now you’ll tell me that you’re wise beyond your years?”

Amusement made her bite her lower lip. “And that you aren’t wise despite your old age?”

His eyebrows arched in amusement. “If you weren’t still recovering from the drugs, I would demonstrate what my decrepit ass can do.”

Having seen such a stern side of him, Emme marvelled in his sense of humour. Another side of him she was discovering with pleasure, although she suspected it wasn’t something he shared with everybody around him.

She would have explored more of that, but something buzzed behind him.