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That rather important detail had slipped her mind amidst everything else.
“What I can’t figure out is why. Why would you willingly choose to put yourself in danger?”
“Your radar is malfunctioning.” She’d come too far not to make one last ditch effort.
“No, it’s not.” He tugged her hands away from the handle and turned her, pressing her back against the door. She stared at his chest, refusing to look at him. Seconds ticked by. She shifted her weight from one foot to another.
“Are we going to stand here all night?”
“We are until you tell me why.”
She shook her head. No way was she going to tell him she was falling in love with him. That was the last thing he’d want to hear. They barely knew each other. The dangerous situations they’d been thrown into had heightened their emotions. Their relationship had been built on fear and danger and magic. That was all. Certainly not a basis for something real and lasting.
He caught her chin in his hand and tilted it back. She glared at him, even as she drank in his beloved face, memorizing every detail from his high forehead to his razor-sharp cheekbones, full lips, and the nose that was almost too big but somehow worked.
“What is going on in that nimble mind of yours?” His eyes narrowed.
She felt raw and ragged, exposed. All she could do was shrug. “It’s the magic.” That was an undeniable truth.
“Maybe some of it but not all.” Devlin rubbed his thumb across her bottom lip. The light caress sent rivers of heat flooding to her core. She swallowed and bit back a moan. “The mage has an agenda, so do the wolves involved. Everyone has their own agenda.” Okay, this was no longer about the others but about her. “Tell me.” He trailed his thumb across her jaw and down her neck. “What’s yours?”
He was trying to seduce her and doing a damn fine job of it. She cleared her throat. “I told you why I was leaving.”
“No, you told me lies.”
Desperate, she put her hands against his chest and pushed him back. “What do you want from me?”
“The truth.” Zoe felt battered and bruised and heartbroken. It had almost killed her to try to leave. Unlike her, he appeared totally unruffled. He’d have been more animated discussing the weather.
“You want the truth?”
“It would be nice.”
“Nice.” She shoved against his shoulders and slid out from between him and the truck. Her temper flared, exploding through her veins. A pulse pounded in her temple. “You want nice? I’ll give you fucking nice.”
As if she was having an out-of-body experience, she could hear herself railing at him but couldn’t stop it. When she was ten, she’d been in a car accident. The other vehicle had run a red light, slamming into them. It was like that. She could see it coming but couldn’t stop the impending crash.
“I think I’m in love with you. But how can I know for sure?” She dragged her fingers through her hair. “I’m not sure I buy the whole ‘love at first sight’ thing, but I care more for you than I ever have for anyone. Is it the result of some magic or is it genuine? I don’t know any longer what’s real and what isn’t.” And that scared her all the way to the tips of her toes. If someone could manipulate her emotions that completely, there was no hope for either of them. “I was trying to protect you.” She finished on a whisper.
He stood as still as stone, seemingly frozen.
“Say something.” She’d laid her heart bare.
“You think you’re in love with me.” He said it slowly, as if turning each word over in his head. “It’s more than needing my protection and the sexual attraction.”
“Yes. It makes no sense. You’re overbearing and stubborn and bossy. It’s been one crisis after another since we’ve met. Maybe it’s the adrenaline and sex talking, but it’s more. I feel it here.” She thumped her chest. The fire that had briefly sustained her fizzled, leaving her shaken to her core and emotionally raw. “Well? Is that all you have to say?”
Hooking an arm around her waist, he dragged her against him. His big body trembled as he held her so tight it almost hurt. She clung to him, finally admitting the futility of trying to leave him.
After a long, poignant moment, he eased her away. “It’s not safe here. We need to leave.”
That was it. That was all he had to say after her heartfelt confession.
“Fine.” Dragging the tattered remains of her dignity around her, she reached for the door. He jerked her back against him, buried his face in her hair, and inhaled deeply.
“You’re mine.” His deep, rough voice vibrated inside her. “I’ll keep you safe.” He helped her into the truck, making sure her seat belt was secured before he shut the door.
The engine was still running. The clock on the dash told her less than ten minutes had passed. It seemed a lifetime.
