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Her eyes remained closed, her movements becoming more desperate. “No,” she whispered.
Remy gathered her stiff body into his arms and sat on the side of the bed. “Hey, sweetheart, it’s okay. I’ve got you.”
Her eyes blinked open, glazed and fearful.
“It’s me, Remy,” he said. “I’ve got you now. No one is going to hurt you.”
She pressed her face to his chest and curled her fingers into his shirt.
Remy kicked off his boots and scooted further onto the bed, settling back against the pillows. He held her close as the nightmare passed, and her body relaxed against his.
As much as he wanted to be with Shelby, he didn’t want it to be because she was scared and grateful he was looking out for her. He never wanted her to mistake gratitude for love.
He hadn’t taken the kiss further because he thought she wasn’t ready. Hell, maybe he wasn’t ready, or the time wasn’t right. She’d told him she never wanted to be dependent on a man, that she wanted to be able to stand on her own.
Could he convince her he wanted to be with her as a partner and that he would never compromise her independence?
Whatever he had to do, he would. She was worth the effort. He’d never met anyone as strong and independent as Shelby Taylor.
He had her where he wanted her, in his arms, but he wanted more than just to hold her. He wanted to love her and for her to love him unconditionally.
If that meant holding her and not making love to her to prove he wasn’t just after the one-night stand she couldn’t remember, so be it. One thing was certain, he had a long night ahead of him, holding the woman he wanted more than he wanted to breathe and not making love to her.
Yeah, it was going to be a long…hard…night.
Chapter 11
Shelby woke the next morning feeling well-rested and just good all over. She’d had a bad dream about being trapped in the marsh grass, the reeds pulling at her legs and taking her deep into the water. Just when her head went under, strong arms pulled her out of the water and wrapped her in a warm, dry blanket.
She knew without seeing his face that it was Remy. He’d saved her from drowning and held her until she fell into a dreamless sleep.
When she’d opened her eyes to morning, she’d half-expected to see him lying in the bed beside her. She couldn’t deny the disappointment tugging at her heart when the space beside her was empty.
A glance at the clock on her nightstand made her eyes widen. Hell, she’d slept longer than she had in years. Half the morning was gone.
The sounds of pots and pans clanking in the kitchen reassured her that he was still in her house. The scent of bacon frying made her stomach rumble. She threw back the covers and rolled out of bed, careful to make sure her legs would hold her before she got too cocky.
Her legs held steady as she stood, and she didn’t have even a hint of dizziness. Hell, she could go back to work today if the doctor hadn’t grounded her for two weeks.
Maybe the two weeks' leave was just what she needed. Not to recover so much as to discover. She’d have time to figure out who the hell had attacked her. So she’d better make good use of that time and shut down the bastards before they hurt someone else.
Shelby hurried into the bathroom, closed the door and washed her face, brushed her hair and pulled it back into her usual ponytail. After a quick glance in the mirror, she yanked the elastic band out of her hair, brushed it smooth and applied a little blush to her pale cheeks and mascara to her eyelashes.
She didn’t normally wear makeup on the job. Why bother? She’d sweat it off in the heat and humidity.
Then why are you bothering now?
The devil on her shoulder demanded an answer.
“Because I’m not going to work,” she muttered to the woman in the mirror.
Because you have a sexy bodyguard in your house who has only seen you at your worst.
“Yeah, okay, fine. He’s sexy, and he kisses like nobody’s business.”
“Shelby, are you all right?” Remy’s voice sounded on the other side of the door.
Shelby opened the door to find him standing there with an oven mitt on one hand and a frown denting his forehead.
