moving faster than any man his size had the right to. A split second later he was on his knees on the carpet in front of me, his face inches from mine.
He didn't touch me, but it didn't matter. His fingers were tight on the arms of my chair and his breath mingled with mine as we stared into each other's eyes for a heavy moment.
"That's not what I was going to say, Brooke," he informed me in a deathly quiet voice. "Don't you dare put words in my mouth."
Fuck. I swallowed heavily but couldn't bring myself to push him away.
"Riley and the other heirs are my family, but you're something else. I can't even explain what it is that I'm feeling for you, little bird, but the second I realized you'd run, I just..." He trailed off, shaking his head like he could hardly understand his own actions. "I panicked. I couldn't stop picturing what would happen to you if you were caught in the storm, and it'd be all my fault."
My mouth was so dry, like my panic had evaporated all the moisture in my whole damn body, so my voice was scratchy when I replied. "Yeah, it would have been."
Shock flickered over his features, and his eyes widened. "Did you find some sass while you were out in the cold, beautiful?" A small smile pulled at his full lips, and I was sorely tempted to punch him right in the handsome face. How dare he joke around right now?
My brow furrowed into a scowl. "Fuck you, Dylan. It'd be your fault because you treated me like shit back at camp with your friends. I may be a broken bird, but I deserve better than that."
The amusement slipped from his face, leaving behind regret and guilt. As close as we were, there was no mistaking his expression now that he wasn't hiding from me.
"I was trying to keep you safe, Brooke. I know it sounded harsh, but—"
"Sounded harsh? No, you called me a mouse and a dog in less than ten minutes, then outlined to your best friends how utterly pathetic and incapable I am—while I sat right there and cried. You're an arrogant, selfish prick, Dylan Grant. I can't believe I actually thought I was falling for you." I did shove him away from me this time, or tried to, at least.
Even with my hands flat against his chest, he barely swayed back a couple of inches.
"You're in love with me?" His voice was shocked and his expression like a deer in headlights.
I shook my head, firm. "Not even close," I lied. "Maybe I thought I was once, but I was so wrong. I could never love someone as cruel and heartless as you." My chin was trembling now, so I shoved out of my chair and past him before he could see the lie written all over my face.
Ruth was just coming back into the room, and she paused in her tracks when she saw my face.
"I'm quite tired," I told her with a plea in my eyes. "Do you mind if I just go to sleep?"
Her brows hiked up, and she sent a warning glare past me to Dylan before nodding. "Of course, sweetheart. Third door on the left upstairs, it's all set up for you."
"Thank you," I said with utter sincerity, wrapping my arms around myself as I hurried past her.
I knew full well Dylan wouldn't let me leave it at that, but maybe, just maybe, he'd give me some space to process for a few hours. Then in the morning, I could let Ruth toss him out on his ass.
20
Through some miracle of exhaustion or hormones, I actually fell asleep in Ruth's pretty guest room. I couldn't have slept for long, though, because the room was still pitch black when I woke with a startled gasp and a heavy hand over my mouth.
Fear choked me for a second, until I recognized Dylan's fresh, woodsy scent.
"Shh," he breathed, his lips right beside my face. "Stay quiet. We're under attack."
What?
Sure enough, a second later I heard more than one scuff from downstairs, and I scrambled into sitting position, pushing Dylan's hand away from my face.
“Who would be attacking us?” I gasped, feeling around for the pants that I'd taken off earlier. But Dylan already had them and slipped them into my hands.
"I don't know, Brooke, but there're a lot of them. I called in Delta backup, but with the storm, I don't think they'll get