on the nightstand again and stood up, moving to another door and disappearing through it, only to emerge a few moments later with a T-shirt and sweats in his hands. Then he knelt in front of me again, his hands on my knees once more, only this time his words made my lungs seize, my pulse flutter.
“Do you need help changing?”
Chapter Seven
Talbot
If she’d had her gun, I might have been her next target.
But luckily for me, she didn’t.
So I just stayed where I was, hands just above the cuts on her knees and staring into her pretty hazel eyes.
I’d gone straight past any hesitation about her being Maggie’s friend and dove headfirst into the deep end. This woman had saved my life. This woman had bled for me. This woman with the shadows in her eyes and the chip on her shoulder . . . she was mine.
And I was going to take care of her.
Even if she fought me every step of the way.
Like right now, the protest bubbling up in her throat.
“I won’t look,” I promised, even though I sort of hated myself for it. “But you need to get out of that dress. It’s dirty.”
Sparking, furious hazel eyes.
It was funny. I hardly knew this woman, and yet I did know her. I knew that the look she was giving me meant she had a rebuke, an argument, on the tip of her tongue, and she was ready to unleash it on me. I also knew this woman wasn’t unreasonable. She’d deferred to logic more than once already.
So, I knew she’d eventually come around.
“I’m sure you want something comfortable to sleep in,” I added, keeping my tone even and gentle. “And,” I added, “I did mean it when I said I wouldn’t look.”
A snort. “Like you didn’t look earlier?”
“I didn’t promise not to look earlier.” I held her stare. “This time, I am.”
Three, two, one. A sigh.
And I knew I had her.
“Fine,” she muttered. “But I swear to God, if I catch one flicker of those gorgeous golden eyes on me, I’ll put my hand-to-hand combat skills to use.”
My thumb traced light circles on the skin just beneath the hem of her dress. “You think my eyes are gorgeous?”
Another sigh. “That’s all you absorbed from my statement? That you have pretty eyes?” Hers came to mine. “Yes, Tal. I think your eyes are absolutely beautiful, and I’m sure you’ve been told that plenty of times before.”
I had.
But not by this woman.
Also, not in that begrudging way, as though she felt duty-bound to compliment me—which didn’t feel as good, but also . . . I’d take any flattery this woman decided to toss in my direction.
“I—” She paused, waited until I was looking at her again. “I also meant what I said about my hand-to-hand combat skills. I will put them to good use, if you so much as put an eyelash out of line.”
Considering she appeared ready to pass out, I doubted that. But, I also figured that Tammy wasn’t a woman who anyone smart discounted, so instead of commenting on her pale skin and shaking hands, I just nodded. “I made a promise, and I don’t ever break promises.”
Her lips parted, a flurry of emotions trailing across her face, too fast for me to discern each individual one.
Then I picked up the T-shirt and said, “I won’t put any body part, eyelash or otherwise, out of line.” I lifted a strand of her long blond hair that was tangled over her face and carefully tucked it behind her ear. “You’ve exhibited your hand-to-hand skills enough already today, don’t you agree?”
Those lips parted again, the bottom one lush and tempting. The top crisscrossed with a tiny white scar through the perfect cupid’s bow. Her breath hit my skin, the spice of the tea and toast floating through the air, tempting me with the sweetness hanging on its coattails.
But instead of leaning in, instead of tasting that tantalizing mix of sweet and spice, I straightened, shifting so I could reach around her and unzip the back of her dress. It parted, revealing a narrow strip of black lace, one that matched the glimpse of what I’d seen covering her pussy, disappearing between the tempting curves of her ass, and making me want to forget all about my promise to not look. Especially, when her breath caught as I undid the hooks.
Smooth, golden skin. Lithe muscles. A freckle just there, calling for my mouth.
Slamming my eyes shut, I moved back