Say I Do (Wilde Ways #10) - Cynthia Eden Page 0,55
oddly tender. “I don’t have the results, and I didn’t run the test already. I told you that taking the test without your permission was something I didn’t feel right doing.”
“One line you didn’t cross?”
“With you, it seems there are more lines than you’d expect.”
The elevator felt awfully small. “How many of the staff members at this place work for you?”
“A lot less than you’re thinking. If they all worked for me, it would be too easy for others to spot them. Plenty of real staff members and guests come and go as they please.”
She reached out her hand and stopped the elevator.
Dex merely lifted a brow.
“Who are you?” Lacey asked.
“I’m Dexter Ryan, but you know that.”
“That’s not what I mean.” She crept toward him. Why did she always feel almost as if she was being pulled closer to him? “Heather called you a monster.”
“Um, yes, but considering she tried to shoot you in the heart, do we want to take what she says as gospel?”
“Are you a monster, Dex?”
His eyelids didn’t so much as flicker. “What do you think?”
Chapter Fourteen
She couldn’t stand this close to him, couldn’t smell so good, couldn’t look like the best dream of his whole life and think he was a monster.
Dex’s muscles ached from tension as he stood before Lacey and waited for her reply.
“You play with people’s lives.”
Guilty.
“And I think you have more power than most people can imagine.”
He did. He knew where a lot of bodies were buried. Mostly because, he’d buried many of them.
But I’m not a monster. I’m a man. Don’t look at me and think—
“What matters to you, Dex? Why do you do this job?”
He wanted to touch her so badly. He didn’t. You. I do it for people like you. For the people in the world who were good. Because the world wasn’t all shit storms and nightmares. There were people out there worth fighting for. Things out there that mattered. “You ever see four-year-olds play soccer? They run around the field, trip over each other, and laugh like hitting the ground is the best thing that ever happened to them.”
A faint furrow appeared between her eyebrows.
“You ever seen a sixteen-year-old boy take his first girlfriend to the prom? He’s nervous as hell, his fingers shake so badly he almost crushes her corsage, but when he drives away with the girl in his truck with him, his smile is so big you’d think he won the lottery.”
The furrow grew deeper.
“And have you ever watched an eighty-nine-year-old grandmother wipe away tears when she sees her granddaughter walk down the aisle while wearing the dress she wore so many years ago?”
“Dex…”
“Those are good moments, Lacey. Good people. That’s why I do the job.” He was talking about moments he’d seen from other people’s lives. Because it was those people who mattered. “Someone has to fight. Someone has to do the dirty work and make sure that the world stays safe. And no, it’s not pretty. And, no, it’s not a job that lets me keep my hands clean.” His hands were covered in so much blood that he’d never be able to wipe it all away. He’d stopped trying long ago. He looked down at his hands. The hands that had touched every single inch of her body, and he had to ask her, “Do you think I’m a monster?”
There was a quick beep of sound, and then a voice blasted over the intercom, “Sir, are you all right? Is there a threat?”
Dex’s gaze lifted to sweep over Lacey’s beautiful face. “Yes, there’s a threat all right,” he muttered. The biggest threat he’d ever faced.
Her eyes widened.
Hell. “Everything is fine,” he said, making his voice louder so that he’d be heard.
“Then we will restart the elevator, sir,” the voice responded quickly.
There was a hum and the elevator jerked a little. Lacey’s stare darted to the upper left corner of the elevator. “You’ve got eyes watching us, hmm?”
He didn’t bother glancing toward the video camera. “They’re being extra vigilant now. Considering what happened, they have to be.”
Her attention returned to him. “Whoever is watching obviously saw that I was the person in here with you. Do those agents think I’m some kind of threat to you?”
You are, baby.
The elevator dinged.
The basement level had been buried deep. They’d needed to pass a few storage floors before reaching the lobby level. The doors slid open, and Lacey turned away.
He followed her and reached for her arm. “You didn’t answer my question.” He pulled