Page 32 of Under Fire

She turned. “No, just the opposite. Watching them makes me long for a relationship like theirs.”

“What kind is that?” Matt cupped her nape and drew Delilah to him.

“A relationship of deep, abiding love, mutual respect, and joy in each other’s presence. That kind of relationship is rare.”

He was silent a moment, thumb brushing over her bottom lip. “I want a similar relationship with you. I respect you and love being with you, even during stressful times like this.”

The butterflies in Delilah’s stomach took flight. “I feel the same.”

A soft, lingering kiss on her lips, then, “I could easily fall in love with you, Delilah.”

“Matt.”

He pressed his finger to her lips to stem the flow of words. “Shh. There’s no pressure and no hurry, sweetheart. You needed to know the truth. I’ve wanted to be with you for a long time. I don’t intend to lose you by holding back now.”

Lose her? Fat chance. She’d pined after him for months. “You won’t.”

A slow smile curved his mouth. “Excellent. I need to call my boss. Are you ready to go to bed or do you need more time?”

“I can’t sleep yet.” Too much sadness.

“Would you like to drink tea on the balcony with me?”

She glanced at him, skeptical. “You drink tea?”

Matt chuckled. “Not a chance. I’ll make coffee for me. I brought tea from Otter Creek. I thought you might need some because of the concussion.” He slid her a glance. “You haven’t said anything in a few hours. How do you feel?”

She grimaced. “Since my crying jag by Mom’s hospital bed, my headache and nausea are worse.”

“Understandable. Grab a blanket and go to the balcony. I’ll be there in a couple minutes.”

Delilah found a blanket in her closet. The early summer evening was cooler than normal and the fresh breeze felt good against her skin.

On the outdoor couch, Delilah draped the blanket across her lap. Although she heard traffic in the distance, nothing within eyesight moved except trees swaying in the breeze. The scene appeared unaffected by the raw pain of her loss. How could life march on as though nothing momentous shifted Delilah’s world an hour ago?

A moment later, Matt sat down and handed Delilah a mug along with a couple capsules. “Over-the-counter headache medicine.”

“Thanks.” She popped the capsules into her mouth and washed them down with a sip of tea.

After consuming half of his coffee, Matt set his mug on the table and grabbed his phone. He called and reported to his boss, Brent Maddox.

Delilah found the conversation fascinating. He and his boss used military codes and terms. If she wasn’t aware of the situation already, she wouldn’t have been able to follow the gist of the conversation. Considering the jobs of Matt and his teammates, that was a good thing. Less chance of spreading information to hostiles.

When the call ended, Matt slid his phone away and gathered Delilah against his side.

“Your boss didn’t object to you staying in Harmony for a few days?”

“No. He promised to assign missions to other teams until Cade and I return to PSI.”

Relief rolled through her. Thank goodness. Yes, she could handle everything without him. Having Matt with her gave Delilah a sounding board as she dealt with her mother’s estate.

She finished her tea and leaned down to place her mug beside Matt’s when a crack sounded and glass shattered.

CHAPTER TWELVE

Reacting on instinct, Matt tightened his grip on Delilah and rolled her off the couch, twisting so he hit the floor first. He flipped their positions and covered her body with his, weapon in his hand and tracking, looking for the shooter between the wrought-iron rails of the balcony.

The woman underneath him gave a soft moan.

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