Page 53 of When He Protects

Esme jerked awake. Her eyes flew open even as her breath heaved in and out. In and out. Because her heart raced so hard, she automatically put a hand to her chest. The sheet tangled between her fingers, and it took her a moment to process just where she was and what was happening.

The bedroom of the safe house.

Just a nightmare. That’s all. A nightmare.Because thelittle girl was okay. The truck hadn’t hit either of them.Everything is fine. Fine.

And…Esme was a world-class liar.

She stared up at the dark ceiling even as her heart continued to race. She’d totally lied to Tyler’s face. When she’d run for the little girl, Esme had only been focused on getting to her. Saving her. Not seeing a kid die right in front of her mom.

She’s not dead. She’s okay. You did one good thing, Esme.

And her mother’s voice drifted through her mind…

Start each day with one good deed.

Good deeds had just always been so hard for her. It was the wicked deeds that came easier.

Thus, the naked stroll in front of Tyler. The lie to his face because she’d heard what he said to Clay. As if she hadn’t already known that the man was playing her. No way that a guy like Tyler would ever really wanther.Not for more than some hot and dirty sex, anyway. The forever kind of want? Not happening. He wouldn’t end up with a master criminal.

And she wouldn’t end up with some morally upright and uptight marshal. Vanilla, indeed.

But she did lean over the side of the bed. Peek down at the floor. Because Tyler wasn’t sleeping downstairs that night. He’d taken a pillow and an extra blanket and he’d bunked down right beside her. She squinted at his shadowy form, trying to make him out in the darkness.

“Did you have a bad dream, sweetheart?”

“Mon Dieu!”Her whole body jolted.

“You’re not supposed to slip into French, remember?”

Her heartbeat had gone right back to galloping. “You’re not supposed to try scaring me to death, either.”

“I wasn’t trying to scare you. I was trying to check onyou. You gasped a few moments ago. Then you were almost falling on top of me. I thought it seemed appropriate to ask if you were okay.”

How was his voice so calm and controlled? How was he always in perfect control? Something that drove her crazy. “I wasn’tfallingon top of you.” A sniff. “I was checking to make sure you were all right. I thought I heardyoucry out. As if you’d had a nightmare.”

“Can’t have a nightmare if you haven’t been to sleep yet.”

She peered down at him again. Her hair slid forward. “Why haven’t you been to sleep?”

“Because this drop-dead sexy woman I know flashed her curvy ass at me and made my dick so hard that sleep is a bit difficult.” Rough. Not as calm. A little ragged around the edges.

“Oh.” Her mouth had gone dry. She swallowed. Twice. Didn’t really help the dryness.

“Uh, huh. So, why don’t you lean back in bed? Go back to sleep.”

She didn’t lean back. She might have leaned forward a little more. Definitely hanging half off the bed now. Possibly in danger of falling down on him.

“If you don’t want to go back to sleep,” Tyler added gruffly, “you could always tell me about your bad dream.”

“What bad dream?” she asked.

Deep, rumbling laughter came from him. “You really think I can’t see through your lies?”

She certainly hoped he could not. She worked extremely hard to make sure that no one could see through her.

“Hate to break it to you, sweetness, but I can see you for exactly who you are.”

Sweetheart. Darling. Sweetness. He certainly used a variety of endearments. None of which he actually meant. Instead, when he thought of her, she knew he thought… “A criminal mastermind.”

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