Page 108 of Legacy of Danger
Chapter 31
Mariah sat stiffly in the front seat as he maneuvered the pickup down the miles of ranch road, the ride made rougher by the frozen ground. God, it was taking forever to get back to her house.
She glanced at Vaughn and rolled her hands into fists. Damn him for... everything. She bit her lip. Maybe that wasn't completely fair.
Which pissed her off more? The fact that, for a second, she had considered jumping into Vaughn's mess of a life? Or the fact that no human should have as many bad things to deal with as Vaughn did?
And how about the part where he had created some kind of bizarre mind-meld. She hadn't signed on for that.
Peering out the window, she imagined that shadows grew into dark shapes with evil, red dots for eyes. Despite the insulation of her coat, she tucked her chin into the material and shoved her hands into pockets. Damn these shivers. She couldn't seem to warm up.
"More heat?" His voice pierced the silence, making her jump.
"I'm fine."
A muscle jumped on his jaw. "Yeah. Fine. Obviously." His clipped statement popped her like an emotional rubber band on tender skin.
They lapsed into an uneasy quiet, with the rumble of the truck as the background noise.
Man, she picked a winner in Vaughn, hadn't she?
That question made her as sad as the answer.
The worst part was that, sure, he had made some mistakes in the past. No question. But none of what happened today was his fault. None of it.
Could she stick with him, despite his literal demons and the fact that he might still leave town?
Maybe it was better to plan for a future devoid of Vaughn.
The issue wasn't the life-altering sex. It had nothing to do with the fact that she felt safer in his arms than she ever had anywhere else in her entire life. It wasn't that, despite their differences, they fit together like the perfect puzzle pieces.
Heck, they'd only known each other for a week.
But it felt like years.
In only a week, she'd caught glimpses of what it would be like to have a partner who cared for her but also would go to the mat for her. Literally.
Oh God, what was she going to do?
Balling her hands into fists in her coat pockets, she forced herself to take in a long, slow lungful of air, hold it for four seconds, then slowly let it out, using her go-to breathing exercise when stress became unbearable. She cycled through the breaths again, willing her shoulders and back muscles to relax when she exhaled.
He pulled the truck into her driveway.
Shoving the truck door open, she hurried to the porch, unlocked the front door, and paused. The sun was setting, and behind her, Vaughn's face fell into shadow. It would hurt, but she needed time alone to process everything.
"Well, thank you for the ride home."
"You're welcome." He didn't move but instead took up space between Mariah and the entire universe outside the house. Like he wanted to prevent anything from reaching her. Didn't work before, why should it work now?
"Um, so you have a good night," she tried again. Surely he would get the hint.
"I'm not going anywhere. That is," his voice dropped, "if you'll let me stay here with you."
Adrenaline shot through her limbs. "With me? Like last night?"
Heat flared as he met her gaze. "No. I can't imagine you want me that close to you, much less touching you." He chopped a hand through the air, stopping her protest before it left her mouth. "But that thing is still out there, and no way am I leaving you alone."
"But—"
