Page 23 of Frank's Felon
“I thought you understood it was your choice.”
“I did what I had to do to get away. Not the first time and I’m sure it won’t be the last.”
Sure, she could have left when he’d given her the chance, but there was something about Frank that had tempted her—that still tempted her. Being with him, having him in her mouth, had given her a glimpse of the woman she had been once, the one who had made her own choices, even when there were none. For a brief moment, she had felt more like herself again. Carefree, enjoying the attention of a grown shifter, one who she knew would never force her, belittle her, no matter how dominant he was. Then the fear had slammed into her, reminding her of what she’d done, of how powerless she really was when it came to the whim of others.
An eerie silence fell on the lab. Fists clenched and unclenched at his side as his lips thinned. “Don’t leave here,” he said as he headed outside.
She gave Frank a minute, and then she followed, opening the front door enough to see what he was doing. He’d stripped down and shifted. Where the hell was he going? Exactly how long did he expect her to wait for him?
Delilah stripped out of her clothing and set them inside the door where they’d stay dry. Then she shifted and followed Frank’s trail. Wherever he was going, he was running at top speed. Delilah had to push herself to make up for his longer strides. Fortunately, running was the one activity of which she’d had plenty lately.
By the time she found Frank, he was sitting on a rock ledge overlooking a canyon. Delilah sucked in a deep breath and inched her way as close as she could push herself, which left her at least five feet from him.
His back straightened. “I told you to stay in the lab.”
“I don’t take orders very well.”
“I see that.”
She rubbed her hands against her thighs, hating the fact that she was here naked, alone. It felt too intimate and too damn right.
“Why did you follow me?” he asked, with a heaviness to his voice that cut through her.
She didn’t like the idea that she had driven him away. “I don’t understand why you left. What I did wrong.”
The intensity with which his eyes locked onto hers made her gasp at first. There was an anger there, enough to make her step back. The moment she stepped back, his eyes lowered. “I never meant to threaten you, let alone force you.”
“I didn’t want you telling Tess about the picture.”
His eyes left her as he stared out at the incredible scenery below. “I mean in town. Taking you to the lab was legit. I still need to know why you had a picture from the WSSO’s files. But what I did to you in that office. . .”
Delilah closed her eyes, remembering his hands moving through her hair, demanding but gentle. A desire had rolled through her even as he hadorderedher to her knees. She loved a strong male, one who wasn’t afraid to show his needs, his wants. She had wanted him as much as he had wanted her, but she felt so vulnerable all the time now, before Frank even. She no longer knew who she was.
One nervous step at a time, she approached Frank, hating that he was sitting on the edge of a cliff. She drew in a deep breath and pushed her fears aside long enough to do what needed to be done. She let her hand sift through his short hair until her hand trailed down the thick muscles of his neck. The tension in those muscles was palpable.
She had no right letting him carry this type of guilt around, not when she was the one who was messed up. “You didn’t do anything I didn’t want,” she confessed, her voice surprisingly soft for him.
Suddenly, he gripped her hand, and she startled. The depth of the drop, the openness below caused her heart to lurch. She couldn’t speak or move. The world was spinning and her brain focused on the ground that would break every bone in her body.
Strong hands gripped both sides of her face. Frank’s face was inches from hers, intense eyes like a life line that she desperately tried to reach to pull herself out of the black abyss that was swallowing her.
“We’re clear of the edge, Del. Do you hear me? You’re safe.”
It took a minute for his words to sink in. Slowly, she looked past him. They stood twenty feet away from where they’d been a minute ago.
“How. . .” She swallowed, hating how weak she sounded.
“You okay now?” he asked, his brows furrowed.
She nodded and focused on calming her breathing. “Can we go back, get your questions over with?”
Thankfully, Frank headed toward the trees, without asking her a single question. He probably suspected she wouldn’t explain her panic attack. She wouldn’t.
Frank led the way, giving her a spectacular view of his backside. Every part of him was ripe with thick corded muscles. His ass alone made her want to catch up and run her hand down his backside. The shifter was truly well built.
“When you’re done looking at my ass, walk beside me so we can talk.”
Delilah smiled. Hell, when was the last time she had smiled so? Never. Delilah caught up to Frank, only granting herself a quick glance at his handsome face. He seemed more himself, brooding somewhat, but not as weighed down as before.
