Page 22 of Frank's Felon
“She’s no danger––”
“Do you want me to tell Tess about the photo you were carrying, Delilah?”
Delilah’s eyes went wide, and that slight shake of her head told him what she feared most at the moment wasn’t him. That was the first piece of good news he’d had in days. Whatever she was hiding, though, she didn’t want Tess to know about it.
“I’ll talk with him, Tess,” Delilah said, suddenly wearing a smile and trying to look all casual for her sister.
Tess backed off, but Frank knew that expression of hers as well. Now both sisters were lying, and he had a feeling that before long he was going to be caught in the middle of not one but two battles.
* * *
DELILAH
“So, this is where you plan to fuck me?” Delilah said as she followed Frank into a large building that was set up as a lab inside.
Frank scrubbed his face and took a deep breath. “I guess I deserved that. No, this is simply a place we can talk in private. Our resident geneticist is having a tough pregnancy, and she’s on bed rest for a while. I didn’t want you getting the wrong idea if I took you back to my cabin, or worse, to where we interrogate our enemies.”
“Maybe the interrogation room would be appropriate, considering I’m a security risk now.”
“How did we get to this point, Delilah? I was trying to apologize today.”
“For what? Being an ass?”
“Yes.”
Delilah spun around. He was being serious. She felt more than a twinge of guilt. He really hadn’t done anything wrong. She had made her choice—another bad one in a string of bad choices. She shouldn’t be blaming him for her weaknesses, but she had no inhibitions around him. It almost reminded her of who she used to be, who she wanted to be again. Frank had no clue what she was thinking, clearly, and she had no intention of explaining her life to him, but man-oh-man, she was tired of running. She needed someone to talk to, and it couldn’t be Tess. She couldn’t destroy her sister’s life here. But Frank. . . there was a peace about him she really envied.
“I’m not yours,” she repeated, so he’d understand the ground rules before she said anything more. “And if you sayyet, I’ll punch you.”
“Promise?”
Delilah laughed. Hell, the guy could make her laugh. For some odd reason that made him smile. He had a sweet smile. Not too handsome or boyish. Just sweet, as if he was genuinely happy. It was a good look on him.
“I’ll answer your questions, if you promise not to tell Tess.”
“I can’t promise that. I meant it before when I said I’m in charge of security. I’m the head guard and filling in for our alpha while he’s away. I won’t put my pack at risk.”
She could respect that. It certainly was a lot more than William ever did for her pack, especially when it came to his son. “Fair enough. But I’m hoping you won’t go out of your way to tell Tess something unless you really have to.”
Frank stepped forward and tipped her head back with a firm grip on her chin. “You don’t trust many people, do you?”
The strength in his touch, in the way he held her, traveled down her body, making her shiver in all the right places, but she needed to keep her distance. Delilah held still, showing no reaction to his touch, and said, “I’ve learned most people aren’t worthy of being trusted.”
He released her chin. Those amber eyes held a softness to them right now.
“Go on, Guard. Ask your questions.” He growled again. That was at least the second time he had growled when she had called him guard.
“I want to talk about what happened in town.”
She flicked her wrist in the air as she walked the length of the lab, glancing at the high-end equipment that would draw a high price on the black market. It’s a shame most of the buyers of medical equipment were linked to terrorists, or she wouldn’t mind dealing with them. Then again, this was Tess’s pack, and Delilah wouldn’t do anything that could harm her.
“Nothing happened in town,” she said as she drew a finger along the stainless steel countertops.
“Between us,” Frank said.
The memory of Frank’s hands in her hair, holding her so carefully while she bobbed on and off of him, hit hard and unexpectedly, perhaps because his scent filled the lab. He had been careful with her, despite his infuriating claim that she would be his one day. She stopped having those types of dreams a while ago. Guys like Frank, shifters who were respected in their pack, who cared about their packs—truly cared—didn’t want girls like her.
“Blowing a guy means nothing,” she said, steeling her voice against the rising tide of emotion swirling within her. “You got what you wanted, Guard. Next question.”
