Page 44 of Frank's Felon
His ability to peel the truth from her scared Delilah. Sooner or later, he’d coax the rest of her secrets from her, and he’d get hurt in the process. She cared too much about him to let that happen.
Five years in prison. . . The shifter needed some peace. Tying himself to her only put him at risk. She had fallen for him. She didn’t even want to think about how alone she’d be again once she left. No, more than alone. She could settle in a city somewhere, surround herself with hundreds of people, but without Frank, life would be empty.
“This is Long Tooth Cave,” Frank said as he led her through the narrow entrance.
“Aren’t there bats in here?” she whispered as they entered.
“Mostly further in, past where we’re going.”
“Is this the surprise?”
“Not quite. Be patient.”
“Getting bossy again, I see.”
“Oh, you’ll see bossy soon enough.”
She loved when he talked like that. All of her warmed at the thought of him touching her, taking control and letting her simply enjoy being wanted, even if it wasn’t love. Frank cared for her, she was certain of that, but she wasn’t the type of shifter he could love. He needed the type that would settle down with him, give him children of his own. His face had brightened when Frankie had plowed into him. The little girl was as bossy as herUncle Frank, but he delighted in every minute he spent with her.
Delilah’s eyes roamed over the cave’s natural beauty as she trailed behind Frank, but her eyes ultimately focused on his shoulders. He was the view she wanted to see every day.
Perfectly sculpted muscles moved beneath the black t-shirt in a way that exuded not only power but a very masculine grace. Her fingers inched to run over his back, except he was talking to her, telling her about the history of the cave.
“Are you listening?” Frank asked.
“Sorry, my mind is wandering.” Delilah tore her eyes from Frank to take in the surroundings he took such pride in. Frank had clicked on an LED light sitting on a stalagmite with a flattened top. The light bounced off the walls of the cave, adding a sense of foreboding to the space. Delilah’s hand landed on Frank’s lower back.
He didn’t notice, or he ignored it as he bent over and scooped up the light. Frank led her down another winding path to a ladder that disappeared down a hole the size of a large sewer grate. Two people could descend side by side, except the ladder wasn’t that wide, so it would have to be one person at a time.
It was pitch black down there. She had no idea how far down the ladder went. Delilah backed into Frank. A warm hand snaked around her stomach as he leaned in and kissed the side of her neck.
“We can stay here,” she proposed.
“It’s perfectly safe. It’s a ten foot ladder with solid ground beneath it, okay?”
She peered over the edge and shook her head.
“I can carry you down if you’d like.”
She peered into the black abyss again. “As sturdy as I’m sure your shoulders are, I’m not sure you could carry me down a ladder without dropping me.”
Another kiss, this time on her mouth, pulled her away from her thoughts completely. “Ok,” she said, before she could think twice. The shifter played dirty. “But I’m not going to be carried down. This is scary enough without being over someone’s shoulder.”
“Fair enough.” Frank descended first, taking the light with him. “See, nothing to it.”
Now that she could see the bottom, and Frank was standing down there as if he were prepared to catch her, her fear disappeared. Before prison, Delilah had climbed through windows, chimneys, tight and dark spaces of all varieties with little or no fear. It was that unknown, that black abyss below that evoked her fear, that damn fear she’d never shake thanks to Warden Anderson.
“Dell?” Frank called from below.
“I’m coming,” she said as she climbed down.
The cavern was breathtaking. The light bounced off a pool of clear water that mimicked smooth marble-like walls. Without the stalagmites and stalactites of the previous sections of the cave, the area looked like a stone oasis. This place held a peace and quiet, an escape from the world beyond. With Frank here to share it, it was perfect.
Frank unpacked a backpack that was resting against the far wall. He pulled out a large blanket and spread it out on the shore of the water.
“Can we swim in it?”
“Unfortunately, no. There are formations below the waterline that are sharp and hard to see, even with more light. I come here occasionally, just to think.”
