Page 36 of Rescuing Baylee
The breath he took then was lighter, easier, and one side of his mouth tipped up in a grin. He held his fist out to her, and she bumped his knuckles, her mouth spreading.
“Hell, yeah,” he breathed.
Landon knew he was getting in too deep, treading dangerous waters by letting his feelings for this woman grow past professional regard. But looking at her now, metaphorically bruised and battered from her ordeals yet still radiating an inner strength, he knew there was no going back.
Baylee took a quivering breath.She hated telling people what had happened to her, but she understood that sometimes, the other person was working against demons that they didn’t know about. She’d learned a long time ago that if she told people what had happened to her, they understood her better.
Her boss at work knew. A few friends. And Mrs. Traeger knew, just in case she had a medical emergency. Baylee could count on one hand how many people she’d told, and it wasn’t very many. It wasn’t the type of thing that came up in normal conversation.
She’d told three men in her lifetime. One, Chase, had been cool, but the other two had looked at her differently after she’d told them, and the vibe in their relationship had changed. Baylee had withdrawn from them, and they hadn’t protested.
It was a little shocking, this situation they were in. She’d gotten used to men being out for themselves, always. Why was he so different?
And now Landon knew. God, had she only known the man, like, three days? That was a new speed record for baring her soul.
Something about Landon, though, drew her. Yes, he appealed to her on a physical level, but there was something in his eyes that told her he was on her side. Yes, he had to be here for his job right this second. That wasn’t what she meant.
There was an intensity in his expression when he looked at her, like everything she said was important to him. And he never made her feel like she was just a scarred woman. It was like he didn’t even care about her scars. The way he looked at her made her toes curl. And the way he kissed her…
He confounded her.
Reaching out, she rested a hand on his cheek. “Thanks for saying that, Landon.”
“I mean it,” he said, covering her hand with his own and turning his head to press a kiss to the center of her palm.
Baylee drew back her hand. It was tingling from the warmth of his mouth.
His phone beeped on the end table, and, with a final squeeze of her hand, he stood up from her to cross to it.
Baylee was glad that she’d told him about being raped. If anybody could understand why she was the way she was, surely it would be a cop. And she appreciated what he’d told her about his fears.
The professional facade had broken, though, and he’d looked supremely pissed when she’d told him about the attack. At first, she’d thought it was at her, then she’d realized he was madforher. Notather. And it made her own emotion swell. He looked like he would go to war for her, and she appreciated it more than she could say.
And it didn’t seem to have turned him off.
She would give him some time and see if anything changed between them. And when it did, she would make the break and move on.
Make the break. They weren’t even anything yet, and she was already thinking about leaving. She’d been on this merry-go-round before, though.
Shaking her head, she took a deep breath. Siggy looked up at her, his crossed eyes making her smile. “You understand me, don’t you buddy,” she whispered.
Landon turned, scowling, and Baylee knew it wasn’t good news.
“Well, they lost the car on the freeway.”
Baylee huffed out a breath. Damn. She’d been hoping that they would catch at least one of the brothers that were after her. It could never be that easy…
“Okay.” She left it at that. Weariness settled onto her shoulders. “I need some sleep. I remade the bed upstairs. You take that and I’ll take the couch.”
Landon gave her a dark look. “You’re joking, right? There’s no way I’m taking the only bed. I’ll sleep right here in the recliner. I need to be downstairs. If they break in, it will be down here.”
Baylee didn’t like it, but she understood his reasoning. “Okay. If you need anything, just yell. I’ll probably hear you. I’m a light sleeper.”
Landon flicked a hand. “I may slip upstairs for a shower in a bit, but everything else I need is down here. Sleep good, Baylee,” he said softly.
She gave him a slight smile as she walked past him, the cat in her arms. “You too, Landon.”
For a second, she had the urge to pause as she passed him, as if for a kiss. Then she moved on, grabbing her backpack as she headed up the stairs.