So, why would Dillon want to feed her?
She took his outstretched hand and followed him outside. They walked in silence for a long while, following a trail that wound through the woods. The smell of earth and pine comforted her and washed away any leftover confusion.
All that mattered was her hand in Dillon’s. His warmth travelled up her arm and wrapped around her heart until she couldn’t stop smiling. Whenever Dillon glanced over at her, he smiled, too.
At the top of a hill was a small grove on the edge of a cliff. A picnic table stood in the center so that anyone who sat down could look out over the mountain and the town in the valley below.
The sight stole her breath and beckoned her closer. Dillon hovered behind her, like he was afraid she would throw herself off the cliff. It wasn’t even that far of a fall. The cabin roof sat only ten feet beneath the ledge. She wanted to tell him to back off but didn’t know how.
Room to breathe was all she wanted to ask for. She told herself that this was different. Tommy hovered over her to make sure she could never do anything for herself. Dillon wasn’t trying to do that. At least, she didn’t think Dillon would do something like that.
She wasn’t made of glass, though. Her small frame and high-pitched voice made her look frail, but if she could be broken, then she would have shattered long ago.
When he didn’t step away from her, she swallowed her sigh and went to the table. Dillon set the bag of food down and started to unload it, carefully opening every container and pushing them toward her. When he pressed a plastic fork into her hand, she pursed her lips.
“I know I’ve made some awful decisions that make me look like I can’t take care of myself, but I know how to eat,” she said, keeping her voice low and meek even though she felt a restlessness thrashing in her chest.
Dillon froze. He blinked. “You don’t want to eat my food because I paid for it. I put that fork in your hand, so you have no excuse.”
Her cheeks heated. Now she felt like an ass. Dillon’s hovering had brought out her bitterness, and he didn’t deserve to be treated like that.
She hung her head, ready to apologize.
“Don’t say sorry. Try a crab Rangoon.”
The scrape of a container against the picnic table brought her attention up. Dillon sat beside her, so his thigh touched her and filled her with more warmth.
She couldn’t figure out how he made her want to throw herself on him and shove him away at the same time. Clearly, there was a problem with her and not him. Dillon had done nothing wrong. She was struggling to find a balance in her new life. While Evangeline had independence in her very bones, Isabella had to forge her own.
Her first attempts at it were truly weak.
Would she ever be her own person? Or would someone always have to pull her strings and follow in her wake to make sure she did nothing stupid on her own? She hated the thought that she would always be someone’s responsibility and never her own person.
She would be a great mom, though. That was the one thought that she clung to. No matter what else happened in her life, she would raise a happy baby, and she would savor every moment of it.
“Don’t like crab Rangoon?” Dillon asked, almost sheepishly. He shuffled the boxes. “I bought eggrolls, honey chicken, and something called Bang Bang shrimp.”
She finally took in the containers laid out before her and realized that Dillon had gone overboard. Perhaps he could eat all this food on his own, but it still seemed an odd assortment of items that didn’t really match.
Unable to deny her hunger any longer, she grabbed an eggroll, but paused. “Did you buy all this because you didn’t know what I liked?”
“Well, yeah. I wanted to make sure you could eat.”
She cocked her head and smiled. “You know, you could have just asked me what I wanted. You wouldn’t have had to buy so many different entrees.”
Dillon seemed unperturbed. He popped a spicy shrimp into his mouth and winked.
The array of choices felt like a buffet. Looking at all the open choices before her made her mouth water. In the end, she ate way more than her fair share. Yet, Dillon still didn’t seem to care. He acted as though the food was hers, rather than his.
She felt a bit of guilt for being mad at him earlier. He’d only been trying to protect her.
“Why are you so nice?” she asked, lifting her gaze to meet his.
Dillon stared at her. Somehow, her question had stunned him. He always said the right thing at the right time, but now it was as if he was at a loss for words. He blinked and looked away.
“I’ve told you before, this is how all men should act.” He offered her a fortune cookie.
She took it from him, letting her fingertips graze his in the process. His breath hitched, a small gasp that she caught. Her heart got over-excited and began hammering.
“The last man to buy me this much food was my father,” she said, trying to joke.
“Where is he? He should have been the first to warn you about Tommy.”
Struck by memories she’d shoved away for too long, Isabella nearly crushed her fortune cookie. She shook herself and looked up. “He moved away when after he filed for divorce. Usually kids get mad at their parents for splitting up. I didn’t want to keep them together. I wanted him to take me with him when he left.”
But, he hadn’t. Her father had vanished the moment her mother signed the divorce papers. Her mother had gripped harder when her hands already felt like talons on Isabella’s skin. It wasn’t like Isabella could leave her, too. Not then.
Isabella shook her head. She’d never meant to get caught up in her family history. That was all behind her now. Before her lay a future in which she could do better than her mother. She wouldn’t tell her child that they needed to make themselves smaller to keep a partner. Isabella would raise her baby to know their own worth and to find someone who would celebrate them.
“For the longest time, I was afraid the people in my life would leave me. I held so tight to Tommy because I felt like I’d tricked him into a relationship, and the only way to get him to stay was to keep him happy.”
“What about your own happiness?” Dillon asked.
Her gaze lifted and found his earnest eyes studying her. She pressed her lips into a firm line.
“I get by,” she said. “I like writing romance novels. I’m really excited to become a mother. That’s about it.”
His lips twisted to the side. “I don’t know how to treat you.”
She recoiled, confusion souring her stomach.
Dillon touched her cheek, his palm barely connecting with her skin. “I’ve never been around a pregnant woman before. It scares me. How do I keep you safe? Are you really as fragile as I think?”
She opened her mouth to tell him that she wasn’t fragile, just weak, when voices began to climb the hill toward them. Evangeline’s voice carried the furthest, followed by Gavin’s growls. When Gavin made a sound of dismay, she knew Casey had defended his mate—probably by bopping Gavin.
“What are you two doing hiding up here?” Gavin asked as he stepped into the grove.
Casey sat on the other side of the picnic table and pulled Evangeline into his lap. When he kissed Evangeline’s cheek, a furious jealousy overtook Isabella. She clamped her hand over her mouth, alarmed at her own emotions. She couldn’t help but be aware of how empty her other hand was when she flexed it.
No one would touch her like that anymore. Not that many of her exes had ever been so affectionate. Dillon’s words reverberated through her mind. He thought she was fragile right now, as if she would lose her baby if he even looked at her wrong.
Sure, she’d heard a lot of pregnancy horror stories, but it wasn’t like she would fall apart if Dillon held her hand.
Isabella’s eyes widened. Why was Dillon the first person she thought of? Her gaze slipped toward him, and she found him watching her. He barely paid his friends any attention at all. The way he looked at her made her think his wo
rld had shrunk down to her and only her.
She bit her lower lip and watched a bit of yellow begin to circle his blue irises. The contrast between blazing yellow and cool blue entranced her until Evangeline leaned down to whisper in her ear.
“While we’re up here, there’s no one in the cabin who will be able to hear you if you need to scream.”
Isabella balked, shooting her best friend a wary glare. Evangeline stood upright, clearly proud of herself. She even tossed Isabella a sly wink before claiming her seat on Casey’s lap once more.
Casey raised a brow as he regarded his mate. It was clear he knew she was up to something.
Isabella’s face flamed. She couldn’t handle it anymore. She shot out of her seat and tried to get her feet over the bench seat. They tangled with each other, but she finally found her footing after stumbling for a solid minute.
“I have to go…check on Persimmon.” She lurched down the hill, back toward the cabin.
Was she really that obvious? Isabella bemoaned her inability to be subtle about her attraction to Dillon. She covered her face with her hands, but they weren’t as cold as she would have liked. Nothing could tame the heat searing her cheeks.
She couldn’t deny how nice Dillon was to her, but that made her think she was attracted to him because of that alone. Dillon had entered her life in a time when she was starved for attention and kindness. Like a drug, she wanted more from him.
It didn’t seem right to lead him on if that was all she wanted, though.
She paused at the door and glanced back. Maybe Evangeline wanted her to get this out of her system, though. Evangeline had said nothing about a relationship. If anything, Evangeline had made it sound like she wanted Isabella and Dillon to hook-up.
Dillon’s muscle-bound body filled her mind. Her imagination conjured his soft smile and wondered if he would love her gently or if his dragon would urge him to be rougher. She wouldn’t have minded either.
Cursing, she let her forehead fall against the unopened door.
“Are you alright? You ran out of there pretty fast.”
She let out a squeal and bolted upright. Dillon stood near her elbow with his head bent so he could get a better look at her.
“Oh, fine. I mean, I’m fine.” She tried to force her lips into the shape of a reassuring smile, but she thought it might have come across as queasy.
“The Chinese food didn’t upset your stomach, did it?”
She threw up both hands in a placating gesture. “No! It was absolutely delicious. I just…Evangeline…she said something…”
She could have sworn a red blush flooded his cheeks. “Oh, um. I might have heard.”
Isabella straightened. No one else had followed them down the hill. So, she took Dillon’s hand in hers and led him inside.
Her heart fluttered against her breastbone, but she didn’t try to calm it. She let the anticipation fill her while Dillon closed the door behind them. Before taking another step, she rose on her tiptoes and pressed a chaste kiss against Dillon’s lips.
“Thank you for everything,” she whispered, barely pulling away.
A growl vibrated his chest. He leaned into her as his hand grazed her hip. She savored his warmth, comforting as it was in the tumultuous time. Around Dillon, her world no longer felt uncertain. He grounded her in a way she’d never felt before. A deep-seated need for more gripped her, making her curl her fingers into the front of his shirt.
With his free hand, Dillon brushed her hair away from her face. His eyes followed the movement before trailing down her cheek, her neck, and lower. Warmth blossomed along her skin, making her feel alive.
She’d been touched before. Men had come to her for sexual favors, but none had made her feel like this. Under Dillon’s gaze, she wasn’t just a piece of meat to be fondled. He savored her, stared at her like she was a work of art. She knew she was no marble masterpiece, but he didn’t seem to care.
She slid her hands up his chest and wrapped her arms around his neck. Where this would go next, she wasn’t sure. Did she want to go any further? Did she want to drag Dillon into her room, or should she end it here?
Dillon cupped her face and regarded her for a long moment, like he could sense her hesitation. “You tell me when you’re ready.”
Her breath hitched. She opened her mouth to say that she was, but the words wouldn’t come out. Her stomach churned nervously. The anticipation from earlier turned cold. Tommy’s words returned to haunt her. She didn’t want to be too easy. She didn’t want to jump from man to man while she found out what she wanted.
That wouldn’t be fair to Dillon or herself. She needed to take her time and work on being confident on her own.
Swallowing, she reluctantly unwound her arms from his neck and took a step back.
“I’m a patient man,” Dillon assured her. “Not like those hot-headed fools I live with. When you’re good and ready, you come to me. I’ll be waiting.”
He laid a gentle kiss on her forehead before passing and leaving her alone in the hall. She’d never assumed that Dillon would say something like that. Her heart clenched as she stared in the direction he’d gone. At first, she blamed the sensation on fear, but she soon realized it was only the unknown that had upset her.
No man had ever promised her something so sweet. Dillon barely knew her, and yet he promised to wait for her. She didn’t even know if Dillon would be what she wanted when she was ready to date again.
She covered her mouth with her hand. Did that mean he already knew he wanted her?
Chapter Seven
“What would your friend like?” Dillon asked into the phone.
Silence lasted for a heartbeat before Evangeline crooned, “Why? Is it because you like her? Are you falling for my friend? Do you want to mate her up?”
Casey’s mate was sometimes too much. More often than not, she filled the empty space with noise, so Dillon didn’t have to speak up, but in moments like this he wondered how Casey dealt with her. She would be ferocious when she changed.
Daphne had booked her flight, though it was still a month away. Casey’s sister had helped a number of new shifters enter Zander’s pack. If anyone could guide Evangeline through the process with the fewest hiccups, it was Daphne.
Casey had warned Dillon and Erik against catching feelings for his sister, but Dillon had no interest in either Evangeline or Daphne. Both were too loud and aggressive. He liked Isabella, who’d spent the last week softly padding around the cabin. She’d filled the space with the smell of fresh blueberry muffins and buttermilk pancakes, so the cabin seemed like a real home for the first time since Dillon had arrived.
Dillon knew what he wanted. He only needed to wait until Isabella was ready to love him, too.
On the other end of the call, Evangeline groaned, probably frustrated that she couldn’t get a rise out of him like she could with Gavin and Erik. “I don’t think Isabella is that difficult to shop for. You helped her move in. She likes plants and her rabbit.”
Dillon picked up a bottle of bubble bath and turned it around to read the back. The long ingredient list made no sense to him. He didn’t know why he even bothered. Still, he tossed it into his basket.
“Plants and rabbits,” he said back to Evangeline.
“I guess so. Or you could just give her some good dick.”
He closed his eyes and steadied his breathing. Leave it to Evangeline to jump right to the obvious. He wanted to touch Isabella more than anything. Every time he crossed her in the hall, his beast would shove him in her direction. The beast growled and scraped for physical contact, but he’d told Isabella that he would wait.
As it turned out, that was the hardest part for him.
Dillon was an animal, at heart. He didn’t know how much patience he had left in him. His lonely beast had all but claimed her. He only needed to mark her so the others would know she was off limits. No other woman would ever appeal to him the same.
Had Gavin felt this way about the woman h
e’d thought to be his mate, then he wouldn’t be hiding in the mountains. He would be hunting her down and convincing her to come back to him. Dillon’s rising feelings for Isabella only proved to him that Gavin had never known love. Though, that shouldn’t have surprised him considering the way Zander treated those in his care.
He said goodbye to Evangeline and tossed a few more items into his basket. Isabella had been working hard around the cabin. She didn’t need to work to earn her keep. He hoped this reward showed her that.
***
Isabella had two doctors tell her that it was amazing that she was already showing. Because of her erratic cycle, she hadn’t noticed her first missed period. The first doctor informed her that she was further along than she’d anticipated. That coupled with her petite frame meant that she would have to start hiding her bump soon. Not yet…but soon.
If she didn’t, then Gavin would surely kick her out. She didn’t see him around the cabin often, only when he needed to sleep. She couldn’t interrupt that man’s sleep schedule with a crying baby. Gavin seemed to be going through something, and while she didn’t understand, she didn’t want to make his healing process any harder than it already was.
Except when he asked her how to find Nellie. His obsession with her friend struck Isabella as strange. Nellie had asked both Isabella and Evangeline to keep her whereabouts a secret, so Isabella gave him a non-committal shrug every time.
When he came roaring into the kitchen, she quickly covered her newspaper before looking up at him.
“Still not going to tell me?” Gavin asked.
Isabella have him her usual shrug. Gavin’s upper lip curled. She wanted to ask him why finding Nellie was so important to him, but he stormed out of the room before she could say anything.
Her shoulders dropped, tension flowing out of her as her muscles relaxed. She uncovered her newspaper and pulled it closer before circling another option. There weren’t many apartments in town that she could afford, but every now and then she came across a studio that seemed nice.
Finding The Forgotten (Rogue Dragons Book 2) Page 5
