Tyler (Blue Halo Book 6)

Tyler pulled up outside Emerson’s house and scanned the wooded area. The place was too isolated. He didn’t like that. Isolation meant no neighbors to run to or call for help if needed. It meant trees and bushes for predators to hide behind and questionable phone signals.

He turned his attention back to the small cabin. He knew from the team’s check on her that she’d rented the house for three months. Three months was a long time. It meant she’d come here expecting this job to take a while.

The woman she’d rented it from was actually his neighbor, Mrs. Henry. He’d laughed when he saw that. That’s what you got in small towns.

His team had done a more in-depth background check on Levi Campbell’s life. They’d found that two years after leaving the military, he’d disappeared, which matched what Emerson said about him being taken by Hylar. There was no trace of him after. No car registration. No credit cards or bank accounts. There wasn’t even a rental or mortgage in his name.

So, since the project had been shut down, where had he been living? How had he been paying for things? They were questions he needed answers to. Questions he wondered if Emerson knew more about than she’d let on.

He climbed out of the car and crossed to her door, then rang the bell. A few seconds of silence passed. When no noise came from inside the house, he knocked.

That was when his advanced hearing picked up the rustle of what sounded like sheets, followed by a quiet, “Shit!”

An almost silent laugh escaped his chest. Was she just waking up? It was the middle of the day.

There was the distinct thud of feet hitting floorboards, heading in his direction, before the door opened.

Desire slammed into his gut—hard. The woman was in silky sleep shorts that showed off almost the entire length of her toned, creamy legs. Her top was wrinkled and so low cut that he wanted to groan at how much cleavage was on display. And then there was her hair. It cascaded over her shoulders like a fountain, wild and rumpled.

Fuck, she was gorgeous.

Concentrate on her face, Tyler. Not that it would help him calm the hell down. Her eyes were half-hooded, making his jeans feel too damn tight.

“I’m so sorry,” she said in a rush. “I was up late painting. Make yourself at home. I’ll jump in the shower and be ready in a couple of minutes.”

His groan was loud inside his head. He was going to have to listen to the woman shower?

Before he could respond, she turned, and it took everything inside him to tear his gaze off her ass, which almost poked out from the legs of her shorts as she ran into what he assumed was a bedroom.

Blowing out a long, steadying breath, he moved inside and closed the door behind him. The shower turned on in the other room, and images of her stripping off those shorts and top and stepping under the stream ran through his head, torturing him.

Dammit. He needed to stop.

He took in the living room around him. It was a typical wooden cabin, but there were splotches of color here and there. Color he was almost certain Emerson had put there. A red owl candle holder. A clay mug on the counter. Had she made that?

A framed photo on a side table caught his attention. Slowly, he walked over and lifted it. A younger Emerson stared back at him. On one side of her stood an older woman with a wide smile, and on the other, a tall teenage boy. Levi. He looked similar to the old military photo his team had pulled up. Except here, he was smiling. They all were.

Questions flickered through his mind about her father. The police report said Levi had just gotten home after school, broken a glass, and the man starting swinging. Emerson had been home. She ran to get a neighbor, who’d shot her father to save her stepbrother. Her father had died at the hospital from his wound, and Levi had almost died. His injuries had been significant.

Anger thrummed through Tyler’s veins, and he shoved his hands into his jean pockets to keep from fisting them. He couldn’t stand men who used their strength against women and children. Was Emerson still affected by that day? Had her father ever hurt her?

Tyler was pretty sure he knew the answer. A man didn’t just go from model father to almost beating a kid to death.

Five minutes later, Emerson stepped out of the bedroom. Her hair was wet but pulled up into a ponytail. She wore jeans that hugged her hips and a purple knit sweater that highlighted her features.

Beautiful. The woman was damn beautiful.

She smiled. “Ready?”

He cleared his throat, trying to get some damn air into his lungs. Even that smile could easily destroy him. “I am.” He nodded toward the frame. “Is that you, your stepmom, and Levi?”

Her eyes softened. “Yeah.”

“You look happy.”

She walked over to it and seemed to trace the people in the picture with her eyes. “It was the night before Levi left for the military. I was so sad to see him go, but I was also so happy for him. The military was all he ever spoke about. He wanted to fight for his country. You know the saying, do more, be more.”

Her eyes turned sad, and immediately, Tyler wanted to erase that sorrow. He wanted to bring the smile back, see the lift in the corners of her mouth and the joy in her eyes.

He couldn’t stop himself. He reached out and ran his thumb over her cheek.

Her tiny gasp wisped through the room. When she looked at him, her eyes could slay him.

“I’m sorry,” he said.

“Why?”

“Because you lost him.” The second Hylar had taken Levi, she’d lost him, and he’d been lost ever since.

“I did.” She said it like she was surprised. Like it was the first time anyone had recognized how great that loss had been.

When she stepped away from his touch, it took a lot of self-control to not reach for her again. To not touch her silky-smooth skin.

He trailed behind her as they made their way to his car, then touched a hand to her back before she slid into the passenger seat. Her pulse picked up.

Yeah, I feel it too, Amber Eyes.

He slid behind the wheel and pulled out of the long drive.

“So where are you taking me?” she asked.

“I thought we could park at a coffee shop called The Grind. The woman who owns the place is dating Jason, a man from my team. We can walk around for a bit, see if we catch a glimpse of Levi. If not, we’ll grab a coffee.”

“Do they have good coffee?”

He grinned. “According to Courtney, it’s the best.”

She raised a brow. “And according to you?”

“It’s still the best.”

She laughed, and that lyrical sound hit him right in the gut.

“You have nice hands,” she said out of the blue as they headed into town.

Her statement had his lips twitching. “Nice hands?”

“Strong. Masculine.” She leaned over and ran her index fingers over a thick vein on the back of his right hand. The heat of her touch snaked up his arm. “I might have to paint them.”

He swallowed, and his voice came out gruff. “You’ll have to show me how it turns out.”

He realized he liked the idea of her painting him, even if it was just his hands.

When he glanced over, their gazes caught. Her eyes widened almost imperceptibly. Then she snatched her hand away like the contact burned.

Well, honey, it burned me worse. He was certain of it.

It took the rest of the drive for Tyler to calm the hell down. When he reached town, he parked near the coffee shop, and as promised, they walked around for about an hour. They also spent a bit of time in the park, sitting under the sun. Every so often, the breeze would brush hair onto her face, and he had to physically stop himself from pushing it away.

He was on high alert the entire time. Watching. Taking note of his surroundings. If he wasn’t so well trained, that would have been a hard feat considering how transfixed he was by the woman in his company. She made him laugh. And when she laughed, it was like every part of her brightened with her smile.

The only time she stopped smiling was when they headed back toward The Grind. The shift in her energy was instant.

“I was really hoping we’d catch a glimpse of him.”

“We will.” He’d make sure of it.

Her eyes ran over his body. “Are you wearing a…”

“Tranquilizer gun?” he finished when she seemingly couldn’t.

She nibbled her bottom lip. “Yeah.”

“I am.” It was concealed in a holster. The dart contained a much higher dose than he’d use on a regular man, but then, if he used a lower dose, it wouldn’t stop Levi.

He nudged her shoulder. “I’ve decided to let you paint my hands.”

As he’d hoped, the corners of her lips quirked.

Ah, there it is.

“Let me? Buddy, when I want to paint something, I paint it. No permission needed. I might even add in the rest of you.”

“That’s not fair. You’ll have a painting of me, but I don’t have anything of you.”

They stopped outside The Grind, and she looked up at him. “Well…then maybe I’ll paint you one too.”

Yeah, he definitely liked that idea. But he didn’t want just a simple painting.

Images flashed through his mind of them together. Of Emerson in his arms, his mouth on her neck.

Shit. He seriously needed to stop.

Her focus on him was oddly intense. “Although, I’d need to study your face.” She stepped closer and, to his surprise, reached up and traced a faded scar on his forehead near his hairline.

He sucked in a quiet breath, forcing the air into his lungs.

“There’s a story behind a person’s face. The scars and wrinkles and ridges.” Her finger shifted to his nose. “The beautiful dents.” Then she stroked a line beside his right eye. “The way the eyes are a window to a person’s inner self.”

“What do my eyes say?” he asked, voice gruff. The look she gave him, the way she seemed to see all the little parts of himself that he kept hidden… It was weighted…heavy…but he didn’t mind the heavy.

“That you’ve seen and experienced a lot in your life, but those things don’t scare you away from experiencing more. That you’re open to pain if it gets you where you need to go.”

Shock hit him so hard it was an effort not to flinch. How did she do that? See right into his damn soul?

Almost of its own volition, his hand went to her hip and tugged her closer. It felt right. Touching this woman. Having her close. All of it felt like he was exactly where he was supposed to be, with exactly who he was supposed to be with.

Her lips parted slightly. And every inch of him wanted to kiss her. Taste the beautiful woman who’d bounded into his life from seemingly nowhere.

He lowered his head, his lips just hovering over hers, when a voice sounded.

“Well, hello, Tyler!”