Just One Touch (Slow Burn #5)(14)

Dex scowled. "Fuck that. You think our offer has anything to do with money?"

Isaac shook his head. "No, but you need to know what you're getting into and what getting into this means."

Zeke shook his head. "Just shut the fuck up before you piss me off even more than you already have. Go check in on your girl and give Shadow a break. We'll let him in on the plan."

Isaac acknowledged Zeke's words with a chin lift, and then he opened the door and slipped into his bedroom.

He sucked in his breath when his gaze lighted on his mystery angel. She was curled into a protective ball in the middle of his bed, her unruly curls spread out over his pillow. The bruises were still evident on her face, but it had been cleaned of the blood and she wasn't wearing what she'd worn when she'd been taken here.

Irrational jealousy crawled up his nape, seizing his chest as he turned to where Shadow sat.

"You undressed her?"

His words came out as a snarl before he could take the time to control his outburst.

Shadow blinked in surprise. "Not me personally. But shit, man, we couldn't put her to bed in those ragtag clothes and with blood all over her. And we needed to know the extent of her injuries. We had no way of knowing how badly she was hurt. I would think you would want her to rest comfortably and not wake up believing herself still in the nightmare of before."

Isaac closed his eyes, wishing he could recall his words and the fact that he'd practically bared his damn soul to his teammate.

"Sorry," he said gruffly. "Is she . . . is she okay?"

Shadow rose and walked to where Isaac stood, but his gaze never went to the woman but instead locked on to Isaac. "It doesn't look serious. Just looks like she was knocked around. She has some bruises on her abdomen and one hip in addition to the ones on her face, but the bleeding stopped a long time ago. Most of the fresh blood was . . . yours."

"Christ," Isaac muttered. "Who the fuck would rough up such a tiny angel?"

"Good question, but you aren't going to get your answers until she wakes up, and here's some advice, man. If you don't want to scare the fuck out of her, get rid of the scowl. She's going to be terrified enough when she wakes up in a stranger's bed after all she's gone through. You're going to need to be easy with her if you want her to trust you."

Isaac expelled a long breath and rubbed his neck wearily. "Yeah, I get it. And thanks, man. I appreciate the help. Dex and Zeke are waiting for you outside. They'll fill you in with what's going on or what will go on."

Shadow took it for the dismissal it was and with a nod, he exited the room, leaving Isaac alone with the woman who'd saved him. He moved quietly to the bed and slid into it beside her, staring down at her delicate, ravaged features. Rage consumed him all over again. Was this the price she'd paid for her miraculous gift? Were people hunting her so they could control her and her gift?



       
         
       
        

He knew the answer. Of course they were. He'd witnessed the hell that the other women of DSS had endured, each of them possessing an amazing psychic or supernatural talent. Even now, they were vulnerable. Targets. But they had the best protection possible. They had husbands who adored them and who would die for them. They had the rest of DSS, who'd die for them just as their husbands would.

But this angel had nothing. No one. Until now.

Unable to resist, Isaac gently traced his finger down the unbruised side of her cheek and then tenderly tucked a wayward lock of her hair behind her ear. Leaning down, he pressed his lips to her forehead.

"Never again will anyone hurt you," he whispered, a vow. "Never will you have to face the world alone. I will protect you with my life. A life you saved even though I was nothing to you."

She stirred restlessly and he froze, afraid he'd awakened her, and it was obvious she needed sleep. Healing sleep. Apart from whatever hell she'd endured before the parking lot incident, healing him had sapped her of any remaining energy. Thank God he'd found her before someone else did.

But she merely snuggled deeper into the covers, burrowing her head into the mound of pillows in his bed. Unable to resist the urge, he slid closer to her and carefully wrapped an arm around her slight body, pulling her into his much larger frame. She sighed as his body heat enveloped her, and she wiggled closer to him as if wanting or at least needing his warmth and the security and safety he'd promised her.

She moved her head from the pillow and nestled it against his chest, her hair tickling his nose as her scent washed over him. It was a gesture of trust even if she wasn't cognizant of it. Or maybe she'd just been devoid of any kind of human touch, tenderness and gentleness for so long that she was drawn to it.