Wicked Earl Seeks Proper Heiress (30 page)

H
e leaned close. “Goddammit, Rayna. You could have been killed.” He breathed the words, and the anger in his expression morphed into fear as he grabbed her forearms and gave her a shake.

The deep emotion playing across his face tugged at her heart. His tortured gaze held her transfixed. She searched for the words to fix everything, starting with the way she’d botched their relationship, but some things couldn’t be fixed.

She hooked her fingers through his belt loops and drew semicircles on his firmly toned abdomen with her thumbs until she found her voice again. “But I wasn’t . . . thanks to you and Ribs.”

Ty straightened and glanced upward, away from her face. “I thought I was going to lose you. I
won’t
lose you, Rayna.” His piercing gaze fastened on her again, and he raised one hand to caress her cheek. “Don’t you get it? We’re a team. I
need
you, and whether you’ll admit it or not, you need me too.”

Hope flared within her at his words, followed almost immediately by a spark of anger. “If you truly believed that, you wouldn’t be trying to keep me out of the hunt for Andre. If we’re such a good team, why not act like one?”

Ty swept a hand across the back of his neck. “I’m not trying to keep you . . .” He stopped and looked away from her. “Shit. You’re right. I wanted you out of it so you’d be safe, and so I could do my job without worrying about you. I still want you to be safe . . . but I’m fairly certain Joe was going to side with you anyway.” He swung his gaze back to her, and amusement quirked his lips. “Besides, if he takes you home, you’ll just spend all your time worrying about me.”

“Oh, you think so?” Rayna raised a quizzical eyebrow. Did he mean it this time? Would he let her help take Andre down, or was he simply putting her off again?

Ty grew serious. “Stay with me, Rayna, and we’ll get this guy. He won’t know what hit him.”

His soft words and the sincerity in his eyes melted her heart and filled her with sadness at the same time. It sounded like he was asking her to stay with him forever, but he’d already made it clear that he wasn’t returning to Montana. So where did that leave them? The smart thing to do would be to ask, but her courage failed in the face of what his answer could be. For right now, she wanted to believe he meant forever, but the truth was she wanted him for however long he would have her, and she’d convince him later that he couldn’t live without her. Did that make her desperate? So what if it did? She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and pulled him closer as she shook her head slowly. “Try getting rid of me.”

A genuine smile lit his eyes, and his head lowered slowly. His lips touched hers in a lingering kiss, warm and promising more. His arms slid around her waist, pulled her in tightly, and he rested his chin on top of her head. She inhaled a deep breath, and her wild heartbeat began to slow. The safety and comfort of his embrace was exactly what she needed, and it was surprisingly easy to surrender herself to his care. Of course, there were still things to do. They had to get Ribs back and his wounds treated, but for now—­for just a moment . . .

A shrill siren screeched in the distance, disturbing the peace of Nate’s uncle’s property. Ty tensed and raised his head, listening, then pulled his gun from its shoulder holster.