Chapter Eight
Makena waited while Shane did his usual visual and physical check of the safe house. He looked under and over everything. Checked the traps he’d laid at the doors and windows to see if anyone had tripped a wire or moved a crumb.
He came back into the living area, tucking his gun away and dropping his keys on the kitchen table. Those long strides and the determined look on his face suggested he had a lecture just waiting on his tongue to be delivered.
She loved to watch him move, all lethal and stealthy. He stalked like a panther and rarely lost focus. But that didn’t mean she was in the mood to hear him complain about whatever was on his mind. Not when she had a point of her own to make.
“You hated him.” She meant Tyler, but she guessed Shane knew that.
He exhaled, long and loud, before lifting his head to stare at her. “Yep.”
The force of his gaze almost knocked her backward. They stood on either side of the table with the furniture between them as a shield of sorts. She couldn’t help but think they stood on the edge of a verbal war, though she did not know why.
“You didn’t exactly hide it.” Which touched off a bit of an angry fire inside her. That website meant a lot to her. Having Shane wave the work off as if it meant nothing put a bigger wedge between them than the table.
“Neither did he.”
Something in his tone grabbed her attention. The words didn’t sound right. “Meaning?”
Shane rested his palms on the chair in front of him. “He wanted to climb all over you.”
A hiss escaped her lips at the ridiculous comment before she could stop it. “What are you talking about?”
His eyes widened and his mouth dropped. “Do you really not know this Tyler guy has a thing for you?”
But they were...he’d never... Her mind started spinning as the memories of all their meetings flipped past in her head. Talking over coffee. Meeting for dinner at his house. But she’d kept it professional.
Tyler had a boy-you-crushed-on-in-high-school look to him. Very cute. Friendly and charming. But she didn’t feel anything more than respect for him. The older she got, the more she loved Shane. That had started blocking out her attraction to anyone else, making it impossible for her to move on. But Tyler didn’t know that, and now she wondered about the signals she’d sent.
Guilt smacked into her. On top of the fear and adrenaline spikes of the past twenty-four hours, she could not handle one more emotion. So she packed it away to deal with later. And she would. She and Tyler. She’d make him understand.
“We work together. He’s never made a move.” All true, but now she wondered about the little things. The way he remembered her coffee order and made sure she ate. The glances he threw her. Why hadn’t she seen it?
“Yet.” Shane leaned harder against the chair. The wooden legs creaked and his hands balled into fists. “When he does make a move, what will you do?”
“We’re not talking about this.” Opening up about her love life with Shane could not happen. She needed to preserve some dignity.
He pushed off the chair and walked around the table toward her. “Are you interested in him?”
No, no, no. “Shane, you can’t be this clueless.”
“So, you’re not.”
Totally clueless. “Obviously not, as you should know.”
“You’re talking about the kiss.”
She couldn’t breathe. Could barely draw in enough air to speak. “It didn’t mean anything to you.”
“Did I say that?”
For every step he took, she took two in the opposite direction. They were all but ringing the table. She needed to leave. That was the answer. He could play this game on his own. She headed for the door.
“Where are you going?”
His question stopped her. She turned around to face him with her hands behind her, locked on the doorknob. “I need a walk.”
“It doesn’t work that way, Makena.” Then he was right there. In front of her and so close. “I stay here. You stay here.”
“You’re the one I want to get away from.” The words shot out of her before she could call them back.
Instead of being offended, he smiled. His hand caressed her cheek and he moved in closer. “Am I?”
She had no idea what this was or how to react. She knew what she wanted to do but went with dropping her head back against the door. “You’ve made it clear you’re not interested.”
“Now who’s clueless?” His hands rested on either side of her waist, and his stance widened until his legs straddled hers.
“You practically ran out after we kissed.” The comment came out as a whisper as she searched his eyes for some explanation of his sudden interest.