Shelter for Adeline (21 page)

It was an unconventional way of saying that he loved her, but Adeline would take it. Being the love of his life was way better than a simple “I love you, too.”

She beamed up at him, flushed, happy, content. “Okay, Dean.”

He kissed her then. Longer, harder, and much more erotically than the last kiss. They were both breathing heavy when he finally pulled back. “Thank you, beautiful. For loving me. For being here with me. For letting me in. I won’t ever let you regret it.”

“I know,” she told him.

“Now come on. Let’s take care of Coco so I can take you upstairs to that monster of a tub and more appropriately show you how much I love you, and how happy I am that you love me back.”

Adeline’s mind spun with the possibilities. She and Dean had done a lot—
a lot
—when it came to sex, but he still never failed to surprise her…in good ways.

“Coco, time to go out,” Adeline called, not looking away from Dean and not moving.

He chuckled and pulled back enough so she could walk next to him. His hand pushed down into the waistband of her pants and Adeline felt his fingers caressing her butt as they walked. Oh yeah, she loved it when Dean surprised her.

* * *

H
ow could
you be so stupid?

No wonder she didn’t want to eat with you.

She’s fucking someone else.

Letting
him
touch her hair.

Letting
him
kiss her.

Letting
him
into her body.

Letting
him
feed her.

Bitch.

She’d been stringing him along the entire time.

She’d pay for that.

Yes…she was definitely going to pay.

“
A
re
you sure Chief doesn’t mind driving me?” Adeline asked Dean for what seemed like the hundredth time on Sunday morning. He’d called to make sure she was good to go for the trip before Chief came by to pick her up.

“I’m sure, beautiful. He said he had something to do up in Dallas and he was happy to shift his work schedule and do it today so he could drive you. Stop worrying.”

“He won’t freak if I have a seizure, right?” Adeline asked, biting her lip worriedly.

“No. Not at all. He stood right behind me at the ballgame last month to watch over you and make sure we didn’t need anything. He’s stoic. He probably won’t say much, so don’t take it personally, it’s just the way he is. But, Adeline, he absolutely won’t freak if you have a seizure in the car with him. Okay? He’ll take care of you, swear.”

“All right. I just feel bad.”

“Did Douglas call you again?”

It was an abrupt change of topic, but Adeline didn’t call him on it because she knew he wasn’t happy, at all, that she was attending the conference with her boss.

She sighed. “No, Dean.”

“I don’t like that the prick tried to strong-arm you into riding up with him yesterday, even after you told him you already had a ride.”

Adeline didn’t have anything to say to that. Her boss
had
tried to strong-arm her into riding with him. Even going so far as to hint that her upcoming annual review might suffer if she didn’t. But she’d held firm, not even caring that he might be an asshole and lie about her dedication to her job on the review. She’d hopefully not be there much longer so it wouldn’t matter.

There was a beat of silence on the phone for a moment, then Dean said, “I’m sorry. I know, I know…I just don’t like him.”

Yeah, Adeline got that. She didn’t like him either. “You’re coming up tomorrow afternoon still though, right?” she asked.

“Absolutely. I get off around noon, an hour or so earlier if I can swing it. I’ll be there anywhere from four to five depending on traffic. I’ll text and let you know for sure.”

“I put your name on the reservation. If I’m in a meeting or taking a break in the room, you can just grab the key at the front desk without any hassle and come on up.”

Dean’s voice dropped to the sexy rumble that Adeline loved so much. “Sounds perfect. You know…we haven’t had hotel sex yet. I’ll have to see what I can do to keep you from screaming when you orgasm like you do here at home.”

“I do not scream!” Adeline protested hotly.

“Beautiful…”

One word, and it said so much. “Okay, sometimes I do, but that’s because you’re so good with your tongue. And mouth. And fingers. And cock.”

He laughed then said softly, “Just hearing you say ‘cock’ has me hard as a rock.”

Adeline sighed. “I missed you last night.”

“Yeah, I missed you too,” Dean replied immediately. “The bed here at the station leaves a lot to be desired, but even more so because you’re not in it. I’ve gotten used to you sleeping next to me. Be safe for me, yeah? Stay away from Douglas and hide out in the room if you have to.”

“I’m not going to hide out, Dean. I need to network. But I promise I’ll do everything I can to stay away from Douglas. I have no desire to breathe the same air as him. Oh, and the person who interviewed me last week is supposed to be at the conference. Even though it’s a little soon, I’m hoping she’ll have good news for me.”

“God, me too. That would be the best gift ever. I’d love to be there and see that asshole’s face when you tell him you’re quitting.”

“Drive safe, Dean.” Adeline changed the subject. It made her nervous to talk about giving notice when she didn’t even have the job. Although, she’d love to be able to have Dean by her side when she told Douglas she was leaving. It wasn’t that she was scared of the man, he could just be unpredictable. He’d been a dick, then he’d tried seducing her, and lately he’d gone back to being a dick when she hadn’t fallen in line with his seduction routine. So telling him she was leaving the company wouldn’t make him happy, and she had no idea how he’d react.

“I will. Text me when you’re on your way, okay?” Dean said.

“I will. Love you.”

“Love you too, beautiful. I’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay. ‘Bye.”

“‘Bye.”

Adeline clicked off the phone and tucked it into her back pocket. It was good timing, because just then she saw Chief’s gray Ford Explorer pull into a space outside Dean’s condo.

“Coco, come.”

The dog bounded over and Adeline put on his harness and vest. “Be good, okay, boy? No drooling on Chief’s seat, and try not to shed so much. The last thing I want is him getting irritated because your black hair is all over his seat.” She knew she was being ridiculous, not only talking to Coco as if he could understand her, but telling him not to shed. She was still kind of nervous to spend five hours with Chief.

It wasn’t that she didn’t like him, she did, but Dean hadn’t lied when he’d said the man didn’t talk much.

He knocked on the door with two short raps, and Adeline immediately opened it. “Hey, Chief. I’m ready, just let me grab my stuff.”

“I’ve got it,” Chief returned, striding into the foyer and stepping toward her suitcases. She had one larger one with all of her clothes for the conference, then another smaller one with Coco’s food, bowls, a toy, a blanket, and an extra sheet to throw over the hotel comforter to protect it from Coco’s shedding.

“Okay. Thanks.”

Chief nodded his head in reply even as he was reaching for the bags. He was back at the door before Adeline could blink. “You okay to lock up?”

“Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?”

Chief’s shoulder went up in a barely perceptible shrug. “Just checking. See you at the car.”

Okay then. Adeline couldn’t help but smile. She couldn’t wait to tell Beth about this. The other woman had been full of questions when she’d heard Chief would be driving her up to Dallas. Mainly because she didn’t know anything about the man other than he was part Native American and was incredibly close-lipped. She’d even admitted that she’d tried to find something about him online, as she was some kind of computer expert, but hadn’t been able to find much beyond his name, Roman Proudfit.

Adeline picked up Coco’s leash and shut and locked the door to Dean’s condo. She walked down the path to the SUV and headed over to the passenger side. Chief was there to open the back door for Coco. The dog hopped up easily and settled on the seat.

Chief shut the door and opened Adeline’s for her.

“Thanks.”

“You’re welcome.”

He closed the door when she was all the way in and strode around the front.

Adeline took the time to examine him. He was good looking; all of Dean’s friends were. But Chief had the whole silent, brooding, sexy-as-hell thing going on. His hair was as black as hers but longer. He’d worn it loose and Adeline could see it came down just below his shoulders. He usually had it back in a simple ponytail at the base of his neck.

Beth had wanted her to ask him if he ever wore it in a man-bun, but Adeline knew even without having to ask that there was no way in hell Roman “Chief” Proudfit
ever
put his hair up in anything resembling a man-bun. Even with that long hair, he was as masculine a man as she’d ever seen.

He wasn’t overly muscular. He was lean and sleek. That didn’t mean he didn’t have muscles, he did, but they weren’t bulging out of the edges of his T-shirt. His skin was light brown, as befitted his heritage, and his long nose and soulful eyes made his Native American ancestry easy to see.

All in all, Chief was hot and mysterious…which made him even hotter. Frankly, Adeline was surprised he wasn’t already involved with a woman. The women he knew must either already be taken or incredibly stupid, because all it took was one glance and anyone could tell if this man focused on you, really focused, that you’d be the only thing on his mind. And boy was that a turn-on.

Adeline turned her head away as he sat in the driver’s seat and turned the engine. They backed out and headed for the Interstate, all without a word.

She struggled for something to say. “So…how long have—”

“You don’t have to make idle chit-chat,” Chief broke in and said, not unkindly. “I’m sure Crash told you I’m not one for chatting. If you got work to do, go for it. If you wanna read, that’s cool too. You can even take a nap. I won’t
not
talk to you, but I don’t got a lot to say.”

Adeline tried to hold back her smile. She liked blunt speak. “Okay. I get that. If you honestly don’t mind, there is some stuff I could be doing.” She paused for a moment, then decided that if Chief could be blunt, so could she.

“Um…you’re okay if I have a seizure, right? And I’m only asking because I’ve been having them more and more frequently, and unfortunately, I’m due. It’s been almost eighteen hours since my last one and that’s pushing it for me lately.”

“I’m good, Adeline. Don’t worry.”

God, she loved how he said her name. He somehow made it four syllables instead of three.

“Okay. And just…I’ll be out of it, and usually when it stops, I’m still disoriented. I have some water just in case, but if you could maybe help me get to it afterwards, that would be helpful.”

“Sure.”

“I apologize in advance, I—”

“Don’t apologize,” he interrupted. “It’s not something you can control. Just relax. Work until you get tired. You can nap before and after if necessary. I’ll get you up to Dallas safely.”

“Great. Thanks. Seriously, Chief, you saved me from a fate worse than death in volunteering to drive me up there,” she joked.

He smiled a bit at that, turning his head to meet her eyes for the first time. His black eyes piercing in their intensity. “Just because you’re dating Crash doesn’t mean the rest of us don’t care about you. He’s a brother, therefore you’re family. I’m happy to save you from a fate worse than death.”

Adeline chuckled. He was kinda funny under that serious exterior. “Well, I appreciate it. And I’m glad you had a thing you needed to do up there so you could take me today.”

He didn’t respond, and Adeline squinted her eyes at him when the corner of his mouth twitched up as if he was holding back a smile.

“You
did
have a thing, right?”

He shrugged and immediately admitted, “Nope.”

“What? But Dean said you did. That’s why you said you would drive me!” Adeline cried out in disbelief.

“Crash needed you to have a ride, I had some time I needed to use. It worked out.”

“But—”

“Thought you had work to do,” Chief interrupted.

“Well, shit,” Adeline muttered. “Does Dean know?”

Chief’s lip curled up before settling again. “He will as soon as you tell him.”

“Yeah, he will. He should know how good of a friend he has in you,” Adeline said firmly.

“As I said, he’s my brother. He’d do the same for me.”

Yeah, that was most likely true. “Well, I appreciate it. Doubly now.”

“Good.”

It was a strange conversation. Chief didn’t waste words. He said what he meant and meant what he said. “All right, I’m going to get some work done then.”

Chief merely nodded.

Taking a deep breath, and trying to push down the warm and fuzzy feeling she had in her chest—not just because Chief was doing her a huge favor, but because Dean meant enough for him to do it—she took out her laptop. She could work on the latest design for her client. If she got it finished, she could email it tonight at the hotel. That would be one more thing off her plate before resigning. She didn’t look forward to telling her douche boss she was leaving the company, if she got the other job, but such was life.

* * *

F
ive and a half hours later
, Chief pulled up to the hotel in downtown Dallas and Adeline sighed in relief. It wasn’t that the trip had been bad, but she
did
have a seizure, and it had been a rough one.

Right after Coco alerted, Chief pulled off on the first exit they’d come to. He’d parked alongside a random country road in the middle of nowhere and they’d waited. Adeline didn’t remember any of it, but Chief informed her that he thought she’d had a complex partial seizure…meaning it had started out as usual, but had evolved into a generalized convulsive seizure.

In other words, she’d had a grand mal seizure, when she hadn’t had one of those in months.

Adeline knew Chief wasn’t an expert, but he did have medical training, and if he thought she’d had a grand mal, she probably had. It had been tough to come out of it. She felt extremely groggy and out of sorts, and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed, Dean’s bed, and have him hold her.

But she was in Dallas. At a conference. She had to pull it together.

“Stay put. I’ll come around,” Chief ordered as he turned off his engine. The valet took his keys, which confused Adeline, but she didn’t say anything. He helped her out, then opened the back door and Coco jumped out. He tipped a bellman to take care of her luggage and with an arm around her waist, walked Adeline through the large doors to the grand entranceway.

Adeline kept quiet as he led her to a couch covered in red velvet and sat her down. “I’ll check in for you,” Chief said sternly. “Sit here. Relax. I’ll be back.”