Evidence of Passion (Shadow Agents 7)

* * *

THE CABIN WAS SECLUDED, far away from any prying eyes. It sat at the top of the mountain, seemingly in the middle of the clouds. When Dylan stepped on the balcony, he inhaled a deep gulp of fresh air—and he thought about how quickly his life had changed.

He’d gotten out of the hospital after two days. Two damn long days. Rachel had been there to see him, staying close, because he needed her close by.

Mercer had been at the hospital, too. The boss had come in to update him on the EOD’s efforts to apprehend the others who’d helped Kenneth bomb the EOD.

For now, Dylan wasn’t working that particular case. He was on leave.

The door slid open behind him.

And I’m with Rachel.

He turned and glanced back at her. There would be no interruptions up here. No danger. No threats.

Just him. Just her. The way he wanted it to be.

Dylan lifted his hand toward her. Rachel smiled at him, a sweet, slow smile that started with the curve of her lips and ended with a gleam in her eyes.

She came to him with soft steps, and her fingers locked with his.

The cabin was his, an escape that he’d built years ago because he hadn’t wanted his life to be only about blood and death. Rachel was the only woman he’d ever brought there.

Rachel was the only woman he ever wanted at his side.

She leaned up onto her tiptoes, and her lips brushed over his.

He stilled at the sensual touch, aware of a heavy surge of emotion within him. Did Rachel understand just how much she meant to him?

She eased away from him. “So this is where you snuck off to on those vacation days of yours. You left me behind in the city and—”

“I never want to leave you again.” The words pushed up from deep inside.

Her eyes widened.

He should probably try to be suave about this. Be charming. But he wasn’t the charming guy. He was a fighter, an agent and a man who would kill in an instant if it meant he could protect the woman he loved.

He still held her hand in his. Dylan glanced down at their hands as he tried to find the right words for her.

“For a few days,” Rachel said, speaking softly, “why don’t we just pretend that the rest of the world doesn’t exist?”

Dylan shook his head. “I want more than a few days with you.” He wanted everything she had to give. In return, he’d give her all that he was. “It was never a charade for me, you know that, don’t you?”

Her eyes searched his.

“I wanted you for years. Dreamed of you. Needed you.” He swallowed. “Loved you.”

“Dylan—”

He should probably be on one knee for this. Damn it, what was wrong with him? Get on your knee, Foxx. He slipped down, letting his knee hit the wood of the balcony.

“What are you doing?” Rachel demanded as she immediately tried to pull him right back up to his feet. “Your stitches! You’re going to hurt yourself.”

Doubtful. He could walk through fire then and barely feel the burn as long as she was with him.

He looked up at her. “I want you to marry me.”

Her jaw dropped.