Locked In Silence (Pelican Bay 1)

“We’re okay, Dallas. I came here to tell you that. And not because I need this job or I feel sorry for you. But because I believe what you said…that if you could go back in time, you would. And because I think that I wasn’t the only one who needed to be heard.”

Dallas lifted his eyes. They were swimming with tears. He shook his head and I instinctively knew what he needed from me.

I reached out to cup his cheek as I spoke. “You have nothing to be sorry for, Dallas. But if you need my forgiveness, you have it. You have it, Dallas.”

He let out a harsh cry that sounded more like a mix between a gasp and a sob and then he was pushing into my arms. I clutched him to me as his hot tears soaked the skin of my neck and his body was racked with violent tremors. I held onto him for a long time, whispering into his ear that we were okay. When he finally quieted I gently pushed him back and wiped at his face.

“Are you finished for the day?”

He nodded.

“Will you come somewhere with me? It’s guaranteed to put a smile on your face.”

Another nod. When he reached for his bandana, I covered his hand with mine.

“You won’t need that.”

He hesitated and then put the bandana back in his pocket. His trust in me tore at my already pained heart. I reached out to take his hand and steadied him as he climbed to his feet. His limp seemed worse than normal as we made our way hand in hand out of Gentry’s enclosure. Dallas let his free hand trail along the fence near Gentry’s head as the bear walked alongside us.

Once outside the enclosure, Loki fell into step next to Dallas. It didn’t take long for Dallas to figure out where we were going. I felt his fingers squeeze mine and he shot me a soft smile when I looked at him. Even though Dallas had already fed the kittens and they were in the process of settling down for the night, they began meowing excitedly when I flipped on the lights and led Dallas into their room. Loki followed us, and as soon as we sat down on the floor, our backs against the wall, the kittens were climbing all over us. Dallas leaned into me and when I looked over at him, he had a soft smile on his face. He held my gaze for a moment, then dipped his head and brushed his mouth over mine. The kiss was brief and chaste, but it rocked me to my core, and I wondered how I was going to be able to keep from losing a piece of myself to this man.

I shook my head as I turned my attention to the black kitten trying to climb up my chest.

Who was I kidding?

I’d already lost so much more than just a piece of my heart to Dallas Kent.

“You got me something?” I asked as I lifted my eyes from the tablet.

Dallas nodded. He looked nervous.

You can’t get mad, he typed out. Promise me you won’t.

I arched a brow at him, but since I wasn’t about to spoil the mood between us, I nodded. “Promise.”

He motioned for me to wait and disappeared around the corner, presumably to go to his room, since I heard his footsteps on the stairs a moment later.

It had been three days since I’d returned to the center. Things had gone back to normal, but with one big difference.

One of the walls between Dallas and me had finally come down.

It wasn’t something I’d even realized until I’d arrived the morning after I’d told him I forgave him. As soon as he’d seen me, he’d smiled.

This great big, no-holds-barred smile. It hadn’t been reserved or hesitant, like he was afraid of showing too much of himself.

It had been the famous Dallas Kent smile.

The one my teenage self had fallen instantly in love with so long ago.

It was the smile he’d reserved for when he’d hit a grand slam or pitched a no-hitter. It was the smile I’d seen in the picture of him and Maddox on the wall by the stairs.

Only this time it had been aimed at me.

Nerdy Nolan Grainger.

Even if the smile hadn’t been enough to metaphorically send me to my knees, his touches would have been.

They were the smallest things.

His fingers brushing the outside of my hand as we walked.

His body pressed up against my back when he stood behind me to point out something he wanted me to see in one of the habitats.

His hand skimming my jawline when he went to push a stray lock of hair off my ear.

Tiny gestures with devastating impact.

But that was as far as he went. He hadn’t kissed me again like he had in the kitten room. The pent-up need for more was slowly killing me, but I was helpless to do anything about it. He’d made it pretty clear that he wasn’t willing to cross the employer-employee line. And truth be told, there was still a little part of me that liked to remind myself that I wasn’t good enough for Dallas Kent. That I was reading into things that weren’t there.