He couldn’t quite catch his breath and his arms were still blue and glowing. He scooted back, out of Noelle’s path so that the agents could get to her. The white-haired Arcadian vanished in one blink, and Dare in the next. Now that Phillips was dead, the Arcadian would be Dare’s only link to whomever he searched for.
Concentrating with everything he had, Hector willed his arms back to normal, channeling the heat through his entire being, spreading it out, letting it seep through his pores like mist. Took several minutes, but the glow finally began to fade, the burn to subside.
Even though he’d been controlling the ability for several minutes, an eternity surely, his success still managed to shock him. He’d never dreamed … had always hoped … yet had always found disappointment. Now … he could trust himself around Noelle. Beyond a doubt, he could be with her safely.
Joy ripped through him, as unstoppable as an avalanche.
Whatever she wanted from him, he would give her. An apology? Begging? Whatever she needed, he would supply. They would be together. Yes, she’d told him they were done if he pushed her away. But that was before this, before he’d proven himself. And she loved him. Just as he was, she loved him. Noelle was not a woman to love lightly.
He dragged himself to his feet. His clothes were singed and still smoking. His muscles twitched with energy, his heart beating so swiftly and with such force he feared it would burst through his chest at any second. “Noelle.” Where was—
There. She had her back to him and her arms around Ava.
“Noelle.”
Twisting, she met his gaze. Her expression was blank, and he experienced a kernel of unease. “Yes?”
“Are you okay?” He closed the distance between them, so desperate to touch her, to finally hold her as he’d always fantasized about, he could barely contain himself.
“I’m fine. And hey, thanks for not killing me,” she said with a bland smile. Then she returned her attention to Ava and the pair strutted out of the warehouse.
Forty-two
NO MATTER WHAT HECTOR did or said the next few weeks, Noelle wanted nothing to do with him. She never gave him anything more than that bland smile. Once, she’d even patted him on the top of his head and pinched his cheek like she’d done to Dallas that first day of camp.
A lesser man would have given up. There was stubborn, and then there was I’d rather die. Noelle bypassed even that. But Hector wasn’t a lesser man. Noelle had chased him, and now he was chasing her. That was only fair.
For too long, he’d just accepted the fact that he couldn’t be with anyone. Then she’d come along and screwed with his head, his body (thank God for that!), and his heart. Now she had to live with the consequences. Because bottom line? He wouldn’t live without her.
He was from the streets, something he’d once considered a stumbling block between them. Well, no more. Over the years he’d learned how to break the rules, and that’s exactly what he planned to do with her.
Noelle spent all of her time furnishing her new home, as well as recovering from the stitches in her side and minor burns on her neck. Though she’d told only Ava her new address, Hector had found her and had showed up the very day she’d moved in.
After discovering out how he’d done it—AIR had pegged them both with the isotope tracker while they were laid flat in the hospital, which was how they’d come to the “rescue” that day in the warehouse—she’d shut the door in his face.
Same thing the next night, and the next. Seeing him hurt her soul-deep. So talk to him? Hell, no.
She had warned him. Let her go again, and lose her forever. At the time, he’d been okay with that. Just because he’d changed his mind didn’t mean she would change hers.
He’d proven to himself that he wouldn’t hurt her. So what. He could touch her without fear now. So what, she thought as longing swept through her. He’d pushed her away one too many times. Had broken her heart into a thousand pieces he could never hope to patch up.
And any time she thought she would cave, she just reminded herself that he could change his mind yet again. He could decide he was still too dangerous and leave her. Not going through this again.
She climbed the steps of her new porch, used the ID pad to let herself in. Night had fallen, and she’d forgotten to program the lights to switch on automatically. She’d spent the day with Ava, who’d kicked McKell out of their apartment and to his man cave so that Noelle could be pampered in peace.
In her living room, she patted the walls until she found the light switch. Took her forever, because she hadn’t yet learned the layout of the place. Hadn’t had voice recognition software installed, either, so that she would only have to speak a command for things to happen. Finally, her finger caught on the switch and light chased all the shadows away.
Hector sat on her new couch, gorgeous as always. Black hair unkempt, shirt wrinkled and rolled up to his elbows, his pants dirt-stained. His arms were bared, without gloves. His tattoos were dark, freshly applied—but those tattoos weren’t symbols for peace. Her name was scripted on every inch of visible skin, from fingertips to elbow. Her heart gave a leap. Stay strong. “What the hell are you doing here?”
Golden eyes pierced her. “Forcing you to listen to me. I’m sorry. I am so sorry for nearly leaving you.”
Another leap. “Nearly leaving me? Ha! You did. Your apology is too late. I’ve moved on.”
He flinched, then quickly rallied. Determination wafted from him.
“I heard you quit AIR,” she said, trying for a breezy tone. When she returned to work, she and Ava would be partners. They would work the night shift. Together, as they’d always dreamed.
As thrilled as Noelle was, she hated the thought of working without Hector.
“Mia hired me back,” he said. “Paired me with Dallas. We’ll be working the night shift, too.”
So he’d checked up on her. I will stay strong, damn it. “That’s cool. Whatever. I’m sure Ava and me will be kicking so much ass, we’ll never be in the office.”
“Predators should be afraid.” His features softened. “I also came to tell you that I love you. With everything that I am, I love you. Just the way you are. I don’t want you to change. I just want you to be with me.”
And yet another leap in her chest. Strong. “Like I said, you’re too late.”
“Noelle—”
“Look, you really need to go.” Before she broke down in front of him.