Defending Everly (Mountain Mercenaries #5)(27)

“What? Why?” Ball asked.

“To see if hell has frozen over,” Rex quipped.

“Fuck off,” Ball told him.

“Seriously, though, I’m glad, because I’ve heard nothing but really good things about Sergeant Adams. She’d be a good resource to have back here in the Springs.”

Ball hadn’t taken his eyes from Everly’s. She hadn’t moved from where she was standing either. “You’ll call as soon as you’ve got anything from the phone?” Ball asked.

“Of course. If you need anything in the meantime, anything at all, call,” Rex ordered.

“I will.”

“Later.”

“Bye.” Ball clicked off the phone, and still Everly didn’t say anything. Finally, he said, “That was Rex. He’s using his connections and should be able to access Elise’s phone in the next day or so.”

Everly nodded.

“Ev? You okay?” he asked, getting concerned.

“Did you mean it?” she asked quietly.

Ball didn’t ask what she was talking about. “Every word.”

“I didn’t save your life today.”

Ball shrugged. “You could’ve. One of the cops found a knife on one of those guys.”

“I think I’m going to head to bed myself . . . unless you have anything you need me to do?”

Recognizing it for the retreat it was, Ball shook his head. “No, I’m good. I’m just going to go over the notes from the principal again and see if I can find anything on Elise’s computer. Everly?”

“Yeah?”

“There’s more space in the guest bed than the one in Elise’s room, and I could tell you weren’t all that thrilled to be in your sister’s bed in the first place. Also . . . I slept better with you next to me last night than I have in a long time.”

“Are you asking me to sleep with you in the guest room?” Everly asked point-blank.

“Yes,” Ball said.

He could see her thinking about it, then she nodded slowly. “I slept better than I have since Elise disappeared too, and you’re right about me feeling weird, staying in Elise’s room. I’ll stay in the guest room with you as long as you don’t get any ideas.”

“I promise,” Ball said immediately, feeling relieved she’d acquiesced.

“Okay. If you need me, wake me up.”

“I will.”

Everly nodded and headed for the hallway. Ball watched her go. Once he was alone in the living room, he put his head on the cushions behind him and rubbed a hand over his face.

What in the world was wrong with him?

He was attracted to Everly.

He shouldn’t be, and not only because they were working together. He didn’t want to lose his heart to a woman again. Not after Holly had ripped it out of his chest.

But somehow, he had a feeling it was already too late. Everly Adams had snuck under his shields and was slowly but surely chipping them away completely. And the thing of it was, she wasn’t even trying. He knew without a doubt that she was as weirded out by their attraction as he was . . . her retreat tonight made that clear.

Now wasn’t the time or the place to explore this. They had to find her sister. But maybe, just maybe, once she was home safe and sound and things were somewhat back to normal, Ball could call Everly and see if she wanted to have lunch or something.

Yeah, that was a good plan. Find Elise. Go home. Get back into his normal routine. Then see about going out with Everly a time or two . . . and getting this attraction out of their systems.

Feeling better now that he had a strategy in place, he relaxed.

Slow and steady. That would work perfectly.





Chapter Five

Everly woke abruptly, confused. She wasn’t sure what had roused her.

She looked at the clock. Three fourteen in the morning. It was dark and quiet, but she immediately knew she was alone in the king-size bed in the guest room.

Hours earlier, she’d withdrawn because she wasn’t sure what to do with this new Ball.

She was used to him being standoffish and grumpy. The man who’d flat-out told his handler that he needed her, and that she’d saved his life, was someone she wasn’t sure how to deal with.

Of course, she was glad they were getting along, but it was getting harder and harder to fight her attraction to him. She suspected it had started when he’d snuggled up behind her the night before. It had felt good. Too good.

But now he wasn’t in bed with her.

Before she’d headed up to the guest room, he’d said he was going to work for a while longer, but she’d assumed he meant an hour or two. It had been way longer than that.

She hoped he was still up because he’d found something important that might lead to Elise, but if he had, wouldn’t he have woken her up to share it?

What if he’d found something bad . . . and didn’t want to tell her because he was afraid of what she’d do or say? What if Rex had found evidence that Elise had been killed?

Worried now, Everly threw back the covers and headed for the door.

She crept down the stairs and saw Ball at the dining table. He sat in front of a computer screen, the slight glow lighting up his face as he frowned in concentration. Everly opened her mouth to ask him if he’d found anything—but paused when he made a subtle hand gesture, still studying the screen intently.