Wrecked By Love (PAPERBACK)

Chapter One
Bella
I wasn’t in the woods at midnight behind my brother’s house to have mini orgasms caused by Dean Cannon, my brother’s best friend, from merely breathing in my ear.
When I grabbed his wrist to dislodge his hand from my mouth, I noticed a few things.
One, I couldn’t even wrap my hand around his wrist. Two, he was unquestionably all muscle. He was solid. There was no give under my hand. None. Three, he didn’t move the slightest when I pulled on his wrist. Not even a millimeter. Four, he had to have some sort of electrical suit on because the currents were expanding.
Through my hand.
From his wrist.
To decidedly specific body parts on me.
Oh boy.
“It’s me, Bella. Don’t scream.”
Scream? I was having trouble breathing.
“Are you okay?” The sparks tingled even after he removed his hand from my mouth. Only to place both hands on my waist.
In an attempt to divert attention away from the fact I was not, I snapped, “Dammit, Dean! You scared the crap out of me.”
“Bella, you are running in the woods in the middle of the night.” Dean’s disbelieving tone clearly pointed out the obvious stupidity in my statement.
“Yeah, but I’m not lurking behind trees scaring people.”
“Bella.”
Not sure what he meant by that Bella, I remained quiet and focused on controlling my rampaging hormones. An extremely challenging task, even when we had a room separating us. But with this proximity? Prayers were in order.
“Wait. Why are you lurking behind trees in the middle of the night?”
Dean continued to hold me as he scanned my face. “I just left Alex. We knew you’d be out running tonight, so I told him I’d check on you on my way out. Save Alex the trouble.”
“What? Why?”
He gently squeezed me. “I wanted to avoid bailing you out of jail and Alex the headache of having you detained, again.”
My eyes widened. “What?”
Dean smiled.
My stomach dipped.
“Bella, a year ago you thought you had a clue and broke into Old Man Harper’s cabin looking for it. Alex and Trent had to finagle his kids into not pressing charges.” He shook his head. “Every time you think you figured out something new about the accident, you and Rocky take off on some wild goose chase that leaves either Alex, Trent, or me cleaning up after you. Since tomorrow marks ten years, it’s not that difficult for me to assume you’d up your sleuthing game.”
“How were Rocky and I supposed to know they had an alarm installed on the premise?” I stomped my foot and grumbled.
Chuckling, Dean pulled back, grabbed my hand, and led me down the trail. “I don’t know. Maybe breaking into someone’s house isn’t the way to go.”
“It was vacant, so technically we didn’t break into anyone’s home.” I couldn’t ignore the sparks emanating from his hand anymore and tugged mine free. “Where are you taking me?”
“I’m walking you back home.”
I stopped in my tracks and replied, “Who said I was done jogging?”
One of Dean’s eyebrows lifted. “You were standing behind Alex’s house”—minor detail—“and there is no way in hell I’m letting you walk around at night by yourself.”
Of course, he wouldn’t. Dean’s protective ego wouldn’t survive my womanly independence.
“What about you? I mean, after you verify I’m secure in my apartment, you’ll be all by yourself at night.” I stood in the universal pissed-off woman stance—hands on my hips.
Dean’s response? He crossed his bulging arms across his massive chest.
I threw my hands up, turned around and marched away harping, “You do realize women have been taking care of themselves for centuries, right?”
He ignored my question. “Did you have another nightmare? Was it the same as the previous ones?”
My next step faltered as my feminine outrage vanished to be replaced by shock. After Alex had admitted me to the psychiatric ward at Granite Creek Hospital ten years ago, I’d learned to hide the nightmares from everyone. How did Dean know I still had them?
“No nightmare,” I readjusted my ponytail as the lie poured from my mouth. “It’s ten years tomorrow. Tonight. It’s understandable I’d have trouble sleeping.”
Dean grabbed my elbow, and those damn sparks ignited. His voice was gentle but firm. “Hey. Don’t lie to me, Bella.”
Looking over at him, I saw he was serious and a little—hurt? Of course, he wouldn’t take me lying to him, but Dean wasn’t someone who had earned the right to my nightmares, no matter how much my sappy heart demanded otherwise.
“Sorry, Dean.” Hedging on what I could reveal without Dean rushing to Alex, I gave a little. “Both. It’s the same and not.”
I was grateful to see my apartment complex and hoped Dean would take it as a sign not to push for more. Because while the nightmare was the same, the woman’s voice was not. And her yelling “Oh my God! What are you doing?” was absolutely different. I didn’t need or want the pitiful look that was sure to come from Dean as he reminded me again that it was just an accident.
“You should have turned your outside light on before you left.” Dean focused on my entryway.
“I did.”
His expression plainly called bullshit.
“I did. I bet the light just burned out.” I hoped.
Dean removed my keys from my hand. “Wait here.”
After years of Alex and Dean’s protective streak, I knew my best course of action was to wait while he ensured my apartment was safe, and since I lived in a small space it wouldn’t take long.
Sure enough, Dean returned quickly. “Do you notice anything different?”
“What?”
“Anything look different?”
My stomach dropped as I glanced around my apartment. “Was someone in here?”
Guilt flashed across Dean’s face as he made it to me. “Shit. Sorry, Bella.” He rubbed my arms. “No, no one was here.”
I thumped his chest once and bit out, “Dammit, Dean. Give a girl a heart attack, why don’t you!” I did my best to ignore his hands caressing my arms and how good it felt.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” He watched me. “Are you okay?”
Taking a step back and out of his reach, I bumped into the door and blindly reached for the doorknob. “I’m all good.” Not really. “Thanks for walking me home and making sure my apartment was safe.” Please stop touching me. Actually, touch me everywhere.
“Are you sure?” His eyebrows met.
“Yup. All good.” My erratic nodding a twin for an active bobble head.
Dammit, where was the freaking doorknob?
He leaned forward and grabbed my hand. “What’s going on?”
Those damn sparks started back up. “I’m just tired.” I licked my dry lips as another lie slipped out, but I couldn’t tell him his proximity was driving my body insane.
A brief but gentle squeeze of my hand followed by, “Why don’t you want to tell me about the nightmare?”
I rarely got away with anything. Between my brother and Trent, one of his best friends being police detectives and Dean, rounding out their trio of friendship, being a private investigator, they always figured out when I was lying. This was one of those moments I wished Dean sucked at his profession instead of using what he knew of my past to call me on my bullshit.
More importantly, I didn’t want him to tell me for the umpteenth time that the accident that killed my parents was just an accident. That what I thought I remembered while in the car with my dead parents wasn’t what truly happened. I’d had years of Alex and Dean, even if it was cautiously and irritatingly gentle, telling me my brain injury altered my memories from that night.
“I…” I cleared my throat. “I’m not ready.”
“Okay, Bella, but when you’re ready, I’m here for you.” Dean drew small circles with his thumb on my hand.
I plastered a smile on my face. The one where you try to hide what you’re feeling? That’s the one that was losing purchase on my face as I answered him. “I know.”
Just not the way I want you to be.
He dropped his hand and opened the door. “I’ll be back tomorrow to change out your light. Make sure to lock this behind me.”
“You don’t have to do that. I can call management and have them replace it.”
“Not a problem.” He ignored my veiled request as he leaned forward, cupped my face, and pressed his lips to my forehead.
I froze. Dean hadn’t kissed me since we were kids and holy freaking cow, his lips were going to be permanently emblazoned on me.
He stepped back and pointed to door. “Lock it.”
Forcing myself to move, I closed the door, locked it, and through the pounding of my heart in my ears, I heard his footfalls as he walked away.
Dean Cannon had kissed me.