The Criminal Soulmate

Chapter Thirteen

A smile remained plastered on Leanna's face the entire time Dylan was out of the room. The feeling of his lips on her cheek lingered for minutes afterwards. Thunder rumbled outside, adding to the excitement she felt. Amidst all the fear and loneliness she'd been feeling the past week, that kiss shone like a beacon on a cold winter's night.

Every instinct screamed at her not to overthink it, but Leanna couldn't help it. She clambered out of the bed, feeling like she could jump out the window and soar. It was ridiculous. A demented sensation. A crazy reaction. And she didn't care.

Before the events that had taken place in her home state of Montana, no guy had ever even glanced her way. Leanna believed the idea of a soulmate to be laughable. Then, Dylan came into her life.

The entire time he was out of the room, Leanna flitted about, grinning like a mad woman. When the door handle started to jiggle, she ran to the bed. She jumped in the middle of the newspaper shredding's.

Dylan entered the room, a soaked paper in his right hand. He glanced at her, frowning at her red face. "What were you doing?"

She cleared her throat, crossing her arms over her chest. "Getting in some exercise. Can I have my newspaper now?"

"I believe that it's my newspaper. I bought it."

"Yeah, yeah," she said, leaning forward to snatch it from him.

While she looked down and read it, the feeling of Dylan's eyes on her made her shift uncomfortably.

He stood in front of her, mere inches separating them. A flashback of the first night they'd met played in her mind. Slowly, Leanna lifted her gaze to meet Dylan's. The look he was giving her stole the breath from her lungs.

Leanna cleared her throat, ignoring the heat igniting inside her. Dylan took a step closer, hesitating a moment before taking a seat beside her. Their shoulders brushed against each other.

"I'm glad you're not as bad as I thought you were at first," said Leanna, looking up from the paper to Dylan's green eyes.

He bit his lip, shifting ever so slightly, closer to her. "I'm glad I met you. Even if it was under some pretty twisted circumstances."

The need to close the distance between them was almost too much to bear. Leanna forced herself to move away, turning her back to him. Disappointment radiated off Dylan. She thought she could sense his hand hovering be her shoulder. She wished he would grab her, tell her how much she meant to him as he lay her down on the bed.

It never happened.

Leanna stared at the wall, still feeling Dylan lingering behind her. A wall separated them. Leanna wanted to knock it down. Unspoken acknowledgement passed between the two. They both knew that crossing the thin line would destroy them. In the end, Leanna was still a hostage, and Dylan her captor.

"Are you hungry?" Dylan broke the silence first.

At the mention of food, a low growl passed through Leanna's stomach.

A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips. "I'm assuming that means yes?"

Leanna hated that damned smirk of his. It made her want to simultaneously slap him and drag him on top of her. He'd burrowed himself in her mind, and was beginning to work down to her heart.