Page 22 of Lone Star Protector

Nash stopped at the gate and glanced around. Again, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Like Caroline’s, his place was off the beaten path as well and had once been a large horse ranch. Nash did keep a few horses, but it hadn’t been the main reason he’d bought it. A much bigger buying point for him had been the potential to keep it secure. In his line of work, that was a necessity since he’d helped to put plenty of people behind bars. Sometimes, those asshole bad people got out and came looking for him.

Asshole bad guys like Bodie.

Except Bodie wasn’t after him but rather Caroline.

That was a reminder that robbed Nash of any potential piece of mind.

“Oz, open the gate,” he instructed, and the metal gates slid open. “There are motion sensors all over the property,” he told her. “And the house itself has sensors on every window and door.”

He hoped that would make her feel safe. Then again, feeling safe might not be possible for her, what with Bodie out there somewhere.

Nash drove toward the one-story stone and wood house and had Oz open the garage doors. Once he had the SUV inside, he gave Slade a wave, and his brother made an immediate turnaround. Heading back to join the hunt for Bodie.

“Wait until the garage door closes before you get out of the SUV,” Nash instructed.

Caroline flinched a little. “Because Bodie could be nearby and watching the place.”

That was always possible, but if so, he’d have to do it with long-range equipment since coming near the house would set off the sensors. Still, it was possible. And Nash thought of those photos of Caroline. The ones that’d been left in the bloodbath scene. Those had been taken long range so it was a skillset that either Bodie or someone he knew had.

“It’s just a precaution to stay out of the line of sight of, well, someone who shouldn’t have eyes on us,” Nash settled for saying. Of course, they’d be taking many more precautions until this ordeal was over.

The moment the garage door touched down, he got out, leading her into the house. It wasn’t a fancy place. Not his style. But he hadn’t gone the bachelor pad mode either. His living room furniture was shades of blue and gray that coordinated with the kitchen colors in the open floorplan.

Emphasis on open.

The living, dining, kitchen, and his office area were all one big space. A well-lit one thanks to the skylights and the floor-to-ceiling windows in the kitchen and the east side of the living room. Those windows gave him amazing views of the pastures. Even now, he could see one of his Palominos grazing near the barn.

The bedrooms were all on the west side of the house. Three of them, each with its own amazing views.

“The windows and the skylights are bullet resistant,” he explained. “And no one can see in.”

Caroline went to the living room window to look out. “I see you like your privacy as much as I do,” she muttered. “No neighbors. Lots of space.”

“It’s quiet,” Nash agreed. “Comes in handy when I need to crash after a tough op.”

“An op like this one,” she said, looking at him from over her shoulder. “I’m the op this time.”

He sighed, went to her. “Caroline, you’re not an op for me.”

She turned, studying his face, and then surprised him by smiling. “I think that’s the most romantic thing you’ve ever said to me.”

The comment seemed to make him stupid because he smiled, too. And added, “Then, obviously I haven’t said enough romantic things.”

Yeah, stupid all right.

But it’d felt so good to see her smile. What didn’t feel good was that look of fear still shimmering in her eyes. That look squeezed his gut into a tight ball. And it was that look and not his recent bout of stupid that caused him to pull Caroline into his arms.

Nash didn’t intend to kiss her. Nope. No way. Because it was a line that he shouldn’t cross. He crossed it anyway, though when she lifted her head, locking her gaze with his. That caused the heat to start firing on all cylinders, and despite that mental lecture he’d just given himself, he touched his mouth to hers.

Oh, man.

He was toast.

Burnt to a crisp toast.

Just that mere brush of his mouth over hers sent off alarm bells in his head. Bad alarms. Ones warning him to put his libido in check and move away from her.

That didn’t happen though.

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