Page 7 of Dangerous Lover

Caroline must have felt something wrong in the air, because she sat gingerly on the edge of the armchair, knees and calves and feet aligned, arms crossed tightly across her midriff, body language tight. Unconsciously ready to stand up or even leap up if he made her any more uncomfortable than he already had.

He was a man who kept his cool in armed combat, but seeing her change her body language scared the shit out of him.He’ddone that. He’d made her feel edgy and wary, when he should have done everything in his power to reassure her.

Maybe it was the exhaustion and jet lag. Nine time zones, a total of 36 hours in the air and maybe six hours’ sleep in all.

Then again, it was probably being with her—Caroline—something he’d thought about daily for twelve years, that was messing so heavily with his head.

Whatever it was that was making him groggy and horny and a dumb-ass, he had to shape up fast or he’d be tossed out on his ear and lose her just as he’d found her.

He cleared his throat. “So, ma’am.” He looked her straight in the eyes, heroically never allowing his gaze to drop to her breasts or legs, and made his expression impassive. “I understand you have a room to let. I’m looking for a place tostay and a room sounds just fine for now until I find my feet. You said you have a room free?”

Caroline breathed in and out. Jack knew what her head was saying—no, no way. Are you crazy?This guy’s scary looking and could be nuts.

But Caroline also thought with her heart. Her eyes dropped and fixed on his boots. They were his combat boots and were ancient and cracked and stained. The heels were worn.

A soldier always looks after his feet. In the field, a blister can get infected and turn a foot gangrenous in 24 hours. His combat boots were comfortable and water-proof and had served him well. He hadn’t even thought about changing into better shoes when making his way back.

What Caroline saw was a man with worn clothes, stubble on his chin and down-at-heel boots. A man who looked like he’d traveled hard and long and was down on his luck. He could see the softening in her eyes. She lifted her gaze to his and uncrossed her arms and sat back slightly.

His heart thudded.

Yes. Oh shit,yes!It was a done deal. It was going to be okay. Bless her soft heart. She’d taken the decision. Now it was just a question of finding the right words, the ones to convince her head to take a chance on him, because her heart already had. He could still fuck it up, but not if he paid attention and said the right things.

Caroline had relaxed a bit, but she wasn’t smiling. “Um, yes, I do. I have two rooms, actually, a single and a double and they are both free. One boarder left two weeks ago and the other two boarders left four days ago.”

“So I’m in luck.” He tried on a small smile. “I’ll take it. The double, because I like my space.”

She sighed and dropped her eyes to where a long, pink-tipped finger was playing with a loose thread. She bit her lips, clearly struggling with something. She sighed, a light exhalation of breath. When she lifted her eyes to his, she’d come to a decision.

“The double room I have is spacious and comfortable, Mr. Prescott, and in a beautiful old home about a mile and a half from the city center. The price includes meals and—” she smiled, “—I assure you I am a very good cook.”

Oh, Jesus. Caroline andfood. Jack nearly fell to his knees weeping. He hadn’t had a decent meal in … shit. Since before Pakistan.

He dipped his head. “Sounds wonderful, ma’am. Exactly what I need, since I can’t boil water myself. I’ll?—”

“Wait.” She put up a slender hand and took a deep breath, as if to brace herself. She looked him straight in the eyes. “That’s the good news. The bad news is that the house comes with the Boiler from Hell which unfortunately has been going on the blink every other day, even after having been fixed by the Repairman from Hell.” She glanced at the whiteout outside the window. In the sudden silence, they could hear the icy needles pinging against the window pane. “And in this weather … well, let’s just say it can get uncomfortable. And the lighting is sometimes erratic, there’s some wire crossed somewhere and no one can find it. If you work on a computer, it makes it hard and my last boarder lost several important files. And since I seem to be in confession mode, two treads ofthe staircase are broken so if you forget and walk down the stairs at night to get a glass of milk, you’re fairly likely to break your neck.” She let out her breath with a whoosh, tensely watching his face to see his reaction to her words. “So there you have it. And I understand completely if you decide you don’t want the room after all.”

It was hard to keep from snorting. Jack had dreamed of this moment fortwelve fucking years, never actually believing it would ever happen. He’d dreamed of it on the cold, stony ground while undergoing week-long training cycles. It had kept him awake in the jungles of Indonesia and for six long, freezing months in a winter barracks in the Himalayas. And she thought a little cold, some flickering lights and broken treads could keep him away?

The hounds of hell couldn’t keep him away.

“I’m used to discomfort, ma’am,” he said. “A little cold won’t bother me, believe me. I have a laptop with UPS—an uninterruptable power supply—and I’ll be careful on the stairs. And I’m pretty handy with my hands. Let me see if I can do some repairs around the house for you.”

“Oh.” Caroline blinked. “Wow. That—that’s very kind of you. And incredibly useful. I can only hope you’re better than Mack the Jerk, which is what I call the man who comes and fumbles around in my house and then takes my money.” She swallowed, her pretty pale throat convulsing. “And of course, you can deduct any repairs you make from the rent. I insist.”

Something clenched tightly in Jack’s chest. She clearly needed the money. Even the cab driver knew she needed money, probably all of Summerville knew she needed money,but here she was, willing to give him a break on the rent for his help. It was literally impossible for Caroline to take advantage of someone.

Whatever else happened, whatever went down between them, Jack vowed she’d never have money problems again for the rest of her life.

“No problem, ma’am,” he said gently. “I like to work. I’m not used to being idle. I don’t mind making repairs, fixing things up. It’ll give me something to do while I settle in.”

She tilted her head to one side. “Were you in the military, Mr. Prescott?”

“Yes, ma’am. Army. A Ranger, for seven years. And my father was career military. Army, too. Retired a full colonel. He built up a security company afterwards and I quit the military to help him run it. He died last week.” A spasm of grief—uncontrollable, unstoppable—crossed his face.

“Oh, my,” she said softly, reaching across to touch his hand. The touch was brief, meant to be consoling, and burned. It was all he could do to keep from snatching at her hand. “I am so sorry. I know perfectly well what it is to lose a parent. It’s incredibly painful. You have my condolences.”

He inclined his head, unable to speak.

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