Page 36 of Mixing Temptation (Second Shot 3)

But he was ready now . . . and he’d programmed his phone for her.

“Hey, Noah. Yeah, she’s right here. I’ll put you on speaker.”

“Where are you guys?” Noah’s voice boomed through the phone. “Are you close to Palo Alto?”

“Not exactly,” she said with a glance at the receding waves still visible under the rising half-­moon.

“We took a detour to the coast,” Josh added. “I thought Caroline needed a little time with the ocean. Some fresh air and all before we head south.”

“That sounds great,” Noah said. “But shit, Ryan’s going crazy. He’s called twice since he got back to base. And look, he believes Helena needs a full-­blown rescue mission. ”

“She does,” Caroline said. “And she’s going to get it. We’re on our way.”

“Great,” Noah said with a sigh. “I’ll pass the message on to our air force friend.”

“Has he called her?” she asked. “If he has reason to believe her situation has escalated, Ryan might want to call the local police. We can go and talk to her, offer a way out, but there is no guarantee she’ll take it unless she’s desperate.”

“If she was dying to escape, she could have stayed in Forever when she had the chance,” Noah pointed out.

“It’s not always that cut-­and-­dried,” she said simply.

“I know,” Noah said. “Trust me, I know.”

The line went silent. She suspected Noah—­the man who’d tried his best to save her from an officer who should have been fighting beside them—­was taking a brief trip down memory lane.

“Enjoy the beach, Caroline,” Noah added finally. “And thanks for turning this into a real vacation for her, Josh.”

“Yeah, I just tagged along to prove that I rock at dating,” Josh said easily. “We found this resort by the sea. A cozy, beachfront cottage. Nice clear night—­”

“I’ve heard enough,” Noah said. “Keep me updated on your mission.”

The call ended and Josh pocketed the phone. Then he bent down and reclaimed his shirt. He must be freezing by now. Fall nights in Oregon called for sweaters, not bare chests.

“Sounds like we should get an early start,” she said as she stood and picked up her chowder bowl.

“You know we might get down there only to have Helena slam the door in our faces.” Josh scooped up his dishes and followed her through the cottage’s front door. “Noah’s right. If she wanted help she could have stayed with her mom.”

“She could have,” Caroline admitted as she set the bowl in the kitchenette’s tiny sink and stepped aside to make room for Josh to do the same. “But she spent about twenty-­four hours in her hometown. That’s not a lot of time to shake the feeling that there is no escape.”

“Still, she had a way out,” he said. “She could have moved back home.”

“Maybe Helena felt that she couldn’t. We won’t know until we talk to her. I do know that it’s one thing to be hurt by a stranger. But someone you know and trust? Like the man she swore to love until death do them part?”

“It’s different.” He crossed his arms in front of his chest. The posture highlighted his biceps, but she didn’t feel like exploring his muscles now. Not when his expression was set to ‘dead serious.’

“I felt like there was no way out. No escape.” She wanted to look away, but forced herself to meet his gaze.

“Yet you’re going back to see Dustin,” he said. “Funny how you left out that little detour when we were talking to Noah.”

“He doesn’t need to know,” she said. “And we’ll be at Helena’s tomorrow night.”

“But you think Helena feels she can’t get out,” he said.

“Someone needs to build the path for her and then show her the way.”

“I’m glad you escaped,” he said with a sigh. “But are you sure we’re the right duo for the job, this ‘rescue mission’?”

She nodded slowly and waited for his smile to return. It was as if he’d left his grin, his laugh, and his charm on the porch. “But if you’re having second thoughts—­”

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