Page 54 of In Hiding

Will occupied a room along the southern wall of the house and to the north, Sarah had converted one of the bedrooms into an office for herself. That was where he found her, staring at her computer screen through a pair of reading glasses. With her hair pulled up to the top of her head and secured with a pen, she looked deep in thought. Her brow furrowed as she studied the screen.

Since their near-kiss, he’d had a devil of a time getting her out of his head. Feeling her body against his, he’d gone to sleep too many times remembering the way she felt under his hands.

That night, on the balcony, he’d seen a glimpse of something in her eyes he wanted to explore. Though neither of them had spoken a word about it over the last five days, the moment had left a tension simmering between them that fueled a need he knew he couldn’t pursue.

If not because he didn’t want to hurt her, then because he didn’t think her brother had that in mind when he’d sent Jake after her.

He stepped into the doorway, making sure to be loud enough for her to hear him. Apparently, not. Engrossed in her work, she didn’t move. Jake cleared his throat.

“Sarah?”

Finally, she turned, and her face lit up with a smile. Those green eyes beamed at him from across the room as a tendril of hair curled around her cheek. “Please tell me you’ve come to rescue me from this tax-time hell?”

He couldn’t resist returning her smile. “Your prayers have been answered.”

“Thank you,” she flopped back in her chair, removed her glasses, and rubbed her eyes with the heels of her hands. “I’ve had just about enough of wading through these numbers.”

She lifted a hand and removed the pen holding her hair in place. Long tresses of glossy black hair tumbled about her shoulders, making his hands itch with desire. Jake averted his gaze, unsure how much his facial expression gave away of his thoughts, but then the scrape of her chair on the hardwood floors lured him back.

She stood, raising her arms above her head to stretch. Dressed in fitted yoga pants and a blue tunic, his focus zeroed in on the curves of her breasts. His mouth watered. His pants tightened.

Stepping out from behind the desk, she crossed the floor with barely a limp and drew near. Jake nodded toward her thigh.

“You look like you’re moving better?”

“I am. Perhaps it’s time you made good on your offer to teach me some self-defense,” she teased. “Or have you forgotten?”

“No.” He winked as she stopped beside him in the doorway. “No, I have not forgotten.”

“Excellent. We can make a start on the weekend.”

“We’ll start slowly,” he decided. She frowned and opened her mouth to protest, but he shook his head. “We start slowly,” he repeated, firmer this time.

Her mouth snapped shut and she pouted. God help him.

“If you say so.”

Twisting away from her, he chuckled and headed toward the stairs. “Come on, Ben wants to show you the new system.”

“How do you know him?”

He paused and looked at her. Telling her the truth seemed harmless, but he wondered if she’d read more into their knowing each other than there was. Hell, if he’d known the team were here, he could’ve palmed off the responsibility of keeping Sarah safe long before he got involved, saving him from developing any feelings toward her.

Like hell.

But lying to her was out of the question. “We were in the Army together. It’s a damn miracle to find them here after all these years.”

Her eyes narrowed and she stopped moving. “Them?”

“Ben’s not the only one. The other members of his team are also here.”

“You served in East Timor with them?”

Something about her reaction raised a flag. “No. We were all there, just in different parts of the country. I haven’t seen them since we graduated from basic training. Is there something wrong?”

Indecision clouded her eyes. “Why would they make a home in Wills Crossing?”

“Fate brought them here and they put down roots a few years ago. You can trust them, Sarah.”

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