“Er—around five, I think. I was sleepy, so I must have drifted off after I had dinner. I—I’m not sure how long I’ve been waiting.” The indentations in her face said she’d been out for some time.
“Shit, that was hours ago. Why didn’t you call me yourself? I almost didn’t come tonight since the message was so . . . odd.”
“I . . . was afraid you wouldn’t show up if you knew it was me. We didn’t exactly part on the best of terms.” She let out a huge yawn. “I’m not sure I’m making sense. I’ve been up forever. Well, other than the nap I took.”
It suddenly hit him that it was eerily quiet. When he glanced around, he saw Maxi, along with another couple of employees, standing next to her. And being caught eavesdropping didn’t seem to bother them at all. Heck, Maxi had the audacity to give him a jaunty wave. He was momentarily nonplussed. Stuff like this didn’t happen to him. What was the protocol? Take her to a hotel or to his place? He didn’t feel right about leaving her in a strange town where she knew no one. But he also hadn’t thought about how awkward it would be to have her stay with him. Wasn’t she his responsibility, though—at least for now? This could wait until they both had some rest and could talk without an audience. “Are these all your things?” he asked, pointing to the bag and suitcase near her.
When she said they were, he bent down to pick them up and then put an arm on her elbow to steady her when she stumbled to her feet. “Thanks, Gabe.” The shy smile she gave him was so damned sweet and trusting that he had to look away. She came. I don’t know what to do. “I’m going to say good-bye before we leave,” she said softly. Instead of joining her, he waited at the door. She hugged Maxi and said something before approaching him. “Okay, I’m ready when you are, Gabe.” He always liked hearing her say his name, but tonight he found it rather disconcerting. It implied an intimacy between them, making it difficult to remain aloof. Would you rather she call you Mr. Randall?
“It’ll take about half an hour to get to my house,” he said as he led her to his truck. He opened the passenger door and put her things behind the seat. She stepped forward and placed one of her boot-covered feet on the side rail, but still struggled to pull herself up. He sighed and put his hands on her waist, trying not to look at her jean-clad ass only inches away. She squeaked in surprise, but didn’t protest when he lifted her up and onto the seat. He returned to his side quickly and noted that she had her seat belt in place and was staring straight ahead.
They’d been traveling a few moments when she broke the silence. “I know I blindsided you by showing up, but after what happened, it seemed like the best idea.”
He smiled ruefully, but kept his eyes on the road. He knew from experience that even though it appeared to be clear, there could still be black ice on the surface. “I can see why you’d want to do that. After all, it worked out so well for me.”
His hands tightened on the wheel when she laughed. He’d heard her do the same thing dozens of times on FaceTime, but it was different now. He felt like he was dealing with a sensory overload. He’d caught a hint of her perfume when he was picking her up and he’d come close to dropping her. Thankfully, she didn’t seem to notice the close call. There was no escaping it now, though. Her scent was all around him. Considering it was twenty degrees outside, he couldn’t very well roll his window down. And there was also her voice to contend with. Was it bad manners to ask her to remain completely silent until further notice? “When I didn’t have a clue as to how to find you once I got here, I thought it could be a sign that I should go back home.”
It wasn’t his fault, but he still felt guilty for not meeting her at the airport. “If I’d had any inkling that you were coming, I’d have been there to meet you.”
“It was quite an experience,” she admitted. “You might get some funny looks when you go back to work. The guard was nice, but there was no way he was letting me in that gate.”
And the surprises just keep coming. “You went to the base?”
“Not the brightest decision,” she acknowledged. “Naturally they weren’t going to take my word for anything.”
He shook his head. He was surprised word hadn’t gotten back to him yet. He knew what the security forces who guarded the entrance would be thinking. “It was nothing against you, but we’ve had women show up looking for some of the guys—for various reasons. So even if there weren’t strict regulations in place, you still wouldn’t have been allowed in unless I made arrangements ahead of time. And they know to never give information out.”
“Yeah, my cab driver pointed that out. In case you’re wondering, Maxi is his aunt. That’s how I ended up there. He said that either she’d know you or one of her friends would. When you didn’t answer your phone, though, she thought you might be at work. So she came up with the idea of leaving you the message and having you come there. I’m sorry for that. You probably didn’t know what to think. If I hadn’t been so tired and overwhelmed, I’d have gone about it differently.”
He felt himself relaxing, as if her voice had lulled him into a kind of trance. He was drawn to her, as he’d always been. He knew it wasn’t rational, but his reaction to her—or weakness where she was concerned—pissed him off. He couldn’t afford to lower his guard. He gave her credit for keeping her word to come, but that didn’t change her dishonesty. She hurt him more than he was willing to admit. And with her there in the flesh, the fallout would be much worse should he discover she was playing games. I won’t be a fool again. She yawned, and he took the opportunity it presented for a quiet ride back to his house. “Why don’t you lay your head back and rest. I’ll wake you when we get there.” He wondered if he sounded as stressed as he was beginning to feel.
Maybe she picked up on it. Because she shifted, as if getting comfortable. “I think I’ll do that. Being this tired and seeing all the snow around us has me feeling disoriented. Plus, it’s always made me nervous to travel in snowy conditions.” After growing up near Boston, and dealing with this type of weather in a few places he’d been stationed, he didn’t give it much thought. But he knew that the states with heavy snow in winter had the equipment on hand to deal with it quickly. The South didn’t see a significant enough amount to invest in a lot of expensive snow plows.
“That’ll happen until you adjust to it,” he replied. He wished he’d kept that comment to himself, as it sounded for all the world like he expected her to stay. But when he heard a soft snore, he figured she’d likely missed it. Now that he’d gotten what he wanted, he found that he missed hearing her talk. After all, they’d spent hours on their computers together daily for seven months. To say it had been tough without her would be an understatement. A part of him was downright giddy to have her here, but the rational side was freaking out. How was he going to survive her physical presence when he hadn’t been able to resist her via e-mail? When he paused at a yield sign, he chanced a look at her. A nearby streetlight illuminated the interior of the truck, allowing him to make out her features. She was so beautiful. The fact that her mouth was hanging open slightly only made her more so. As he turned back to the road, the only thought that kept running through his head on an endless loop was I’m so screwed. Because how could he possibly guard his heart from someone who already owned it?