As wary as he was, he couldn’t help being impressed by her courage. It had been daunting for him, and he was used to being in places and situations that were damned uncomfortable and dangerous. But from what he’d learned, she lived a fairly sheltered existence. He also knew that she was shy and appeared to have a tough time with confidence. He’d been surprised when she agreed to the trip in the first place, but for her to come here after all that had happened, especially not knowing what kind of welcome she’d receive—it had taken guts. Or it was part of some master plan. One of the worst things to come from this whole mess was how badly his trust had been shaken. Even though they’d never met, he had grown to believe in her and everything she represented to him. She was goodness, light, laughter, and a soft place to land. Why did she have to ruin that? Rationally, he understood her individual reasons, but it didn’t change the fact it had dealt a serious blow to the connection they’d established during his deployment. He couldn’t deny he enjoyed what she brought into his life, but the last few weeks had been the type of drama that he didn’t need. Only now that she was here—in his house—he wasn’t sure how to evade it. He also had no clue what her plans were. He hadn’t put a return date on her ticket when he bought it, because he knew that flexibility made travel easier. That was coming back to bite him in the ass now. The only thing he had to go on was the fact that she hadn’t brought a lot with her. So she either packed lightly, or this was to be a short stay. For his peace of mind, he had to hope it was the latter option.
Trouble’s head jerked up from where he was sitting at Gabe’s feet a split second before she came into view. He wasn’t sure what he was expecting, but she managed to surprise him again. The outfit she was wearing was one he’d seen when they talked near her bedtime. Even though the SpongeBob lounge pants and matching top were far from formfitting, they still managed to be sexy on her. As were the fuzzy blue socks that Trouble was currently inspecting in fascination. She gave Gabe a questioning look, and he nodded to let her know it was safe to pet his dog. She extended a hand, letting him sniff it. As usual, he took it one step further and licked it. She didn’t appear to mind, though, because she giggled as she squatted down to his level. “Hey, Trouble, aren’t you a beauty.” Trouble cocked his head to the side, as if spellbound by their visitor. You and me both, buddy. She trailed her fingertips lightly over the bridge of his nose. Even though his dog had never been anything but friendly to everyone he met, Gabe still kept an eye on them as he poured the milk he’d heated into a cup for her. Trouble didn’t seem alarmed by her touch in the least, quite the opposite. He rolled onto his back, presenting his belly for scratching. “Well, aren’t you a sweetheart,” she cooed. Great, I’m jealous of my dog. Trouble had largely ignored Melanie, as if sensing that the small amount of attention she gave him was all for Gabe’s benefit. But with Sara, he was rolling around on the floor with a blissful expression on his furry face. At least it’s not just me, Gabe thought wryly. The Randall boys seemingly had a thing for Southern women who smelled good. Okay, there was more to it than that, but damn, having her this close, with that scent filling the air, was doing a number on his head—the big one and the little one. Both were riveted by the beauty who invaded their space. But what was the proper protocol to follow here? Gabe knew how to run military operations with precision. Years of training had given him confidence in his job. He was damn good at it. But matters of the heart? Why did he feel so out of his depth? Without a clue how to navigate this . . . whatever this is.
Gabe forced himself not to stare at the outlines of her nipples, which the baggy top didn’t quite conceal. Down, boy. Sadly, that warning wasn’t for his dog. Clearing his throat, he said, “I figured it was too late for coffee, so it’s milk with some cinnamon in it. The spice makes it taste a little better than plain. My mom always made it for us when we were sick.”
She smiled up at him as if he were her hero. “That sounds amazing.” She gave Trouble one last pat before getting to her feet and moving over to the sink. After cleaning her hands, she took the cup from him. He watched her take a drink and wasn’t sure if the color that flooded her cheeks was from his attention or the warm liquid. “Mmm, wow, it tastes like a latte. This is really good.” Then she sent his blood pressure up several notches by licking her lips. I’m dying here. Help, someone . . . anyone. Dammit, he was thirty-seven. Far too old to experience this type of hormonal overload. At this point, if she bent over, he’d likely come in his pants. That alarming thought gave him a much-needed reality check. He wasn’t fool enough to continue testing his shaky resolve tonight, though. They needed to go to bed—alone. He’d feel better after some sleep. He’d be back in control tomorrow. And he was on field duty. Thank God. He was absurdly grateful at the thought of rolling out of bed in five hours.
He chanced a quick look in her direction and noticed that she looked wiped out as well. Trouble was sitting at her feet, gazing at her in utter adoration, while one of her hands rubbed his ear. “Hey, I don’t think I mentioned it, but I have to work this week. I’m supposed to be on leave, but I’m filling in for my boss. We’re doing some training, and one of us needs to be there.”
Was it his imagination or did she appear relieved? Could it be that she needed some space as well? Made sense. She had to be as overwhelmed as he was. “That’s okay, Gabe, I understand. I don’t expect you to drop everything to entertain me. I realize that you have obligations and I’m perfectly capable of taking care of myself.”
“Oh, I don’t think you’ll be completely on your own,” he smirked as he indicated the sappy expression on his dog’s face. “Pretty sure he’ll be following you around like a lovesick puppy.” At this rate, both of us will be.
“He’s so sweet. I haven’t had a dog since I was a kid, but that may need to change.”
Giving Trouble a pretend scowl, he said, “You might not have a choice. He’ll likely run after your plane when you leave.” Sara rinsed her cup, and he told her to leave it on the counter. “I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to crash. I’m sure I’ll be gone by the time you wake up. I have to be at the base before five. Just make yourself at home. I can’t take my phone into the field, but if you have any problems, leave me a message and I’ll check them as soon as I can. If there is any type of emergency, my contact information will be on the table. The switchboard will know how to reach me. Please don’t use it unless it’s really an—”
“I get it,” she interrupted. “I’m not one of those people who calls someone at work just for kicks. Trust me, if I do it, you’ll know it’s something dire.” He didn’t think she’d appreciate him sharing the fact that Melanie had done it twice. Once to ask what he wanted for dinner, and another time to tell him she was going out with friends. Neither of which he needed to be pulled out of a meeting to hear. A fact that he made clear after the second instance.