Rolling his eyes at his ridiculous mental description, he growled, “We’re here. Let’s go.” Without giving her a chance to respond, he climbed from her car and stretched his legs and back, welcoming the freedom to move outside of her toy vehicle. The soft closing of her car door caused him to jerk around, seeing her glare pinned on him.
“You really are such a grouch,” she whispered, glancing toward her building as though afraid to wake anyone. She walked toward him with her palm out. “Keys, please. I suppose it’s rude to not thank you for the drive home, but since I neither needed it nor asked for it, I’ll simply say good night.”
He lifted a brow and kept her keys in his hand. With his other hand on her back, he began walking, propelling her along with him. She swung her head around, but before she had a chance to spew any more anger, he said, “I’ll see you safely inside.”
Glad that she didn’t argue, they stepped into the apartment building and walked up the stairs to the second floor. Glancing down at the keys, he chose the correct one and slid it into her doorknob, turning it easily before throwing open the door. He stepped inside first, pleased that she had left a light on in the living room and one down the hall. “I’ll do a sweep.” Again, without waiting for her to speak, he quickly checked the one-bedroom apartment, finding it empty and secure.
Walking back into the living room, his gaze landed on her standing in the middle of the room, her back erect and her hands clasped in front of her. It was the first fully lit, in-person view he had of her. Taking her in now, he was surprised at the woman standing in front of him. At about five foot seven inches, she was average height, and yet that was the only average thing about her. Thick, glossy hair was braided, tendrils having come loose and waving about her face. Her complexion was clear with just a hint of blush on her cheeks. Her lashes were thick and dark, resting against her cheeks as her gaze was on her feet. He’d felt her body underneath him when he’d tackled her to the ground, but her hourglass figure was evident in her dark shirt and form-fitting jeans.
And while the entire package of Jeannie Carnes was beautiful, he had no idea what she was thinking. He’d seen her shocked, surprised, fearful, angry, incredulous, irritated, and accepting. What he had not witnessed from her up until now was this quietness, and he had no idea what she was thinking. Reaching up to squeeze the back of his neck, he cocked his head to the side. “Are you okay?”
Her eyes flashed as she lifted her head and stared, her hands unclasping and landing on her hips. “Am I okay? Seriously? While I appreciate you saving me from my folly, I’m still no closer to knowing what happened to Maggie. I find out that because I assisted her, I was put in the path of an investigation and feel a bit violated to know that you not only know my name, you know where I live without me telling you. I have to put a lot of trust in that you’re an honest person who’s telling me the truth. And now, I know the Garza families are being investigated, which doesn’t make me comfortable with being connected to them in any way but makes me more worried about Maggie, who, I can assure you, has nothing to do with anything that might be going on with their wineries.”
He stepped closer, his intent to intimidate, but his gaze locked on her face, her unusual eyes holding his attention. Light hazel, with a ring of green and flecks of brown, all creating the fantasy of staring into the eyes of a lion. He’d stared at her driver’s license photo, her Army photo, and her hospital employee badge photo, but her true eye color couldn’t be captured in a photograph. Not like standing directly in front of him, the light reflecting from their tawny orbs. His breath halted as his mind raced with the possibilities.
“Well?” she bit out.
Jerking out of his trance, his fists landed on his hips, mirroring her position. “You’re no longer being investigated, and you don’t need to be concerned about anything else.”
An exaggerated eye roll followed as she barked out a laugh. “Well, I am concerned about Maggie.”
Trying not to continue staring, he kept going. “I understand that your friendship with her makes you concerned, but there’s nothing you can do right now.”
Her chin jerked back, and he later realized if he’d been a smarter man, he would have recognized the look of battle now on her previously blank face.
“What do you mean, there’s nothing I can do? Granted, trying to sneak in and surreptitiously see what was going on was not a smart move. You’ve done an excellent job of pointing that out to me. But I can keep calling her. I can go during the daytime and try to visit. I can go to the public tasting room of the winery and try to get in contact with Cheryl that way.”
Taking another step closer, he shook his head, wanting her to be safe, to stay safe. “You need to back off before you put yourself in harm’s way again. Let the professionals deal with what needs to be dealt with.”
She blinked as her mouth dropped open before snapping shut. She stepped closer to him, closing the distance, and once again, he barely breathed as her unusual eyes held him captive.
“You did not just tell me to back off. You may be a big shot private investigator, but I don’t take instructions from you.” Her forefinger poked his chest with her last word.
His hand snapped up and closed around hers, his grip firm. He intended to keep her from poking him again, but the feel of her hand in his sent a rush through his brain the way it had when her body was pressed against his on the ground. His thumb gently rubbed her palm and her fist unfurled as her fingers relaxed in his hold. Her eyes held fire, but he finally looked down at their hands. His voice softer, he said, “I understand your desire to check on Maggie, but I want you safe. You don’t know what you’re up against, but I do.”
She swallowed audibly, her dropping to where his hand continued to rub hers. “I don’t know why you’re investigating the Garzas, but it can’t be good. Can you… will you… will you find out what’s going on with Maggie?”
Carson never deviated from his mission, and yet, lifting his gaze back to the hazel eyes focused so intently on him, he nodded. “I’ll find out about Maggie.” He hadn’t meant to maintain a connection with Jeannie Carnes. Remove her from the situation. Explain the dangers she was provoking. Then leave and maintain my professional distance. No entanglements of any kind. But, with his promise, her face eased into a smile, and at that moment of her first smile aimed toward him, he knew he wanted to see that beautiful sight and those eyes again. Fuck…
As soon as his men arrived, he curtly said goodbye and jogged out to their vehicle. He knew they were curious but told them very little on their trip home. Other than the mission, he didn’t want to talk about her nor face his reaction to her.
But that night, lying in bed, when the dark penetrated the sky as well as his mind, thoughts of Jeannie with the mesmerizing eyes morphed into a pair of eyes just like those from years ago.
The sharp, white-hot pain sliced through his body when he regained consciousness after the IED had blown the hell out of their convoy and Mace had lifted some of the wreckage off him. Time had ceased to exist as Mace maneuvered him upright, keeping hold of him as they’d made their way toward cover. If he’d had the mental capacity to be pissed, he would have been, but at that moment, all he could feel was pain.