“Thank you,” came the heartfelt reply as Maggie’s arms tightened slightly.
Waving goodbye with a heavy heart, her gaze darted around as she drove back through the guarded gate, now wondering what secrets the Garza estate held. She didn’t breathe easy until she was back on the main highway, heading toward her apartment.
Thoughts of Carson filled her mind, wondering how he would be able to help Maggie's situation. Would he even care about the suspicions of an older woman? Would he even listen to me if I talked to him about it? She snorted at that thought. I don’t even know how to get in touch with him. But remembering the electricity that seemed to zing through the inside of her car between them, she would be a fool to deny that she’d like to see him again.
12
As Carson drove down the highway, he’d exhausted every trick he’d learned on how to calm down. Counting. Nope. Reciting the steps to cleaning his weapon. No. Deep breathing. Not a chance. Listening to music. Not helping. Finally giving up, he allowed his anger to take hold, keeping it in check just long enough to make sure he didn’t cause an accident before he arrived at his destination.
When Jeb had called his attention to one of the monitors from the Garza estate, Carson couldn’t believe his eyes. With barely a word said to his Keepers, he’d stormed out of the compound, climbed into his SUV, and hit the road.
Pulling up to the apartment building, he parked, threw open the door, climbed out, stomped up the stairs, and with his fist, pounded on the door. Not waiting for someone to answer, he pounded again. The sound of the security chain sliding off the latch was the only reason he didn’t pound for a third time. The door opened, and his gaze landed on a wide-eyed Jeannie. Those fuckin’ gorgeous hazel eyes staring up at him. So pulled in by her eyes, he couldn’t have described what she was wearing, and for a man used to instant attention to detail, that pissed him off.
Without giving her a chance to speak, his hand pressed against her belly, and he pushed her gently back into her apartment, kicking the door shut with his booted foot.
“Are you crazy?” he growled, now noticing she was wearing yoga pants and a green T-shirt that seemed to make the green flecks in her eyes pop even more.
“Wha—"
Leaning so he towered over her, he pushed away the thoughts of her outfit which made her curves even more amazing and continued, “It’s like fuckin’ déjà vu! But when I left your place last night, I didn’t expect to be back here tonight for the same goddamn reason!”
Her hand shot up as though to ward off his words. “You know I went to see her, don’t you?”
Fighting the urge to roll his eyes or shake her, he cocked his head to the side. “Hell, yeah, I know. What I don’t know is why. Why after everything I told you last night you’d go right back there. Why after I told you I was going to check on things you had to do it yourself. Why after I thought I got it through your head that this was not a situation you wanted to be in you stuck your foot right back into it!”
“Just give me a chance to explain—"
His fingers itched to grab her shoulders, but he curled them into fists and propped them on his hips. “Explain? You’ve seriously got an explanation for today?”
Her eyes narrowed, jerking his attention to her whole face, seeing her jaw tighten. She drew herself up to her full height, which, in bare feet, still made her eight inches shorter than him. But her body language said in control, and for a fleeting second, his anger parted like the Red Sea, exposing a core of admiration, and a heavy dose of lust speared through him.
Her finger poked his chest just like the previous night as she said, “How dare you push your way into my apartment, throw out accusations, and don’t give me a chance to talk? I had a perfectly good reason for going to see Maggie today, and you can either let me explain or get the hell out of my apartment! I’d rather you let me explain because I think I could use your help. If you’re going to be a big alpha jerk, then you can just leave.”
Inhaling deeply to both control the irritation and lust, he let the breath hiss between his clenched teeth. Finally, with the air in the room thick with the same heavy storm clouds and electricity that her car had been filled with the previous evening, he nodded. “Okay. Talk.”
Her eyes flashed with surprise as her chin jerked slightly. Her gaze darted from his face to the side and then back again, her shoulders slumping ever so slightly. She waved her hand toward the sofa in her small living room. “Can we at least sit down and have a civilized discussion?”
“Absolutely.” His words were clipped, and he winced when she blinked at the harshness. Clearing his throat, he tried again. “Yes, please.”
She turned and sat in the chair, leaving the sofa to him. She pulled her feet up and tucked her legs underneath her booty, and he wasn’t sure if her posture was defensive or attempting comfort. Probably both. He settled onto the sofa, choosing the side closest to her, angling his body toward her, as well.
Her chest heaved with another breath and exhalation, but she held his gaze. “I know when you left last night, you said I didn’t know what I was up against and that you were investigating and would check on Maggie. But she called me this morning and asked me to come. Her voice sounded… strange. Odd. I mean, it was her, but something felt off. I knew I needed to check on her myself.”
It was on the tip of his tongue to chastise her for not letting him know, then it hit him that he’d never given her his contact information. He kept his expression blank but inwardly grimaced at his lack of forethought. He’d thought he could walk away and forget about her but was honest enough to admit he didn’t think that was going to happen. Christ, when I’m around her, I don’t think straight! Maintaining his cool and focus had never been a problem, but sitting in her living room only a few feet away, his brain was scrambled. Determined not to make the same mistake, he said, “I should have given you my phone number. That was a stupid oversight on my part and one that will be rectified before I leave.”
She blinked, and her mouth opened and closed several times as a blush hit her cheeks. Finally, she muttered, “Oh… um… yeah. That’d be good.”
A grin almost slipped out at her disconcerted expression, glad to know that he wasn’t the only one who seemed affected by the tension in the room. Forcing them back on track, he prodded, “So, something felt off when Maggie called?”
She nodded, her gaze back on him. “Maggie is always friendly. Sweet, interesting, and friendly. But she’s not overly exuberant. And yet, there was an exaggerated excitement to her voice. To be honest, I wasn’t sure there wasn’t someone in the room with her. Anyway, she said she felt better and wanted me to visit as soon as I could. Of course, I agreed. And before you say anything, I thought about the risks. But I was going in the middle of the day, I was going to go to the guardhouse, and I knew how to get to the guesthouse. There was no sneaking involved!”
“Okay.”
She blinked again, her brow scrunching. “Okay? Just okay?”
Nodding, he agreed. “Yeah, okay. I get why you were concerned. I get that you wanted to check on her. So, what did you find out?”