It didn’t make sense, this attachment he had to her. Maybe Powell was right. Maybe he did fall in love with all the women he rescued. First Elena…and now Kaitlyn.
He watched her until she turned and saw him at the door.
“Oh…hello,” she said in surprise. “I wasn’t expecting to see you this morning.” She seemed unsure of herself, as if unnerved by his sudden appearance. Served her right. She’d caught him off guard, too, just by standing there in the morning sunlight. “To tell you the truth…I was a little worried I’d never see you again.”
She would have probably been better off if he hadn’t come back, but here he was. He had a job to do, and he might as well get to it. “I came to apologize.” He stepped into the room and let the door close behind him.
“Apologize? What for?”
“I overreacted when you asked me to put in a good word for you with Murphy. I apologize for insulting you and maligning your profession. It’s no excuse, but we’ve had some bad experiences with the press in the past. In our line of work, it’s best to keep a low profile.”
“I understand. No hard feelings.” When she smiled, her eyes crinkled at the corners and her lips curled enticingly. Aidan couldn’t help noticing that she had a great mouth.
It took a little willpower, but he tore his attention from her lips. “I just came to say that if you want to pur sue an interview with Murphy, that’s between the two of you. I won’t intervene on your behalf, but I won’t try to stop you, either.”
“That’s fair.” She extended her hand. “Shake?”
“Sure, why not?” Aidan walked over to take her hand, noting that in spite of her small stature, she had a firm grip. He liked that about her, too.
In fact, he couldn’t think of much he didn’t like about Kaitlyn Wilson, other than her profession. And the possibility that, if Powell’s hunch proved correct, she might be hiding something.
“Maybe we should just pretend yesterday never happened,” she said. “Although I’ve remembered some things that might make that a little difficult.”
“You’ve got your memory back? That’s great.” He searched her face for a telltale twitch or flicker.
She didn’t seem to notice as she absently fingered the black duffel bag she’d been packing when he first walked into the room. “I still don’t remember falling. That part is a complete blank. But I’ve been having some flashbacks about the rescue. Bits and pieces have been coming back to me all morning. Something happened to the rope, didn’t it? It broke or something.”
Aidan nodded. “The figure-eight clip that fastened our two harnesses together snapped. I’ve never seen one do that before, even under tremendous stress.”
“I started to fall and then you grabbed my hand and held on to me. Which means you saved my life twice yesterday.” Kaitlyn’s hand trembled slightly as she fumbled with the zipper on the duffel, and Aidan noticed now the dark circles under her eyes, which he hadn’t been able to see from the doorway.
“I did what I’m trained to do,” he said with a shrug. “You’re the real hero here. If you hadn’t kept your head, we could have been in real trouble.”
“Kept my head?” She gave a strange little laugh. “I was scared out of my gourd!”
“It’s called grace under pressure. You didn’t panic or struggle. You kept your cool and that made all the difference.”
She drew a deep breath and released it. “I think you’re giving me way too much credit, but whatever. I’m just glad everything turned out the way it did. And now I can’t wait to get out of here and put the whole thing behind me.”
Aidan glanced at the duffel. “You’re going home today? That seems a little fast, doesn’t it?”
“Dr. Becker wanted to keep me another day, but I badgered him into releasing me. I couldn’t face spending another night in here. Not after…” She trailed off as something dark flickered in her eyes. She turned away with a shudder.
“Not after what?” Aidan said sharply. “Did something happen?” He could almost hear Powell riding him for getting so protective.
Aidan tuned him out as Kaitlyn glanced up at him.
She opened her mouth to say something, then shrugged and looked away. “Oatmeal that tastes like cardboard and scrambled eggs the consistency of rubber. That’s what happened.”
“Yeah, I’m not a big fan of hospital food, either. But I have a feeling that’s not what you were about to say.”
“No, you’re right. Something happened last night. Not a big deal really, just kind of strange.” She paused. “I had a hallucination. Never had one of those before,” she tried to say lightly, but Aidan could tell that she was still shaken by the experience.
“What kind of hallucination?”
“Oh, it was a good one. Boone Fowler came into my room and tried to smother me with a pillow.”
At the mention of Fowler’s name, Aidan’s gut tightened. “What makes you think it was a hallucination?”
Her brows lifted. “Maybe because, with an army of law-enforcement agents on his tail, I seriously doubt he’d show up in my hospital room in the middle of the night. Especially considering, I’ve never even met the man.”
She hadn’t seen him? What about her visits to the prison? Aidan wanted to ask her, but he remembered Murphy’s warning not to tip his hand yet. “Maybe it was a dream,” Aidan said slowly, his gaze searching her face.
“No, it was too real to be a dream. Actually, according to the doctor, hallucinations aren’t all that uncom mon following a trauma. And I guess Boone Fowler makes a strange kind of sense since I was on my way to cover Warden Green’s press conference when I got stranded. Plus, Fowler’s picture is all over the news.” She lifted her hands. “Case closed.”
Was it? Aidan wondered.
“Anyway, besides homicidal hallucinations, I really do feel so much better this morning. It’s amazing what a shower and clean clothes can do for your morale.” She was trying to laugh the whole thing off, but Aidan wasn’t amused. He had a bad feeling that something more was going on here, whether Kaitlyn knew it or not.
Before he could say anything, though, a nurse rolled in a wheelchair. “Dr. Becker signed your release papers,” she said cheerfully. “You’re all set.”
“That’s great, but I didn’t expect it to be quite so soon.” Kaitlyn checked around the room, as if to make sure she hadn’t forgotten anything. “I should call someone to come pick me up.”
“I can give you a lift,” Aidan offered.
“Oh, I couldn’t ask you to do that. Not after everything you’ve already done for me.”
“You’re not asking, and it’s no trouble. I’m already here. Besides—” he turned to the nurse “—looks like you’re ready to kick her out of here.”
The nurse grinned. “We won’t put her out on the street or anything, but we’ve always got a shortage of beds, so if you’re going, the sooner the better.”
“Well, in that case…” Kaitlyn gave him a tentative smile. “If you really don’t mind…”
“I don’t. Where should I pick her up?” he asked the nurse.
“Pull your car around to the E.R. entrance. I’ll bring her out that way.”
“Here, why don’t I take this?” He reached for the duffel. “I’ll meet you outside in a few minutes.”
“Okay. And…Aidan?”
He turned at the door and glanced back.
“Thanks again. For everything.”
She looked so sincere and sounded so earnest that Aidan almost felt guilty for what he was about to do.
THE DUFFEL CONTAINED nothing but a pair of silk pajamas, a robe and an assortment of toiletries—the usual fare one would need for a short stay in the hospital.
Aidan hadn’t expected to find anything incriminating—certainly nothing that would link her directly to Boone Fowler or the Montana Militia for a Free America. But as much as he liked and admired Kaitlyn, he couldn’t discount Powell’s intuition about her, because the man’s instincts were usually dead-on. Powel
l wasn’t prone to making snap judgments or wild leaps. If he thought there was more to Kaitlyn’s story than met the eye, chances were he was right. Aidan just wondered if Kaitlyn even knew what that something was.
Zipping the duffel, he stowed it in the back, then started his Jeep. He pulled up to the E.R. entrance just as the nurse wheeled Kaitlyn through the glass doors. He got out and hurried around to help her inside.
She groaned as she climbed into the front seat.
“God, I feel like I’m a hundred years old,” she said after he slid in behind the wheel.
“You’re bound to be a little stiff for a few days,” he said sympathetically.
“A little stiff? Every muscle in my body aches. I haven’t hurt like this since I let my friend Eden talk me into a yoga class.” She let her head drop back against the seat, as if the effort of climbing into the Jeep had left her exhausted.
“Are you sure you’re okay?” Aidan asked worriedly.
She didn’t open her eyes. “I will be. Just give me a minute.” She drew in another breath and seemed to steel herself against the pain. “Okay, I’m ready.”
He waited for a moment, but when she made no move to fasten her seat belt, he reached over to snap the harness into place. “Here, let me help you…”
She opened her eyes then, and for one split second, Aidan found himself staring back at her. He couldn’t glance away. He didn’t want to. Something stirred deep inside him, an attraction he’d been fighting since he’d walked into her hospital room that morning.
No, he’d felt it before that even. Yesterday. And the day before, when she’d been clinging to his hand for dear life.
She was a beautiful woman, no question. Even more beautiful than Elena, and he would never have thought that possible. But the two women couldn’t have been less alike. Elena had been tall, thin, frail. Dark, sultry eyes and gleaming black hair.
Kaitlyn was a blue-eyed blonde, and so petite that Aidan could easily lift her in one arm. But there was nothing frail about her. Not even now, when she was so obviously in pain.
Her face was only inches from his, and he found himself staring at her mouth. She had the most gorgeous lips he’d ever seen. Soft, full, lush. He wanted to trace those lips with his tongue. Kiss her so hard and so deep that neither of them would be able to think straight for a week.
He was turned-on just thinking about her body pressed against his, and it shamed him to remember that she’d just gotten out of the hospital. The woman had very nearly lost her life.
It didn’t seem to matter. Aidan couldn’t stop thinking about her, and he couldn’t look away to save his own life.
Her breath quickened as if she’d suddenly become aware of his attraction. She remained perfectly still, her eyes locked with his, the aphrodisiac scent of her shampoo making him want to bury his head in her hair.
He had the strangest feeling that if he kissed her right now, she just might let him.
Before she could change her mind, he closed the distance, brushing his lips against hers, and when she didn’t resist, he deepened the pressure.
Her mouth opened like magic beneath his. He slipped his tongue inside and she responded with a little jerk. But she still didn’t pull away.
Instead, she kissed him back. So fiercely it took his breath away. Somehow he hadn’t expected that, and he wondered fleetingly if he’d opened a Pandora’s Box. How far was he ready to take this?
Apparently, quite a bit farther, and it didn’t seem to matter that they were in full view of anyone exiting or entering the hospital. If she wanted them to start ripping off their clothes right then and there, he was game. All she had to do was say the word.
He slid his hand up her arm and tangled his fingers in her hair, drawing her even closer. She came willingly, cupping his face in her hands as she moved her mouth against his.
She was a great kisser, which also surprised him. She had the face of an angel, but the way she turned him on was anything but angelic.
Groaning softly against his mouth, she pulled away with a little gasp.
Aidan felt instantly remorseful. She was still bruised and battered, and he hadn’t exactly been gentle. “Did I hurt you?”
“What?” She looked almost as dazed as when he’d found her on that ledge. “Hurt me? No, you didn’t hurt me.” She put a hand to her mouth. “What just happened?”
“I kissed you.”
“I know, but why?”
“Does there have to be a reason?”
“I would hope so. You don’t just go around kissing strange women, do you? Seems to me that would be a good way to get your face slapped.”
“You didn’t slap me,” he reminded her.
“I know.” She let out another breath. “I don’t understand why.”
She looked adorable, so dazed and perplexed. Aidan wanted to kiss her again but decided not to press his luck. He straightened and moved back over to his place behind the wheel. “It’s not so hard to figure.”
“No? Then why don’t you clue me in?”
“You’ve just come through a terrifying ordeal. You were nearly killed. It’s not unusual to have some sort of emotional release after an experience like that.”
“Okay,” she said thoughtfully. “That explains why I didn’t slap you. It might even explain why I kissed you back. But I still don’t understand why you kissed me in the first place.”
“That’s easy. You’re hot.”
Her eyes widened—in outrage or shock, Aidan wasn’t quite sure which. He reached forward to start the ignition. When he turned back to her, she was still staring at him.
“That can’t be the first time you’ve ever heard that,” he said.
“I guess not. But…” She bit her lip. “You may have saved my life, but…you scare me a little.”
Her candor took him by surprise. She had a habit of doing that…taking him by surprise. “That’s funny,” he muttered. “Because I was just thinking the same thing about you.”
He put the Jeep in gear without waiting for her response and pulled away from the hospital. Once they were on the road, he glanced at her. She hadn’t said a word since they’d left the parking lot. “You’ll have to give me directions to your place.”
“Sure, but would you mind dropping me off at the diner instead? I’m starving,” she said sheepishly. “I guess it’s doing without real food for so long. But you don’t have to wait for me. I only live a few blocks from there. I can walk home.”
She’d barely had the strength to climb into the Jeep, but Aidan didn’t think it was a good idea to point that out to her. Instead, he said, “I seem to have worked up an appetite myself. You don’t mind if I join you, do you?”
“Uh, no, not at all. I’ll even pick up the tab,” she said with a smile. “It’s the least I can do.”
DAMN, DAMN, damn, Kaitlyn thought worriedly. She couldn’t get rid of the guy.
Not that kissing his brains out was exactly the way to go about it, but she desperately needed a breather. A little time to herself to think about everything that had happened over the past few days, but mostly to wonder how in the heck she’d ended up in the arms of a man she’d never even known existed until two days ago.
Maybe it had been nothing more than an emotional release, as he’d said. Kaitlyn had heard of people having comfort sex as a way of reaffirming life when someone close to them died. Maybe that was what she’d been doing with her tongue stuck down Aidan Campbell’s throat. Reaffirming life.
No matter the reason, it just wasn’t like her to get so caught up in the moment, and it scared her. She wasn’t a virgin, and she certainly was no prude, but she didn’t like losing control that way. She was impulsive in almost every other aspect of her life, but when it came to romance and sex, she rarely let down her guard. It made her too vulnerable, and she didn’t particularly want to open herself up to hurt.
But all that aside, now was just not a good time for her to be falling for a new man, even one who had saved her l
ife. She’d finally made a decision about her future, and that was that. She didn’t want to start second-guessing herself because of some guy.
Oh, for God’s sakes. You’d think he asked you to have his baby or something.
He’d just kissed her, and it would never happen again.
It probably wouldn’t happen again.
It might not happen again.
And even if it did happen again, what was the point in getting all worked up over a few innocent kisses?
It wasn’t like she was planning on having sex with him, or anything.
Now that really would be stupid.
What she needed to do was concentrate on the things about him that she didn’t like.
Hmm.
Okay, this was going to take some thought, but she’d come up with something. Mr. December over there couldn’t be that perfect.
Kaitlyn had never met a man yet she couldn’t pick apart, given time and opportunity.
The attraction probably wouldn’t last through breakfast.
Another day at the most and Aidan Campbell would be nothing but a memory.
Chapter Seven
Okay, this was not working out at all the way she’d hoped, Kaitlyn grudgingly acknowledged. The moment Aidan had taken her arm to help her out of the Jeep, her knees had gone all weak and her heart had started to pound. It was getting to the point where she could hardly even look at him without blushing, which was just ridiculous.
Thankfully, the diner was in a lull between the breakfast and lunch crowds and they had their choice of tables. Kaitlyn decided on a booth near the front windows rather than one of the cozier corner tables. With all the natural light pouring in through the plate glass, she figured it would be an excellent opportunity to nitpick some imperfection in Aidan’s seemingly perfect appearance.
And after a few minutes of conversation, if it went the way she anticipated, he’d probably start to annoy her the way most men seemed to these days.
She could handle this, no problem. Even if she couldn’t get him out of her system as quickly as she’d hoped, so what? She was no stranger to physical attraction and, allowed to run its course, a relationship like this never amounted to anything more than a few weeks—months at the most—of casual dating and, all too often, unsatisfying sex. Her attraction to Aidan was an anomaly…like snow in July or something. It was never going to last.
Going to Extremes Page 7