by Mary Wine
“Tell me what your husband said to you, now.”
His words were whisper soft and her skin rose into goose bumps in response. There was such an intense level of awareness that her body had for him. Loren tried to suppress it. Chris had taught her just how dangerous getting close to a man could become. The major here was an animal higher up on the food chain than her husband.
“It’s none of your concern.”
Rourke kept a careful hold on his temper. At the moment, he was torn between beating the truth out of his man and shaking it loose from Loren. There was something going on between the pair and he wanted to dig it out of her.
It was more than simple attraction now. This close he could smell her sweet flesh. Her chest rose and fell with a rapid rate that lifted the corners of his mouth into a grin. The level of arousal they brought out in each other was just as strong as the night they’d met. It was an intoxicating piece of information.
But nothing would be happening ‘til her husband was out of the picture. Rourke focused his attention on the barrier her married state presented. She’d been abandoned at the least. What he wanted to know now was if she’d run away from something.
“Most women don’t step out on their husbands when they’re pregnant. Why did you?”
“It’s none of your business.”
“Why did you kick your husband last night?”
“He swung at me first!” Loren spat her response out before she thought better. Horror flooded her as the grin sitting on the major’s face widened to show her an even row of white teeth. She’d just given him exactly what he wanted. Rourke Campbell had not witnessed the attack himself and she’d just bet that not a single one of Chris’ fellow Rangers were willing to tell their commanding officer that one of their own had raised his hand against his wife.
But now, she’d opened her big mouth and the Major had all the information he needed to open an investigation against her husband. That would be a disaster for her. As long as Chris was out being a Ranger he didn’t have the time to bother her. If he got discharged for spousal abuse, well, the man would have nothing better to do than come looking for her.
“Divorce him, Loren.”
“I can’t.”
“You mean you won’t.” Rourke moved his body closer and listened to the sharp breath she drew. There was a current jumping between their bodies that had his hair rising along the back of his neck. She wanted him and he wasn’t going to let her hide behind a marriage that was long dead.
“That’s right. I made my mistake and I’ll live with it, Rourke.”
Chapter Four
She’d called him Rourke.
Staring at his reflection in the bathroom mirror the next morning, Rourke was still grinning. All right, he was acting like a teenager but hell, he liked the sound of his name rolling out of her sweet mouth.
Picking up his razor, he applied it to his jaw with steady strokes. His thoughts were completely centered on his houseguest. That didn’t bother him in the least. A man was lucky to have such a lovely woman bunking under his roof, even if she wasn’t bunking in the right room just yet.
A slight frown settled over his face. He wanted Loren. The sexual attraction was intensely acute for some reason. The problem was he only had six days ‘til she’d be free to head back home.
Now that bothered him. Wiping a towel across his face, Rourke turned toward his closet. Pulling a shirt out, Rourke pulled it over his chest and began pushing the buttons through their holes.
Maybe he should just let it drop. He found Loren too intense. The idea of their relationship ending bothered him. And that was the real reason Rourke should let it go now, before it even got started.
For the first time in his life, Rourke found his genealogy bothered him. He’d always been psychic. His mother was psychic, his brothers were and they lived in complete acceptance of that fact. There had never been a time when Rourke had resented his abilities.
He didn’t resent it now. But he was finding it popping up in his mind. Loren was a civilian. His psychic abilities were classified. That meant there was a solid wall standing between the two of them.
Rourke considered the desire that was stirring just with the aid of his imagination. It would seem that the hard facts weren’t going to intrude on his attraction to the woman.
But he didn’t want the attraction to stop. Rourke was enjoying it. It had been a long time since a woman had such pull on him. In fact, he couldn’t remember it ever happening. Six days was a nice long time to explore things.
Beyond that, well, Loren couldn’t become aware of who he really was. That was for her good as well as his. But Rourke found himself considering the idea all the same.
It was just possible that a woman who could tackle the male-dominated field of firefighting wouldn’t run screaming for a priest the second she found out she’d kissed a psychic.
Even if she had run away from the man.
* * * * *
“Fine! Go ahead and send the local sheriff up here to get me! He’ll tell you the same thing!” One of the major problems with a cell phone was you couldn’t slam it down when the situation called for it. Just jabbing the off button was rather unsatisfying. Loren glared at the little bit of technology and gave a short hiss.
“Just who is trying to light your temper today?”
Loren jumped. Christ! There had to be a law about a man moving so silently! Her coffee mug went rolling across the kitchen counter leaving a trail of steaming liquid behind. Shoving the phone into her pocket, Loren reached for a dishtowel to catch the spill before she had the added bonus of cleaning the floor to add to her morning.
Rourke folded his arms across his chest and waited. Loren was ignoring him. Her lips were pressed into a firm line as she mopped up the remains of her coffee. She rubbed at the counter ‘til it would have passed inspection before giving up and turning her eyes up to his.
“Good morning, Loren.”
She should have let the coffee spill onto the floor. Cleaning would have been better than facing Rourke Campbell. There was a heat that rose up her spine every time she looked into the man’s face. The kind of heat that got a girl into trouble if she wasn’t smart enough to hightail it in the opposite direction.
The problem was, Loren was stuck, stuck, stuck in the man’s house for the next six days. His lips lifted into a wide smile.
“I do believe you are blushing.”
Loren snapped her teeth together before her mouth dropped open. Oh God! She was blushing. She could feel the heat exploding in her face while Rourke’s smile widened.
“I’m just mad!”
“So, I heard.” But she was still blushing. “As much as I’d enjoy a visit from my father, maybe I should call and warn him before that call hits his office.”
“Your father’s the local sheriff?”
“Sheriff Brice Campbell of Benton County. I call him Dad.”
“Oh.” Loren felt the heat in her face slip away. They could talk about work. It was a nice, safe, sterile subject. “I’ve got a subpoena for court today and the witness center isn’t taking the quarantine any too serious. They think I should show up despite any fatal diseases I might be contaminated with.”
“Well, my dad will be happy to set them straight. This area is sealed.”
“I imagine that’s normal, not just in response to the current problem.” That might not have been the wisest thing she could have said. Loren watched the man in front of her as his face went as blank as a granite boulder. Not even the hint of an emotion remained. Loren felt her own lips twitch up into a grin.
“You want to know something, Rourke Campbell? My father was never an officer but he can do that face better than you.” Rourke’s black eyebrows rose up but Loren decided to finish her thought. “What do you think I am? Stupid? Blind? Or am I just expected to believe most people travel around in high-tech helicopters?”
Loren snagged her coffee cup from the counter and headed for the coffeepot. If R
ourke Campbell thought she’d play dumb for him then he was sadly mistaken. Wherever they were, it was classified.
“You can relax, Major. I’m not going to run my jaw, just don’t expect me to play the idiot who can’t see what’s in front of her face.”
Rourke didn’t just want the woman, now he was getting to like her. He didn’t have a single use for a game-playing female. The frank honesty Loren was slapping across his face suited him exactly right. “Deal.”
Rourke pushed his frame away from the kitchen counter and poured his own coffee. He sent her a wink before striding out of the kitchen on confident feet.
Loren let her breath out in a slow movement. She pulled another deep breath in and held it.
That had been brazen. Tossing out a challenge like that to a man like Rourke Campbell could have landed her right in a pot of boiling water. Instead the man had taken her at her word. That was nothing to sneeze at. The idea that Rourke Campbell considered her word trustworthy, hit her as a compliment.
He wasn’t a man who placed his faith in the undeserving. The same nagging idea to trust the man came floating across her brain. Loren snorted with distaste. That was something that she could never allow to happen.
Wandering out the front door, she took in the morning. Rourke Campbell sure did live in paradise. The huge A-frame house was as sturdy as it was practical. They were surrounded on all sides by forest. The trees stretched up the mountains that were in view. It looked like there wasn’t another living soul anywhere to be found.
The cool mountain air was a little chilly as it hit her thin Californian skin. Hugging her arms close, Loren took another sip of her coffee. A duffel bag had appeared with her clothing in it, but her wardrobe wasn’t up to the mountaintop location.
Loren shrugged. She’d just have to wear layers. The laundry room might become her best friend, but this was only a limited stay. For now, she intended to enjoy it. Moving away from the house, she wandered toward the three helicopters that sat rather silently in the clearing in front of the house.
Now what kind of a man had combat helicopters sitting in his front yard? It was extremely strange the way the black machines were just there. Well, it was all probably just a precaution against an outbreak of Ebola Tai Forest.
She should have thought of that sooner. No one just took their helicopters home with them. Not even officers.
Well, there was a bright side to the machines being there. Her son was in heaven. Toby was currently sitting in the front of one of the machines with a laptop computer balanced on his knees and wires running down his legs.
Chris’ face appeared in the open doorway of the aircraft. The mug slipped from her grip and smashed on the rocky forest floor. Loren didn’t care. Chris muttered something and Toby lifted his head to stare at the man. Her son quickly returned to his computer and Chris lifted his face to catch her watching them. His mouth twisted into a sneer before he resumed talking to Toby.
Her hand was frozen over her throat as Loren fought the urge to throw herself between them. She couldn’t, mustn’t do that. It was Toby’s choice. It had to be Toby’s choice because it was her fault Chris was his father.
It was horribly amazing the way her adolescent mistakes were affecting someone else’s life. Marrying Chris had been immature at the best. Too young to know better, she’d followed her heart right into his arms. But her son was a shiny blessing that Loren would never regret.
Another shiver crossed her chest and Loren abruptly turned around and headed back to the house. No moping allowed! That was one of her absolute rules. No self-pity. No limits. And no MEN!
All she needed was some good exercise. Toby was a great kid and far smarter than she was. He’d make a good choice. Loren raised her face to the morning sun and silently prayed.
Please God, let him be smarter than me.
* * * * *
“Oh, yeah. Now that’s a sweet bitch if ever I saw one.”
“Grade A ass.”
That sort of talk from his men wasn’t really something Rourke took extra notice of. Men, his men were rough or they got transferred out of his unit. There wasn’t any room for a man that might be too soft. It was just a side effect of their training that none of them knew a thing about manners.
There wasn’t any need for social niceties out here anyway. There were never women allowed on the compound. Except today there was one.
Snapping his head around, Rourke fixed his attention on his men. Both Rangers had their field glasses out and aimed at the slope of the mountain in front of them.
“I tell you, Chris is a dumbass. I’d do her a few more times before getting rid of her.”
Rourke snapped his head around and caught Loren making her way down the slope. She cut through the forest with steady speed. Her top was marked with sweat from her collar to her waist. She broke through the trees and continued running ‘til she hit the house.
Loren didn’t let her body quit ‘til she heard the screen door hit the doorjamb behind her. Then she bent over and braced her hands onto her knees and tried to breathe. Oh yeah. There was nothing like running to get your mind off of anything and everything.
It was an exercise of will to keep herself from collapsing. There wasn’t any room let in her head for emotion turmoil.
A solid grip caught her forearm and spun Loren around like a top. She stumbled before catching her balance. Rourke Campbell’s face was etched with anger as he waited for her to steady herself.
“For someone who claimed not to be stupid, you’re sure acting like it.”
“What exactly is your problem, Campbell?” Jerking her arm out of his hold, Loren propped it onto her hip.
He didn’t like her calling him by his surname, but there was a bigger problem to handle first. “Parading around in that excuse for clothing just might get you raped. Those men out there aren’t gentle in the least! You’re lucky one of the perimeter guards didn’t think you were a gift from the tooth fairy.”
“If your men are really that barbaric, you have my sympathy. But it’s your problem, Major.” Loren used her fingers to comb her hair back out of her face. Rourke’s emerald eyes were sharp as they sliced at her but she wasn’t going to swallow it. “What’s the big deal, anyway? Are trying to tell me you guys don’t run? I sure thought I saw you in a pair of jogging shorts this morning.”
“That’s very different, Loren.” Rourke let his words out very carefully. He was mad. There was a surge of emotion traveling through his body that threatened to overpower every last ounce of control he processed. One of his men could have dragged her to the forest floor and he never would have known. He wouldn’t let her expose herself to that kind of danger again.
“Because I’m a woman?” His head gave a sharp nod and Loren felt her own temper heat up, but this was a battle she was rather used to fighting. Women weren’t exactly welcome in the fire academy either.
“Look Campbell, my excuse for clothing just happens to be the fire department approved workout suit. The guys wear it and so do us girls. If jogging is good for you, then it’s good for me. I’m not letting my endurance drop during this little vacation.” Raising her hand up, Loren stopped Rourke from interrupting her. “And if there’s any part of this mountain that you’d rather I stay away from, then you’d better get around to explaining the rules to me.”
“This isn’t a democracy, Loren, I’m in command here.”
“What you are is a chauvinist! You can wear shorts but I can’t?” Loren shook her head in denial. “Sorry pal, but I’m fresh out of potato sacks!”
“Fine! You can wear the shorts.” She was right. Her dark blue shorts were similar, if not the same as his own green ones. Rourke pulled a solid breath into his lungs and searched for control. She didn’t understand the sharp edge his men were balanced on. Nor did she understand the harsh reality of his life.
That nagging thought that had hit him this morning was certainly gaining strength. His life wasn’t one a man could share. The plain fac
t was Loren didn’t belong here. All the sexual attraction in the world couldn’t change that fact.
For now, he’d better get his ideas out of her pants because it was his fault she was on the compound. That made her safety his sole responsibility.
“You jog with me. Sunup. Don’t be late.”
Rourke dismissed her. Loren watched the way he turned his body with razor-sharp precision and then he left. His withdrawal was more than physical—it hit her emotionally as well. She’d always been so very aware of him, that right then his dismissal felt very much like rejection.
Pressing her lips firmly together, Loren stared at his bedroom door. She should be happy, at least relieved. The man was finally off her tail and by the feel of things he meant to keep it that way.
Fine… Good… That’s way it had to be.
So why wasn’t she feeling relieved?
Chapter Five
Loren reached for her toes and ground her teeth together as her muscles ached. Oh…Rourke Campbell was sure a sore loser! Stretching forward she couldn’t help but laugh. To be completely correct, she was the one who was sore but Rourke Campbell’s pride was so large she couldn’t understand how the man walked without his ego tipping him over.
Running with the man had been a pure battle of wills. Loren wasn’t sure if she’d won, but she was still standing.
Shaking out her legs, she took a slow turn around the house. Running so hard this morning had turned her legs into Jell-O. She had escaped the muscle fatigue by diving into her computer reports and emails but after sitting at a computer most of the day, the abused muscles of her legs had contracted and turned stiff.