Cover Me by Catherine Mann

bodies. He was probably trapped out there in the storm the same way we were.”

    “That all makes sense, I guess.” She held ultrastill. A move away could well relay how much his presence affected her, and she wasn’t sure if she wanted to take that step or not.

    “Actually, I didn’t come up with the theory myself. That’s what his boss seems to think happened. Apparently Rand Smith had been talking about the woman around work for quite a while.”

    Could be, but it still felt… off. She’d been with Ted and Madison when they’d met with the deputy and she hadn’t gotten that vibe at all. Of course nothing felt normal right now, and Wade’s presence scrambled her already shaky senses. “I should give my statement while things are still fresh in my mind—and before I pass out. Are they coming in here or do I go somewhere?”

    “You’ll call from here. It’ll be a video-con, so it will be like a regular face-to-face interview.”

    She drew in a shaky breath. “Okay, I can handle that.”

    “Afterward, I’ll make sure they give you quarters to stay in for the night.” He reached into his pocket. “You’ll need some cash for incidentals.”

    “No!” She placed a hand on his arm. A jolt of awareness sparked up her fingertips, tingling all the way into her arms. Ignoring him wasn’t working, but that didn’t mean she would lose sight of what she needed to accomplish tonight. “Can we please just go somewhere else?”

    “We?”

    His body tensed. Their eyes locked. Heat spiked in the room. Or was it just in her bloodstream?

    “Honestly, after all I’ve been through recently, I really don’t want to stay here alone.”
    She tried to think of a reason why she wouldn’t take the offer of a free room just because it happened to be on a military base that totally freaked her out. She downplayed it with “Gotta confess, the base is rather overwhelming. I’ve had a scary couple of days and thought… Maybe I could stay at a hotel. I’ll pay you back with interest. But I need to get off base. All the noise and people are like a steamroller to my senses when I’m used to the closest neighbor being a mile away.”

    He shook his head. “Those close-by people also bring security, and until I know what the hell was going on with Deputy Smith, I’m not going to feel comfortable with you out there unprotected.”

    “How about I stay with you then,” she blurted in desperation.

    His eyes blinked wide for a second before his expression went neutral. “How do you know I don’t live here on base?”

    “You’re not married, so you can’t have one of the base houses… Well, unless you’re a Catholic chaplain—then you could live on base alone.” She couldn’t help but grin. “Are you a priest?”

    “Not by a long shot.” Leaning back in his chair, he folded his hands over his chest, his smile a hint wicked.

    Heat singed her ears. “Didn’t think so.” God, she liked his smile. “And since you’re not a freshly recruited E1 airman, you can’t live in the airman’s dorms. So I can only conclude you do not live on station. Have I covered everything?”

    “You know a lot about base life.”

    Her insides chilled. Why was it so easy to lower her guard around this guy? She would do well to remember that around him, and without question, he was her best bet for a ticket off this base until she could figure out what to do next. So she needed to rein in the rogue attraction where he was concerned. “I had an uncle in the service. So can I stay at your place or not? I saved your butt on that mountain, after all, by showing you that cave.”

    “And I saved your butt when the guy was shooting.”

    “That you did.”

    He angled forward again, so close she thought for a second he was going to kiss her.
    Which would only complicate things.

    “I didn’t mean—”

    “I know,” he said simply. “Yes, you can stay at my place if you wish. It’s small, but there’s a bed and a