her? âWhat do you mean?â
âI saw his prosthetic.â
Her heart thumped with sadness and pride for the young man she thought of as a brother. âAfghanistan. Four years ago. His unit was ambushed by Taliban insurgents.â
âThatâs rough.â
âYeah. He was a combat medic.â She couldnât keep the bitter taste of anger out of her tone. âHe was there to help others.â
âHe was also a soldier,â Nathanial stated quietly.
âYes. He earned his Combat Medical Badge for providing care under fire. From what Iâve heard, he helped others while he was injured himself.â She swallowed past the lump in her throat. âHeâs a hero.â
âIt must have been hard for him to return to this quiet community after the chaos of war.â
âHe had a hard time adjusting at first,â she admitted. âWatching him come to terms with his loss was difficult for everyone. The town pulled together, sent him back to school to become a civilian paramedic and bought the ambulance.â
Nathanial winced. âWhich was destroyed because of me.â
âNo, it was destroyed because criminals tried to kill you. The insurance will get Sean another ambulance.â
âHe has a crush on you.â
Biting back a groan, she popped a handful of trail mix into her mouth and chewed, giving herself time to formulate an answer to a complicated situation. After she took another drink of water, she said, âHeâs the younger brother of one of my childhood best friends. I couldnât... I mean, heâs like the little brother I never had.â
âAh. Good.â
She arched an eyebrow. âGood?â She turned to face him fully. Though shadows played over his features, there was no mistaking the intensity in his expression.
âI wasnât sure if you and he...â Nathanialâs mouth lifted at the corner. âI was hoping you werenât involved with him.â
Her pulse kicked up. âWhy?â
âBecause then Iâd feel guilty for kissing you.â
âBut you havenât kissed me.â
âYouâre right, we were interrupted.â
He touched her cheek, his fingers trailing across her skin. She sucked in a quick breath. Her heart hammered. She was torn between wanting him to kiss her and wanting, needing, to keep a distance. He lowered his head, once again pausing, letting her make the final decision.
So many conflicting thoughts swirled in her head. She was setting herself up for hurt. She was curious, wanting to know what it would feel like to kiss this man. She was supposed to be protecting him, not forming some romantic attachment. But would one kiss qualify as an attachment? One kiss couldnât hurt anything, could it?
Her mind flashed to Kyle. To the seduction heâd laid on her, beguiling her into believing that taking one step wouldnât lead to another and another, until heâd led her down a path that had left her filled with guilt and shame. And anger when heâd shown his true colors.
She put her fingers against Nathanialâs lips. The warmth of his mouth flowed through her, making her hesitate. But she forged ahead, knowing she was making the right choice. âI canât. This isnât going to happen.â
Disappointment shone in the dark depths of his eyes, but he nodded, retreating from her both physically and emotionally. It was like an invisible barrier had gone up between them. She didnât like it but had no idea what to do about it, either.
He settled his head against the wall. âWe should get some rest. Tomorrow you wonât have to worry about me anymore. Iâll become someone elseâs problem.â
Youâre not a problem , she wanted to tell him. But she held her tongue. And he was wrong. Sheâd continue to worry about him as long as someone was out to kill him.
EIGHT
T he next morning, after dropping Paulson off at
Nora Roberts
Stephanie Alba
Marta Perry
Meredith Towbin
Ruth Rendell
Paul Doherty
Peter Tremayne
R. L. Stine
Isabel Cooper
Olivia Cunning