then.”
Caitlin was still smiling when he got in beside her. “Maybe you should phone ahead, text your mom or something to tell her that I’m coming. I’d hate her to freak out at the thought of you bringing a date.”
Now it was Tom trying not to laugh. A date, huh? If she wanted it to be a date, then he had no problem with that. At all.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked, just to be sure.
“I don’t have any family, Tom, so it’d be kind of nice to spend time with yours,” she told him, cheek against the headrest as she wriggled in her seat to face him, watching him. “It’ll be fun.”
“You don’t have any family?” How could he not have known this already?
Caitlin kept smiling at him, but it was sadder this time, the happiness not reflected in her eyes. “Nope, just me.”
“Can I ask what happened?” How could she have no family at all?
“Nothing to tell,” she said, her upbeat words at odds with the look on her face, too forced.
Tom nodded slowly, trying to gather his thoughts. What he needed was to change the subject, give her an out. He understood all about needing to keep some things close to his chest, so he wasn’t going to pry.
“So you survived your first hike, huh?” he said, instead of questioning her further.
Caitlin held up her ankle, propping it on the dash. Her smile was grateful. “Only just.”
“Well, it was better than being attacked by a bobcat, so count yourself lucky.”
Tom grinned at her before focusing all his attention on the road as he pulled out of the parking lot. Yesterday, he’d been feeling down. Now, he felt invigorated, the way he only ever usually did after a serious workout session or a mission when he was a SEAL. Even if he was itching to know more about Caitlin and why she was so totally alone.
He was under no illusions. Caitlin was the cause of his euphoria and he wanted to be in her company. There was something about the pint-sized ballerina that intrigued him, made him feel alive as he hadn’t in a long time.
When he’d left his unit, he’d felt as if his future was over. As if he’d never find even a blink of happiness ever again.
But Caitlin had changed that. She’d made him see that he was capable of smiling again, of feeling happy, and for that he owed her big-time.
* * *
“So why did you become a teacher?” Tom called out as he sat in Caitlin’s living room, running one hand up and down her cat’s back as he waited for her to get dressed. He’d never heard a cat purr so much in his life, but it wasn’t helping to distract him. All he could think about was the fact that she’d been naked, only a room away from him, while he sat trying to pretend she wasn’t.
He was behaving like a sex-starved teenager. It had been way too long since he’d been with a woman, and now it was a particularly beautiful woman that he was craving.
Tom stifled a laugh. His SEAL buddies would be hooting with laughter at him if they could see him.
“Caitlin?”
“Sorry,” she called back, sounding breathless. “Getting ready without being able to walk is kind of trickier than I thought!”
Tom leaned back into the sofa and shut his eyes, thinking about all the ways he could help her. He seriously needed to think about something else.
“So tell me,” he asked again, trying to keep his mind from the gutter and only just succeeding. “What is it you like about teaching so much?”
“Did I say I liked it?”
No, but she sure as hell looked as if she loved it when he’d seen her with the children. “I already know you like it, but I need to know why.”
She hopped into the room before leaning against the door frame. “I love it because the kids are like little sponges, and I get to help them soak up everything they need to learn.”
Tom nodded, ignoring how cute she looked in her jeans. “So you like them because they’re small and impressionable?”
“I guess, but I like the fact that I’m helping them, too. You know,
Caitlin was still smiling when he got in beside her. “Maybe you should phone ahead, text your mom or something to tell her that I’m coming. I’d hate her to freak out at the thought of you bringing a date.”
Now it was Tom trying not to laugh. A date, huh? If she wanted it to be a date, then he had no problem with that. At all.
“Are you sure you don’t mind?” he asked, just to be sure.
“I don’t have any family, Tom, so it’d be kind of nice to spend time with yours,” she told him, cheek against the headrest as she wriggled in her seat to face him, watching him. “It’ll be fun.”
“You don’t have any family?” How could he not have known this already?
Caitlin kept smiling at him, but it was sadder this time, the happiness not reflected in her eyes. “Nope, just me.”
“Can I ask what happened?” How could she have no family at all?
“Nothing to tell,” she said, her upbeat words at odds with the look on her face, too forced.
Tom nodded slowly, trying to gather his thoughts. What he needed was to change the subject, give her an out. He understood all about needing to keep some things close to his chest, so he wasn’t going to pry.
“So you survived your first hike, huh?” he said, instead of questioning her further.
Caitlin held up her ankle, propping it on the dash. Her smile was grateful. “Only just.”
“Well, it was better than being attacked by a bobcat, so count yourself lucky.”
Tom grinned at her before focusing all his attention on the road as he pulled out of the parking lot. Yesterday, he’d been feeling down. Now, he felt invigorated, the way he only ever usually did after a serious workout session or a mission when he was a SEAL. Even if he was itching to know more about Caitlin and why she was so totally alone.
He was under no illusions. Caitlin was the cause of his euphoria and he wanted to be in her company. There was something about the pint-sized ballerina that intrigued him, made him feel alive as he hadn’t in a long time.
When he’d left his unit, he’d felt as if his future was over. As if he’d never find even a blink of happiness ever again.
But Caitlin had changed that. She’d made him see that he was capable of smiling again, of feeling happy, and for that he owed her big-time.
* * *
“So why did you become a teacher?” Tom called out as he sat in Caitlin’s living room, running one hand up and down her cat’s back as he waited for her to get dressed. He’d never heard a cat purr so much in his life, but it wasn’t helping to distract him. All he could think about was the fact that she’d been naked, only a room away from him, while he sat trying to pretend she wasn’t.
He was behaving like a sex-starved teenager. It had been way too long since he’d been with a woman, and now it was a particularly beautiful woman that he was craving.
Tom stifled a laugh. His SEAL buddies would be hooting with laughter at him if they could see him.
“Caitlin?”
“Sorry,” she called back, sounding breathless. “Getting ready without being able to walk is kind of trickier than I thought!”
Tom leaned back into the sofa and shut his eyes, thinking about all the ways he could help her. He seriously needed to think about something else.
“So tell me,” he asked again, trying to keep his mind from the gutter and only just succeeding. “What is it you like about teaching so much?”
“Did I say I liked it?”
No, but she sure as hell looked as if she loved it when he’d seen her with the children. “I already know you like it, but I need to know why.”
She hopped into the room before leaning against the door frame. “I love it because the kids are like little sponges, and I get to help them soak up everything they need to learn.”
Tom nodded, ignoring how cute she looked in her jeans. “So you like them because they’re small and impressionable?”
“I guess, but I like the fact that I’m helping them, too. You know,
Similar Books
