The Marine's Secret Daughter. Carrie Nichols
She restarted her brisk pace through the parking lot. “I don’t.”
“And yet you mentioned it.”
She shook her head. “Forget I said anything.”
He opened the passenger door. “That’s hard to do since you insist on talking about it.”
“I’m not talking.”
“Then what is that thing you’re doing with your mouth?” He cocked an eyebrow, knowing his ability to lift one would bug her. She’d been around twelve when he’d caught her practicing in front of a mirror, trying and failing to imitate him by raising just one eyebrow. He shouldn’t be goading her, but falling back into their good-natured teasing felt good and helped melt away some of the distance the years had wedged between them.
She rolled her eyes at him, and the rays from the sun sitting low on the horizon fell on her face, causing the amber ring circling her pupils to glow. He’d never met another woman with eyes as beautifully sexy as hers.
“I love your eyes.” He hadn’t meant to say that, but the words had catapulted from his mouth like a fighter jet off the deck of a carrier. He might not have set out to say anything like that, but he wasn’t sorry.
“Wha-what?”
Placing his thumb under her jaw, he closed her mouth. “I was remarking on your eyes.”
She stuck her chin out. “The medical term is sectoral heterochromia.”
He understood what she was saying, or rather, what she wasn’t saying. Her reaction reminded him of his when the doctors talked about his survivor’s guilt. “People like to label things.”
“Kids made fun. Said I had freckles in my eyes. Except—” she clutched the bear tighter, but didn’t look away “—you. You never did.”
“I was too busy teasing you about this red hair.” He ran his fingers through the soft, springy curls.
“It’s not red.” She glared at him, but her lips twitched, telling him she wasn’t angry. “It’s golden copper. How many times do I have to tell you that?”
“Golden copper, huh?” He wrapped a curl around his index finger, gave a gentle tug and let go, grinning when the corkscrew sprang back. “Sure looks red to me.”
“Well, there’s a difference.” She brushed the hair off her face. “And you’d know that if you’d been paying attention.”
“Oh, I paid attention, Meggie. As a matter of fact, I—”
An ambulance, its sirens blaring and lights flashing, passed and he followed its progress as it pulled under the portico of the emergency entrance. When he turned back, she was watching the ambulance, her brows drawn together over the bridge of her nose. He smoothed his thumb over the deep grooves. “Let’s go.”
“Yes, please.” She nodded and turned back to him. “Take me home.”
He tsked his tongue. “No. Can. Do.”
Her eyes widened. “But you just said—”
“I said we’re leaving here. If you’d been paying attention, you’d know I didn’t specify a destination.” He opened the passenger door. “Remember, I’m under doctor’s orders to take you to a motel tonight.”
“What? Why that’s...that’s... No. Take me home.”
He risked an elbow in his stomach but hovered as she pulled herself into the truck. Once she was seated, he grinned and said, “Can’t. The doc and I shook on it and everything.”
“Why... I... You...”
“Hold that thought.” He slammed the door and hustled around the front of the truck. Getting under her skin felt good. Too good. His hand tightened around his key. He had men counting on him to return at 100 percent. If he wasn’t careful, the one woman he couldn’t get out of his system might distract him from that goal.
* * *
When was the last time someone had left her speechless? Meg buckled her seat belt with a loud click. She brushed her hand over the bear’s plush fur. If she wasn’t careful, Riley would crawl right back into her heart. She needed to remember he was here for thirty days, and as a single mother to an impressionable little girl, she couldn’t do temporary.
And she wasn’t going to look at his hands on the steering wheel...she wasn’t. She—Damn. Her short nails dug into the palms of her hands and her mother’s words echoed in her head. You need to be careful how much attention you pay to that boy. He’ll get the wrong idea about what kind of girl you are.
Sorry, Ma, but he got the wrong idea. But now she was on a good path, a smart path and—
“I can hear you all the way over here.”
“What?” She jerked her head back, warmth spreading across her cheeks. “I didn’t say anything.”
“No, but you’re busy thinking it.” He draped his hand over the wheel, giving her a sidelong glance and a devilish grin.
If he wasn’t the most annoying... She sighed. No other man in her acquaintance sparked her nerve endings the way Riley did. Not that Loon Lake was crawling with eligible men, but enough to convince her that what she felt for Riley didn’t come along every day. “I wasn’t thinking anything.”
“Just like you weren’t talking?” He glanced over and quirked his eyebrow.
Meg sighed and shifted in the seat. Ugh. He used that one eyebrow like a sexy weapon, as if he knew that simple action tied her in knots.
“I was—Hey, you missed the turn.” She dragged in a tight breath. Good heavens, was he serious about a motel?
He gave her a dimpled grin. “I told you. We’re going to a motel.”
Those dang dimples—yeah, more ammo in his sex-on-a-stick arsenal. She shook her head. “I’m not going anywhere dressed like this.”
“Sorry, but you’ve already been somewhere dressed like that.”
“Well, thank you, Captain Obvious.” She turned her head toward the passenger-side window. As if the asthma meds hadn’t made her squirrely enough, the sight of his hands had her squirming. “But that was an emergency.”
“Ah, but the motel is an extension of the original mission.” Slowing for a red light, he turned his head to study her. “Marines don’t stop until the job is finished.”
“You got the job done. I can breathe and—” she rattled her bag “—I have more meds if anything happens.”
“You heard the doctor. No exposure to mold tonight.” The light changed and he drove through the intersection. “Afraid you won’t be able to resist me?”
She snorted. “Oh, please. If anything, I’m more likely to strangle you in your sleep.”
“Hmm...” He wiggled both eyebrows at her. “Considering you’d have to climb on top of me to have that sort of access.”
As if she needed that picture in her head. “I’m serious, Riley.”
He leaned sideways toward her. “So am I. I plan to stick to you like a foul odor.”
She rolled her eyes. “Which reminds me. I need a shower. I spent the whole day cleaning that cottage.”
He grinned, all white teeth and dimples peeking out from the stubble. “You can shower at the motel.”
She still had an ace up her sleeve and brought out her sweetest, fakest smile. “But these clothes have mold and dust and who knows what clinging to them. You heard the doctor. No more exposure means I need clean clothes.”
“That nurse gave you a top to wear.”
“Yeah,