Chances Are - By Christy Reece Page 0,52

early days in the Army, she figured he’d relate that back to how she had handled herself and try to explain away her ridiculous overreaction. Unfortunately, in the light of day, she still saw no correlation. At crunch time, he had come through for his country. She, on the other hand, had behaved like an untrained neophyte.

She shook her head. “I know what you’re going to say, so save it. My panic attack over something as simple as a kid on a skateboard showed me who I am. If the killer came after me, I’d probably get myself killed and possibly someone else, too. I can’t trust myself. You shouldn’t trust me either.”

“Hell, Angela, if you think LCR operatives operate without fear, you need to reevaluate your opinion of us. We might not go around talking about it, but I’d bet my last dollar there’s not one of us who hasn’t been scared at some point.”

“But that doesn’t stop you from doing your job. I was a basket-case, Jake. There’s no other word for it. If that had been a real attack, I would have failed miserably.”

Before he could object, she raised her hand and added, “Don’t try to talk me out of it. I know my worth as an LCR employee. It’s a role I’m comfortable with and excel at. That will be enough.”

“Will it?”

She turned away from the penetrating look in his eyes. One would think they’d be awkward with each other since only hours ago they’d been as intimate as two people could be. Instead those delicious hours last night felt as far away as if they’d been another one of her fantasies. Even though her fantasies had never been so fulfilling or wonderful.

Making herself face him again, she said adamantly, “There’s nothing else to do but go home. “

For several seconds, he maintained a hard, piercing stare. Finally he nodded. “Since we all traveled together on LCR’s plane, I’ll need to make commercial travel plans.”

“Okay.”

“But I’m going to make them for tomorrow.”

“What?”

“You’ve had no downtime since we arrived. You’re running on fumes. Let’s take the day and enjoy London. We’ll go home tomorrow.”

The enticement of being with Jake for one more day was too irresistible to deny. His apology had been a surprise, but he’d given no indication their night of passion was something he wanted to repeat. Despite the feeling that she was delaying inevitable heartache, she couldn’t help but say, “That sounds wonderful.”

“Good. Get dressed and we’ll be tourists for the day.”

She felt his eyes on her until she disappeared into the bedroom. What would he do if she invited him back to bed for just a few hours? Could their connection be reestablished or was it gone for good? He had to be disappointed in her…she sure as hell was.

It was one of the best days of her life. Angela couldn’t remember the last time she’d had such an easygoing, fun-filled day. After Jake booked the train tickets to Paris for the next afternoon, he’d returned to her apartment. She had been dressed and ready for him, eager to put her heartache behind her, at least for a little while.

As if determined to help her accomplish that goal, he set out on a quest for them to see as many sights as possible. Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and Westminster Abbey were some of the ones she’d read about and had always longed to see. They were even more spectacular than what she had imagined.

In the early afternoon, they stopped at a pub for lunch and talked like two people who’d known each other forever. Once again, Jake didn’t talk personal stuff and Angela didn’t push. Easygoing was the word of the day and asking for more than he could give was a surefire way to spoil their fun.

After lunch, they walked down Dover Street and window-shopped, trying to outdo each other in finding the most outlandish and expensive items. Following a sign for a toy store down a side street, Angela found the perfect gift for Micah McCall’s birthday displayed in the window—an electric train set. She had been in his playroom many times and knew he didn’t have one. He was going to love it.

As if it were the most natural thing in the world, she grabbed Jake’s hand and dragged him into the store. Not that he looked the least bit unwilling…his eyes were as bright as a child’s.

Once inside, they split up. Angela headed to examine the train and Jake