Conceal, Protect - By Carol Ericson Page 0,18
her away from any possible relationship—well, that and her guilt.
Why had her defenses failed her now? She’d been approached by good-looking guys before, so it wasn’t J.D.’s tawny hair and matching eyes or his solid muscles or the way his grin spread across his face, slow and easy.
As attractive as she found the man, his appearance had been secondary in her assessment. It had been all about the way he’d taken care of her, protected her, looked out for her. When had she ever had someone like that in her life?
She’d been the one to take care of Alex in their marriage...and she’d failed at it.
The tapping continued, and she rolled out of bed. J.D. made her feel safe, but it could all be an act. Bottom line—she had a strange man in her house and he seemed to be searching for something in the middle of the night.
She grabbed the shotgun from the corner. Then she crept across the floor and unlocked her door, turning the handle a centimeter at a time. She nudged the door open with her hip and slipped into the hallway.
Pressing the gun against her side, she narrowed her eyes as she peered across the darkened living room at J.D. He hadn’t heard her yet and continued creeping around the edges of the room, one hand held in front of him.
She swallowed and raised her shotgun.
“Who the hell are you, and what are you doing in my house?”
Chapter Seven
J.D. spun around, dipped his right hand into his pocket and thrust his hands above his head. That stance came a little too naturally to him.
Noelle tightened her grip on the shotgun. “What are you looking for? What do you want from me?”
His gesture turned to one of supplication as he held his hands out, palms up. “Take it easy. It occurred to me when I was lying there trying to get to sleep that if your stalker planted one spy camera, he might’ve planted others. I was just checking out the room.”
She licked her lips. “H-how were you looking? What were you looking for? I just happened to find the camera because the picture frame was crooked.”
“Looking at the same types of places—picture frames, the mirror, plants.” He shrugged. “I’ve seen a few spy movies in my day.”
Was he feeding her a line? Conning her? Ted had been the master of cons, and she’d learned to spot one a mile away. She didn’t get the sense that J.D. meant her any harm.
She blew out a shaky breath. “What did you have in your hand when I walked in?”
He dropped his arms and fished in the front pocket of his jeans. “My cell phone. I heard you could actually pick up frequencies with your cell phone.”
“You weren’t kidding about those spy movies, were you?” She leaned the shotgun against the wall. “I’m sorry I pointed a gun at you.”
“I understand. In fact, if it hadn’t been me that you were inviting into your home, I would’ve chastised you for allowing a relative stranger to spend the night under the same roof with you.”
“I surprised myself, but the camera scared me and you had already rescued me a few times today.” She tilted her head, searching for more words to explain the affinity she felt for him, the way he eased through the chinks of her armor.
She tossed her ponytail over one shoulder. Maybe Dr. Eliason had done enough head shrinking on her so that she could finally let down her defenses. Perfect timing—just when someone was stalking her for real. Maybe it had taken a real threat to break through her shell.
Maybe it had taken J.D.
“I don’t want you to be worried, Noelle. I’ll secure these locks tomorrow. You keep that shotgun close and you’ll be fine in this house by yourself. I’ll make myself comfortable in the guesthouse.”
She hoisted the gun. “Do you want me to help you look for more devices?”
“Are you going to shoot at them?”
“Not a bad idea.”
“It’s way past midnight. You get some sleep—” he held up his cell phone “—and I’ll continue the search.”
Sounded like a dismissal to her. Maybe she’d scared him off with the shotgun and her whiplash-inducing change of moods. She tucked the gun against her side and trooped down the hallway, calling over her shoulder, “Good luck.”
* * *
THE FOLLOWING MORNING, the rich scent of coffee tickled her nostrils. She opened one eye, and her gaze trailed to the picture across the room. Ironic that the stalker