Saving Amber - Zoe Dawson Page 0,7
had been recently shoveled and she had a relatively clear path to the door.
“Here we are.”
“As long as this place has some heat, I’ll be happy.”
“Yes, ma’am. We have heat here,” he said with a mock smile, getting out of the jeep. “Do you need some help?”
“Could you grab the MCX bags? Thank you.”
“You’re welcome, ma’am. Morgan will dig your car out and get it to you.”
She nodded and got out. She pulled up the handle of her suitcase and headed up the still-slick walk.
He fit the key into the lock and turned it just as she hit a patch of ice. His reflexes were lightning quick as he grabbed her around the waist and held her suspended against him. He was warm, and their breaths mingled as she tried to get her footing under her.
His eyes were so blue as they stared down at her and, for a moment, she lost focus. Then he swore softly under his breath and set her back on her feet. With another curse, he grabbed her case and carried it into the house, all the while holding on to her arm.
He set the case down and closed the door with the heel of his boot.
“Upstairs to the left is your room.” He gestured to a set of stairs straight ahead. The aroma of a just cooked meal wafted to her and her stomach grumbled.
She huffed and took the MCX bags out of his hand and dragged her suitcase up and into the room he’d indicated. She wasn’t sure what to make of him. She dropped the MCX bags on the bed and hefted the suitcase up. It was obvious that he wasn’t too keen on her at all. But he was quite stuck with her until this case was over and solved.
She changed into a pair of warm gray sweatpants, socks and slippers, along with a thermal shirt and sweatshirt. She was feeling marginally better and beginning to warm up. Going back out into the short hall and down the stairs, she headed toward the living room. The delicious scent of food lingered in the air as she stopped near the table. He was working on a laptop as he ate.
“There’s grub on the stove. Plate in the cupboard to the right. Coffee brewed.”
He was a man of few words. But when he talked, the way he moved his mouth mesmerized her. His upper lip was as full as the bottom, and it looked yummy and oh-so-kissable.
But she wasn’t falling into the military man trap again. Competing with the Marine Corps—or, as in Pete’s case, the Navy—wasn’t going to work for her. Her relationship with Pete might have been fine if they had been in the same place, but the distance had caused indifference between them. At least, that’s what it felt like to her. She’d better get her mind off the delectable quality of the master sergeant’s mouth.
She went into the kitchen and found a pan of meat loaf, green beans and buttermilk biscuits. She helped herself and poured a cup of steaming coffee, sighing at the first sip. Walking back to the table, she set her plate down and dug in.
“Thank you for the food,” she said.
He nodded without looking at her.
She sighed. Thank God she was only going to be here for a few days.
Chapter Three
Great. Just great. Tristan fumed, totally annoyed to have a woman like Amber in his space. Well, this was a kick in the balls.
He wasn’t too happy about having tempting Agent Dalton in his quarters, but he couldn’t exactly throw her out into the snow. The fact she was an NCIS agent only made matters worse. He was well aware he had to work with her, but he didn’t want anything to do with a damn civilian cop. He hadn’t been too enamored with the agency when they investigated the incident at the consulate in Banyan. Those Navy cops had treated him like crap.
When he was exonerated, they didn’t even so much as apologize. He was sure she was cut from the same cloth. Damn cops were all alike in his book. Even stunning ones. What he didn’t want to admit was that Amber was not only a distraction, but her presence reminded him of James’s recent death. Doubts assailed him on whether he could have somehow prevented the tragedy, and he resented her for that.
Something caused you to break protocol and go off the grid.
I fulfilled the mission. It’s a win.
That may be, but