displayed biceps the size of her thighs. Olive green khakis covered the rest of his impressive body. The blood from many battles tainted the air around him, and only a fool would mistake his ferocity.
A soldier returning from the Middle East perhaps?
He didn’t break eye contact as he retrieved a long, slender case and a camouflage duffel bag from the carousel in front of him, and she wondered how he could possibly know what he’d grabbed without looking.
“Dennis will be waiting for me outside,” Sandy said, forcing Claire to break the connection. “I wish we were headed toward Port Townsend, and we could give you a ride.”
“No. Don’t even think about it. I’ll rent a car and be there in no time.”
“I bet your family will be surprised to see you.” Sandy’s smile beamed.
“I’m sure they will.” Whoever they were. Claire only hoped Sandy had been correct when she’d showed her the drawing she’d created from the images in her mind of a little Victorian seaport. Otherwise, she’d come all this way only to find herself lost again.
Sandy gave her an awkward hug and then waved as she headed outside where her dear husband awaited. Claire turned back and gave the area a quick scan, looking for the man who’d somehow chilled and heated her blood at the same time, but he’d disappeared.
She grabbed her suitcases from the few that remained and moved toward the exit where she’d catch a shuttle to the car rental facility. Thick emissions from noisy cars assaulted her as she stepped into the humid air. Shouting from a short distance away drew her attention, and she was shocked to find a scrawny, older man standing next to a white sedan screaming up a storm at the sweet lady she’d just befriended.
“I don’t have all goddamn day to sit and wait for you to get your fat ass outside.” He lifted her suitcase toward the trunk, but before he completed his mission, the top burst open, spilling underwear and toiletries to the pavement.
“You did that on purpose.” Anger contorted her kind face. “I can’t believe I’ve been married to you all these years and never realized you’re such a jackass.”
Claire put a hand to her mouth as sadness and disbelief cascaded through her. She’d only met Sandy on the plane, but she hadn’t sensed any dishonesty when Sandy had talked about her lovely husband. People wandered closer to watch the spectacle, the hum of their energy growing louder.
She stepped forward to intervene, if only to help pick up Sandy’s belongings. As she moved closer to them, a powerful current of energy slammed her from behind, and she glanced over her shoulder to find the soldier watching the scene with a smirk on his engaging face.
She sensed he had a part in the spectacle playing out before them, and that enraged her more than she’d expected. She swiveled on her heels and marched in his direction.
The second his dark gaze met hers, the soldier picked up his bags and strode away. The fact that he’d turned his back on her made her even angrier, and she quickened her stride. A quick glance behind her proved her assumptions were correct. The older couple was no longer fighting, but hugging instead.
“Hey!” Her heels clipped on the sidewalk as she tried to catch him, but his legs were long, and he moved with the ease of a predator. “Come back here! I want to talk to you.”
A shuttle bus pulled up just as he reached the stop, and he stepped onto it without missing a stride. If he thought that would stop her, he had another thing coming. All he’d done was manage to corner himself. That he was a dangerous man wouldn’t deter her. She’d held her own on more than one occasion.
She hurried inside the bus, lugging her awkward suitcases with her. He sat in the back corner, using the crowd of people for cover, hiding like a sniper on the hillside.
“Please stow your bags in the luggage area, ma’am,” the driver called to her.
She lowered the handles and stuffed them with the rest of the passengers’ bags as the bus began to move forward. Instead of choosing the closest seat, she walked to the back of the bus, heading straight for the soldier.
16
An unsettling current of attraction curled around Claire as she walked toward the soldier, forming a sultry haze around her thoughts. He watched her with dark, lust-filled eyes that reached into her soul. She took