appeared. The past two years had aged him in countless ways. Gray hairs dotted his temples. Creases bracketed the corners of his eyes and mouth. The indomitable man she remembered had energy to burn in spades. Now his shoulders slumped, palpable weariness clouded his dark eyes, and she’d bet a well-executed punch could knock him off his feet. “In these situations, the best response isn’t to run, it’s to make sure I’m no longer a soft target. With the droves of security personnel Dan’s sicced on me, I’m practically bulletproof. You, on the other hand, might as well be waving a big American flag and yelling ‘catch me if you can.’ To top that off, right now you don’t look like you could fight them off. Go hide out on some tropical island and get some sleep.”
“I’m not leaving this office without you.”
She should have expected him to turn mulish. “You’re acting overprotective, stupid, and out of character.”
“So are you. You want to stay? Fine. I hope you have a guest room.”
As she considered calling security and having her husband carried out of the building, Dan interjected, “It might not be such bad idea for him to hang around for a few days.”
She scowled at the traitor in their midst. “Excuse me?”
“You get a free bodyguard, he gets to ease his conscience. It’s a win-win” He gestured toward Karl with his head. “You know this one will go stalker on us if we try to chase him off, and he has enough skills to be a nuisance. No offense.”
Her husband snorted.
Unable to refute his logic, she searched for a compromise. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the same house with Karl. She’d figured out how to be happy again, and one wrong move could bring her back to square one. “He can’t stay with me. How about your place?” Addressing her husband, she added, “Dan lives in the same building, a floor down.”
“Any distance increases reaction time. I don’t want you home alone.”
“But—”
“How about until after Christmas? It’ll be the first holiday we’ve spent together.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. But—”
Reaching her in a single stride, he cupped her cheek. “Please, Bree. God knows you don’t owe me any favors, but I’m begging you. I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt because of something I did.”
He wasn’t pulling any punches. A lump formed in her throat. “What difference does a handful of days make?”
“It’s not how I wanted to play this, but it might be the best option.” He sighed. “If Riad knows I’m with you, he’ll make a move. When he does, I’ll kill him. You’re the perfect bait.”
Dan coughed. “Remind me to ask you one day how this ‘smooth talker,’” he drew quotes in the air with his fingers, “managed to score a date.”
Remembering the day they met, she couldn’t suppress a smile. Tugging down her husband’s wrist, she asked, “Why are you so sure he’s fixated on you? If what you say is true, the smart thing to do once he sees you is move on to someone else’s family.”
His answer held a warped logic she couldn’t refute. “I was the highest ranking officer on the mission. It doesn’t matter that we were all following orders from some guy on the other side of the ear pierce. As far as he’s concerned, I was the person in charge.”
“Christmas is in four days.” She made the statement as a reminder to them both.
“If things don’t change by then, you can reevaluate.”
She pondered her options. The fastest way to make him leave was to give him what he wanted. But if he was going to sleep under the same roof as her, she needed to make the boundaries clear. “Fine. But I have a condition.”
“Anything.”
Not breaking eye contact, she stuck out her hand. “You sign the divorce papers before you leave—no matter what happens. Deal?”
He hesitated for much longer than she expected before meeting her palm with his.
Chapter 5
Karl woke to the smell of
“I’m not leaving this office without you.”
She should have expected him to turn mulish. “You’re acting overprotective, stupid, and out of character.”
“So are you. You want to stay? Fine. I hope you have a guest room.”
As she considered calling security and having her husband carried out of the building, Dan interjected, “It might not be such bad idea for him to hang around for a few days.”
She scowled at the traitor in their midst. “Excuse me?”
“You get a free bodyguard, he gets to ease his conscience. It’s a win-win” He gestured toward Karl with his head. “You know this one will go stalker on us if we try to chase him off, and he has enough skills to be a nuisance. No offense.”
Her husband snorted.
Unable to refute his logic, she searched for a compromise. The last thing she wanted was to be stuck in the same house with Karl. She’d figured out how to be happy again, and one wrong move could bring her back to square one. “He can’t stay with me. How about your place?” Addressing her husband, she added, “Dan lives in the same building, a floor down.”
“Any distance increases reaction time. I don’t want you home alone.”
“But—”
“How about until after Christmas? It’ll be the first holiday we’ve spent together.”
She shook her head. “I’m sorry. But—”
Reaching her in a single stride, he cupped her cheek. “Please, Bree. God knows you don’t owe me any favors, but I’m begging you. I couldn’t live with myself if you got hurt because of something I did.”
He wasn’t pulling any punches. A lump formed in her throat. “What difference does a handful of days make?”
“It’s not how I wanted to play this, but it might be the best option.” He sighed. “If Riad knows I’m with you, he’ll make a move. When he does, I’ll kill him. You’re the perfect bait.”
Dan coughed. “Remind me to ask you one day how this ‘smooth talker,’” he drew quotes in the air with his fingers, “managed to score a date.”
Remembering the day they met, she couldn’t suppress a smile. Tugging down her husband’s wrist, she asked, “Why are you so sure he’s fixated on you? If what you say is true, the smart thing to do once he sees you is move on to someone else’s family.”
His answer held a warped logic she couldn’t refute. “I was the highest ranking officer on the mission. It doesn’t matter that we were all following orders from some guy on the other side of the ear pierce. As far as he’s concerned, I was the person in charge.”
“Christmas is in four days.” She made the statement as a reminder to them both.
“If things don’t change by then, you can reevaluate.”
She pondered her options. The fastest way to make him leave was to give him what he wanted. But if he was going to sleep under the same roof as her, she needed to make the boundaries clear. “Fine. But I have a condition.”
“Anything.”
Not breaking eye contact, she stuck out her hand. “You sign the divorce papers before you leave—no matter what happens. Deal?”
He hesitated for much longer than she expected before meeting her palm with his.
Chapter 5
Karl woke to the smell of
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