the job, Moreno reverted back to their days in the Special Forces, when Danny had recruited Moreno straight out of Ranger school at the tender age of nineteen. Even though Moreno had been nearly a decade younger than everyone else on the team, he’d turned into one of the best small arms and hand to hand combat specialists Danny had ever worked with. As annoying as Danny sometimes found Moreno’s acknowledgment of rank, it worked to his advantage at times like these. When Danny said their surveillance of Caroline was confidential and off the clock, Moreno hadn’t so much as blinked in curiosity.
Danny found himself in the kitchen, predawn light washing the room in gray. Lots of granite and stainless steel, including a professional grade cooktop that didn’t look like it had been used in a decade.
Danny shook his head. What a waste.
He moved through the kitchen, pausing at a built-in alcove that held a phone and a small desk. Mail was neatly stacked and separated, organized into piles of bills, magazines, and catalogs.
His lips pulled in a half smile as he had a sudden flashback of Caroline, in his old room in his parents’ house in Atherton, trying to put all of his papers and books and other random crap into some semblance of order. He’d lured her over under the guise of helping him with his math homework. Even though she was a year behind, she kicked his ass all over the place in honor’s calculus.
Caroline had arrived at seven p.m. sharp, just like they’d planned, her calc book tucked under her arm and a mechanical pencil clutched in her fist like a weapon. She was different from any girl he’d ever dated, cute creampuff cheerleader types who brandished Daddy’s credit cards at the mall like it was a competitive sport.
Caroline was quiet, headdown, a scholarship kid who pulled straight As and didn’t do any extracurriculars because she worked as a waitress five nights a week. Danny hadn’t even noticed her until she’d ended up in front of him in honor’s calc. The first day of class he asked to borrow a pencil since all he could come up with were pens.
She’d turned around at his shoulder tap. One look at her face, olive skinned and faintly exotic, and Danny had felt something twist deep in his gut. One look at the full curve of her breasts pushing against the front of her white uniform shirt, and he totally forgot what he’d wanted from her in the first place.
“Did you want something?”
Her dark eyes were narrowed in a glare, but a flush darkened her cheeks. She’d caught him staring at her rack.
He searched his suddenly blank brain, trying to remember what he wanted when all he wanted was to kiss her full pink mouth right there in the middle of second period.
She started to turn away.
“Pencil,” he’d managed, pointing at the one in her hand like he was a caveman. “You have one I can borrow?”
She’d rolled her eyes and muttered something about dumb jocks. Danny tried not to take it personally. Just because he was a fullback and captain of the football team didn’t make him a brainless meathead.
Then again, he had been caught staring and drooling over her chest.
She held out a red number two, but snapped her hand back before he could take it.
“You better give it back to me after class,” she warned with a hard look in her dark chocolate eyes. “It really pisses me off when people borrow,” she made little airquotes around the word, “stuff when they have no intention of giving it back.”
“I swear,” he said, smiling stupidly in response to her glare. Like a stupid cliché, his fingers brushed hers as he took the pencil. Heat shot straight between his legs, generating a boner so fierce and persistent he’d had to walk out of class holding his backpack in front as he pretended to rummage around looking for something.
Caroline didn’t seem to notice. Which made her all the more intriguing.
Danny didn’t consider himself particularly sensitive or intuitive when
Danny found himself in the kitchen, predawn light washing the room in gray. Lots of granite and stainless steel, including a professional grade cooktop that didn’t look like it had been used in a decade.
Danny shook his head. What a waste.
He moved through the kitchen, pausing at a built-in alcove that held a phone and a small desk. Mail was neatly stacked and separated, organized into piles of bills, magazines, and catalogs.
His lips pulled in a half smile as he had a sudden flashback of Caroline, in his old room in his parents’ house in Atherton, trying to put all of his papers and books and other random crap into some semblance of order. He’d lured her over under the guise of helping him with his math homework. Even though she was a year behind, she kicked his ass all over the place in honor’s calculus.
Caroline had arrived at seven p.m. sharp, just like they’d planned, her calc book tucked under her arm and a mechanical pencil clutched in her fist like a weapon. She was different from any girl he’d ever dated, cute creampuff cheerleader types who brandished Daddy’s credit cards at the mall like it was a competitive sport.
Caroline was quiet, headdown, a scholarship kid who pulled straight As and didn’t do any extracurriculars because she worked as a waitress five nights a week. Danny hadn’t even noticed her until she’d ended up in front of him in honor’s calc. The first day of class he asked to borrow a pencil since all he could come up with were pens.
She’d turned around at his shoulder tap. One look at her face, olive skinned and faintly exotic, and Danny had felt something twist deep in his gut. One look at the full curve of her breasts pushing against the front of her white uniform shirt, and he totally forgot what he’d wanted from her in the first place.
“Did you want something?”
Her dark eyes were narrowed in a glare, but a flush darkened her cheeks. She’d caught him staring at her rack.
He searched his suddenly blank brain, trying to remember what he wanted when all he wanted was to kiss her full pink mouth right there in the middle of second period.
She started to turn away.
“Pencil,” he’d managed, pointing at the one in her hand like he was a caveman. “You have one I can borrow?”
She’d rolled her eyes and muttered something about dumb jocks. Danny tried not to take it personally. Just because he was a fullback and captain of the football team didn’t make him a brainless meathead.
Then again, he had been caught staring and drooling over her chest.
She held out a red number two, but snapped her hand back before he could take it.
“You better give it back to me after class,” she warned with a hard look in her dark chocolate eyes. “It really pisses me off when people borrow,” she made little airquotes around the word, “stuff when they have no intention of giving it back.”
“I swear,” he said, smiling stupidly in response to her glare. Like a stupid cliché, his fingers brushed hers as he took the pencil. Heat shot straight between his legs, generating a boner so fierce and persistent he’d had to walk out of class holding his backpack in front as he pretended to rummage around looking for something.
Caroline didn’t seem to notice. Which made her all the more intriguing.
Danny didn’t consider himself particularly sensitive or intuitive when
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