Текст книги "Out of Time"

Автор книги: Jen McLaughlin

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Текущая страница: 5 (всего у книги 14 страниц)

“You’re not the one I don’t have faith in,” I said, squaring my jaw. “I’m worried I’ll do something to fuck this up.”

“How could you mess this up?”

Well, for starters I could die. But I didn’t say that. She would only worry even more. I scrambled for some bullshit reason to give her, but came up a round short. So I shrugged and said nothing. She pushed me hard, back toward the bed, and I stumbled a little bit before I could catch my balance.

Was it somehow perverted that I liked her beating me up? Because I did.

She shoved me again. The back of my knees hit the bed, and I fell onto it, not even bothering to fight it. When I hit the mattress, she climbed on top of me and held my hands down. “I’m going to tell you this once and once only: I will not leave you. And if you leave, I will always be here waiting for you when you get back. Whether it’s in a few days, a week, or a freaking year. I’ll be here. I’ll be yours.”

Something inside of me gave way and broke. Maybe it was my doubt. Maybe it was something else. All I knew is what caused it. Her. “Fuck, I love you. So damn much it scares the shit out of me. I’ve never been scared of anything before. Guns. Surfing. War. But now I have the biggest fear of all—losing you.”

“Finn…” she whispered, her voice breaking.

I slipped my hand behind her head and urged her down, kissing her the second her lips touched mine. Her fingers flexed on mine, and she moaned softly, straining to get closer to me. I slanted my head, deepening the kiss even more, and she wrapped her arms around me.

Man, I needed this in my life. Needed her lips on mine, her arms around me tight, her grip on my heart secure and complete. Without it, I’d be alive, and I’d be here, but I wouldn’t be me. I wouldn’t be living.

My hands moved down her back slowly until I cupped her ass, urging her even closer to my cock. She pressed down, a soft moan escaping her. She adjusted herself slightly so she straddled me, her legs tucked behind her, and she moved against me in a sensuous, perfect circular motion.

I lifted my hands higher, burying them in her hair and yanking her down harder. She whimpered into my mouth and curled her fingers into my pecs, moving her hips faster. She tugged on my shirt impatiently. I broke the kiss off long enough for her to yank it over my head, and then I rolled her beneath me.

Her legs closed around my waist, urging me closer, and my gut tightened. If she didn’t stop making those little sounds, I’d be inside of her before she even came for me once. Slowly, I ran my hands over her breasts, lightly teasing her nipples. She arched into my hand, begging me for more without words, and I gave her what she wanted. Hell, I’d always give her what she wanted.

I was that much of a sap.

I cupped her, rolling my palms over her. The shirt had to go and so did the bra, so I stopped kissing her long enough to get her naked and grab a condom. As I stripped off her pants, I kissed a path down her thigh, over her knee, and nipped at her ankle. She cried out and pressed into the mattress, her breath coming in tiny bursts.

As I removed all my clothing, I watched her. I rolled the condom over my cock, never dropping my eyes from her. Her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were closed, and she trailed her hand lightly over her own stomach, a small moan escaping at the touch.

Holy fucking hell, she looked like a naughty angel brought to Earth. My angel…and I was never letting her go. Her father could kiss my ass. I was the man for her, and we both knew it. And wasn’t that all that mattered? I’d spent all this time stressing about her father’s reaction, when I should have been focusing on her.

I wouldn’t make the mistake again.

I crawled up her body, leaving kisses and nips as I went, stopping only once I was at her hip. I rolled my tongue over her hipbone, my heart quickening when she cried out and scraped her nails across my shoulders. I loved the way she looked when she was turned on. All rosy cheeks and soft lips. All mine.

I flicked my tongue over her clit, my finger thrusting inside of her at the same time. She screamed and arched her hips; her breath coming out harsh and uneven. “God, Finn. Don’t stop.”

Oh, I wasn’t planning on it. Not until she was a quivering mess.

I rolled my tongue over her, pressing a little harder, and moved my fingers in and out, building up the speed with each motion. When she tightened her legs on my head, a cry escaping her lips that sounded more like a breath than a word, I positioned myself between her legs. She scrambled to hold on to me, and I lifted her hips, driving inside of her with one smooth thrust.

“Finn,” she cried, her nails raking down my back.

“Come for me again,” I demanded in her ear, biting down on her shoulder and thrusting harder. “Let go for me.”

She dug her nails into my back and held her breath, her pussy clenching down around my cock so hard that she almost pushed me out. When she came, her walls squeezing me until I couldn’t fucking stand it anymore, I was right there with her, my hands gripping her as tight as I could as I soared into the sky.

When I came back down, she was running her fingers up and down my spine, kissing my shoulder over and over again. I knew, right then and there, that she’d meant every word she said. She’d be here waiting for me no matter what happened.

And it felt fucking amazing to finally, truly believe in that kind of love.

I looked up at Finn, trying to let my love shine out onto him, or light him up or something. It sounded stupid, in theory, but how many times have you looked at a couple and known they were completely in love just from the way they looked at one another?

If ever a girl looked at a guy that way, it had to be Finn and me.

I cupped his face like he always did to me, running my finger over his mouth. I could see why he liked doing it. It was sweet and made me feel closer to him. I repeated the gesture, rubbing the lip I had been kissing. “You okay?”

Because I couldn’t live in a world where Finn wasn’t okay.

“More than okay.” He kissed me, light and teasing, then pulled back again. “But you have to study. I distracted you.”

“I know.” I smiled up at him. “But I guess I have some unpacking to do first, huh?”

“Lots.”

He pushed off me, and I got dressed, watching him as he lounged back on the bed naked and completely okay with that. And so was I.

I could stare at him all night long, admiring the way the colors swirled over his hard muscles the whole time. His tattoos were perfect to me, but he seemed to think there was something wrong with them.

The fact that he thought he wasn’t good enough for me and my father made my throat tighten. Would I ever be able to convince him I loved him exactly how he was, not as a version of what he could be? That I didn’t want him to change at all?

Once I had on one of his green Hollister shirts and a pair of panties, I headed for the closet. His uniforms stared back at me, and I swear the things were alive. Like they were watching me. I was trying to act all confident about this whole possible deployment mess, but the truth was…I was scared, too.

He lifted on his elbows and watched me from the bed, his steamy eyes on me the whole time. I wanted nothing more in this world than to climb on top of him again and curl up in his arms. There was nothing in this world that his arms around me couldn’t fix.

I picked up my bag and took out one of my shirts, hanging it up on the hanger. It meant a lot to me, him offering me this space in his life and his key. It was almost as if, when he was gone, I’d get to be here with him—even without him.

It didn’t make much sense, yet it totally did.

And I liked the idea of sleeping in his bed when he wasn’t here. Smelling him on his sheets. But how long would the scent of Finn linger if he left? A day? A month? I had no freaking clue, but I did know one thing: I needed to spend as much time as possible with him.

I put a shirt on the hanger and gathered by thoughts. My phone rang from beside Finn on the bed. He glanced down at it and his mouth tightened. He picked it up and held it out to me. “It’s your father. He still isn’t texting me like he used to, so be careful what you say. Try to get intel from him.”

I nodded, crossed the room, and sat at his hip. After taking my phone out of his hand, I said, “Hey, Dad.”

“Hello,” Dad said, his voice clear and crisp. “Where are you?”

“You’re up late.” I checked the time, ignoring his question. It was almost midnight back home. Finn toyed with my hair, sending little shivers down my spine. “Shouldn’t you be sleeping by now? And why have you been so quiet this week?”

“I told you I’d be busy,” he said. “My turn for a question. Shouldn’t you be in your room?”

I tensed, and so did Finn. He must’ve heard Dad’s voice through the speaker. He dropped my hair and rolled off the bed. After grabbing his own phone, he swiped his finger across the screen. I raised my brows at him and he shook his head with a frown. He hadn’t gotten any texts from my father asking where I was.

What was Dad up to, and what did it mean for us?

“Uh…” I forced myself to pay attention to Dad. “What makes you think I’m not in my room? Did you put a webcam up in it or something? I’m pretty sure I forbade cameras in my bedroom once I hit puberty.”

He snorted. “Don’t play coy with me, missy. I’m here, at your dorm, with your mother—and you’re not here. Where are you?”

“Wait, what?” I leapt to my feet, my pulse racing and my knees trembling. “Why are you here in San Diego?”

Finn cursed under his breath and dialed someone. He grabbed his pants off the floor and stepped into them without boxers, his movements jerky and fast. I picked up my own pants, holding the phone to my ear with my shoulder.

Dad sighed. “We wanted to surprise you with a visit. We barely hear from you anymore, and your mother was worried. But all I really care about right now is where the hell—”

“Hugh.” There was a commotion, something that sounded like a fight, and then Mom’s voice came through. “Don’t mind him. We know you’re an adult now and you’re out with friends. We missed you, dear. Where are you? We could come there to meet you and your friends.”

“No.” I shot Finn a desperate look, and he stepped into his motorcycle boots without a word. “I’ll come to you. Just give me, like…?” I shot Finn a look and he held up his hand. “…five minutes, and I’ll be there.”

Mom sighed. “All right. I’ll hold off your father. But hurry up, dear. I need a Carrie hug.”

My heart wrenched with a bit of homesickness, despite the stress of the situation. That’s what Mom called it when I hugged her as tight as I could. When I was a kid, every night she would pick me up and I would cling to her, all arms and legs and giggles, giving her the biggest good night hug I could.

When she let go and I stayed in place without her support, I would giggle harder—until I lost my grip and fell to the bed. Now I was too big to hang off her, but we still called our hugs Carrie hugs. “I’ll hurry, I promise.”

“Give me the phone, Margie.”

“No.”

“Give me the—” Another commotion. “And you’ll be telling me who you were with,” Dad called out. “Missy.”

I could just picture him, pushing in to Mom to get another word in. Finn furiously typed something on his phone. Probably texting my dad in an attempt to cover both our asses before it was too late. Before Finn came under suspicion.

“Oh, leave her alone,” Mom said. “See you soon.”

“Bye,” I said, hanging up. I looked at Finn. “What the heck are they doing here?”

“I don’t have a fucking clue. I didn’t know they were coming,” Finn said, grabbing his keys and heading for the door with large, hurried steps. “Why didn’t he tell me he was coming? This isn’t good. This isn’t good at all.”

I followed him to the door, swallowing hard. Half my clothes were hung up in his closet and the other half were on his bed. I grabbed my empty bag. “I’ll clean these up and then—”

Finn waved a hand and made an impatient sound. “Leave them. There’s no time for that. We have to leave, and we have to leave yesterday.”

I hesitated. “It’ll be a little rough for a while, I get that, but why are you so upset?”

“Because I’m wondering why the fuck he didn’t tell me he was coming, why the hell he hasn’t texted me during the past two days, and why, even now, there’s no text from him.” His phone chimed, and he closed his eyes, his jaw ticking. “There it is.”

He took his phone out of his pocket and opened the door for me. He scanned it and typed, while I tried to hold on to my patience. “What does it say?”

“He wants to know where you are.” More typing. “I’m telling him you went out to eat with a new friend. Give me the name of someone you talk to in class. Someone new?”

I scrambled for the first name that came to mind. My lab partner I’d studied with the other day popped into my head. “Susan Williams.”

“Good. He won’t be able to locate her that quickly, so she’s a good cover story. Your dad didn’t tell me he’s here in California, though.” More typing, then he lifted his head. “Keep walking, Ginger. I can text and walk.”

I clenched my fists. “I don’t like this.”

He didn’t look up, just kept typing. “Don’t like what?”

“You’re acting different,” I said, my voice cracking. “Again.”

He’d barely looked at me at all since the phone call, and now he was acting cold. Distant. It freaked me out. Was he regretting the fact that he had me in his house when his boss came to visit? Kicking himself for being with me?

I didn’t know, but I knew something was off.

He looked at me, his eyes as closed off as his voice. “Of course I am. I’m trying to cover our tracks. Your daddy’s out there, thinking God knows what, doing God knows what, and I need to get you there without him knowing where the fuck you were. This is me in work mode, Ginger.”

“He won’t find out. You’ll be fine.”

“No, I won’t be fine.” He pressed his lips together, his nostrils flaring. “Because on top of that, the whole time he’s here I have to stay the hell away from you when I don’t even want to be away from you for a fucking minute. So, yeah, I’m a little bit distracted and cranky, to say the least.”

He hauled me up against him and kissed me hard, not giving me a chance to reply. What would I have said anyway? What he said pretty much summed up my feelings, so instead, I clung to him, knowing we shouldn’t be kissing like this in public, but unable to help myself.

I curled my hands into his shirt, twisting the fabric in my hands. I could feel the tears threatening to escape me, trying to run down my cheeks. But I wouldn’t cry. It wasn’t like this was goodbye or anything. It was a temporary setback—nothing and no one would make me walk away. Not even Dad.

He ended the kiss way too fast, resting his head on mine. “Let’s get you back to your dad. Remember, if you see me watching you—don’t even look at me. Act like you’ve never seen me before. Act like I’m no one and nothing. Don’t save my name in your phone, and no incriminating texts.”

“I can’t even tell you I love you?” I asked, my throat swelling with the tears that were trying to escape.

“Not in those words. Text me…the sun is finally shining.”

“The sun is finally shining?”

“Yeah. It’s the first thing I thought of when I met you—that the sun was brighter and shiny and good.”

My heart melted. How the heck was I supposed to walk away after that? “I don’t want to go.”

“I know.” He kissed me one last time. “But you have to.”

I stopped at the bike, but he tugged me past it. “Wait, where are you taking me?”

“You’re taking a cab. I quietly called one while you were on the phone. We can’t risk being seen together,” he said matter-of-factly. When I opened my mouth to tell him no, he shook his head. “I know. It sucks, but it’s how it has to be for now.”

I blinked back tears. “Will you stay here?”

“No, I’m getting rid of your helmet and watching from the shadows, like I’m supposed to. And when your dad confronts me and asks where I was, I can tell him that I was watching you the whole time.” He slapped my ass. “Now off you go, Ginger.”

I walked to the cab, each step I took away from him becoming harder and harder. By the time I slipped into the seat, I was ready to turn around and bolt toward him. It was like something inside me thought this might be the last time I saw him. I didn’t know what caused my racing heart and my fear, but it was tangible and undeniable.

And I somehow knew as the cab pulled away from the curb and Finn got rid of my helmet and climbed onto his bike…

Something was going to go terribly wrong.

After I stashed Carrie’s helmet inside my apartment in record speed, I hopped on my bike and followed the cab back to the dorms. I knew Carrie’s parents were rich and a flight out didn’t exactly break the bank or anything, but why had they come out all of a sudden? Had they just missed her, or was it something more?

Something like suspicion?

Maybe the senator had caught on to some weird vibe coming from across the fucking country and just instinctively known something was going on with his baby girl. But he couldn’t. It’s not like he was a psychic or some shit like that. He couldn’t possibly know that I’d gotten a little bit too close in guarding his precious cargo.

…Could he?

Oh, fuck me. What if he’d sent over some extra security and I didn’t even know about it? What if, right now even, he had a man watching me?

If he did, I was so screwed.

Carrie had thought she heard someone earlier. I had brushed it off, but maybe I’d been wrong. Maybe someone had been there, watching us and reporting back to her father from the shadows?

Son of a bitch…

I revved my engine, gripping the handlebars so tight it hurt, cursing myself ten times over for not considering this angle earlier. The cab pulled over and Carrie climbed out, her eyes seeking me out immediately. I parked my bike and tilted my head, telling her silently to look away and act like I didn’t exist. Something told me she’d fail miserably. She wasn’t a good liar, my Carrie, and it’s one of the things I loved most about her—her honesty.

But it just might be our downfall.

She walked up to her parents, her steps quickening as she grew closer. After one last look over her shoulder at me, she ran into her mom’s open arms. Her mom hugged her tight, burying her face in her hair and inhaling deeply. As if she missed Carrie’s scent and needed to get as much of it as she could while she could.

Fuck, I got that. I got that all too well.

Next, her dad—the man I’ve never even seen crack a smile—grinned and hauled her into his arms, spinning her in a wide circle and saying something I couldn’t make out. Carrie laughed in reply, the sound breaking through the night, and I closed my eyes.

Ah, that sound…

It had the power to save me from anything.

I watched from the shadows, my heart as heavy as a bowling ball in my chest. They looked so happy and normal right now. I had a hard time placing the man who was paranoid enough to send me to watch his daughter in secrecy with the man who stood here now, laughing and bussing Carrie’s nose with a huge smile on his face.

And watching her in the arms of her parents just made our whole situation real. Would they ever welcome me into their family with open arms like that? All smiles and kisses and hugs? Doubtful. But I’d do my damned best to make it happen.

I’d make him accept me if it was the last thing I did, damn it.

The next morning, after an hour of watching Carrie bond with her parents and a mostly sleepless night, I woke up hung over and yet way too sober. I’d spent all night plotting and trying to come up with every possible scenario that could occur with her father’s visit. I also tried to figure out why he was here.

And I failed.

I checked my text messages. One was from the senator. I’m in town.

It was a test. He knew I knew, but wanted to see what I said. I saw you last night while I stood post. Welcome to California, sir.

Thank you. Consider yourself off duty until I leave. I’ll be in contact ASAP.

I clenched the phone. In other words? Stay away. Looking forward to it, sir.

I also had a text from Carrie. It was ridiculous how happy that made me. The sun is finally shining today, Susan.

I grinned. She’d saved me in her phone under a woman’s name. How smart and devious. I liked it. Indeed it is. You ready for chemistry class?

I flopped back on my bed, resting my phone on my bare stomach as I waited for a reply. I didn’t have to wait long. My phone vibrated, and I picked it up. I prefer anatomy.

Ha! Of course she did. That was our code for exploring each other’s bodies, after all. I grinned. Oh, me too. Believe me.

As I waited for her to reply, I checked the time and realized she might not reply at all. She’d be walking into class right now, so she’d be silent for a while. Maybe I’d go to the beach. Ride a wave or two and try to figure out what was going on with my boss. Between the unusually quiet days leading up to this visit and the visit itself, I knew he knew something.

The question was what?

A knock sounded on the door, and I rolled out of bed wearing nothing but a pair of boxers. If someone wanted to knock on my door at this ungodly hour in the morning, then I reserved the right to open it half naked.

But when I opened the door, I wished I’d put some clothes on.

Senator Wallington, Carrie’s father in the flesh, stood on my porch staring at me with what I could only describe as speculation in his eyes. Fucking sneaky bastard. I stepped in the doorway, not letting him inside. “Sir? I didn’t realize you were texting me from my porch.”

“I figured as much.” He looked over my shoulder, so I closed the door even more. “Yet…here I am.”

He craned his neck to try and see past me, but I didn’t budge. Boss or not, he didn’t get to drop in at my place unexpected like this. And Carrie’s clothes were all over my room right now since I hadn’t cleaned them up.

If he came in, he’d know. And I’d be done for.

“Is there something I can do for you, sir?”

“Yes.” He crossed his arms over his flawless gray suit. Behind him, security stood in their black suits and shades, watching us both Men in Black style. Did I look that constipated when I stood behind the senator, not moving or talking? “You can let me inside, for starters.”

I motioned down my body, my other hand gripping the door as tightly as I could. “It’s a mess and I’m not dressed. I wasn’t prepared for company.”

“I don’t care if it’s a mess, and it’s nothing I haven’t seen before,” he said simply, his voice perfectly calm. His eyes moved over my tattoos, seeming to fall upon each and every one. Then he snapped his attention to my face again. “Let me inside, Coram.”

I knew he wouldn’t walk away, and since he was my boss, I couldn’t exactly refuse him entry. Fuck, I wanted to. Standing here talking to Carrie’s dad while half naked with the scratches down my back that she’d made were perfectly visible was not my idea of a good start to my day.

I tugged on my hair and sighed. “You’ll need to at least give me a second to pick up a little bit. Give me that much.”

“You hiding something, Griffin Coram?”

I winced, hating the fact that I was being forced to lie again. I’d hoped my lying days were over when Carrie figured out who I was, yet here I was—lying through my teeth to her father—my boss. “No, sir. The only thing I’m hiding is a mess that I’d rather you not see.”

He sighed impatiently. “Go on, then. Clean up and throw some clothes on. We’ll go out to eat once you’re clean enough.”

I nodded and closed the door in his face, taking a second to brace myself for the upcoming confrontation. If he was taking me out to eat, then it couldn’t be a bad thing that he was here, could it? Fuck if I knew.

I pushed off the door and made quick work of throwing on a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Next, I tossed all of Carrie’s clothes into a box, along with the pink hangers, and shoved it under my bed. After I made my bed, I stepped back and did a once-over of my place.

It looked Carrie-free again, unfortunately.

I smoothed my hands over my hair, took a calming breath, and opened the door. Senator Wallington still stood there, looking as poised as ever. I motioned him in. “If you’d like to come in now, you can.”

The senator walked in, his gaze scanning the interior. His eyes seemed to touch upon anything and everything he could without digging through my drawers. I couldn’t help but shift on my feet uneasily. Knowing my luck, I’d probably missed something. Maybe I’d left out a shirt or a hair tie.

He turned to me with his brows up. “This big enough for you? I can get you a bigger place if you prefer.”

And just like that? The stress faded away. If he was talking about getting me a bigger apartment, I wasn’t getting fired. It pretty much ruled out the possibility of there being another security guy out here with us. If he knew I was in love with his daughter, I would be at the business end of a fist right now.

Everything had to be okay. And my father would still get his retirement pension, and all was okay in the world. Minus the fact that I was a big fat fucking liar.

I forced a smile. “I’m fine here, sir. It’s close to campus, and that makes my job easier.”

“Good.” He slid his phone into his pocket, his eyes on my bed. Could he tell that only a few hours earlier, his daughter had been with me in that bed he studied so closely? “Why do you have two surfboards in here?”

My breath slammed out of me. I eyed Carrie’s blue surfboard and thanked God she didn’t pick a girly one. “Why not? I like variety.”

He gave me a hard look and sighed. “Let’s go.”

“After you, sir,” I said quietly. I followed him outside, my palms sweating the whole time. I scanned the faces of the guards following the senator, then slid my shades onto my nose. “Cortez. Morris. Nice to see you again.”

“You look different out of a suit, Coram,” Morris said, his voice flat. “Like a surfer boy.”

I was a surfer boy, but I kept my mouth shut on that matter.

“You look different in one while standing in California.” I shrugged. “I need to blend in, so surfer boy I am.”

“Makes sense,” Cortez said.

“Yeah. How many of you are there out here?”

“Just us, to the best of my knowledge,” Cortez said, his eyes on the senator, who walked in front of us. “But with the senator?” Cortez caught my gaze, not dropping it. “You never know.”

Well, shit. That sounded an awful lot like a warning. “I’ll remember that.”

“You should,” Cortez said, motioning me forward into the town car.

I nodded to both of them, then slid into the back of the car, settling into the far side of the seat to make room for all four of us. I kept replaying Cortez’s words in my head, dissecting them and trying to make sense out of the whole thing.

My mind raced and my heart raced even faster. Was Cortez trying to warn me about something? Maybe he was trying to tell me that the senator had sent another man out here. If so, it would mean Carrie and I wouldn’t even be able to be together. Could I handle that?

I’d been waiting to come clean for my father, but if I couldn’t even see the woman I loved, would it be so cut and dry? Suddenly, I wasn’t so sure about that.

When the senator sat beside me and closed the door, I blinked at him. “Where’s the rest of your team, sir?”

“They’ll watch Carrie today. After all, I have you with me.”

“I don’t even have my weapon, sir.” I tapped my fingers on my knee. “It doesn’t go with the clothes.”

He waved a hand. “It’s fine. I doubt we’ll be attacked at breakfast.”

“All right.” I cocked a brow and buckled up, not sure how to take the senator’s behavior. “She’ll see them in those suits.”

“I know.” He shrugged and looked out the window, gripping the side of the door so tight his knuckles showed. His entire body screamed of impatience and anger and something a hell of a lot like knowledge. “She knows they’re here now, so she won’t question it.”

Okay, he had a point, but she wouldn’t like them being there. I fidgeted with my seatbelt, but forced myself to stop. It made me look guilty—which I was. Damn it, I hated this shit. Maybe I should come clean. Spit it out. Get it over with.

He wouldn’t really cut off my father without a penny, would he? I didn’t know, and I couldn’t take that chance. If it were just me, I would open my mouth right now and tell him I loved his precious daughter. I’d accept the consequences of my actions. But with Dad months away from retirement, I couldn’t take that chance.

I forced myself to nod. “That’s true,” I said, my voice stiff sounding even to my ears. “Do you have other guys besides me out here, sir?”

He looked at me, his eyes so like Carrie’s it gave me the creeps. Even though they were the same shade, they were completely unreadable to me. He also had a way of staring me down that made me want to confess all my sins. Hard. Cold. Calculated.

He clenched his jaw. “Have you seen anyone else following Carrie lately?”

“Just thought I saw a few shadows moving.” I shrugged. “Could’ve been my imagination.”

“Keep an eye on it. As of now, you’re the only one out here.”

Thank fucking God. “I will, sir.”

He tapped his fingers on the door. “If you need backup…”

“I don’t. I’m fine.” I adjusted my seatbelt again. “If that changes, I’ll let you know.”

“Are you juggling the Marines and my daughter with ease?”

Was it just me, or was that question rife with innuendo? “Yes, sir. I have to report for duty this weekend, but I’m sure she’ll be fine without me watching her. She’s proved to have a remarkably good head on her shoulders. You must be very proud of her.”

The senator smoothed his jacket, a look of pride taking over his face. Not a smile, but the closest thing I’ve ever seen from him that wasn’t directed toward his family. “Indeed, I am.”

“As well you should be, sir.”

He looked out the window. “Your father says hello.”

I swallowed hard. Part of me had hoped he would have come here, too. I missed him. “I look forward to seeing him once I return home for the holidays.”

“He was going to come along, but something got in the way.” The senator turned away, his jaw hard but his eyes somehow softer. “Something unavoidable.”