Page 4 of The Agent
He cleared his throat. “Need some help?”
She yelped in surprise and nearly lost her grip. Her legs swung wildly, making his heartbeat quicken. “Don’t let go,” he ordered.
“Who are you?” Her voice sounded tinny as it floated down from above.
“Your next-door neighbor,” he replied. “And possibly the guy who saves your life.”
She peered down at him, her light-brown eyes narrowed with suspicion. “I know my next-door neighbors, mister, and you aren’t them.”
“The Strathorns are in Europe. I’m renting their house for the summer,” he called back, annoyance tightening his lips. “Now, do you think we can discuss thisafterwe get you down from there?”
There was a long pause. Then she was scrutinizing the ground again. “I think I can make the jump,” she said. “I once saw a documentary on stunt doubles.”
He suppressed a laugh. “That’s terrific. But no, you cannot make the jump.” He swallowed. “I’ll catch you.”
She let out a squeaky protest. “What? No way. What if you miss? Or what if I crush you—”
“With the hundred pounds you’re packing?” he interrupted in amusement. “You won’t crush me, and I won’t miss.”
Caleb stepped closer, assessing the height and angle from which she was hanging. If he raised his arms, he could almost touch her sneakers. “I’ll catch you,” he said with confidence. “I need you to take a deep breath, and let go. Okay?”
“No, thanks.”
He closed his eyes briefly, fighting back irritation. “What do you mean, no thanks?” He scowled up at her. “Are you always so difficult?”
“No, I’m scared,” she retorted. “I’m only twenty-seven. I don’t want to die today.”
This time he couldn’t stop a laugh from rumbling out of his throat. “You won’t die. Trust me. Deep breath, then let go. On the count of three, okay?”
She hesitated for what seemed like an eternity. “Okay.”
He rubbed his hands together, widening his stance. “One,” he called. “Two—”
“Wait—on three, or one, two, three, let go?”
Caleb sighed. “On three.”
“Fine.”
He started again. “One…two…three.”
A second later, her body came flying down and he suddenly found himself with an armful of warm, soft woman. One hand had instinctively reached out to cup her bottom, and his palm now cradled a firm, perfectly round backside, as Marley Kincaid’s arms wound tightly around his neck.
She was breathing heavily, her body trembling a little. “You all right?” he asked. His voice sounded rough even to his own ears.
She nodded, tilting her head to look up at him. Her brown eyes widened slightly, her lips parting in surprise as she examined his face. She checked him out for so long he felt a pangof discomfort. “You should really let someone else clean those gutters for you,” he grumbled.
Marley just stared at him, and then, to his extreme confusion, she started to laugh.
CHAPTER 2
“SERIOUSLY,”HER SEXY SAVIORsaid in a deep voice. “If you don’t tell me you’re okay in the next two seconds, I’m calling an ambulance.”
“I’m okay,” she sputtered.
God, this was priceless. Her laughter came out in soft waves, while adrenaline still pumped through her blood. She suddenly wondered if Gwen had somehow planned this, though that seemed totally unlikely. But come on, what were the chances? Her friend had been babbling about tall, dark, handsome strangers sweeping Marley off her feet, and all of a sudden, a tall, dark, handsome stranger shows up and sweeps her off her feet. Literally.
“Can I let you go now?” he asked, a tad brusquely.
