Page 25 of Fighting His Fate
Vivid and bright and breathing too fast.
She longed to lift her chin, to gaze at him with open invitation, and was close to doing just that when her fear of rejection reared to life. He didn’t want her with him any longer. He was here to send her home. Her stare fell to the floor. “I’m glad the boys are doing better.”
For a moment he said nothing, just stood there, and she swore the flush on her warm cheeks was spreading across her body. She looked up to find his eyes on her with an intensity that made her toes curl into the rug.
“Jesus.” He sighed heavily and cursed under his breath. “I came in here to apologize, and here I am, doing it again.” He turned on his heel.
Was he saying what she thought he was saying? “Wait.”
“I’m sorry. I’ll leave you alone, I promise. I know you’re with John. I have no business looking at you like that.” Her cell phone rang with the familiar love song, and he headed for the door. “Tell John I said hi. And I’m sorry. Or no, don’t tell him I’m sorry. That would be bad.” He opened the door, calling over his shoulder, “Good night.” The door closed behind him.
She let out a shaky breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. He wanted her, but he was trying to behave. He wanted her, and he was rejecting her because of her boyfriend. Her mouth slid into a smile, a giddy laugh seeming to come out of nowhere.
She looked at the ringing phone, guilt casting a shadow over her glee. If she answered it now, the happiness that was bursting through her bloodstream would make it very difficult to sound sincere when she told him they needed to talk.
No, she would call him tomorrow. Then when she was home, she would tell him in person she wasn’t the woman for him. She owed him that much, but talking to him on the phone right now would only make things worse.
She headed for the bathroom. A bath was what she needed. A steaming hot bath to savor this moment and commit every detail to memory. Squealing with glee, she sat on the edge of the tub and turned on the taps. “He wants me!”
Not that it meant anything. Not that it mattered. He didn’t care about her or have feelings for her or any of those things. Her face ached from smiling so intently, and she slipped her shirt up over her head before flinging it like a stripper. “Brett Champion wants to have sex with me!”
14
Mac hung back,leaning on the wall of the tactical command room as Moto worked to pull up the video of the accident that had killed Champion’s friends.
Half of HERO Force New York had gone wheels up that morning on a mission to Bogota, to rescue the kidnapped daughter of a billionaire businessman, and Mac was antsy. He’d rather be with his men in the field than stuck here in an office, but this was where he was needed right now. He only hoped they would be able to help Champion.
Then there was the woman he’d brought with him, Grace. She was in profile, and Mac stared at her curiously. Champion said she was helping with the kids, but there was clearly more to the story, as the kids weren’t even here and energy was bouncing between Champion and the nurse like the spark of static in a dark room.
It had been like that with him and his Ellie, a tangible connection that crackled and popped, and he missed his wife acutely for the third time that day. The first was when he woke up. The second was when he decided to get out of bed and look for her again.
Every damn day.
“The video is graphic, but you can’t see everything. The mother threw one car seat with the baby in it just before impact. I can’t see the dad to tell what he did with his.”
Razorback turned to Grace. “Did they sustain any injuries?”
“No,” she said. “CT scans were clear.”
“Lucky boys,” said Razorback, crossing his arms. “Just hitting the ground at their age, even in a car seat, could have done some damage.”
“Are you a doctor?” Mac asked her.
“An ER nurse,” she said. “I was working when the family was brought in.”
Maybe she’d seen the parents die or had worked on them. That might explain why she and Champion were suddenly attached at the hip, though she certainly wasn’t his usual type. She was a keeper, and Champion didn’t do relationships for keeps.
“All right, I’ve got video from the security camera in the parking lot,” said Moto. “You ready to see it?”
Champion didn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
A black-and-white picture of a parking lot appeared on a large monitor near the ceiling. A highway rest stop was lit up in the distance, its reflection visible in the wet pavement.
An SUV pulled into the parking lot. A couple got out, opened the back doors, and disappeared for a moment. They were getting the children.
“You don’t have to watch this,” said Grace, drawing Mac’s attention. She stood behind Champion, her arm on his bicep. Hmm. There was something between those two, all right.
Champion’s eyes never left the screen.
