He was here to keep Nola safe, heal his legs and move on once her stalker had been nabbed. Nothing more.
Mind set, he closed the cabinet door on the mixing bowl, potpourri and sweet-smelling temptations.
He was tempted to kill her tonight. Drive his chilly rental car from where it was parked two neighborhoods over. Go to her house, break in and just end it all.
Following her from Texas all the way to South Carolina, he had suppressed the urge to run her off the road so many times. The crippled man would have died with her, but there were often unforeseen casualties in war. Given the man’s injuries, he would probably welcome death anyway.
Heaven above, he personally would not want to live with half a body. Half a man. Half a fighter.
The temptation was growing so strong to finish it that finally he needed to put distance between himself and her. Once he had been certain she planned to return home, he had sped ahead, skipping meals in order to reach her house first and leave her a welcome-home gift.
She should be finding it soon. Too bad he would not see her face when she discovered his “gift,” but he could not risk staying so close to her house. Oh, he didn’t doubt that he could remain unseen, but he did question his ability to keep his hands from around her beautiful, vulnerable neck.
He would simply have to relive the expression on her face when her car had exploded into flames. And about her car… She would need to shop for another soon, which gave him another idea. Oh the ideas of ways to torment her. He definitely wanted to play this out a while longer.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The rapping on the rental car window startled him from his plans, reminding him of the need to stay sharp. She was a fighter, too, after all. A fighter who’d beaten him once before.
He turned to look and found a local police officer with a flashlight.
Relax. Not Nola.
He rolled down the window. “Is there a problem?”
“Well, sir, vagrancy is against the law around here.” The county cop kept the flashlight pointed in his eyes. “If you need somewhere to sleep, you’re going to have to move your car someplace else.”
“I am not sleeping.” Indignation sparked. He was not some vagrant, even if he did plan to sleep here eventually, and yes, he hoped to hang around long enough to catch a distant glimpse of her leaving on some errand. Just a look to carry him through.
“Sir, I have received calls from two concerned neighbors about your vehicle sitting here for the past five hours.” The policeman swept his flashlight through the car, inspecting. “Thing is, you have stayed in the car. That’s making people uncomfortable.”
“Since when is sitting in a car against the law?”
“I need to know your business.” The flashlight swung directly back into his eyes, blinding him.
All right. He was wise enough to know when to stop questioning the authority figure. He did not need to be hauled in, especially since Nola had reported his letters to the authorities. He was two neighborhoods over, but he did not want them making the connection. In fact, he should line up another rental immediately. “I am going to pull out my wallet now, all right?”>“Nola,” he called from beside her, sprawled in an iron lawn chair just outside the door.
She spun around, startled to see him sitting there.
“Thanks.”
“Uh, sure.” She stared back, the moon streaking star sparks against his jet-black hair and eyes. “No problem.”
“Nola, come here.”
Nerves pattered. She tamped them down, tossed her shoulders back and inched closer.
“Yeah?” she asked, stopping toe-to-toe in front of him.
“I figure if there’s anyone looking at your new watchdog, we’d better clear up that whole me sleeping in the garage thing and why you carried my luggage. Just to be safe, we want them to believe I have a vested interest in keeping you safe.”
Hmm. She hadn’t thought about that. She backed away a step from the intensity in his opaque eyes.
Her feet shot out from under her—thanks to slick dew in the mulchy leaves. She’d been so busy worrying about him she hadn’t thought about herself falling flat on her own butt on top of him.
Then he folded her into his lap, his arms going around her in unmistakable possessiveness. His face hovered just over hers, his mouth so close. She remembered. Oh yes, she remembered the confidence of his kiss. The way he seemed to know right from the start exactly what she wanted.
He listened to her needs.