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“I came back for you, Poppy,” he told her, and there was no mistaking the truth in the statement.
Jack watched Poppy carefully, praying she didn’t go further in that direction. He’d surprised her with his answer, he knew. He could see her pulse racing, see the surprise in her gaze, in her expression.
If he could keep her just a little off balance, just a little bit longer.
“For me?” she whispered.
Rising, he cupped her cheek and lowered his head to brush his lips over hers. “For you, baby.” Pulling back, he rose from the bed and moved to the dresser for clean clothes. “Let’s get a shower, then you can go home and get ready for work. If you’re going…”
“Not today.”
Jack turned back to see her shaking her head, her gaze dark with confusion as she watched him.
“Why did I have to come here last night?” she asked, almost distracted by the sight of his well-formed, muscular, completely hot male ass.
The man was seriously ripped, that was all there was to it.
“Because last night, I had two pissed-off SEALs gunning for me, and I didn’t want them frightening you. This morning, they’ve moved on. And I didn’t think you’d want all four of us camping out in your house. So, I brought you here.” He shrugged as he turned back to her. “Want to shower with me, or at home?”
She shook her head. “At home. I have things to do today.”
She was missing something; she knew she was, she just couldn’t figure out what.
“Jack?” She stopped him as he neared the bathroom door.
He paused, turning back to her slowly, his expression almost wary.
“Yeah, Poppy?” he asked her. She knew she was missing something. Something important.
“What aren’t you telling me?” she asked then, trepidation rising inside her.
Jack gave a small shake of his head. “Poppy, I answered your questions the best way I know how. And I answered them completely.” He held his hand out to her. “Come on, baby, shower with me. Just a shower. I know there’s not time for anything else.”
Reminder of the night before had her body instantly flushing with warmth, and even with renewed desire, despite the tenderness.
What had he done to her?
He’d changed her, she knew that. She’d known that even as her last orgasm had torn through her body and thrown her into a chaos of sensation, pleasure, and soul-deep awareness of him.
Sliding from the bed, she moved across the room, her thigh muscles aching.
“Just a shower,” she whispered.
“Just a shower, baby,” he promised. “Both of us have things to do.”
And why that statement had her chest tightening and a shadow of fear darkening her emotions, she was actually terrified to speculate about.
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
He was hiding something from her. Poppy knew it. Sensed it. She just didn’t know the questions to ask to find out exactly what he was hiding.
Or why. It was the why that actually bothered her.
After she showered, Poppy dressed in the jeans, blouse, and boots from the night before and, with Jack walking beside her, returned home. She was aware of him waiting for her as she changed into clean clothes once she got inside.
She wasn’t due at work today, but she was still working. Being at home would allow her the peace to make sense of the papers she’d brought with her.
Jack was still waiting when she returned to the living room, dressed in comfortable cotton pants and a sleeveless shirt. Barefoot, she walked into the kitchen and went immediately to the coffeepot. She needed caffeine. She needed to clear her mind of the sex, Jack’s effect on her, and all the questions she had for just a little while.
