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He sat back in his chair and ran his napkin across his face. “I’ve gone through a lot of training. I would hope I could tell a difference between choking and an allergic reaction.” He shrugged. “They sound different. Anaphylaxis is more of a wheeze, because the throat is slowly closing, and the lips become swollen.”
I nodded. That made sense. This was the first time I’d witnessed an allergic reaction like that, though, so I doubt I would have noticed the difference. It was a good thing we were here. But it made me wonder.
“What did you do in the Army?”
His eyes widened just a bit, like he hadn’t been expecting the question. But he quickly blinked back his surprise.
“Medic.”
I giggled. “Makes sense now.”
“Hmm?” One eyebrow raised.
“How you knew what to do.”
“Oh, yeah.”
From there, he told me a couple of stories about times when his training had come in handy in civilian life. I got the feeling that he never hesitated to step in and help when someone was in need of his medic skills.
The nerves were back again once we pulled up outside my house.
Would he kiss me good night?
He came around the truck and opened my door, then walked me to the porch.
“Did you want to come in?” Inwardly, I cringed, hoping I wasn’t giving him the wrong impression. “I need to pay Lilly and check on the kids. Then I could make a pot of coffee.If you need to go that’s fine too. I—” Oh my God. Just shut up already.
He chuckled. “Yeah, I can come in for a bit.”
Lilly filled me in on how the night had gone, and as I closed the door behind her, Callie appeared in the great room.
“What are you doing up, sweetie?”
“I can’t sleep.” Her eyes darted to where Kyle stood near the entry to the kitchen, but she quickly looked back at me. “Can you spray that smelly stuff on my pillow?”
That lavender linen spray was the best purchase I’d ever made. It had become a nightly routine, but I’d forgotten to mention it to Lilly. I kept it hidden, because the last time Teddy got a hold of it, he’d sprayed it all over the house.
“Sure. Give me a minute, and then I’ll be in.”
With a nod, she shuffled back down the hall.
“You don’t have to wait around if you don’t want to,” I said to Kyle.
“It’s fine. I don’t mind.”
So I left him in the great room while I checked on Teddy. Then I got Callie situated and made my way back to Kyle. But he wasn’t where I’d left him. I wandered through the open space and into the kitchen, finding him standing on the other side of the island, his back to me. Involuntarily, I looked him over, taking in his broad shoulders and muscular back. My face heated when I caught myself staring at his ass.
What was wrong with me? I shook my head, thankfully shaking myself out of my stupor, just as Kyle turned, holding a mug in each hand.
“I wasn’t sure if you’d want coffee this late. I found tea in the cabinet.”
“Thanks,” I said as I took one of the mugs from him and made my way to the sofa.
I sat on one end, my legs tucked under me, and he sat in the oversized armchair across from me, his left ankle resting on hisright knee. We stayed like that, silently sipping our tea, for several minutes. It wasn’t awkward. In fact, it was comfortable. Like neither of us felt the need to fill the silence with useless words.
“So what’s the verdict on tonight?” Kyle asked, a smirk playing on his lips.
“Verdict?”
