No, she didn’t suppose it was. Of course, as life had sometimes taught her…some of the worst ideas yielded the most delicious rewards.
Her hands became lost in the sudsy water as she glanced over at his door. As she set about finishing the job for which she’d volunteered, Kam let her mind wander back to the conversation they’d had earlier, during their first stop.
My wife and son are both dead, and it’s all because of me.
It was a ridiculous notion, and one she’d easily dismissed. But poor, complicated Van was absolutely convinced that his wife’s and unborn child’s deaths were his sin to bear.
Her heart ached for the grieving husband and father-to-be he’d been all those years ago. She was literally on the verge of tears for the man who’d lived every day since clearly blaming himself for someone else’s act of pure evil.
By the time the kitchen was clean and her burgeoning tears had all dried up, Van was finished with his evening shower.
“Shower’s yours if you want it.” He reappeared seemingly from nowhere.
Kam turned her gaze his way, finding his imposing form stealing nearly every bit of space in the open doorway between the kitchen and living space.
Her breath caught in her lungs, and her lower belly tingled with arousal. She found him sexy as sin in jeans and a t-shirt. But put the man in a pair of dark gray joggers and plain black hoodie, and she was suddenly very tempted to see just how far she could take things with the man who, until quite recently, had wished her dead.
“Perfect timing.” A smile that was far too wide flashed across her face.
“Thanks for doing that.” He glanced at the empty sink, stove, and small drainer containing the air-drying dishes.
“It was my pleasure,” she told him truthfully.
His dark eyes found hers once more. “You sure you’re okay staying here tonight?”
It was sweet that he felt the need to be sure.
“I am.” Kam nodded before letting him know, “I trust you, Donovan.”
“You shouldn’t.”
As far as responses went, that wasn’t exactly the one she’d expected to hear.
“No?” She finished folding the handtowel she’d used before placing it neatly over the sink’s edge. “Well, let’s see. You could have killed me in the alley, but you didn’t.”
“I put you in a choke hold until you were unconscious, stuck a needle in the side of your neck to drug you, kidnapped you, and tied you to a chair.”
“Don’t forget the duct tape,” she quipped. “A nice touch, by the way.”
One corner of the lips she longed to taste gave the slightest of quivers, and though she could tell he was trying hard to hide it, it was obvious the man was fighting a smile.
“Like that, did you?”
Kam didn’t bother hiding the wide grin or her breathy chuckle as she listed off additional reasons she felt safe around the stoic man.
“When those RPGs struck the hotel, you could have left me to die. Or, at the very least, you could have taken cover first before worrying about my well-being. Instead, you dove straight for me, even risking injury to your hand by protecting my head from slamming into the floor. You led me safely through the burning rubble, brought me to Seattle, allowed me inside your friends’ home…”
“You had information that was vital to my team’s investigation.”
“You’ve provided me with a roof over my head, food in my belly, and a place to lay my head.”
“Can’t get intel from a dead woman.”
“No.” She smiled again. “I don’t suppose you can. But you also gave me the most relaxing day I can remember ever experiencing, and you…”
Kam let her words trail for fear she’d cause him unintentional pain.
“I what?” Van stared back at her with an expectant look plastered across his tanned face.
