Make Me Melt(39)

He nodded, unable to even summon a false smile for her. “I’m good. I’ll be better once we’re at the hotel, and I’ll be perfect once we catch the goddamn bastard who’s doing this.”

“Did any of the neighbors see anything? I mean, it hasn’t been dark for all that long—whoever broke in had to have done it during the day. How does someone burglarize a home in the middle of the day without anyone noticing?”

By blending in.

For a moment, Jason thought he’d said the words aloud. He didn’t want to frighten Caroline, because she was already pretty freaked out, but he suspected that whoever had broken into the beach house had been dressed in a way that wouldn’t draw attention. A landscaper maybe. Or a cable guy.

He’d send one of his deputies back in the morning to gather information, but for tonight, he just wanted to hold Caroline in his arms and reassure himself that she was safe.

* * *

CAROLINE SET HER bag down on the small chair by the bed, and turned to Jason. She could barely see him in the darkness. He secured the locks on the hotel room door before moving over to the windows to pull the shades. Only then did he flip on the small light next to the bed.

Unlike the opulent suite they had stayed in during her first night, this room was a standard room with only the basic amenities. But it was clean and spacious, and the knowledge that she had deputy marshals in the rooms on either side and across the hall made her feel secure. But having Jason in the room with her was what truly made her feel safe.

She watched as he shrugged off his sports jacket and then unfastened his holster, carefully removing the weapon and laying both the gun and the holster on the table near the window, within easy reach. He pulled a second gun out of the back of his waistband and laid that weapon on the table next to the bed. The sight of the guns had a sobering effect on Caroline, but she understood that if she was going to love this man, she had to accept that this was part of his life.

Finally, he turned to her, and she moved into his arms. He held her for a long moment before she leaned slightly back and looked up at him.

“If I haven’t said it before, thank you for everything.”

A smile touched his mouth. “Everything?”

“You know what I mean,” she said, smiling in spite of herself. “I know you didn’t have to do this.”

“Ah, sweetheart,” he said, bracketing her face in his big hands and searching her eyes. “There’s no way I couldn’t do this. Judge Banks is like a father to me. He’s all I have.”

“Not anymore,” she said, searching his face. “You have me now.”

He gave a low groan, and then his mouth was on hers and he was kissing her as if he thought she might vanish at any moment.

“It’s okay,” she breathed against his mouth. “I’m here.”

If she had been terrified about losing him earlier that day, she could sense that he was having similar feelings about her after seeing the house ransacked. But whereas she had already accepted that she was falling in love with Jason, and acknowledged that she wanted him in her life, she didn’t think he’d had that same epiphany. She knew instinctively that he wouldn’t welcome those feelings. But she also knew that whether he wanted to admit it or not, he was falling for her, too.

Caroline pressed her lips gently against his, shaping the contours of his exquisite mouth. A shudder went through him, and he made a sound. His arms closed tighter around her. Caroline slid her hands along his rib cage and angled her mouth ever so slightly across his, enjoying the sensuality of the kiss.

His arms held her captive as he plundered her mouth, his tongue moving against hers with expert precision. Caroline welcomed his heat and strength, and she could actually feel her body blossom beneath his touch, as if anticipating their joining.

Jason dragged his mouth from hers, trailing his lips over her cheek until her found the juncture of her jaw and throat and pressed his lips to her hammering pulse.

“I want to make love to you,” he said, his voice ragged. “I’ve thought of this all day, but I understand if you don’t want to.”

She pulled back just enough to stare at him. “Are you kidding?” she asked. “I need for you to make love to me. Right now, what you and I have is the only thing that makes sense in this world. The only thing that’s real.”

He didn’t argue. He simply swept her into his arms before she could utter another word and carried her across the room to the bed. Caroline had never before had a man pick her up so effortlessly, and there was a part of her that thrilled to his masculine strength and the way it made her feel.

Feminine.

Fragile.

He set her on her feet next to the bed and, without giving her a chance to change her mind, cupped her face in his hands and slanted his mouth across hers.

“I could kiss you like this all night,” he murmured. “You have the softest lips.”

Tilting her head back, he worked his way down her throat, planting light kisses and gentle bites against her flesh, until Caroline shivered with need. His fingers unhurriedly worked the buttons of her shirt; she felt cool air waft against her bare skin. She didn’t object when he pushed the shirt from her shoulders, letting the garment drop to the floor until she stood before him in just her bra and pants.

“Let me look at you,” he demanded, his voice husky. Caroline blushed as she realized he wasn’t just looking at her; he was devouring her with his gaze, and the expression in his eyes made her feel both excited and nervous.