Read Online WOULD-BE CHRISTMAS WEDDING by Debra Webb - Free Book Online Page B

would do...but she wasn’t entirely sure that was the motive for her actions.
    She prayed she wasn’t being a fool.
    Still, of all the things she might have told him, that one point seemed the most relevant. It didn’t make sense. He’d obviously lied to her about a few things, but something about the man beside her—the frown twisting his face, the tension in his body—made her say that first.
    She had the odd feeling he was in over his head. As a deputy director of an elite covert team, it didn’t seem entirely reasonable. Her brother’s team of Specialists was well trained to salvage ops that slid sideways and out of reach. Their success rate was ridiculously high because Thomas wouldn’t tolerate anything less. What could possibly worry a man with that kind of experience and expertise?
    The potential answers didn’t offer any sort of comfort. Just the opposite.
    Remembering how one attacker had demanded her, she shivered. Her apparent savior shifted, tucking her under the shelter of his arm. She should tell him those same men had asked her for directions just a few hours ago, should tell him she knew who he was. She should tell him about the message Casey had sent a few minutes ago.
    But she couldn’t bring herself to say any of those things in the cab. “Thank you,” she said, as the post-adrenaline tremors set in.
    He rubbed her shoulder and pressed a kiss to her hair. It wasn’t the kind of gesture she expected from a worldly operative or a man supposedly betraying his team and country. There was an inherent kindness behind the comfort he offered her.
    “You did well,” he said.
    Not from her perspective. “You did all the hard work.” She traced the rip in his jacket sleeve. “It’s ruined.”
    “It’s replaceable.”
    “We should have a real conversation.”
    “Probably,” he said, twisting a bit to peer out the back window.
    “Will we?”
    He didn’t reply, just squeezed her shoulder once more.
    Her tremors eased up as the cab driver turned into the marina entrance. The landscaping on either side of the drive was draped with colorful holiday lights, but it didn’t do anything to lift her mood.
    A loud party overflowed the marina building and she did a mental rundown of the local calendar, trying to figure out if she’d know anyone attending, but she couldn’t recall who had rented the space for tonight.
    Would she call out for help anyway? Or just keep going with the flow and hoping this man was the hero she wanted him to be?
    Maybe her daughter and brother were right. Maybe she didn’t have the right stuff for this kind of work.
    “Looks like quite a bash going down,” the cab driver observed as Emmett paid the fare.
    “Sailors always know how to party,” he agreed. “Thanks for the lift.”
    Instead of leading her around toward the water, he guided her straight toward the raucous party. “We’re not dressed for this kind of event,” she protested.
    He looked her up and down and the resulting shiver had nothing to do with fear or adrenaline. Only anticipation. “Not every party is a gala.” The wind caught her hair, but he smoothed it back behind her ear. “You look very good to me.”
    And he looked pretty damned gorgeous, even after the fight in a grimy alley. At this point she wanted answers. He had a point, though. The safety of a friendly crowd held a good deal of appeal just now. “We need to talk.”
    “We will. I promise.” His mouth thinned to a grim line. “As soon as we’re safe.” He urged her closer to the front doors.
    “What’s going on? What did those men want?” Besides her.
    “We’ll figure that out,” he promised, “as soon as we know we’re not being followed anymore.”
    Since those two men had been stalking her before the encounter in the alley, she couldn’t actually blame him for what happened. Truth was, he had saved her from God only knew what sort of fate. For now, she had no choice but to trust him.
    “I thought you gave this