Various States of Undress (7 page)

Regina Frankley blew out a breath between her prune lips. “Hey, yourself. I just tramped all the way over here on snowshoes. Saw lights on last night before the power went out. Just making sure you’re fine.” She pressed her face against the snow opening. “Did your parents come with you?”

“Why?” Jake asked. He tugged on Carolina’s shoulders until she took a step back.

Regina narrowed her eyes. “Who are you?”

“Would you like to come in? Mom and Dad aren’t here. Just me.” Carolina pointed a finger over her shoulder. “And him.”

“What are you doing?” Jake whispered.

She turned away from the snow hole and covered the side of her face. “What?”

Regina chortled. “I see how it is. This is the fellow from the Twit-ster, isn’t he?”

“The what?” Carolina knocked more snow away and poked her head out.

Regina blew a cloud of steam in Carolina’s face. “The Internet thing where people gossip and tell all about how they just got a delicious coffee. Or shampooed their precocious little dog. Or whatever. This is your fiancé, right?” She shook a finger. “You’re a sly one, sneaking up to the cabin. I thought that gossip about you breaking up didn’t ring true. So this is the fella.”

Carolina’s eyes went wide and she pulled her head back in. “She thinks you’re Roger.”

He shrugged. “I’m not pretending to be Roger.”

“Oh, for God’s sake. I’m not asking you to.” She poked her head back out.

“Regina, this is Jake. He’s my Secret Service agent. Roger and I really did call it quits. And I really don’t want to know what people are tweeting, so don’t tell me. Want to come in and warm up?”

Jake cleared his throat loudly, and Carolina gave him a poke to the ribs. But a gentle poke, because he still had that gun locked and loaded. “Say hello, Jake.”

“Hello.”

Regina reached up to the opening and pulled away more snow. “Hello, Handsome. You married?”

Jake gave the old woman a pained smile but didn’t say anything.

Carolina sucked in a breath. The thought of him having a wife had never crossed her mind. Had she been fantasizing about another woman’s husband? She watched with wide eyes as Regina punched at the snow with a mittened hand. She tore away a big chunk and grinned. “You’re not married.”

Jake coughed. “No, ma’am.”

“Interesting. So, not-married Jake, are you going to stand there pointing that gun at me all morning, or are you going to help move some snow?” Regina winked at Carolina.

“I’ll help.” Jake nodded. He looked a bit like a bobblehead. Or one of those bird toys that dunked a beak into a glass of water. Carolina grinned.
Welcome to my life under a microscope, Handsome.

“No, let me. I’ve been dying to do this, anyway.” With a loud whoop, Carolina lurched forward and broke through the opening like the Incredible Hulk. She waded through a hip-deep drift, grabbed Regina in a bear hug and rocked back and forth. “I’ve missed you. I don’t think I’ve seen you since I was fifteen.”

“Oof,” muttered Regina. “You smell like toothpaste.”

Finally, Jake moved. Knocking away huge chunks of snow with the shovel, he squinted in the bright sunlight, looking a bit like a bear emerging from a cave. A sexy bear. “I’ll unbury the wood.”

As she stared at him over Regina’s shoulder, he gave her a slow smile, his eyes twinkling with amusement. His face was transformed. Before, he was gorgeous. Like this he was . . . breathtaking. She blinked. He looked away.

Claw-like hands squeezed into Carolina’s ribs, and Regina pushed back until cold air separated them. “I’m looking forward to seeing your photos,” Regina said. “Your mom tells me you’re good.”

Carolina nodded. “Thanks.” She grimaced. “But it will be a bit intimidating. You’re a legend.”

“I know, dear.” Regina reached into her parka for a tissue. She blew her nose loudly. “You know what? I’d best get moving before my face freezes in place. There’s more weather coming. How long is your vacation?”

“Three weeks,” Carolina answered. “And I have big plans for taking a lot of photos.”

“The first thing on the agenda ought to be getting warm,” Jake called from the porch.

Regina flapped a gloved hand at him. “Heard on my emergency radio that the next round of snow is going to be a doozy. Better stock up that fireplace.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Jake nodded and ducked through the snow tunnel, his arms full of wood.

“I hope your plans don’t include using that SUV that was dropped off here yesterday.” Regina shoved the tissue back into her coat pocket.

Carolina frowned. “Why is that?”

Regina pointed past the tree line. “Avalanche last night about midnight. It’s why the power went out in the first place.” She grinned, revealing blinding white dentures. “I love living out here! So exciting. But you do get cabin fever, that’s for sure. So I’ll be back soon to visit.” She made an awkward turn and waded away through the snow.

“I’ll call you later!” Carolina shivered in a gust of wind and went back into the cabin, leaning against the frozen door until it clicked shut.

“Alarm, please,” Jake said. He had taken off his snowman costume and crouched on the hearth, feeding kindling to a small flame.

Carolina glanced at his broad back, which stretched the gray thermal shirt he wore. Her fingers throbbed, and it wasn’t just from the cold. She wanted to touch him in the worst way. After taking a deep breath, she punched in the alarm code and shrugged out of her coat and gloves. “Well, that was fun,” she said, sitting on the edge of the pulled-out sofa bed. It was still made up neatly with blankets since Jake hadn’t slept on it. He’d slept with her. Well, not really
with
her, but nearby. She shivered.

Heat from the fire was already starting to seep into the room and the temperature change made her shiver again. She needed to get warm. Plus she craved being close to him. There was nothing wrong with that, was there?
Yes.

Ignoring the voice in her head, she dropped to her knees beside Jake and held out her hands toward the dancing flames.

“Regina’s a character, huh?” he asked.

“She’s unique. Always tells it like it is.” Carolina laughed. “Truth.”

The glimpse she’d had earlier of his relaxed face—his amazing smile—was gone. The Secret Service mask was back. Too bad. She looked down at her bare hands and wiggled her fingers. So the power was out. The road was caved in by snow. And her engagement was most definitely over. The ring that she’d thrown into the snowstorm last night cemented that. The fact that it had pinged off the porch light and shattered the bulb seemed like nothing but a good omen.

Jake poked at the kindling and then faced her. “Looks like we’re stuck for the time being.” Firelight gleamed in his eyes and a muscle in his jaw twitched. She should look away, but she couldn’t. But he wasn’t looking away, either. Her stomach flipped over.

“There was an avalanche,” she heard herself saying. “Agent Evans must be stuck too. I don’t see how she can helicopter in. The wind’s blowing like crazy.”

Jake’s gaze flitted to her mouth and back up to her eyes. “That’s inconvenient.”

It was. Very. So why did she feel such a sense of relief in being trapped? And why the
hell
was she entertaining thoughts of actually kissing her Secret Service agent? That was a major no-no. He said he didn’t think she was nuts, but what she was thinking about doing now kind of
was
nuts. So why was she leaning closer to Jake? And why wasn’t he stopping her?

She placed her hands on his big shoulders. “Thanks for being a good sport,” she whispered.

He nodded.

Any minute now he’d remove her hands from his body. She should drop her hands before that happened. But her fingers didn’t budge. In fact, her hands slipped down and curled around the front of his biceps. He didn’t move, but those green eyes ignited and a small smile drifted across his lips.

“What do we do now?” she asked, knowing it was an invitation. And not caring. The door was locked. The alarm was on. No eyes were prying and no cameras were flashing. Nobody was judging her, and she felt safe. Safe from everything, except herself; but she could handle herself. Being competent was her signature character trait.

“We shouldn’t,” he said.

She leaned forward and slid her fingers down his arms until she clasped his warm hands. “I’m so aware of that fact, it’s painful.” She tipped her head back. “But right now, I don’t care.” Rising up, she loosened her fingers, wrapped her arms around his strong neck and pulled him toward her. “Okay?”

His hands moved to splay around her ribcage. “No. It’s not okay.” Then he lifted her up until her breasts were nestled against his chest. And his mouth descended on hers, sending tendrils of fire racing through her middle. As her eyes slid shut, she had the strangest feeling that she was sinking. And she didn’t want it to stop.

Chapter Five

A
LARM COURSED THROUGH
Jake’s blood the second his lips were on hers, but he ignored it. They’d already crossed the line, hadn’t they? Hell, they’d probably crossed the line the minute they’d walked into the cabin yesterday, if he was being honest with himself. Not that he wanted to be honest right now. He just wanted more. More softness. More of her lips, which were brushing gently against his, opening, inviting.

Her fresh scent enveloped him when she wrapped her arms tighter, and he groaned, splaying his fingers across her slender back. This was wrong. No matter how safe it seemed, it would come back to haunt him. He knew that. But as his lips angled across hers, and his tongue slid into her sweet mouth, the heat he found inside was intoxicating. He sank into her, returning her kisses, drawing her closer. Getting lost in her arms.

Trailing kisses across her cheeks and down her slender neck, he threaded one hand through her hair and cupped the back of her head as he bent forward, capturing her mouth again.

She let out a soft moan, and her warm hands drifted to the side of his face. She kissed him feverishly, and then her lips broke free and settled in the crook of his jaw. She whispered his name. “Jake. Jake, I want—”

“Carolina,” he answered in a rush of breath. His eyes closed, he dragged his hand from her back to caress the side of her breast. Even though she wore a couple of layers, he could tell that one of those layers wasn’t a bra. His jaw tightened as he imagined her naked breasts. He wanted to taste them . . . and he could. Because she would let him.

Desire crashed through him, rushing straight down, making him swell in an instant. He opened his eyes and looked into hers, which were half-lidded with lust. Her head was still pillowed in his palm.

“Touch me,” she said. “Please.”

On instinct, he shook his head. “I can’t.”

“You can.” She settled her fingers over his, pushing them around her breast.

“I can,” he admitted. He stared at her open mouth, aching to take it again. “But I won’t.”

She blinked. “We’ve already crossed the line, you know.”

“Not completely.” He let out a slow breath, lifted her back into a kneeling position and let his hands slide away from her body.

“Far enough.”

It was nowhere near far enough, but Jake couldn’t think about that right now. Clearing his throat, he stood up and offered her a hand. She stared at it, not moving.

“Carolina . . .”

“Why can’t we just enjoy each other?” She tilted her chin and stared up at him.

He shoved his hand in his pocket and turned away to walk into the kitchen. Once he was behind a counter, he adjusted the front of his jeans and reached for the coffee pot. Annoyance began to seep in, killing his lust. Good. He needed the distraction of being irritated, because she knew the answer to her own question. He shouldn’t have to spell it out.

“Why, Jake?”

He poured himself a mug and took a sip, buying time. Part of his job description was to reason with his protectees, but usually that meant explaining why, for security reasons, certain entrances, exits, and safety measures had to be used. It didn’t mean reasoning with a daughter of the president of the United States . . . who wanted to sleep with him. Especially since he’d just given her every indication that he wanted the same thing.

“Your life depends on it, that’s why.” He put down the mug and glanced at her, sitting on the floor by the fire, petite, and vulnerable. Her life depended on
him
. She stared back, her dark eyes calm, assessing. She didn’t look vulnerable. She looked like a woman formulating a plan.

Great. Maybe Courtney would be able to get through today, despite the high winds. Having another agent on the job would solve everything. Because right now? He didn’t trust himself alone with Carolina Fulton.

“My life is perfectly safe at the moment,” she said evenly. “I trust you with it.”

“You shouldn’t,” he muttered. “If we . . .” He gestured between them. “You know. I wouldn’t be able to concentrate should there be an emergency.”

Carolina rose and walked to the wall of windows on the back side of the living room. “An emergency that involved someone hiking miles up the road, tunneling their way through an avalanche, scaling the electric fence, avoiding the cameras on the property, and breaking through bullet-proof glass or five-inch thick doors?”

“Exactly. So you see my point.”

She glanced at him in disbelief and then back out the window. After a moment she sighed. “There’s something pulling us together. Something that feels right. You can’t deny that.”

No, he couldn’t. Jake turned around and braced his hands on the front of the stove. It was stone-cold underneath his warm hands. Cold, angular, and functional which was what he needed to be. It was what he
had
to be.

“Look. It’s not that I didn’t feel something. I mean, it’s obvious. I’m incredibly attracted to you, or I wouldn’t have made such an egregious mistake.” He raked a hand through his hair.

“Egregious?”

Behind him, Jake heard her walk across the hardwood floor. A few seconds later, she was tugging on his elbow. He turned around to find her eyes narrowed. Uh oh.

“Carolina . . .”

“Egregious?” she repeated. “We’re two human beings, for God’s sake.” Shaking her head, she took a couple of steps toward a cabinet and jerked it open, perusing the random collection of coffee mugs on the shelf. “You’re not a machine, Jake. And you’re not doing yourself any favors by acting like one.”