Flora did as he instructed, her fingers shaking as she swiped. Keeping her voice under control with an effort, she gave the details to the dispatcher. “Chief Delaney knows all about this case,” she finished. When she ended the call, she handed the phone back to Leon. “I need to sit down.”
He helped her to a fallen tree trunk. Sitting next to her, he slid an arm around her shoulders and she leaned gratefully against him.
“Good game, Dr. Leon.” Frankie emerged from his quilt, clearly unaware of any danger.
Stevie nodded his agreement. “We play chase next?”
Two hours later, Flora entered the kitchen of Leon’s house just as he was pouring coffee into two cups. She wore one of his sweaters over her pink-and-white-striped pajamas and had swapped her sneakers for a pair of his socks. He scanned her face thoughtfully. Although she looked tired and pale, some of the initial shock appeared to have faded.
A fierce desire ripped through him. He wanted to take away the cares from those slender shoulders and ease the worry from her delicate features. It was so intense it took his breath away. As soon as it hit, a sobering thought followed in its wake.
He had no right to feel that way. And he’d already proved worthless as a protector. His wife had died as a result of his inability to care for her. If he failed all over again, would Flora and her boys be the next ones to pay the price? He could not, would not, let that happen.
“They’re both asleep.” Flora took the coffee from him with a grateful smile. “I can’t thank you enough, but we’ll be out of your hair tomorrow.”
This was his chance. If he couldn’t trust himself to shelter Flora and the twins from harm, he should let her go. Leave the job of safeguarding her to the professionals. There was no way he should be thinking about turning his home into a fortress with himself as the gallant defender who would watch over her.
“Stay here.”
Her eyes appeared bigger and bluer than ever as she studied him over the top of her cup. “Pardon?”
“I want you and the boys to stay with me until this is over.” It was only once the words were out that he knew how much it meant to him. He didn’t just want to protect Flora. He needed to do it. It had nothing to do with restoring his lost self-esteem. It was about her and Stevie and Frankie. In the short time since he had met them, he had begun to care for all three of them. No matter what happened in the future, he had to be there to get them through this. They would deal with the rest later. “This house is less accessible than yours. Before I left the army, I was a serving officer in Afghanistan. I have the skills to protect you. And, although his judgment might sometimes be questionable, Tiny isn’t going to let anyone get close without kicking up a ruckus.”
“Leon, I can’t let you turn your whole life upside down.” He caught a glimpse of tears in Flora’s eyes and fought off the temptation to draw her into his arms. That was an angle he hadn’t considered. If she agreed, his ability to resist temptation was going to be tested to its outer limits.
“Has it occurred to you that I might welcome the idea of a little chaos?” he asked.
“If that’s the case, why didn’t you just keep Bungee?” she challenged. “Shut him and Tiny in a room together a few times a day. The effects would be similar to inviting my boys to stay.”
Leon took her hand, and his heart ached to feel how much her fingers were trembling.
“Let me do this, Flora.” He felt the words getting away from him, the old impediment resurfacing as it always did in times of stress. He took a moment to get it under control. “I need to know you and the boys are safe.”
The tears shimmered brighter now, but she blinked them away as she nodded. Her hand twisted beneath his, and he could sense her embarrassment. She sucked in a breath, color flaming in her cheeks. “If we’re going to share a house, I think we should talk about that kiss.”
He smiled, pleased that they could do this without too much awkwardness. “Kissing you was the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time. It can’t have escaped your attention that I think you’re gorgeous.” Although she bent her head over her coffee cup, he noticed the slight upward curve to her lips. He could have continued with a list of all the things he thought about Flora. That she was intelligent, funny, brave, an amazing mom... And where was he going with this? With an effort, he got himself back on track. “But we’ve both been through so much heartache, and we’ve been thrust together by danger. Now is probably not the best time to take things further.”
He didn’t add that there would never be a good time. Flora was smart enough to work it out for herself, if she hadn’t already done so. No matter how strong the physical attraction between them might be, she deserved better than damaged goods. And Leon didn’t believe his emotional cracks could be repaired.
As soon as he finished speaking, there was a heartbeat, a to-hell-with-it moment, in which he wanted to take the words back. He knew Flora could feel it as well. Maybe it was a signal that this connection between them couldn’t be neatly packaged up and put to one side. Whatever it was, it made his pulse race and his blood burn with something that felt a lot like longing.
Reason and emotion were at war inside him. It was as if his body, having discovered how to feel again, was determined to test every sensation, just
