"Then she needs a new hearing aid," Bo razzed right back on his way across the tarmac and back to his rental car.
The in-flight mechanic had laughed his ass off over Bo explaining he would be bunking out at Paige's place. With her brothers. And a kid under the roof. Sheesh. Talk about chaperones out the wazoo.
Hadn't made a bit of difference to Mako, but then, flight crews lived to razz each other.
They played hard, joked hard, lived hard, because you never knew when the missile hit was a second away. A reality he understood well from that flight in Rubistan—a subject guaranteed to sink his mood into opaque territory.
And he still didn't know what he planned to do with the rest of his life. At least he had a firm plan for the next two weeks. Albeit, an increasingly frustrating one.
The kiss the night before only proved the obvious. He was weak as hell around this woman. A vulnerable look from her, combined with honest to God caring questions and he was ready to jump her bones. He'd barely made it into the car.
An hour later, gear stowed in the trunk, he pulled off onto the two-lane road leading to Paige's house. At least he would be flying with her brother today, making rounds and taking any emergency calls.
He slowed behind the mail carrier as the school bus chugged past, clearing the driveway
—where Kirstie still stood holding her mother's hand. What was up with that?
Bo turned onto the dirt driveway, cruising to a stop under what was quickly becoming his least favorite tree in the state. He stepped out of the car and popped the trunk to unload his gear. "No school for you today, Cupcake? Are you sick?"
Kirstie stayed mute and stepped closer to her mother's leg.>Bo's blue eyes darkened with concern even if he didn't move toward her. "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine." Sorta. Enough to get through the night if she kept a tight rein on herself. She clenched her hands into fists, digging her nails into her palms, the slight pinch a slow but sure reminder of how falling for a Bo sort of guy would one day hurt like hell. "Thank you for the support earlier, but I'm almost certain I'll crumble if I get any more sympathy.
Does that make sense?"
"Not really. But then we all cope in different ways, and I have to respect your boundaries."
"Thank you." Holy cow, this guy knew the right words to slip right past her defenses.
Kurt had encouraged her to count on him for everything, financial as well as emotional, insisting there would be plenty of time for her to spread her wings once Kirstie grew up.
But this man talked about healthy boundaries. He even discussed and supported her dreams of returning to college.
The circle of light warmed into a close bubble of privacy against the dark countryside.
She dug those fingernails harder into her palms.
Bo scratched the back of his head. "This may not be the best time to bring it up, but, well, the guys and I were talking and it really is a helluva drive back into Minot after a full work load of flying. So when I return in the morning, I'm going to start bunking here."
She forgot all about digging in her nails, surprise making her hands go slack. She didn't buy his excuse for a second. "You're staying out here because of the break-in."
"Doesn't hurt to have an extra guy around." His easy shrug shifted the leather jacket around his shoulders, a whispered slide of heavy, smooth fabric.
"And that's your only reason?" She braced her sagging spine against the tree, better than leaning on a man again. "I thought you said you were respecting my boundaries?"
"You think I'm moving here to get lucky? Lady, I'd have to be an idiot to try that with your watchdog brother on hand."
He had a point and now she felt foolish. "Then why are you doing this?"
"Make no mistake, I would still follow you inside in a heartbeat—if your brother was on Mars and the past evaporated for a day or two. But I heard you earlier about not letting this—" he gestured between them "—tug we feel go anywhere. I like to think I have enough self-control to keep my hands to myself." A wicked smile tucked in his cheek.
"No matter how enticing the woman."
Heat crawled up her neck even as she resisted the urge to roll her eyes at his blatant flattery.
His smile faded. "What happened with the break-in puts a new spin on things. This is about the business of keeping your practice afloat and a roof over your head. Most of all this is about keeping you and Kirstie safe. Even on testosterone overload, I recognize everything else has to take a back seat."
He sure did have a way of taking the sting out of saying he could live in the same house with her and not do a thing about it. "And you've already talked this over with my brother."